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The Hunger Gays
Inspired by The Hunger Games series, Nathan Alexander’s Hunger Gays follows the story of young Aspen Summers who has grown up in a world where young men are rounded up by the government and forced to participate in the deadly MvM match, an annual tournament where there can only be one champion—or one survivor. The feared event not only forces young men into public expressions of sexual domination and submission, but also serves as a reminder that nothing, not even the will of one man, is stronger than the will of the government.
But when Aspen finds himself participating in this kinky tournament after a lifetime of repression and poverty, he begins to unlock inner desires that could quite possibly expose and put to shame the government’s own actions. Can Aspen rise above his own need for gratification and find true love? Or will he succumb to his now-insatiable desires and become someone capable of bringing the government to its knees?
But when Aspen finds himself participating in this kinky tournament after a lifetime of repression and poverty, he begins to unlock inner desires that could quite possibly expose and put to shame the government’s own actions. Can Aspen rise above his own need for gratification and find true love? Or will he succumb to his now-insatiable desires and become someone capable of bringing the government to its knees?
212 pages, Nook
First published December 5, 2013
3 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 19, 2021
i was amazed by all the low star-ratings on here before i read this, because LOOK AT THAT COVER!! it is hilarious and wonderful. how could it be anything but a fantastic read??
but now i get it. not because it is bad – i actually enjoyed it very much. but it really depends upon your motivation for reading it in the first place. for people who are looking for porn, there is too much actual plot. for people looking for a The Hunger Games retelling, it is too porny. me, i was looking for parody, but it’s not that, not really.
it is more of an homage. it is not looking to take The Hunger Games, insert gay characters, and have itself a campy laugh. this book takes itself very seriously. you can tell by the attention to detail, and the strength of the character development. this is not a flimsy whim of a story – there is actual thought put in here to the backstory and the world-building. true, a lot of the foundational world-building has technically been done by Suzanne Collins, but enough details have been changed to allow this to stand as its own thing, with a huge wink and a tip of the hat to the book it is riffing off of.
and i enjoyed it – the characters are sympathetic, the premise even more disturbing then the The Hunger Games, and it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, which is unheard of in erotic literature. because, oh yeah, there is plenty of terrible, horrible, violent intercourse. for all you romantics out there, there is also some tender lovemaking, but during the tournament itself, it is just an erotically masochistic free-for-all, which is wince-y and graphic and that alone is worth the price of admission, right? especially since the price of admission on netgalley is FREE!
there is one little continuity error – a fact is dropped before it is later used as a “surprising reveal,” but in this genre, that is not a deal-breaker and is actually a sign of some pretty impressive editing. typos, yes, there are those too, but again – not at all a deal-breaker to those of us who have been exposed to much much worse in similar works.
am i a horrible person for enjoying this? probably, but welcome to karen. i am someone who is just so delighted when i come across books like this that i can’t even contain my glee and must read and share. it will most likely not make the new york times bestseller list, and that is precisely why you need people like me to put it in front of you. so, you're welcome, and of course:
come to my blog!
but now i get it. not because it is bad – i actually enjoyed it very much. but it really depends upon your motivation for reading it in the first place. for people who are looking for porn, there is too much actual plot. for people looking for a The Hunger Games retelling, it is too porny. me, i was looking for parody, but it’s not that, not really.
it is more of an homage. it is not looking to take The Hunger Games, insert gay characters, and have itself a campy laugh. this book takes itself very seriously. you can tell by the attention to detail, and the strength of the character development. this is not a flimsy whim of a story – there is actual thought put in here to the backstory and the world-building. true, a lot of the foundational world-building has technically been done by Suzanne Collins, but enough details have been changed to allow this to stand as its own thing, with a huge wink and a tip of the hat to the book it is riffing off of.
and i enjoyed it – the characters are sympathetic, the premise even more disturbing then the The Hunger Games, and it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, which is unheard of in erotic literature. because, oh yeah, there is plenty of terrible, horrible, violent intercourse. for all you romantics out there, there is also some tender lovemaking, but during the tournament itself, it is just an erotically masochistic free-for-all, which is wince-y and graphic and that alone is worth the price of admission, right? especially since the price of admission on netgalley is FREE!
there is one little continuity error – a fact is dropped before it is later used as a “surprising reveal,” but in this genre, that is not a deal-breaker and is actually a sign of some pretty impressive editing. typos, yes, there are those too, but again – not at all a deal-breaker to those of us who have been exposed to much much worse in similar works.
am i a horrible person for enjoying this? probably, but welcome to karen. i am someone who is just so delighted when i come across books like this that i can’t even contain my glee and must read and share. it will most likely not make the new york times bestseller list, and that is precisely why you need people like me to put it in front of you. so, you're welcome, and of course:
come to my blog! 
December 20, 2013
I don't EVEN know where to start.
So, I'm just going to start at the beginning and work my way down.
in·spire
inˈspīr/Submit
verb
past tense: inspired; past participle: inspired
1.
fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative.
Let's focus on that last word there. The Hunger Gays was "inspired" by The Hunger Games. Fine, fine. I liked The Hunger Games as much as the next person. What I expected was for it not to be a re-telling of The Hunger Games only with every gay cliché known to man thrown in along with a moderate amount of lame sex. If you've not read The Hunger Games, then there is a distinct possibility you may enjoy this re-telling.
Truly the only semi-creative aspect of The Hunger Gays is the gay sex which was lame. Even Star Trek's "beam me up, Scotty" got ripped off!
Now, let's talk about the sex. So, there is an annual tournament called the Male v Male (MvM). Original, huh? Prior to the MvM there is what's called a Ruby Red Party which is basically a gay club where all the "offerings" are naked. At said party, a "top" and a "bottom" offering are chosen to represent their territory.
I still don't understand what the purpose of this is. Technically, all the "offerings" are at the mercy of the guards to be groped, molested or gang banged. There's nothing to distinguish the tops from the bottoms. Even during the games themselves, I couldn't suss out why there needed to be a distinction since they're all strung out on Phentasia (sex drug) and expected to orgy regularly. And that's just a free for all.
The post-apocalyptic aspect didn't mesh with the actual living conditions either. I mean, Earth was hit by an asteroid and in the ensuing chaos Quondamn (country) was taken over by the Cardinal City. Cardinal City supposedly keeps all the territories in a constant state of oppression yet, they have social networking and the internet? HUH? But they're destitute and have to be rid of lice prior to the MvM? What?
Aspen is The Hunger Gays version of Katniss. It's told exclusively through his perspective. At first, I thought the author was going for authenticity with the simplistic sentences that could be typical of a 19 year old. But, there was just too much variability.
See Dick run.
Dick runs fast.
Dick is discombobulated by Shane's chasing him thereby causing him to gasp in surprise once Shane's arm envelopes him as they tumble to the ground.
Which one of these doesn't belong? Exactly.
I felt all whiplash-y from Aspen's yo-yo self image too One minute he's King Shit of Fuck Mountain and the next he's something that got caught in a drain. He's also a fickle pickle. In love with Pan (his "soul mate" from his territory) then Hyacinth (his partner in the MvM) then Pan again then The Emperor was a possibility then back to Hyacinth again. Head spinning!!!!!! Make it stop!
I tried to like this, I really did. I even started thinking, "Oh, it's a parody. A comedy perhaps?" But… it's not advertised as such. Let me tell you, it should be because it's got some seriously CHEESE-Y MUTHAFUCKIN' DIALOGUE. Word.
Here are some gems:
"My sexuality has exploded."
Ummm
"Rumor has it you're the butcheress' star hunter," he whispered rimming my ear with his tongue.
"Is that the rumor?" I said laughing. "Is everyone clamoring for a piece of my meat?"
