Available Formats
The Hunger
By (Author) Alma Katsu
Thorndike Press
Thorndike Press
4th July 2018
Large Print Edition
United States
General
Fiction
Historical fiction
Occult fiction
Thriller / suspense fiction
Horror and supernatural fiction
Hardback
589
Width 142mm, Height 218mm
Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere. In this gripping reimagining of one of America's most fascinating historical moments, that is the only way to explain the misfortunes that plague the Donner Party wagon train. As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains . . .
Praise for The Hunger
One of:
PopSugar's "31 of the Best New Books You Should Read in March"
io9's "28 New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Well Worth Checking Out"
PureWow's "20 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2018"
NerdMuch's "20 Best New Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books"
SyFy Wire's "Out of This World Book Releases"
"Katsu shows an acute understanding of human nature....[She] is at her best when she forces her readers to stare at the almost unimaginable meeting of ordinary people and extraordinary desperation, using her sharp, haunting language."--USA Today
"A reimagining of the ill-fated Donner Party but with an eerie supernatural twist."--New York Post
"Combines meticulous historical research and a keen understanding of human nature with a monstrous original metaphor to reimagine the ill-fated Donner-Reed party as a haunted endeavor, doomed from its first mile."--Salon
"The -- Bustle
"Katsu injects the supernatural into this brilliant retelling of the ill-fated Donner Party....Fans of Dan Simmons's The Terror will find familiar and welcome chills."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"For fans of historical fiction and the supernatural, Katsu's goosebumpy and spooky plot makes for an original and surprising read."--Library Journal (starred review)
"A suspenseful and imaginative take on a famous tragedy."--Booklist
"An inventive reimagining...Westward migration, murder, sensation: the story of the Donner Party has all this....Katsu creates a riveting drama of power struggles and shifting alliances....The tensions [she] creates are thrilling."--Kirkus Reviews
"Grips readers from the opening paragraphs and doesn't let go. Full of richly drawn and fascinatingly flawed characters, this is a story that is respectful of the history it relates, but doesn't shy away from the sins, mistakes and bigotry of the past, to impressive effect."--RT Book Reviews
"The isolation is anxiety-inducing and the tension is perfect....Well-written and gripping with a strong conclusion, The Hunger is an inventive take on an already morbidly fascinating historical event. Recommended."--Historical Novel Society
"Take the already gruesome Donner Party story, add a wagonload of frightening supernatural elements, and you have the ingredients that animate this chilling novel....A compulsively addictive retooling of historical fact."--Brandeis Magazine
""An unsettling and slow-burning tale that combines history and the supernatural that sure to please anyone with interest in either."--SF Reader
"Alma Katsu has taken one of the darkest and most chilling episodes in our history, and made the story even darker, even more terrifying. I swear I'm still shuddering. A fantastic read!"--R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series
"Like The Revenant but with an insistent supernatural whisper. The setting and the story are utterly chilling. And the telling of it is so well done."--Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes
"The Hunger is a terrific historical novel with a thrilling, bloody twist. Alma Katsu's brilliant reimagining of the Donner party's fate is rich with character, laden with imminent doom, and propelled by chilling mystery. A novel that book clubs and dark fiction fans should devour with equal relish."--Christopher Golden, author of Ararat and Snowblind
"If you think the story of the Donner Party can't get more horrific, think again. In this gripping, atmospheric reimagining of that dark tale, Katsu has created a deeply unsettling and truly terrifying masterpiece."--Jennifer McMahon, author of Burntown and The Winter People
"An uneasy, nauseous, slow-burning tale that marries historical fiction with a hint of the supernatural. Great detailing; colorful characterization; some supremely ominous stuff, but always reined in at the final moment to rack up the tension even more. Loved it!"--Joanne Harris, author of Different Class and Chocolat
"The Hunger is a bold and brilliant novel, heavy with foreboding and dread, and with a rich vein of humanity at its core. I challenge you to read it without experiencing your own hunger pangs."--Tim Lebbon, author of Relics and The Silence
