The Hunger

The Hunger by Alma Katsu is a fictional novel that is centered around one of histories most famous events when it came to settling the western U.S. This story gives a new imaginative supernatural twist to just what may have happened to the Donner party on their trek across the country.The book uses the real characters and events from that time to give the story that realistic feel while also adding in it’s own elements to make a whole new version of events. The story starts off letting readers [...]

In April 1846, 90 settlers left Springfield, Ill headed for California. The Donner Party was led by Jacob and George Donner. At first they followed the established route -- The California Trail -- reaching Wyoming without incident. It was at that point that they took the advice of a trail guide, Langsford Hastings, who offered a quicker route. This route proved to be dangerous and nearly impossible to navigate. The Donner Party wasted precious time trying to get through, and arrived at the Sierr [...]

This is a re-imagining of the tragedy of the Donner Party and there is terror and horror contained within these pages. The characters both real and fictious are fully developed with backstories that enhance the tale. You will want to keep the lights bright when reading this one.

In The Hunger, Alma Katsu takes a real historical event – the dreadful fate of the Donner Party – and reimagines it as a horror story. (Of course, you could say it's already a horror story, but in this case it's the supernatural kind.) We follow a large cast of characters as they head out on a journey from Missouri to California in 1846. They're beset by bad luck from the start, and their inept 'leaders' repeatedly ignore warnings to avoid the treacherous route ahead. When a boy goes missing [...]

Set between June 1846 and April 1847, this novel is based upon the true story of, “the Donner Party,” which involved a wagon train heading to California, which ended in tragedy. Shockingly, the actual members of the wagon train relied on a book published at the time, “The Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California,” by an author named Landsford W. Hastings, which advertised a shortcut the author had actually never tested out.The author weaves her story around this real life tragedy; incorp [...]

Uneasy, nauseous, slow-burning tale that marries historical fiction with a hint of the supernatural. Great detailing; colourful characterization; some supremely ominous stuff, but always reigned in at the final moment to rack up the tension even more. Loved it. Will search out more of the author's work

I wasn’t familiar with the Donner Party but I liked the idea of a historical reimagining that blended fact and fiction with a supernatural twist and when I read a bit about the real life Donner Party I was both horrified and fascinated. That basically sums up my emotional state while read The Hunger I was creeped out one minute and totally engaged the next, I really enjoyed this one.This is divided into sections by month and follows the Donner Party as they embark on a treacherous journey batt [...]

Hay sucesos de la vida real tan sórdidos y perturbadores que inspiran obras de ficción en las cuales intentamos entender qué demonios pasó o ponerle una cara a ese horror que las personas en cuestión tuvieron que enfrentar."The Hunger" está basado en un hecho real ocurrido en 1846. La Expedición Donner, conformada por aproximadamente 80 pioneros intentó llegar desde Wyoming hasta California. Siguiendo una ruta relativamente nueva, los pioneros dejaron sus casas, empacaron todas sus perte [...]

The Hunger by Alma Katsu is part historical fiction and part supernatural/horror. Based on a true story the author has masterfully blurred the lines between fact and fiction, even the fictional parts seemed very credible which made this book even more chilling to read. Based on the Donner party’s tragic crossing of America in the 1840s, it follows a group of settlers who head across the unrelenting plains in search of new beginnings but find themselves hunted by an unknown prey.The author has [...]

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 referr [...]

This book was quite a ride. It's a re-imagining of the Donner Party with a bit of a supernatural twist. Katsu executes what works well with this horror sub-genre, suspense and character development! There was a lot of great, fleshed-out characters, and I found myself rooting for them despite my knowledge of the events that inspired this story. Of course, this did include my favorite part of a good survival story. the slow breakdown of a group dynamic. This had a very cinematic feel to it; I was [...]

This book was like a car accident--I just couldn't look away despite the horrors within it. As someone who has been curious about the Donner Party from a young age (and having more than one teacher tell me "we don't discuss that in school"), I was totally swept away. The book is not literary genius but the suspense is conveyed perfectly. The speculative fiction/supernatural take on what happened didn't take away from the actual historical event and certainly didn't lessen the horrible events. Th [...]

Four and a half stars.For those who never opened their American history textbook in school, The Donner Party was a group of families, a total of about 90 individuals, who were traveling by horse and wagons to California in the years of 1846 and 1847. After a series of misfortune and tragedies, they became trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter. Only 45 survived to make it to Sutter Fort. The stories that came from the survivors were those of vast misfortune, fatal decisions and acc [...]

This is a reimagining of the true horror story of the Donner party and their horrible fate. I enjoyed reading it, I love horror stories and have always been fascinated by the tale of the Donner party and wondered what I would've done in the same situation.I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.

Review coming soon.

Hell of a book. HELL of a book. A heady mix of historical fiction and literary horror, and a tense, scary reimagining of an oft-sensationalized event. The characters are fully-realized and flawed, and you empathize with them so strongly as the timeline spirals downward toward its inevitable end.

Oooh this book ticked all my boxes and I'm excited to read that movie rights are already in place, it will make a wonderful film if its done right.But me, I prefer to read the book first and this one didn't disappoint one bit. I must confess I am not over familiar with the notorious true story of the hapless pioneering family known as the Donner party who set out along the California trail to Wyoming in a wagon trail and became beset by ill fortune and disaster although when I picked up the Hung [...]

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 towell there’s something to discover for [...]

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Dark, complex and terrifying, The Hunger fuses historical events with a creeping, supernatural horror, making this a standout book of 2018.A quick note for those who might be sensitive to the use of the word “Indian” when talking about Native Americans: Please note that during the timeframe of these events, Native Americans [...]

4 and 1 / 2 starsThis book is filled with colorful personalities: Stanton, the bachelor who is both sensible and tortured, Reed the short-tempered and impatient who is traveling with his wife, Keseberg who is a violent man, a bully and is very opinionated and Donner who with his whole family traveling in style thinks he’s above the rest and craves attention and acclaim from the others. These are just a few of the people on the some ninety person wagon train who are to take the Hastings cutoff [...]

Well, Ms. Katsu, you have a fan for life. The Hunger is one of the most compelling books 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 [...]

I got this as an advanced readers copy. I had known of the Donner Party and the just the basics of that ill fated trip, so I was intrigued to learn more and having the supernatural twist just really intrigued me. I had a hard time getting into the story and almost gave up I'm glad I stuck with it as about a third of the way throught it, I was finding that I was having a hard time putting it down.Some of the characters and the sub stories were really good and others seemed forced.

Thank you for Edeweiss and the publisher for a copy of this book.What a cool concept for a story! I was excited to read this book because I am a horror fan, and I am fascinated by the story of the Donner Party. Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book. Part of my problem was that I have just finished two books about the real Donner Party, and I just couldn't get lost in the supernatural elements of this book. If the book had been about a fictional party of people, I think I would have [...]

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.

For some, the journey west meant a new beginning; for others it was a last resort, an opportunity sought from desperation. None of the pioneers of the Donner Party, however, could have known the horrors that awaited them on the long trail to California. More than just the fierce elements and the possible dangers of crossing paths with Native American tribes, there's something sinister permeating the desolate landscape around the Donner Party, preying on their suspicion and desperation. Weaving t [...]

Every so often you read that book where, less than half way through, you’re already recommending it to everyone you know.This is that book.The Hunger, by Alma Katsu, is a fictional rendering of the Donner Party – and everything that happened to them. While the author definitely takes some liberty with our characters and the reasons behind what they did, this rendering is lush and full of so many wonderful historical details.Katsu puts the reader out there following those wagons, feeling the [...]

Full disclosure. I am a total Alma Katsu fan. I love The Taker series and recommend it to everyone who will listen. When I was asked to review an Advance Reader Copy of The Hunger, I was warned that it wasn’t like Alma’s previous writing. That intrigued me. I had concerns. They were unfounded. Alma Katsu delivers a fascinating marriage of historical fiction and the supernatural. It is unique, consistently interesting, and absolutely unsettling. This take on The Donner party and their trek ac [...]

Alma Katsu has written a fictionalized version of the tragedy of the Donner Party. The book deals a great deal with Tamsen Donner, the wife of George Donner the leader of the group. Some of the group think that Tamsen is a witch and few like her. As the story unfolds, you meet and come to understand the main characters. Although you know what the ending will be, it is a fascinating book and I enjoyed it very much.

The Hunger by Alma Katsu follows the lives of several families in an Oregon Trail group. When they start getting picked off one by one, they start questioning the "wolves" in the woods. Who's good, who's evil, and who's simply hungry? I think I can best describe this book by saying it's an interesting mashup of Oregon Trail and zombie apocalypse. While the book didn't blow me away, it was certainly an intriguing read and had an addictive quality that made it hard to put down.The quality of wri [...]

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 Don [...]