*CACKLES*
"I am more than just a tight bum in black underwear. I am a boy who is scared of the world he lives in."
WHAT? Clearly, I'm missing some sort of gay mathematics. I'm a failure at regular math so I'm not even going to try to figure this one out.
"I don't know how long we go at it, but before I realize it, our cocks explode."
That's gonna leave a mark.
"It's all so confusing and I have no more time left to preoccupy myself with these dramatics."
-_-
The whole thing needs an edit. There are sentences that don't make sense. There are sentences with words left out. There is an overabundance of words misspelled or misused. In a nutshell, it's a hot mess.
The publishers should really consider marketing this as a comedy. I am just saying. It has all the hallmarks. The 69th annual MvM, the cheese-y dialogue, the lack of creativity, the lame sex. I could go on but I won't. I did get a couple good chuckles out of this though, hence the 2 star rating. Overall, pretty disappointing.
A copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So, I'm just going to start at the beginning and work my way down.
in·spire
inˈspīr/Submit
verb
past tense: inspired; past participle: inspired
1.
fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative.
Let's focus on that last word there. The Hunger Gays was "inspired" by The Hunger Games. Fine, fine. I liked The Hunger Games as much as the next person. What I expected was for it not to be a re-telling of The Hunger Games only with every gay cliché known to man thrown in along with a moderate amount of lame sex. If you've not read The Hunger Games, then there is a distinct possibility you may enjoy this re-telling.
Truly the only semi-creative aspect of The Hunger Gays is the gay sex which was lame. Even Star Trek's "beam me up, Scotty" got ripped off!
Now, let's talk about the sex. So, there is an annual tournament called the Male v Male (MvM). Original, huh? Prior to the MvM there is what's called a Ruby Red Party which is basically a gay club where all the "offerings" are naked. At said party, a "top" and a "bottom" offering are chosen to represent their territory.
I still don't understand what the purpose of this is. Technically, all the "offerings" are at the mercy of the guards to be groped, molested or gang banged. There's nothing to distinguish the tops from the bottoms. Even during the games themselves, I couldn't suss out why there needed to be a distinction since they're all strung out on Phentasia (sex drug) and expected to orgy regularly. And that's just a free for all.
The post-apocalyptic aspect didn't mesh with the actual living conditions either. I mean, Earth was hit by an asteroid and in the ensuing chaos Quondamn (country) was taken over by the Cardinal City. Cardinal City supposedly keeps all the territories in a constant state of oppression yet, they have social networking and the internet? HUH? But they're destitute and have to be rid of lice prior to the MvM? What?
Aspen is The Hunger Gays version of Katniss. It's told exclusively through his perspective. At first, I thought the author was going for authenticity with the simplistic sentences that could be typical of a 19 year old. But, there was just too much variability.
See Dick run.
Dick runs fast.
Dick is discombobulated by Shane's chasing him thereby causing him to gasp in surprise once Shane's arm envelopes him as they tumble to the ground.
Which one of these doesn't belong? Exactly.
I felt all whiplash-y from Aspen's yo-yo self image too One minute he's King Shit of Fuck Mountain and the next he's something that got caught in a drain. He's also a fickle pickle. In love with Pan (his "soul mate" from his territory) then Hyacinth (his partner in the MvM) then Pan again then The Emperor was a possibility then back to Hyacinth again. Head spinning!!!!!! Make it stop!
I tried to like this, I really did. I even started thinking, "Oh, it's a parody. A comedy perhaps?" But… it's not advertised as such. Let me tell you, it should be because it's got some seriously CHEESE-Y MUTHAFUCKIN' DIALOGUE. Word.
Here are some gems:
"My sexuality has exploded."
Ummm
"Rumor has it you're the butcheress' star hunter," he whispered rimming my ear with his tongue.
"Is that the rumor?" I said laughing. "Is everyone clamoring for a piece of my meat?"
*CACKLES*
"I am more than just a tight bum in black underwear. I am a boy who is scared of the world he lives in."
