Hunger (Gone, #2) in It's not just a FAYZ

Nov 10, 2009 Asia Davis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 9th-grade-advisory

HUNGER is an amazing story because of the realistic characters, the spectacular

details put into the setting, and the way it shows the theme of accepting hard

responsibilities.. Some people may say that this novel is unrealistic, or too built on the

theme of finding weakness in others, but it shows taking on responsibility, even if it is

unwanted.

Sam Temple is one of the well crated characters in this book. He is a

fifteen year old boy who is forced to become a leader of hundreds of kids, after ...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Lexie rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, kick-ass-mc, awesome-side-characters, great-concept

First off, let me say that I am writing this at 3 in the morning. Please forgive any grammar mistakes or lack of coherency.

Okay, so this was a reread. I like rereading books that I've enjoyed, and I wanted to reread the first two before reading the next two in the series. Although it may be a while before I get to read those.
Anyways.
It went a lot slower for me, this time, than the first time. I'm not saying it wasn't gripping, exactly; once I'd start reading it again, I'd get hooked. But when I First off, let me say that I am writing this at 3 in the morning. Please forgive any grammar mistakes or lack of coherency.

Okay, so this was a reread. I like rereading books that I've enjoyed, and I wanted to reread the first two before reading the next two in the series. Although it may be a while before I get to read those.
Anyways.
It went a lot slower for me, this time, than the first time. I'm not saying it wasn't gripping, exactly; once I'd start reading it again, I'd get hooked. But when I had free time, when I could've easily picked it up and read, I didn't have the desire. It didn't pull at me.

I really like the Gone series. It's an extremely unique idea; intriguing, powerful, intricate, horrifying, incredibly dark. Action and gore and power plays and war. So refreshing when compared to a lot of YA these days.
But the perspectives. Oh G-d, the perspectives. I missed a few on my one status update. There were not 18 perspectives. There were 21 perspectives.
Now I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous. Yes, I realize that the majority of these perspectives were somewhat necessary, that they told important parts of the plot, but G-d . . . 21? I know there are at least a few he could easily have chopped without hurting the book. As it is, I'd find myself really getting into one person's POV, and then their section ends, and I don't get to read about them again for a few chapters. That was incredibly frustrating.
Then there are the characters themselves. Some of the characters I love. Caine, Diana, Lana, Orc, Edilio, Dekka, Duck. But some of the characters, some of the "good" characters, annoyed the shit out of me. Sam, our hero Sam. Sometimes I really liked him. Sometimes I wanted to punch him in the face. Astrid, the hero's girlfriend. She's supposed to be a genius, but honestly, most of the time I just see a stuck-up girl using big words. She did not appeal to me.
There were a few other characters I was a bit iffy on as well.
Also, I found an uncomfortable amount of typos. Editors, icu.

That aside, it was a very, very good book. I'm so amazed at Grant's ability to construct these incredibly intricate plots and keep it all together, lead it all to a certain point, a fitting conclusion. Like I said before, it's so incredibly unique, and once I really got into the action, I couldn't tear myself away. Some have complained about Grant's very choppy, dramatic writing style, but I think it's absolutely perfect for these books.
My problems with the perspectives and characters left me unable to rate this a five star, but it is a very solid four star. I really like this series, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark, action-filled stories with sci-fi, mutations, and a lot of horror. ...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Crazyjamie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

When I read Gone, the preceding book to this one in Michael Grant's series, I was of the opinion that the book itself was decent enough, but clearly had a great deal of potential in terms of the characters and plot that Grant had put in place. As such I had high hopes that the second book would build on and reach that potential.

The second book effectively continues on from where the first left off. Sam continues as the somewhat unwilling teenage leader of the main band of children at Perdido Be When I read Gone, the preceding book to this one in Michael Grant's series, I was of the opinion that the book itself was decent enough, but clearly had a great deal of potential in terms of the characters and plot that Grant had put in place. As such I had high hopes that the second book would build on and reach that potential.

The second book effectively continues on from where the first left off. Sam continues as the somewhat unwilling teenage leader of the main band of children at Perdido Beach, supported by a varied cast of other kids of varying ages. Meanwhile Caine, Sam's brother, has recovered from his ordeal at the end of the previous book and now seeks to lead the other group of kids at Coates School, including the beautiful yet manipulative Diana, and the utterly psychotic Drake. Yet in a mine outside of Perdido Beach, the mysterious creature that we were introduced to in the last book continues to make its own plans.

Given the title of the book, it will come as no surprise that one of the main aspects of the plot this time around is that food is running out in and around Perdido Beach. Yet this plot is far from one dimensional, and the number of strands to it is truly impressive. Grant has created a large, varied and distinct cast of characters in this series, which are defined by distinct personalities as well as they are by the powers that some of them have. It is a worthy achievement that such a cast has been assembled in a manner that allows the reader to easily keep track of distinct characters with little effort.

