The Hunger was an interesting read for me, for the most part very excellent -taking the well known story of the Donner party tragedy and adding in speculative supernatural and horror, this is a slow burn towards terror, which is much more of a character drama than it is any kind of thriller until right at the end. At that point though you might want to engage the axe proof duvet.

A group of travellers run into issue after issue, a child disappears and is later found mutilated, food is growing short and the road they are on is untested. Add into that various interpersonal quarrels and interactions and it is surprising that they didn’t all kill each other before the actual thing that happens. The author builds her characters with huge depth and at a considered pace -this both works, because by the time they are all in trouble you are genuinely engaged with them – and doesn’t because it is a little convoluted in places and there are a lot of characters to separate, some of whom sound entirely familiar to each other. The end is an adrenalin rush coming upon you almost too suddenly…

Overall though it works very well. Descriptively speaking this is beautifully done, you get the sense of time and place brilliantly and the end of The Hunger is scary scary stuff – it is a reading journey but definitely one worth taking.

This is the story of a journey across the country for a better life but will they even make it. Something is stalking the travellers and killing them. A disease spreading amongst them but can anyone survive.

This is based on a true story but reimagined. This is a more chilling and scary version of what happened to the people. I wasn't sure how I was going to get on with this but I'm do glad I tried it as it's very good. The mystery of what is stalking them is creepy and chilling. It jumps about as it explains who the characters are and how they ended up on this trail. The ending is bittersweet but very good. There is many deaths in this but one in particular really got to me.

The characters are very complex and all have their own battles to fight but forced together to survive. Stanford was my favourite closely followed by Mary.

A very chilling retelling of true story.

This is an atmospheric page turner with characters who are developed enough for the reader to really care about - no mean feat with a cast so large.

Based on the true story of the ill fated Donner Party, Alma Katsu created a disturbing, slow burning story that seamlessly blends historical fiction with horror, and supernatural elements.

The tragic story of the group of pioneers that was the Donner Party is heart breaking and horrible as it is. They set out out for California in a wagon train in May 1846, hoping for a better life and great opportunities. After a series of mistakes, the worst being the decision to take the Hastings Cutoff - a new route promoted, in spite of its proven difficulty by Lansford Hastings -, they became trapped in the Sierra Nevada after an early snowfall, causing the death of many, while some survivors resorted to eating their dead.

I would venture to say, that having to travel for six months cross country in an ox cart is bad enough, but if you are following a leader who lacks the basic skills required to navigate such a journey, and repeatedly ignores warning signs, such as having directly told not to follow a certain path he later leads you down, you are very likely doomed, even if you don't encounter any vengeful demons intent on picking your group off one by one.

The story alternates the focus between some of the main characters, and through their eyes we see the tension and desperation grow. Everyone's on edge, and despite the mounting evidence suggesting external interference, they still find it easier to blame each other for the unexplained deaths and strange attacks on their camps. Some of these suspicions might not even be completely unfounded. Playing on their fear of the unknown, certain members of the group prove to be more heinous than the ever hungry evil that follows them closely.

A glimpse into the lives of 19th century American pioneers, The Hunger is an atmospheric story of supernatural evil, and the darkness that lies within all of us.

Based on a true event this is a shocking and gruesome story. What would we do if there was no other choice?

You go from searing heat to freezing temperatures with danger amidst. Where are the children disappearing too. Brilliant novel that keeps you on the edge of the seat

What a book! I feel quite wrung out after finishing it.
The Hunger is a cautionary tale, an epic pilgrimage of a number of families to the promise of California. The long wagon train hosts a whole range of characters, intriguing, unsavoury, and many with their own hidden pasts. As the pioneers make their way through inhospitable weather, gradually the journey starts to take its toll. Children disappear, and strange creatures are seen nearby. Families are forced to abandon their possessions on the path, and leave the past behind them on their journey forward. Divisions in the group, and unexpected unions between its members grip the reader, as the hunger continues to destroy. Based on the true story of the Donner Party, this story is immense and gripping. Read it.

As I flicked through the preamble to this novel, I saw five words that made me instantly regret requesting it for review – “based on a true story”. I’d read the little description, and somehow decided that it was going to be a horror; instead, I’d ended up with a fictionalised history of a group of American pioneers, which was about as far from what I’d normally choose as it could possibly be. However, I had requested it, so I needed to read and review it.
I’d never heard of the Donner Party before; I don’t remember covering any American history in school and even if we did, that was decades ago. Maybe that helped, in that I had no preconceived ideas of the characters described, but it also meant that there were suddenly masses of people that I needed to remember. This was a struggle, so I’d very much recommend jotting down the family groups and their members as you go. Seven people stood out fairly quickly, but the rest remained pretty ephemeral throughout, which didn’t help with the narrative.
This is all sounding terribly negative, but I quite enjoyed the book, which turned out to have a touch of the supernatural about it after all. The characters that did stick with me stuck well, and the story moved along quickly. There could have been more detail of the journey, but maybe that was only lacking because I didn’t know the history behind the story. It’s made me interested enough to research the actual historical accounts of what was an epic journey, even without the extra difficulties the group ended up facing.

Alma Katsu has achieved a remarkable story in The Hunger, based upon real events that occurred in 1846-1847; the tragic account of a group of American pioneers led by George Donner and James Reed that became known as The Donner Party. Their journey west to California would probably have been unremarkable had they not taken the disastrous decision to take a ‘short-cut’ to save some 300 miles on their long journey. The wagon train became trapped in the Sierra Nevada by seriously harsh conditions with relentless snow fall. Snowbound, minor bickering escalated into violent arguments amongst the travellers as food supplies were depleted.

Katsu has woven fiction into the true story. The real characters are here alongside others made up, to add depth to this very harrowing tale of tragedy. There is a ghoulish element that makes for uncomfortable reading - this is not a book for the feint-hearted. As the horror unfolds the pace becomes staccato and relentless with its inevitable conclusions.

A fictional account of a tragic piece of American social history written with great dexterity. Harsh, gruesome and realistic; fiction and fact have never been better combined.

This book based on actual events is a tale of hardship, grit and determination. Some of the first travellers teying to reacheck California. There is sadness, ;fight and desperation to overcome, hunger, pain and the cold. This story is one modern society will never experience, and it is worth reading to understand their fight for a better life.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I really enjoyed this book, I’m not a fan of historical stories but this one was very good. A good horror story though. It had me wanting more, I didn’t want to put it down. Great story and characters worked well.

Tragic historical fiction based on the true story of pioneers attempting a new route to California in the 1840s; and the privations they suffered. All the characters are rounded, and not perfect. It could be horrific and sensational, as cannabilism and a family curse relating to blood, are involved; but instead there is a tragic inevitability about the ending.
Would recommend to anyone.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, with a vague touch of the supernatural then Alma Katsu’s “The Hunger” may well be the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and although it’s a novel which may not be peddled as ‘horror’ it has got more than enough to keep fans of the genre entertained, especially in its second half.

Based on a true story, the disappearance of a large wagon train heading west towards California in the mid-1840s, Alma Katsu has made a superb job of recreating the hard and dangerous life of the wagon train, with the vague suspicion of something nasty tracking the ninety or so travellers, including many children, wives and old folks never far away. Many were desperate men, heading west with a lack of provisions, ill-prepared and hoping to survive the perilous 2000 odd mile journey to enjoy what later became known as the ‘American Dream’.

It’s hard to know what to compare this superb beast of a novel to, however, if Dan Simmons decided to tackle the American frontier period he may well come up with something like “The Hunger” and that’s high praise indeed. The novel is full of colourful period detail, exquisitely researched, and although it moves along at a slow pace it is never dull and I read it very quickly. However, if you do prefer a slash, bang, wallop kind of horror then this is probably not the book for you. It inhabits the literary end of the genre and is a fine example of how to build tension, slow dread and fear as the travellers are picked off one by one after a young boy is disappears early in their journey, his eaten corpse found strangely ahead of the wagon train a few days later. Indians are suspected, but soon the fear spreads.

According to the informative author end-notes the true events of the disappearance of the ‘Donner’ party, or at least the facts that do exist, were common knowledge until the last couple of generations and have since disappeared from common American historical knowledge. As George Donner had the most wagons and cash he declares himself leader, but with winter fast approaching the wagon train falls behind schedule and they are left with a critical choice to make. Either go the familiar safer wagon route, or follow a supposed short-cut which is unexplored properly but rumoured to shave 300 miles from the journey. They foolishly take the short cut.

Although the whole book is a journey, with something nasty lurking in the background, the book is as much about the people as anything else. It is easy to argue the plot would have been strong enough without any supernatural elements at all. Seen from multiple points of view there are some wonderfully drawn characters and the novel uses both flashbacks and letters to explore many key back stories. For many of them, risking a 2000-mile journey, means they are running away from something. Amongst these good Christian men and women, we have every kind of secret from infidelity, homosexual lust, murder, to incest, all of which slowly unravel as the wagon train begins to flounder. Laced into the plot are many clever cultural observations from the period, for example, why were unmarried men treated with suspicion? As one of the leading characters Stanton finds out.

“The Hunger” was a superbly thoughtful novel, which ultimately stretched the limits of human endurance, as there is more than one kind of ‘hunger’. Its strength lies in the pioneer spirit of the brave ninety souls searching for a dream, not knowing a nightmare was waiting. Turning a factual event into a very readable novel is tricky, adding a convincing supernatural angle is even more difficult, but the author pulls it off admirably. It’s possible readers of ‘straight’ historical fiction may not like the direction the novel heads in the final 20% of its gruelling 400 pages. But, hey, that’s their loss.

Tremendously written thriller that was a classic "slow burn' that had me feeling uneasy, a little bit paranoid, and totally creeped out. But I mean that in a good way. Such a great book!!!