WHAT? Clearly, I'm missing some sort of gay mathematics. I'm a failure at regular math so I'm not even going to try to figure this one out.
"I don't know how long we go at it, but before I realize it, our cocks explode."
That's gonna leave a mark.
"It's all so confusing and I have no more time left to preoccupy myself with these dramatics."
-_-
The whole thing needs an edit. There are sentences that don't make sense. There are sentences with words left out. There is an overabundance of words misspelled or misused. In a nutshell, it's a hot mess.
The publishers should really consider marketing this as a comedy. I am just saying. It has all the hallmarks. The 69th annual MvM, the cheese-y dialogue, the lack of creativity, the lame sex. I could go on but I won't. I did get a couple good chuckles out of this though, hence the 2 star rating. Overall, pretty disappointing.
A copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 15, 2022
This was actually not as bad as I thought it would be going into the audiobook. This is clearly a parody of the hunger games and I was expecting more of a silly story. It's heavy on smutt but it actually has a lot of strengths to storywise that I didn't expect. Have to admit it wasn't really my cup of tea but I can't deny that it's one of the better retailing s of modern work I've read in a long time
August 15, 2019
Well...
First things first: I liked it more than I thought I would.
II: I choose to see this as a parody of the series that inspired it.
3: The narration definitely made me enjoy it more as I originally started with the ebook.
D: I wish someone would make this into porn.
I never actually read the original series, and I was like "meh" for the movie. (Mainly because, HELLO, why in the ever-loving fuck would anyone choose Peeta over Gale? Stupid.) But I did appreciate the underlying themes (attempted) to portray. (I'm gonna assume the book did this better.) Unfortunately, those issues were sort of made trivial here. Yes, there is extreme inequality and whatnot, but I would think - when making a parody - those should be magnified.
Otherwise, yeah. Not a terrible way to start off GR's SciFi and Fantasy week!
First things first: I liked it more than I thought I would.
II: I choose to see this as a parody of the series that inspired it.
3: The narration definitely made me enjoy it more as I originally started with the ebook.
D: I wish someone would make this into porn.
I never actually read the original series, and I was like "meh" for the movie. (Mainly because, HELLO, why in the ever-loving fuck would anyone choose Peeta over Gale? Stupid.) But I did appreciate the underlying themes (attempted) to portray. (I'm gonna assume the book did this better.) Unfortunately, those issues were sort of made trivial here. Yes, there is extreme inequality and whatnot, but I would think - when making a parody - those should be magnified.
Otherwise, yeah. Not a terrible way to start off GR's SciFi and Fantasy week!
probably-not
December 27, 2013Oh, I have to read this immediately!
December 15, 2013
Netgallery
complete waste of time. Devoid of a significant plot, and achieving such a pathetic and irrelevant finish that it is absolutely noteworthy....A serious disappointment (not personally I won't even give it this much credit; but in general) even using the standards of playgirl magazine as a foundation for this genre. There is literally nothing to redeem this book, absolutely NOTHING.
Crap total crap. This is a below-playgirl-story with overt contrived overtone of politics, religion and social issues. Lots and lots of sex.... Relentlessly boring and trite with no substance or objective beyond shocking readers.... Or arousing them.... Nothing in this is arousing, so fail there. Is this political and social satire? No, but it may be a poorly executed attempt to comment on social injustice, however considering the manner in which it was written, coupled with its content it does the complete opposite. To a large extent this confirms, or at the very least reinforces gay stereotypes of an over sexualized culture.
Read Hunger Games? Well this is a porn mag version of that book. Take out Katniss and put in horny men... A lot of them, rape, Dominance and submission, and a bit of incestuousness. This isn't even a good offshoot of the Hunger Games. Strip away the porn aspect and this would still give you the raging disappointment of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. But, oh it did well with taking specific plot lines from the 1st book, leading to almost plagiarism levels; or at least in my opinion.
It is absolutely amazing that this book was published.
