Michael Grant — yes, the Michael Grant of Gone and Hunger fame — stopped by today to let us know that his latest opens at number eight on the New York Times Bestsellers list. (The list will show up on June 21, as Michael said in his comment here.)
Woohoo! Congrats, Michael.
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.