This book really took me by surprise.

I pick up a lot of books because of the hype behind them. Often, that hype is involved with a Hugo nomination (or win!), and I’m generally curious to find out if I agree or disagree with the opinion of that segment of the fandom. Is the hype valid, or overblown? Sometimes I’m surprised with what I find.

But with Chain Gang All Stars I never had the chance to make that comparison. Somehow, it didn’t make the top five (hugo finalists). I’m genuinely at a loss.

Nerds of a Feather calls the book a “beloved outsider . . . incredible, powerful . . . it was never going to be a real Hugo contender.” – Nerds of a Feather: Adri and Joe Talk About Books: 2024 Hugo Award Finalists

Why?

They comment that the book is a “challenging read” because of “the brutality of the subject matter”. Is that any different than Riot baby, or Ring Shout? I would consider R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War to have pretty brutal subject matter. The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin is a similarly challenging read, and it took three back-to-back Hugo wins.

I should probably mention here that Nerds of a Feather DID nominate Chain Gang (according to the post), and my gripe is not really with them anyway. In all honesty I’m not really sure who my gripe is with here; I’m kind of yelling at clouds.

In any case, FOR ME, Chain Gang All Stars was an excellent read. One which had me (metaphorically) biting my nails throughout, and giving a weirdly depressed yet satisfied little slump-sigh when I finished (you know this move). Ooof.

Without going into summary, the essential premise is that in a kind of near-future police state, we’ve brought back gladiator fights. Prisoners can opt into the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment (CAPE) program and if they survive for three years, they will have won their freedom. They earn BloodPoints for kills, and can use them to upgrade weapons and living conditions for themselves or other members of their “chain”, which is loosely a team though (typically) there is not much loyalty between teammates who can and do kill each other for even the slightest offense.

All this is watched by millions at home on their TVs (I forget what they are called in-world) which in this setting are holographic and more like VR without goggles, than the 2D experiences we have today.

Obviously I don’t love the future that’s presented here, but I love all of the thought and detail that went into creating it. As futures go, it feels attainable, though I hope we never do.

Chain Gang also has a surprisingly deep and varied cast of characters. Given how often they die, perhaps this was a necessary evil, but what struck me about it is how deftly the author is able to build them up in with a line, a short footnote, or in some cases just a very evocative nickname.

For the characters we get to spend more time with, their trauma runs deep. There’s a lot to feel here but it never becomes artificial or contrived. There is a lot of pain in this book, and while readers may not have experienced anything similar before, it’s somehow “true” to whatever kinds of pain we have felt, and so we can relate.

The last thing I thought was somewhat unique, and interesting, which I felt really affected the overall experience of the book was the footnotes (which are apparently not in the audio version so get a print copy of this one!). This might seem a bit mundane, but the content of these notes certainly was not. Often they contained little bits of history regarding legal statutes, or case rulings. Sometimes they were opinions and other times heartfelt eulogies. In most cases, the information provided was surprising, and as I think back on what I’ve read, it’s the information in these notes which has me questioning things.

It has certainly brought on a new awareness of things, which to my mind, is one of the best things about reading and something only the best books can achieve.

Give Chain Gang All Stars a read?

An enthusiastic yes. I really can’t parse why this book isn’t being talked about more. In any case, Chain Gang All Stars is certainly a challenging read, but one well worth the mental and emotional effort. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a master of his craft, able to evoke entire histories with a single nick name. So compelling is his writing, that the frequent use of footnotes — redolent of the lifeless tomes of academia — is actually a feature of his work, and indeed where much of the core effect of the book can be found.

Please give this one a read!

That’s all I have this week. Has anyone read this one yet? What did you find most shocking? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’m looking forward to chatting about this one!

See you next time!