Movie comparison: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) meets and dates Zack and Miri Make a Porno if Zack and Miri Make a Porno was a dirty perverse drunk with a lot of childhood baggage and anti-social personality disorder.
complete waste of time. Devoid of a significant plot, and achieving such a pathetic and irrelevant finish that it is absolutely noteworthy....A serious disappointment (not personally I won't even give it this much credit; but in general) even using the standards of playgirl magazine as a foundation for this genre. There is literally nothing to redeem this book, absolutely NOTHING.
Crap total crap. This is a below-playgirl-story with overt contrived overtone of politics, religion and social issues. Lots and lots of sex.... Relentlessly boring and trite with no substance or objective beyond shocking readers.... Or arousing them.... Nothing in this is arousing, so fail there. Is this political and social satire? No, but it may be a poorly executed attempt to comment on social injustice, however considering the manner in which it was written, coupled with its content it does the complete opposite. To a large extent this confirms, or at the very least reinforces gay stereotypes of an over sexualized culture.
Read Hunger Games? Well this is a porn mag version of that book. Take out Katniss and put in horny men... A lot of them, rape, Dominance and submission, and a bit of incestuousness. This isn't even a good offshoot of the Hunger Games. Strip away the porn aspect and this would still give you the raging disappointment of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. But, oh it did well with taking specific plot lines from the 1st book, leading to almost plagiarism levels; or at least in my opinion.
It is absolutely amazing that this book was published.
Movie comparison: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) meets and dates Zack and Miri Make a Porno if Zack and Miri Make a Porno was a dirty perverse drunk with a lot of childhood baggage and anti-social personality disorder.
December 14, 2013
A crappy fanfic'esque piece based on an even crappier book series. Yeah, real winner here.
January 24, 2014
I went into The Hunger Gays knowing it was just a spoof on The Hunger Games. Being one of the only people on earth who thought The Hunger Games was stupid, I was interested in reading this one. Surprisingly, I kind of liked it. To enjoy something like this, your mind definitely has to be open to anything. While there was a lot, and I mean a lot of sexual acts in this book, if you can get past that to the heart of the story you would find that it is about a young guy, Aspen, who just wants to rise up from the life he has, be able to protect his younger brother, and find love. I actually really liked Aspen. He was strong and caring, and he was just doing what he needed to do to survive.
A lot of the time when you read parody's of other books, the author really doesn't care about the writing. But I think Nathan Alexander really paid a lot of attention to detail. He really cared about the characters, and made the reader care about them too.
The Hunger Gays is a quick and fast read that shouldn't be judged to harshly.
A lot of the time when you read parody's of other books, the author really doesn't care about the writing. But I think Nathan Alexander really paid a lot of attention to detail. He really cared about the characters, and made the reader care about them too.
The Hunger Gays is a quick and fast read that shouldn't be judged to harshly.
Want to read
December 13, 2013Someone read this with me...
February 25, 2025
Like here's the thing this isn't a book I'd recommend to anyone necessarily. It's a parody book so like yeah the contents of it are wild however the writing actually wasn't bad and the pacing did surprise me in the way it condensed the plot of the hunger games but still made sense within the absurd context of the world.
January 12, 2025
I started reading this book because I thought it would be funny. And it was. But it was bad. Sooooo bad. Two stars because I was laughing the whole time.
April 15, 2025
What a journey this took me on
April 15, 2025
Terrible writing but what a journey. So bad it’s good.
February 6, 2014
The best way I can describe this book is - If SCUM Manifesto and The Hunger Games had a child that grew up to do porn. The Hunger Gays is freaking hilarious. This isn't just a parody, it actually has a great story. Nathan Alexander added his own touches, and not just sex. I believed the love triangle in this book more than I did in HG. I want to know more about the goddesses. I laughed out loud so much. The fact that the cock rings acted as trackers was easily the best thing in the entire book. Freaking brilliant. This book is great. Also, there are no minors, and while consent is blurry, the drug makes it consensual. I feared there would be direct rape, and there wasn't. I mean, don't get me wrong, drugs are bad and this isn't real consent, but I put my feminist tendencies aside and simply enjoyed. In summary, READ THIS.
