Alas, I did not get to the NYC teen author reading last night, due to getting caught up in other work.
But I did finish reading Hunger.
A few quick words of advice for those of you out there who have yet to read Michael Grant’s newest novel: Don’t eat and read at the same time.
A few quick links before I continue: Hunger is a Gone novel, which was reviewed here back when it debuted. I also interviewed Michael back in the day.
He blogs at Stupid Blog Name. He’s invited me to blog there, although I must admit I’m a bit intimidated by the idea. Michael also has a website for this series at The FAYZ. (FAYZ stands for Fallout Alley Youth Zone.)
Do not attempt to read Hunger without first reading Gone. If you’re up for it, try to re-read the first novel before delving into the second: there’s a lot to remember.
Now, on to the actual review: Hunger, like Gone, is one of those big summer blockbuster kinds of books. It’s 592 pages long, which means you can drag it around with you for ages if you like. On a plane. To the beach. Or, if you’re like me, you can swallow it down whole in a day.
Short plot summary: Fifteen-year-old Sam Temple was elected mayor of Perdido Beach and the FAYZ after the adults all disappeared one day. Three months have passed, and now kids are starving. People who were friends are turning on one another. There’s no rewards system for working, so lots of kids just don’t show up. Apathy has taken over, and anger, and everyone is splitting up into factions. The monster at the bottom of the mine shaft is hungry, too, and it’s calling people to it.
So, right. Big summer blockbuster. A novel that is at once a book, an action movie, a horror flick, a bit sci fi, and a nice civics lesson.
What’s most interesting about Hunger is that Michael uses the story to explore various forms of government. A republic, of sorts. Capitalism. Dictatorship. So, those of you going into your junior year should be well-prepared for AP American History and/or Government after you’ve read Hunger. Seriously.
But it’s also a good story, considering Michael is one of those insanely prolific master storytellers. It’s interesting enough that you’ll have a hard time putting it down — even if you are trying to eat.
Hunger isn’t my usual cup of tea, I must admit. I tend to go for the girlier stuff, books about falling in love. Or faeries. Vampires, even. Anything that lets me escape from the real world for however long it take to read.
You don’t want to escape into the FAYZ. That terrible place where adults have popped out is just … total mayhem. It’s not a fun place. I wouldn’t want to live there. I wouldn’t want to visit.
And yet. And yet the novel sucked me in. In spite of the fact that I’m a squeamish sort, the kind of girl who doesn’t particularly like to imagine worms with teeth, or people with whips for hands.
::shudder::
All in all, I cannot in good conscience let you go through this summer without reading Michael Grant’s latest. Even if it gave me the heebie-jeebies. Even if I’m sure it will give you the heebie-jeebies. It’s worth.
Now get to work. You’ve got a lot of reading to do.
Tags: michael grant
I am going to read Gone, but I was wondering if you have a system of when you write a new entry, it can be emailed to people who sign up. Do you know what I mean?
Yeah, but the scene where the worm eats a hole in Orc’s cheek and then he drinks a beer and it dribbles out all pink was kind of sweet, right?
Thanks for the lovely review. I am honored to have creeped you out. LIES comes out in a year. I’m getting ready to start work on PLAGUE. But I’m thinking Book #5 should be called CUPCAKES. You know, just to break up the gloom and doom.
Sure, CUPCAKES.
Dee, if you follow ya_new_york on Twitter you will be notified of new entries. Also, if you sign up for the RSS feed you will automatically see new updates. I’m working on creating a FaceBook page for the site as well. I’ll post to “news” when I’ve got it all done.
Michael, Plague sounds terribly ominous. but I’m totally down with Cupcakes.
And no. The scene in which Orc dribbles pink beer was not sweet. It was horrifying. But that’s just me.
Not that I would ever dream of bragging but . . . HUNGER will open at #8 on the NYT list that comes out 6/21. Thanks in no small part to you and other bloggers who’ve supported the book.
Wow. Congrats, Michael. My initial review of Gone continues to be one of the biggest draws to YA NY, and I’ve got a feeling it’s because you’ve got rabid fans who were … ahem … hungry for more.
Big kudos to you.
[...] on the New York Times Bestsellers list. (The list will show up on June 21, as Michael said in his comment [...]
Hello! I really enjoyed hunger and cannot wait for lies! This is going to be a horrible year without it…Can you reccomend a good book to read to pass the time? thanks in advance
i loved gone and im looking forward to reading hunger and cupcakes sounds awsome!!! u know livin things up a bit
bye the way the whole plague thing sounds pretty creepy i think u should skip it and go straight to cupcakes
Michael you are an amazing author and I didn’t know what i was getting myself into when I saw it on the library shelf. I could not put it down and got in trouble many of times for reading when I was supposed to be doing other stuff. Thank you and I can’t wait for Lies and Plague. I’m sure Cupcakes will be the biggest book ever!!! Thank you and keep writing!!
so i read the book Gone..i read it in 8 hours staight..it just sucked me in…i thought when i finished it….there has to be more books…so im waiting to get Hunger from the library (its all checked out!!!) and i cant wait to read Lies!! i love the idea of your next two books; Plague and Cupcakes!!! and i also seriously think that they should make the series into a movie…but not a cheezie one…something using the same computer system thingy that they used with the Harry Potter series…or the Twilight Saga….so im seriously into them!!! thanks MG!
