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The Hunger

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The Hunger

By: Alma Katsu
Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
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"Supernatural suspense at its finest...The best thing about The Hunger is that it will scare the pants off you."—The New York Times Book Review

"Deeply, deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended reading after dark."—Stephen King

A tense and gripping reimagining of one of America's most fascinating historical moments: the Donner Party with a supernatural twist.

Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.

That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the isolated travelers to the brink of madness. Though they dream of what awaits them in the West, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and dissent among them escalates to the point of murder and chaos. They cannot seem to escape tragedy...or the feelings that someone—or something—is stalking them. Whether it's a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through uncharted terrain, or just plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are heading into one of one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures in American history.

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...and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have in fact been growing within them all along.

Effortlessly combining the supernatural and the historical, The Hunger is an eerie, thrilling look at the volatility of human nature, pushed to its breaking point.

©2018 Alma Katsu (P)2018 Penguin Audio Historical Fiction Horror Psychological Thriller & Suspense Scary Paranormal Fantasy Fiction Exciting Funny Suspense Dream

Critic reviews

An NPR Best Horror Novel

A Suspense Magazine Best Book of the Year

Winner of the Western Heritage Award

Finalist for the Bram Stoker Award

Finalist for the Locus Award

And one of...

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“Supernatural suspense at its finest...It is strangely ethereal, yet gritty...But the best thing about The Hunger is that it will scare the pants off you....Enjoy the journey, one so entertaining that you almost don't mind feeling queasy at dinner.”—The New York Times Book Review

"Not only will Alma Katsu's acclaimed novel haunt you, it will give you empathy for the people forced to undergo such horrors."—O, The Oprah Magazine

“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

Featured Article: The top 100 horror books of all time


This list encompasses the full spectrum of what horror can be—campfire-worthy tales, stomach-churning gore, and incisive social commentary. The classics are accounted for, but it also spotlights more recent titles, because that’s the nature of the genre—it is as perennial as it is ever-evolving, conjuring whatever frights most haunt our collective consciousness. Each title does have one thing in common: It makes for devilishly good listening. So cut the lights and press play—if you dare.

Featured Article The top 100 horror books of all time
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I very much enjoyed this book. A good western story, mixed in with some horror elements. Enjoy!

A great twist on the Donner Party

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Really disappointing and rushed ending. Felt like there were more than a few chapters missing. The build up was so great for such a flat payoff.

An unfinished thought.

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I truly enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to expect from it with it being a true story. I was hoping for really scary, and I didn't get that BUT I was not disappointed at all. I looked forward to having time to listen to the fateful events of the Donner party. I really liked the spooky twist the author put on a real story.

wonderful

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This book was slow to start at first, but eventually blossomed into a gripping story I simply couldn't stop listening to. The narrator does an excellent job at capturing the voices of each character, and there's quite a lot of them. I enjoyed the various relationships between family members and wagon train members, and their descent into panic and madness was quite effectively frightening. Overall, great book enhanced by a great narrator.

An Unsettling Tale With a Hunger That Creeps

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Was pleasantly surprised by this book. Ending was satisfying, creepy throughout and a decent twist. Liked it

Creepy with a great ending

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