December 28, 2013
Meh. This was an okay book. Nothing too special. It tries to be something more than it is but for the most part it fails. The erotica is nothing too arousing and while there is a plot or an attempt at a plot it's too much of a copycat for my taste. Not to mention the fact that the plot is highly improbable and plain silly in some parts. It's like reading a bad parody book with none of the wit, humor and cleverness that is expected from the genre.
June 5, 2014
Thank you, Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Parodies are supposed to be funny, dammit. This was really sad. :'(
For some reason, sexual exploitation literature seems to find its way to my eyes. There was too much snuff in here to be called a "parody". Now I'm having all sorts of deeply society-questioning thoughts. Shit.
Parodies are supposed to be funny, dammit. This was really sad. :'(
For some reason, sexual exploitation literature seems to find its way to my eyes. There was too much snuff in here to be called a "parody". Now I'm having all sorts of deeply society-questioning thoughts. Shit.
April 24, 2020
This book is actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Its writing is certainly not the worst and the story... well, it could be better. Sometimes it felt very rushed, as if the author wanted to be done with it sooner rather than later and, for an erotic satire, the sex scenes were very brutal — I don't think that's the right word but I do not know how else to describe it. I can't really complain about that though, for I think that was indeed the goal — and it fit the dystopian ~vibe~ of the story quite nicely, really. As I mentioned, the writing is not the worst — it was actually good! Well, it was... in the beginning. After that, it just wasn't as good. The inconsistent writing problem was, I think, due to the whole rushing-to-finish-writing-this ordeal. There are other problems with this book that I don't want to mention (mainly because I don't write reviews and I'm getting tired of writing this one. It seems that I am not dissimilar to the author of this book. Oh well). But overall, yeah, definitely not as bad as I thought it would be. When I picked this up, I was only looking for something to keep me entertained — and this did the job, so... don't judge me, alright?
February 8, 2023
This was just too "weird" and didn't make much sense 🙄
November 30, 2016
Maybe it's best if we do not question my motives why I decided to request this book. I requested this book through netgalley.com and it got accepted a few days later. I don't know why this book spoke to me, as I usually do not read erotica, but this one is probably one of the exceptions I am going to make.
I personally thought this book was short, for being inspired by the Hunger Games. That book was way longer than this one. But on the other hand, I don't think it should've been longer than it already was. It was unnecessary for it to be longer. There were already a lot of fillers in my opinion, so I don't think I would've want to read more extra sex scenes than there already were.
In this novel, we follow Aspen, who is the Katniss in this book, he's in love with Pan and is chosen to participate in the MvM. It's pretty much the same story as the real Hunger Games, and this could have been a kinky fan fiction written by 14-year old me, only a bit better.
I enjoyed this book for once, but I couldn't consider it a book. To me it was more of a fan fiction. The writing the author applied wasn't a high standard writing and it was easy to understand. It was interesting to read, but I don't think this genre is something for me either. I wouldn't immediately recommend this book, but I know a person (Annemarieke, if you read this, I mean you) who I would recommend it to. And I might possibly buy her this book for her birthday or something. She would really enjoy this. Definitely do not read this book if you're below 16, unless you like stories like this.
I personally thought this book was short, for being inspired by the Hunger Games. That book was way longer than this one. But on the other hand, I don't think it should've been longer than it already was. It was unnecessary for it to be longer. There were already a lot of fillers in my opinion, so I don't think I would've want to read more extra sex scenes than there already were.
In this novel, we follow Aspen, who is the Katniss in this book, he's in love with Pan and is chosen to participate in the MvM. It's pretty much the same story as the real Hunger Games, and this could have been a kinky fan fiction written by 14-year old me, only a bit better.