But if that is an achievement worthy of note within the book, the true triumph is how the different strands of the plot intertwine, and how the involvement of the characters within the book is dealt with. The first couple of hundred pages of the book are a style of scene setting, but not in a manner that is dull. In fact quite the opposite; Grant effectively inserts a number of set pieces early on that keep matters moving whilst the ground work for the climax of the story are put into place. Yet that 'climax' isn't twenty or thirty pages long; it is in fact a meticulously paced piece of story telling that takes place over the entire second half of the book.

The number of different themes and aspects of the plot represent an ambitious approach from Grant. Not content with telling the story of a battle for resources between two rival factions, he also tells stories about kids trying to set up a system of business and reinvent capitalism, kids becoming prejudiced against those with powers, and even a kid with an eating disorder. These strands are pitched perfectly, and crucially the characters in this book act and react as one would expect children to do in their situation. The end result is that Grant has penned a story that is interesting, shocking, exciting, and perfectly paced.

Ultimately Hunger is an excellent book that, to my mind, propels this series up a fair few notches in terms of quality from what was a solid debut in Gone. The ending of Hunger is more defined than in Gone, and as such I will approach the third book in the series with an amount of intrigue as well as expectation. On the quality of this book, Grant is under some pressure to strike a level of consistency with his next offering.

...more

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Oct 12, 2010 Stephen rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen-reads, science-fiction, z-read-in-2011, z-read-in-2017, z-read-in-2010

Second in the series, this book takes up where the first left off and intensifies the crisis.

The book is riveting but may be too intense for younger audiences. Say anyone under 78...

I'm not sure what upset me most about this book. The fact that it was never content to have a single crisis ocurring at once, or the way that it calls the thinking reader to question what exactly is right and wrong and good and evil. There used to be a spooky saying that once committed to it, women were the fierces ...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Okay rated it really liked it

Great book, a little distracting because of so many characters but intense, powerful and impressive.

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Apr 10, 2011 Morgan Walsh rated it really liked it

Okay, so... this series, so far, is good. The first book was great, and it made me feel actually kind of giddy--it made me want to read more and more and more... as long as the series had a happy ending. Obviously, the series isn't over yet (and I actually am still reading this book. I'm on... page 411. At the moment), and I seriously hate series' that have a sad, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! ending. I hope the Gone series will not be one of those kinds. IT would... piss me off. I haven't read Okay, so... this series, so far, is good. The first book was great, and it made me feel actually kind of giddy--it made me want to read more and more and more... as long as the series had a happy ending. Obviously, the series isn't over yet (and I actually am still reading this book. I'm on... page 411. At the moment), and I seriously hate series' that have a sad, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! ending. I hope the Gone series will not be one of those kinds. IT would... piss me off. I haven't read a series like this in a while. Depressing, but hopeful. With little description, but with lots of meaning.
Do I normally like books like this? Um, no. Dystopian... "all the adults are gone"... series like this one normally have me yanking my hair in exasperation. The totalitarian nightmares make me down right scary to be around, because I hate them so much.
But the Gone books, they're not awful. In fact, if I loved books like them I'd be in paradise. But I don't. So I'm stuck in an in-between phase that resembles something along the lines of "End well, or so help me god I will disown you" type deal.
I hate it when books have sad endings. Is it necessary? Sometimes. Do I like it? Not at all. Will I like it if this series, which has so much riding on the plot and characters, decides to take a plummet to the core of the earth and make me hate it? Uh.... NO.

Anyway, if that was confusing to you, what I mean is--this has to end well!!! I don't care if it's damn near impossible. It will end well. I forbid anything otherwise (though unfortunately rules were made to be broken...)

Some things I don't like about this series are as follows:
** Albert. Is. A. D**che. (For those of you who don't like cuss words out there, you're welcome). Money is what is wrong in our world today. Deciding to take an already crappy world and make it even crappier (and those two are not cuss words to me) is an idiot move. Sure, you're already living a nightmare. But it's okay--just try a little bit and you can make it a living hell! Stupid moron.
** I don't like Zil. Anyone who does like him (in real life, I mean) is a complete nut. The FAYZ is a dangerous place to let all hell break loose. It's a dangerous place for savagery. And the d**che that he is is all like, "Hey, Sam, you can't even defeat your own brother. You can't give us food. You're worthless." No, see, Zil is worthless. If he were in Sam's position, he'd tuck tail, run, and then try to kill everyone weaker than him so as to make himself feel superior, even though he's a kid who has no superiority at all.
** I don't like Mary. Being bulimic would be fine, but in her, the girl called Mother Mary, who is supposed to be a saint... It makes me clench my fists and want to pummel her into oblivion. There is something wrong with her. Something that keeps me from ever calling her a hero, because... she just seems like a hypocrite. Oh, and that "Just a few more pounds and I'll be beautiful" crap is just crap. Dude, you are in an enclosed landscape where food is running low FAST and you decide that sure, you'll eat, and then you'll spit it all back up? Bad. Move.
** I don't like Quinn. I did at first, when he still was--kind of--strong, but betraying Sam was the last straw. Bad things make you or break you. They broke him. He's no good anymore. (Note: I'm not saying he's not useful anymore. I have just lost all feeling, the good, happy ones anyway, for Quinn).
**Obviously I don't like Drake. The guy is a raging psychopath. The only things that exist inside of him are the psychotic psychotic-ness of a true psychotic, hatred for Diana, a lust for power, and the psychotic psychotic-ness of the Darkness........