"In an audacious twist, Alma Katsu has made something new and suspenseful from the legendary story of the Donner Party. The Hunger is filled with terror, pity, and grue."--Keith Donohue, author of The Boy Who Drew Monsters and The Stolen Child
"Katsu injects the supernatural into this brilliant retelling of the ill-fated Donner Party....Fans of Dan Simmons's The Terror will find familiar and welcome chills."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"For fans of historical fiction and the supernatural, Katsu's goosebumpy and spooky plot makes for an original and surprising read."--Library Journal (starred review)
"A suspenseful and imaginative take on a famous tragedy."--Booklist
"An inventive reimagining...Westward migration, murder, sensation: the story of the Donner Party has all this....Katsu creates a riveting drama of power struggles and shifting alliances....The tensions [she] creates are thrilling."--Kirkus Reviews
"Grips readers from the opening paragraphs and doesn't let go. Full of richly drawn and fascinatingly flawed characters, this is a story that is respectful of the history it relates, but doesn't shy away from the sins, mistakes and bigotry of the past, to impressive effect."--RT Book Reviews
"The isolation is anxiety-inducing and the tension is perfect....Well-written and gripping with a strong conclusion, The Hunger is an inventive take on an already morbidly fascinating historical event. Recommended."--Historical Novel Society
"Alma Katsu has taken one of the darkest and most chilling episodes in our history, and made the story even darker, even more terrifying. I swear I'm still shuddering. A fantastic read!"--R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series
"Like The Revenant but with an insistent supernatural whisper. The setting and the story are utterly chilling. And the telling of it is so well done."--Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes
"The Hunger is a terrific historical novel with a thrilling, bloody twist. Alma Katsu's brilliant reimagining of the Donner party's fate is rich with character, laden with imminent doom, and propelled by chilling mystery. A novel that book clubs and dark fiction fans should devour with equal relish."--Christopher Golden, author of Ararat and Snowblind
"If you think the story of the Donner Party can't get more horrific, think again. In this gripping, atmospheric reimagining of that dark tale, Katsu has created a deeply unsettling and truly terrifying masterpiece."--Jennifer McMahon, author of Burntown and The Winter People
"An uneasy, nauseous, slow-burning tale that marries historical fiction with a hint of the supernatural. Great detailing; colorful characterization; some supremely ominous stuff, but always reined in at the final moment to rack up the tension even more. Loved it!"--Joanne Harris, author of Different Class and Chocolat
"The Hunger is a bold and brilliant novel, heavy with foreboding and dread, and with a rich vein of humanity at its core. I challenge you to read it without experiencing your own hunger pangs."--Tim Lebbon, author of Relics and The Silence
"In an audacious twist, Alma Katsu has made something new and suspenseful from the legendary story of the Donner Party. The Hunger is filled with terror, pity, and grue."--Keith Donohue, author of The Boy Who Drew Monsters and The Stolen Child
"An inventive reimagining . . . Westward migration, murder, sensation: the story of the Donner Party has all this. . . . Katsu creates a riveting drama of power struggles and shifting alliances....The tensions [she] creates are thrilling."--Kirkus Reviews
"Alma Katsu has taken one of the darkest and most chilling episodes in our history, and made the story even darker, even more terrifying. I swear I'm still shuddering. A fantastic read!"--R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street
"Like The Revenant but with an insistent supernatural whisper. The setting and the story are utterly chilling. And the telling of it is so well done." --Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes
"The Hunger is a terrific historical novel with a thrilling, bloody twist. Alma Katsu's brilliant reimagining of the Donner party's fate is rich with character, laden with imminent doom, and propelled by chilling mystery. A novel that book clubs and dark fiction fans shoul
Alma Katsu is the author of The Taker, The Reckoning, and The Descent. She has been a signature reviewer for Publishers Weekly and a contributor to The Huffington Post. She is a graduate of the Master's writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University. Prior to the publication of her first novel, Katsu had a long career as a senior intelligence analyst for several US agencies and is currently a senior analyst for a think tank. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband.