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.