I enjoyed this book for once, but I couldn't consider it a book. To me it was more of a fan fiction. The writing the author applied wasn't a high standard writing and it was easy to understand. It was interesting to read, but I don't think this genre is something for me either. I wouldn't immediately recommend this book, but I know a person (Annemarieke, if you read this, I mean you) who I would recommend it to. And I might possibly buy her this book for her birthday or something. She would really enjoy this. Definitely do not read this book if you're below 16, unless you like stories like this.
January 21, 2014
This was said to be inspired by Hunger Games.
I was SO disappointed - uninspired revamp of Hunger Games
the names were changed to protect the innocent
the names were plants, the characters MALE
the sex was BORING and there was some senseless rambling about government oppression??
I rec'd free copy for honest review from Net Galley - so I did not waste my money -
but it WAS a waste of time
I was SO disappointed - uninspired revamp of Hunger Games
the names were changed to protect the innocent
the names were plants, the characters MALE
the sex was BORING and there was some senseless rambling about government oppression??
I rec'd free copy for honest review from Net Galley - so I did not waste my money -
but it WAS a waste of time
July 1, 2016
Review coming soon!
August 21, 2024
Traumatising. Once again fell for the funny title. DNF.
March 17, 2023
1.5⭐️
How do you make a society so depraved that it forces children to fight to the death for their entertainment worse? By adding sexual assault and dubious consent natch.
I wasn't sure what to expect with "Hunger Gays"; maybe parody, maybe just a retread but gay? At the end of the day it's a mixed bag of potential that could have been good.
The story is a hodgepodge of tones, shifting character motivations/unwarranted feeling developments and ideas that are introduced then abandoned or sucked of tension/narrative meaning. The past world was so backward they based ppl's value on the color of their skin or who they married; yet this world has a tournament that is based on rigid top and bottom norms and a battle royale of sexual dominance and murder. There are so many clashing ideas that are meant to sound important but are just limp.
Aspen is a solid enough character as he's supposed to be a likeable martyr, but any development he makes is crushed by story inconsistencies, sex or illogic. I think if there hadn't been any promise in the writing, I wouldn't have disliked it as much; I would have just marked it as another ok book of porny silliness.
And maybe I'm being unfairly critical; maybe "The Hunger Games" is just as bad.
How do you make a society so depraved that it forces children to fight to the death for their entertainment worse? By adding sexual assault and dubious consent natch.
I wasn't sure what to expect with "Hunger Gays"; maybe parody, maybe just a retread but gay? At the end of the day it's a mixed bag of potential that could have been good.
The story is a hodgepodge of tones, shifting character motivations/unwarranted feeling developments and ideas that are introduced then abandoned or sucked of tension/narrative meaning. The past world was so backward they based ppl's value on the color of their skin or who they married; yet this world has a tournament that is based on rigid top and bottom norms and a battle royale of sexual dominance and murder. There are so many clashing ideas that are meant to sound important but are just limp.
Aspen is a solid enough character as he's supposed to be a likeable martyr, but any development he makes is crushed by story inconsistencies, sex or illogic. I think if there hadn't been any promise in the writing, I wouldn't have disliked it as much; I would have just marked it as another ok book of porny silliness.
And maybe I'm being unfairly critical; maybe "The Hunger Games" is just as bad.
March 9, 2025
What was the author trying to say? Why does this book exist? I mean that existentially. Why am I here on planet earth with this book? Not in a mean way just in a confused one, because I did finish it so that’s on me!
This book does make and stand up for the fact that confining queer men to "top" and "bottom" is reductive, but this whole books could have been a joke on Twitter (RIP).
There is a line in this book: “my dad was a who*e". And for what. I don’t know, I had to read it so you do too I guess?
Also there's magic in the world of The Hunger Gays, which was not worked into the world building at the beginning of this book from what I noticed. Why are there rejuvination potions and telaportation and it's not explained at all? And the Boston Red Sox existed? What is happening?