A well written historic thriller / horror based upon true events. Dark, Gripping and delves into the darkest parts of the human psyche. A tale of true desperation and the depths to which anyone can sink if dire circumstances are pushed all the way to the edge.

Well, Ms. Katsu, you have a fan for life. The Hunger is one of the most compelling debuts I've ever had the pleasure to read. An extraordinary, claustrophobic slice of pioneering life and, in particular, the infamous Donner party. As the scales begin to fall from the eyes of the wagon train, headed for a new life in California, their relationships and sanity start to unravel.

Extreme weather, the daily search for a scapegoat, brutally murdered children and the burgeoning realisation that they are being hunted by something otherworldly and fiendish starts to hack away at the collective morality.

Gossip, jealousy, the complex dynamics of our social structure and how men and women cope in a faltering and unstable environment are some of the broader themes. But it is the touch of supernatural woven between our deepest fears and Native American mythology that had me shivering under the covers and turning pages at Mach 2.

I can't recommend this enough - so much awesome.

Absorbing historical fiction with a slight touch of the supernatural. This book actually taught me something and I found the plot gripping too. Katsu is not an author who has interested me before but I will be looking out for her future work after this.

I admit to not knowing much about the original Donner expedition before reading this but there was so much more to discover because of it. Not sure what’s more horrific, the real or the imagined , actually a bit of both as the novel takes on a supernatural tone which totally freaked me out.

I expected snowy mountains to be honest but it’s more of a lost in the dry desert kind of story. Still plenty places to almost die, get in bother and then resort to...well there’s something to discover for yourself

There’s a lot of time in the novel to examine the characters and get to know them and sometimes this did take away from the focus on the creepy scenes I wanted. The chills, the horror etc...ironically got lost a few times. Having said that it was a fascinating account of a group of American pioneers. Which way should they go? What’s that up ahead? What’s just happened? What the...? That’s the kind of book this is. Horrific and chilling, disturbing but strangely compelling. A unique take on an already unique historical incident.

I think it was horrific enough without some of the supernatural bits added here. I did enjoy exploring the settings, the atmosphere and the sense of foreboding though. Scary to think some of this really did happen. Off to buy a history book on the incident now. I need to know more.

Alma Katsu's new horror novel is a cracking tale of survival in the vein of Dan Simmon's The Terror.
Based on the Donner party's tragic crossing of America in the 1840s, it follows a group of settlers who head across the plains in search of new beginnings but find themselves hunted by an unknown prey. Each have their own secrets for making the trip and it makes for a killer one-two punch as simmering tensions, along with the supernatural threat, begin to tear them apart.
The historical context is well handled and makes for a rich fish out of water setting.
It's a well constructed, slow-burn horror that simmers along nicely before an explosive final act.
Highly recommended.

The hardcover of this book, due for release in early march, shows a horse drawn wagon heading out into uncharted territory. This represented the pioneering spirit of American settlers heading west for California who felt confident in the knowledge that they were destined to occupy this territory irrespective of the affect their actions might have on the indigenous native American tribes who already populated these regions. The Hunger recalls one particular group of travellers historically referred to as the "Donner Party", led by Jacob and George Donner, who in the spring of 1846 departed Springfield Illinois on a perilous 2500 mile journey their intended destination the Mexican province of alta California. Poor planning, bad decision and snowstorms caused a number of the original pioneers to become trapped in the mountains during the severe winter of 1846. When food ran out it was said that they resorted to cannibalism; the unthinkable had happened in order to survive.

Alma Katsu expertly uses the harsh unforgiving environment and that deep rooted human weakness, fear of darkness and the unknown, to instil in the travellers a paranoia that something evil is out there stalking them....."He saw teeth sharpened like iron nails, and too many of them, far too many-a long slick of throat, like a dark tunnel, and that horrible tongue slapping like a blind animal feeling for it prey."...Some excellent characterization really made the story come alive as long held dark secrets gradually emerged. James Reed owner of a large furniture business in Springfield, married to an older woman, yet tortured inwardly by personal feelings, dark thoughts and undisclosed encounters. Charles Stanton, the quiet anti-hero whom Mary Graves...."was giddily, stupidly, happily in love.".....Tamsen Donner, young bride to George Donner, her beauty and wayward ways causing discern and rumour amongst the gradually starving disillusioned pioneers. As bad weather, low rations, and poor decisions prevailed the.... "creatures that fed on human flesh".....selected and noisily consumed the weak and innocent.

What I loved about this novel was the seamless blending of historical facts with a modern horror theme, a wolf like predator with an unquenchable longing for human flesh. As a British reader I must confess to my ignorance of the Donner Party and was pleased that the author included an "historical note" which greatly added to my enjoyment of the overall story. There were many fine observations in this ill fated journey non better than a quote at the conclusion of chapter 21....."Then the Lord must be mightily displeased with you, because he has led you into the valley of death. Make peace with your Lord before it is too late, because the hungry ones are coming for you.".... Many thanks to the good people at netgalley for this gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written. Recommended.