Customer Reviews

The Hunger

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I read this book in college and recently re-visited it after seeing the movie. I don't know about you, but I found it scary. Forget all the lesbianism and explicit sex; that's not what I'm talking about.

Miriam is not a weepy, broody, remorseful vampire. She is an inhuman killer, to whom humans are like animals. This is done subtly in the book, from the way she treats her human lovers and dominates them, to the matter-of-fact way she stalks people (ordinary people, like me!) and kills them, knowing that no one will ever be able to stop her. She has sociopathic traits that make her chilling. The book makes you feel for her loneliness, as the last of her kind, but then reminds you what it means to be loved by her, that you could end up spending eternity rotting conscious in a box.

And the ending of the book, unlike the similarly scary _Wolfen_ by the same author, does nothing to comfort you.

If you've only seen the movie, you're missing out. This book is sad, exciting, and scary if you let yourself think about it.

Vampire tales can get mundane and boring, but this is a unique and eternally creepier approach to a predatory species who walks among us. Miriam Blaylock is a Vampire, stunningly beautiful and intelligent, and very lonely. Centuries old, she is forever seeking one who will be her companion throughout time. Her current lover and companion is John Blaylock, only a couple hundred years old when he starts to age rapidly, showing the signs of degeneration Miriam has seen so many times before. As John deteriorates, Miriam prepares her next companion for the transformation, but John consumes her before she's ready. Desperate, Miriam impulsively chooses Dr. Sarah Roberts to be her next, for Dr. Roberts has been intensively researching aging and the human biological clock. Sarah's boyfriend is suspicious, and ultimately pays the price for investigating Sarah's strange behavior, but Sarah is not cut to fit the mold that Miriam plots for her.
An incredibly great tale of Vampires, who Sleep (with a capitol S) for about six hours a day, a coma like state where they are entirely vulnerable, but are able to walk about during the day and appear normal except for their hair and eyes, which the modern world covers up with contact lenses and wigs. Strieber brings Miriam's flashbacks to life, going back as far as ancient Egypt when Miriam was young, and bringing us the horrifying fact that Miriam keeps her lovers with her always, for they cannot ever die once they have been "transformed" for her.
A definite read for any Vampire fan, and recommended even if you are not.

The Hunger is a mesmerizing tale of a Vampire that has existed for thousands of years. Miriam Blaylock's thirst of the Hunger and the love of suitable companion is largely what drives her through the centuries. She offers her chosen mate immortality, and all of the powers that come with the transfusion of her blood. What her mates do not know is that they are not truly immortal, but will last only several centuries. After that they will age extremely fast and although they cannot die, they will suffer in a coma like state until the end of time; a horrible existence. Mariam is now preparing for a new companion; a doctor who has been doing research on the aging process. Things begin to get complicated and Mariam's life is in jeopardy.

This is a very well written book and captures both you attention and imagination. While Mariam is considered evil, it's hard not to cheer for her cause. The writing style is fast paced with alot of suspense and danger. As with many of the vampire novels available, this one also has it's own rules for Vampires with regard to their powers, strengths, and limitations. Vampire and horror readers should not pass this one up.

I finally read "The Hunger" recently and am annoyed with myself that I didn't read it sooner. An excellent look at vampire mythology through a scientific lens, "The Hunger" is one of the best novels in the genre. Even if you have seen the movie (which was reasonably faithful), check out this masterwork of vampiric passion. If you like vampires, you won't be disappointed.

This book is the best of the genre. It was around long before Anne Rice became a household name, and inspired one of the biggest cult films of the 80's. The story is supurb, and the plot shifts between the eternal life of Miriam Blaylock and her quickly dying present love, John. Underneath the horror is a love story. What does it mean to live forever? What does it mean to taste eternity, but never have it? What is life, and what is death...? If you have read Rice's mainstream vampire stories with any interest, you should love The Hunger.

Okay, I've reviewed this book at Amazon before, but having read Steve's comments, I'll have to review it again. I, too, read The Hunger when I was fourteen. I, too, found my life shaped by the tale of Miriam and her sad, lonely existence. I, too, dress in black. I treasure the year in which I read this book (1995). And I cried when I read the final pages. So many emotions were packed into that ending, I felt gutted. Whitley Strieber, you've created a masterpiece. Let's hope the publishers cotton on that this tome is, in fact, a cult classic and give it another print run.

This book changed my life. More like, defined it. I was introduced to it when I was 14, and was completely amazed by it. Miriam's perpetuating fortitude throughout time was incredible. It was really the most amazing love story to me. As I passed into my teenage years, this story continued to tie in with my social structure, being an avid fan of Bauhaus, Joy Division, and other death punk bands and their spinoffs. I bought the movie soundtrack and even had a poster of David Bowie playing the role of John. If you ever wondered what people who dress in all black could possibly read, this is probably on the list.

I found this on an "Impulse" rack at the grocery store. I am so glad that I did. It is an excellent book. I can't wait to read The Last Vampire (just ordered it). This is a different sort of vampire story. Even though Miriam is a vampire there is some sort of a sentimental quality she has regarding the ones she loves. You almost feel sorry for her.

This is my third reading of The Hunger. And yes, as you would expect from anyone re-reading the same novel multiple times, it is one of my favorite reads. I find the book's prose to be lyrical and hauntingly beautiful. It is, for me, a beautiful, dark rose.

(I did not set out to read The Hunger. In fact, it had been years since my last reading of it. It just happened by accident: I was reading Laura Wylie's/Patricia Matthew's The Night Visitor (1979) and there in the form of the Contessa de Fiore, I found Miram Blaylock, a lonely, cruel women, the last of her line, who has lived for hundreds of years and plans to live hundreds of years more, stealing life from the young, wanting to find someone, a companion, to pass her knowledge to. Don't get me wrong, The Night Visitor, although entertaining, is not nearly as mesmerizing as The Hunger, but the Contessa de Fiore, a throw-away character from The Night Visitor, is! (As is the lesbian nun Inez Polk in Gary Brandner`s 1977 masterpiece The Howling!) The uncanny resemblance of the Contessa to Miriam Blaylock caused my hunger for The Hunger to rekindle! )

The Hunger, the 2nd book to be copyrighted by Whitney Strieber (the first being The Wolfen), was published in hardcover in the U.S. in 1981 by William Morrow and Company. The Morrow edition is a modest 246 page in length. The novel deals with a self-hiding, "identical twin" species that feeds on humankind, members of whom are known to us today through legend and lore as vampires. Miriam Blaylock, who believes she may be the last of her species, selfishly reveals herself to Sarah Roberts, a sleep researcher, after her current human lover and companion, John Blaylock, suddenly and prematurely starts to age after only two hundred short years of being infused with her vampire blood. Sarah Roberts, the sleep researcher, is studying how biological chemicals released during sleep affects the aging process. Miriam hopes Sarah Roberts' research can benefit herself and her human companions.

I consumed The Hunger in one weekend. The book read itself and then in the course of the following week, during my lunch break, I consumed The Wolfen copyrighted to Strieber in 1978. I hope to read Night Church as my next Strieber read if I can find a copy!

A beautiful love story, yet, at the same time, a chilling tale of the supernatural. The contrasts within the main character, Miriam, are astonishing. From the cool, calculated slaying to quench her thirst, to her fiery passion and undying love for her partner/s. I felt the fear of the prey, the resentment of the past loves and the agonising pain of Miriam in her loneliness. A must read.