This book does make and stand up for the fact that confining queer men to "top" and "bottom" is reductive, but this whole books could have been a joke on Twitter (RIP).
There is a line in this book: “my dad was a who*e". And for what. I don’t know, I had to read it so you do too I guess?
Also there's magic in the world of The Hunger Gays, which was not worked into the world building at the beginning of this book from what I noticed. Why are there rejuvination potions and telaportation and it's not explained at all? And the Boston Red Sox existed? What is happening?
April 15, 2021
3.5
Penis hihi, wyszła ze mnie trochę gimbaza, bo literally robiłem hihi za każdym razem kiedy pojawiło się słowo penis. W momentach, które dotyczyły seksu nieco spadał mi poziom uwagi (pewnie wina audiobooka). Ciekawa wizja społeczeństwa, w której to mężczyźni są tymi ciemiężonymi, a światem rządzą kobiety. Dodatkowe punkty za backstory kraju (💜). Ogólnie teraz mam ochotę na reraed oryginału, w sensie igrzysk. Nie jestem pewna triggerów oprócz tego, że na pewno było wspomnienie molestowania/gwałtu, ale nie wiem czy był przedstawiony w narracji. Ogólnie na plus, bo zaangażowała mnie fabuła na tyle że przesłuchałem całość
Penis hihi, wyszła ze mnie trochę gimbaza, bo literally robiłem hihi za każdym razem kiedy pojawiło się słowo penis. W momentach, które dotyczyły seksu nieco spadał mi poziom uwagi (pewnie wina audiobooka). Ciekawa wizja społeczeństwa, w której to mężczyźni są tymi ciemiężonymi, a światem rządzą kobiety. Dodatkowe punkty za backstory kraju (💜). Ogólnie teraz mam ochotę na reraed oryginału, w sensie igrzysk. Nie jestem pewna triggerów oprócz tego, że na pewno było wspomnienie molestowania/gwałtu, ale nie wiem czy był przedstawiony w narracji. Ogólnie na plus, bo zaangażowała mnie fabuła na tyle że przesłuchałem całość
October 14, 2022
I have no idea why but I actually kind of loved this.
I went in accepting what this book was trying to be. I knew it was going to be an edgy, experimental, violent, MM, parody of the hunger games and so I loved it.
If you go in with the right expectations I think others could also enjoy this if it was to your taste.
I went in accepting what this book was trying to be. I knew it was going to be an edgy, experimental, violent, MM, parody of the hunger games and so I loved it.
If you go in with the right expectations I think others could also enjoy this if it was to your taste.
October 21, 2025
⭐⭐ 2/5.
Mmmmm......
A ver... Esto es algo la verdad. Esta tan mal escrito que parece que se hicieron con promps de chatgpt en cada capitulo. Lo unico que puedo sacar de esta cosa es que no es aburrido, habia potencial para hacer algo con todo el worldbuilding y ideas que se metieron en la historia, pero la ejecucion fue terrible. No hay nada salvable.
Mmmmm......
A ver... Esto es algo la verdad. Esta tan mal escrito que parece que se hicieron con promps de chatgpt en cada capitulo. Lo unico que puedo sacar de esta cosa es que no es aburrido, habia potencial para hacer algo con todo el worldbuilding y ideas que se metieron en la historia, pero la ejecucion fue terrible. No hay nada salvable.
February 11, 2017
I can't believe Nathan Alexander wasn't sued for plagiarism. This book was so much like The Hunger Games that I just kept shaking my head.
So why three stars, even if I felt like he stole the basic plot, I enjoyed it.
So why three stars, even if I felt like he stole the basic plot, I enjoyed it.
July 10, 2020
I’ve read a lot of smut but the second hand embarrassment I felt while reading the sexy scenes in this book is outstanding. Story is heavily inspired by the original book and the writing is actually pretty good.
June 25, 2018
I really should have given up, but it was so awful I couldn’t bear to.
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