So far the gone series has not failed to leave me hungry for the next book. I honestly can’t wait to read lies. I also beleive these books should be made into movies. Don’t get me wrong I loved the Harry potter and twilight series but the movies realy were not all that good. In Harry potter they skipped too much and in twilight a lot of the actors were just not right, Alice and Jasper were right on though. If they do make this amazing series into a motion picter I just realy hope they give it justice and don’t change it up too much.
I love this series and look up to you as an author. And I wish it was a movie it would be EPIC!! When is the movie coming out??
PS: Dont make Caine Die!!!
I loved Gone they should totally make it into a movie. I think at the end Caine should go go to an Asylum (not die) and some how redeem himself in the end by saving Sam. I also think that the series should be made into a TV series. THat would be Epic. I think Michael Grant is an awesome writer!
What is the 6th book going to be called. I can’t wait for lies to come out. Gone and Hunger were awesome.
I totally can not wait until Lies and Plague come out and is the next book after plague really going to be called cupcakes that would be sooo funny!! And also i have a question for Michael Grant…. Are you going to make Gone and the rest of the series into movies because me and other people wanna know really badly. Have you found someone interested into making Gone a movie talked to any directors…. I think it would be a big hit!!
I am reading ‘Hunger right now. I love this plotline & characters. However, here is one bugaboo question: how come planes & such from the outside world have not flown overhead to see what is happening in Peridio Beach & the Academy. Does the Fayz wall go thru the sky? Not to overthink anything or suspend disbelief–and perhaps I missed some detail–but wouldn’t the outside world be searching for them somehow?
im in the process of reading hunger and im already sucked into it, haha it’s so good! and i think it would be aaaaaaaahhhhmmmaaaaaazzzzzziiiinnnngggg if gone was made into a movie! Good job and keep it up.
OMG!!! GONE and HUNGER are the best books eva!! They have to make it a movie. No offence to anyone but i think that it would be a better movie than TWILIGHT!!! LOL!!! It would be really grusome and need lots of FX, you know cos there is guns, and radioactive pools, whip hands and mutated animals. I think it would be like AVATAR!!! Fully Sick!! Even though it is gruesome, i would so like that to happen. It would be a really cool/scary adventure. Well, im up for it. Not sure about the rest of you!!! Can’t wait ’till LIES comes out!!! AND he is writing a 4th book!!! YAY!!!
Signing off
Bec_Rox
# 1 Fan of The Gone series!!
These books are truly amzing workings of art. They allow the reader to explore the plot line and setting of the book. It is an epic adventure based of sci-fiction and the truth. I was able to swallow the GONE in 6 hours, and now Im sorry I did. I have to borrow the book form the library next week and the only reason I’ll get it is because I made a special request. That is how much I enjoyed this book. You immediatly get swallowed into the first few paragraphs from the time Sam describes Astrid to the end when Caine follows pack leader to the Darkness. Truly Amazing and I’m dieing to read more! -Afreen
We think that the first 2 books were awesome!! We read them over just a few days, the rest of the world stopped, we were in our own FAYZ!
Densie is very confused about the worm buried with Britteny, she doesn’t understand, if you could please explain it to her, it would save our sanity…
Once again, thanks for writing such brilliant books…WRITE FASTER! lol
Ellin’s and Holt
x
LOVED the book GONE. Keep telling my mom to get Hunger for me. I love to read but I think it would be a GREAT series to make into a movie!
It’s been so long since i have found a book that has got me this exited about the next one, its just a shame that the rest of the books aren’t coming out sooner, because by the time they are all out i might be too old to read the. Yeah right! These are fantastic books and i think that they would make a great film or tv series so long as they kept it as similar to the book as possible. Really looking forward to the next books in the series and hopes maybe Michael will create a new series of books?
W
Well, I just picked up Gone a few weeks ago and it blew my mind! It took me a little longer to read Hunger because of school etc. but when I finished it, totally worth spending all my free time! I have Lies sitting in my bedroom but I promised myself that I have to finish the book I am currently reading and for a reward I can read Lies! Seriously like the Cupcake idea, not kidding. And I agree, this series should be a movie. I am a huge Twilight fanatic but this is a different genre and much more intense so this possibly could blow Twilight’s box sales! Just sayin’!
Loved Gone and Hunger just waiting for my school library to get Lies and there preordering Plague. I hope you keep writing this series. its been a while since I found a series I liked this much. Next to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games this is a fantastic series.
I loved Gone and Hunger, now i am reading Lies. So far it is great!! i wish i could write like Michael, you are truly an inspiration:) And by the way, I loved reading HUNGER when i was hungry, it made me feel like one of them. Of course while the kids in the FAYZ are starving, i was looking forward to a big lunch in fifteen minutes
LOVE THESE BOOKS!! They were reccomended by my older sister who also loves them. If you havn’t read them, your cRazY!