If you’ve read The Hunger Games and its sequels, and you want some more of the same (or at least quite similar), here are some indie titles to get your blood pumping.
Into the Badlands by Brian J. Jarrett
Our view: Like The Hunger Games but… possibly even sadder and more hopeful at the same time. Brian J. Jarrett’s novel is about a man and his two sons travelling to a distant city. Along the way they meet other survivors of the deadly pandemic that has devastated the world, but there’s also the constant threat of attack by infected humans. If you’re looking for a How To guide to surviving a zombie apocalypse, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re looking or a book that takes the time to develop its characters (sometimes with harrowing consequences), you should give Into the Badlands a try.
Get it at: Amazon.
Our rating: 4½ stars
The Harvest by Scott Nicholson
Our view: Like The Hunger Games but… with more aliens. Actually, The Harvest‘s storyline isn’t very much like The Hunger Games at all, but I’ve included it on this list because they share a similar tone. Both are about the mounting dread of a situation that can’t possibly last, and Nicholson includes enough moments of horror to keep you hooked right through to the end. It’s fast-paced, and Tamara Leon is an engaging and sympathetic lead (without being boring and cliched).
Another view: Review by Adam Lipkin at Bookslut.
Get it at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Our rating: 4½ stars.
The Old Man and the Wasteland by Nick Cole
Our view: Like The Hunger Games but… about a man on a mission in a world destroyed by nuclear war. This is a slower-paced novel, with more of a sense of impending doom, but it’s uncannily eerie at times and the central character is well-developed. Part-Hemingway, part-McCarthy, part-Collins, this is a disturbingly convincing portrayal of how life might be after the inevitable a nuclear holocaust. Also, for modern art lovers out there, it reminded me strongly of the work of installation genius Ilya Kabakov in the way that it depicted a man struggling against (and trying to make sense of) his environment..
Another view: Review by Jason Weisberger at Boing Boing.
Get it at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords.
Our rating: 4 stars.
Hollowland (The Hollows #1) by Amanda Hocking
Our view: Like The Hunger Games but… slightly more insane. There’s no denying that Hollowland is a bit of an obvious choice for this list, or that it’s slightly more over the top and busy than The Hunger Games. But it’s fast-paced and its lead, Remy King, is an engaging protagonist. Perhaps Hollowland lacks the emotional heart of The Hunger Games and some of the other books on this list, but it makes up for that with some great moments of imagination and invention.
Another view: Review by Chris Algernon at, er, Indie Bookspot, or there’s this review by Robert Duperre at Journal of Always.
Get it at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords.
Our rating: 3½ stars (CA) and 4 stars (JW).
Renewal by J.F. Perkins (The Renewal Series)
Our view: Like The Hunger Games but… a 10-part serial about a Reclamation Engineer working on farmland in a post-apocalyptic America. I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for the serial format, and J.F. Perkins pulls it off here with aplomb. The tension builds throughout the 10-book run as a Reclamation Engineer tries to rebuild a community in the aftermath of (you guessed it) an apocalyptic disaster. What I liked about this series was that as well as having all the dangers and nasties you’d expect, it also takes time to dwell on the horrors of what has gone before and the realities of trying to get communities started again. It also retain a sense of hope even in the darkest of circumstances.
Another view: Review at Life in the Trinity Mountains.
Get it at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Our rating: 4½ stars.
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