Okay, and that brings me to the end of my list up above. There are many things I hate about this series, though, even as I love it. However, I am done with the list.
Here are the things I've realized at this point thus far, without reading spoilers or the other books:
*** Coates Academy is where the psychopaths went to school. Do you get it? Coates. As in, straight-jackets. As in, you know, a loony bin. He he he he.
*** Um, yeah, the Darkness is an alien. It (It does not deserve to be called a he or a she) came to earth on the meteor thing that hit the nuclear plant, set off a chain reaction of mutations, and... yeah. It's an alien. An alien who, to put it in simplistic terms, needs to be eliminated. As in, like, now.
*** Oh, and the worm things? If they could somehow have made a weapon of them, then the Normals (stupid stereotypes--what happens when a high-up person, say, Zil, becomes a mutant? Huh? What then?) would pretty much have had complete control over all. But, of course, the darkness would manipulate them, and then It would have power over all.....

Okay. I'm gonna go now. Bye.
(The rating is four stars because I love the books so much. {It's actually closer to a 3.5 star rating, though}). ...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Lyrical rated it it was amazing

Michael Grant is such a clever writer for YA fiction, he really knows how to get into the heads, not only of the teens in his books but also the children. He knows instinctively what a child of a certain age would be thinking and doing in a given situation and in so doing creates such a realistic storyline you sometimes feel like a watcher of some sick version of The Truman Show. He doesn’t worry about the sensibilities of the reader, he just ploughs on through the brutality of the situation the Michael Grant is such a clever writer for YA fiction, he really knows how to get into the heads, not only of the teens in his books but also the children. He knows instinctively what a child of a certain age would be thinking and doing in a given situation and in so doing creates such a realistic storyline you sometimes feel like a watcher of some sick version of The Truman Show. He doesn’t worry about the sensibilities of the reader, he just ploughs on through the brutality of the situation these kids are in, he doesn’t hold off because something might be a bit too vile or a bit too cruel. If you read his books you’re going to be faced with what would actually happen and you’re just going to have to develop a strong constitution if you want to get through it.

Compared to Gone, Hunger is actually a step up in the vileness stakes as the mutations of creatures become more gruesome, the influence of the Darkness becomes more threatening and the behaviour of the characters is more disturbing. The clue is in the title really, a lack of food is driving out any goodness that was left in these kids and stepping up the survival instinct which evolves solely around self-preservation. The bad become worse and the good start to lose it. It is at this point that I really start to lose all respect for the good guys who seem utterly incapable of long-term planning, organisation or efficiency of any kind. And then I think: hang on, they are a bunch of kids who until recently were given survival almost entirely by adults – of course they are going to be totally ineffective in securing their own needs! This is where Michael Grant’s writing genius is at its best, he doesn’t give the reader what they want, he gives them what is realistic and it can have you spinning your head off is frustration and adopting the age old ritual of shouting at the TV, only at books. There are no good kids and bad kids, there are only kids and many of them are deeply traumatised and unstable. Add this to a lack of food and you end up with near savages who lose all benign sentiments for each other and replace them with paranoia, fear and prejudice.

I definitely have a very odd relationship with the Gone series: I love them for their gritty realism but that it also what makes me hate them and has me burning with frustration. I guess that just shows you what a good writer can do. And it’s not just frustration at the characters either but at the lack of answers the reader has to endure – I am literally squirming in my seat writing this, it’s like literary torture. You seem to get one big answer per book but that only raises a hundred more questions and I still feel so far away from knowing the overall truth about what is going on. I guess that shows you what a good writer can do too!

Lyrical Reviews
@LyricalReviews
Goodreads Group: No Dark Romance Allowed ...more

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Jun 26, 2009 Astoria rated it really liked it

Shelves: wishlist

I can't believe I did not give this book a review. It was one of the most entertaining I read during 2009.
Every character is just so much fun to read, I kinda like Quinn a bit better now, and we get to see that side of Caine that CARES about someone else. I like Diana, and Dekka, probably 2 of my favorite characters. I do hate Drake but his character to me seems so realistic and cruel is kind of hard not to be fascinated by him.
Sam and Astrid are still going strong, and I really like that, and ...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Shyla rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, children-teen-favs, dystopia-utopia, ya

Hunger, the second book in the line up took the Gone series one step further. Action, danger and adventure around every page! Characters are fleshed out even more....for the better and/or worse. I like how we see the good and bad in each person come out as it inevitably would during this traumatic time. Characters I love sometimes think and do things that shock me but everyone is tested to the max.

Things are bad in the FAYZ, everyone is starving. Caine and and his dark crew set out on a terribl ...more

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