It took me a long time to get to Chain-Gang All Stars, and it's going to be a tricky one to review as well. It's one of those books where the importance and quality are evident, but combine to make for a sometimes truly uncomfortable reading experience. Although I often felt downcast when reading, I nevertheless could not put it down. This was definitely a book where I had every format on the go, so that I could plunge myself back in at any moment and find out what happened next. I couldn't fully immerse myself in the world however - this is a frighteningly plausible dystopia, and didn't feel like reading for escapism in any sense. The footnotes with real-life prison statistics are utterly brutal. I found the exploration of ideas was strongest when utilising multiple POVs - I found the interlacing plots really interesting, and it was a shame that they perhaps didn't fully come together. I felt bereft at the ending, but I suppose this book couldn't have ended any other way.

I didn't really know what to expect from this book. I tried the audio version and I just couldn't get in to it. I will try again though as I think it could get better - DNF

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

An extraordinary idea, hampered slightly by pacing issues. I was only truly invested in the main 2 characters as they were the ones fleshed out the most. Very excited to see what this author does next.

The book was certainly not what I had expected.

Set in a society where crime result in life imprisonment, the only way of escaping this is to join CAPE a "fight" society where life comes with benefits the more Gladiatorial battles you win. There is a chance to be freed from CAPE but the rules are certainly not set in stone.

It isn't my fvourite book of the year I can't really see why it has so many award nominations as for the most part i found it a lumbering narrative. It had the added disattraction of footnotes in Fiction something that really interrupts the flow of reading.

I know it was trying to be moralist / ethical and it did have some interesting aspects. It was a commentary on whether the societal norms were in fact achieving a better society. At tiems it did make me think of A Clockwork Orange which tried new ways of controlling behaviour and also of Catch-22 with its idea that the characters are between a rock and a hard place.

As a Debut novel itis a work of some depth but does not tempt me into more from this author

Stunning book. This Sci Fi allegory of the US prison system is hard hitting and brilliant. I loved the MCs and the crazy world of the death matches and the pop/celebrity culture surrounding them. I especially loved how the POV chapters included people beyond the MCs, showing us how the system affected everyone at all levels of society. A must read.

Wonderfully realised and all too believable, this dystopian thriller had me hooked. Great writing, vivid characters and an absorbing plot. What’s not to love.

In this brutal reimagining of America and the prison industrial complex, we follow two "hard action sport" stars as they compete for freedom in a series of gladiator-style brawls.

The many different perspectives featured in this book made it slightly difficult to invest in the characters but by the end I was totally invested in finding out their ultimate fate.

Overall I thought this struck a nice balanced between being entertaining but also informative and grounded in reality. This was partly achieved through the inclusion of footnotes that contextualise the injustices of this fictional world with those of the real world, which I thought was very clever.

A really great and unique debut!

In "Chain-Gang All-Stars," Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah masterfully crafts a harrowing and introspective exploration of America's prison system, racial injustice, and the perils of capitalist entertainment. The novel immerses readers in a world where prisoners, facing either execution or long-term imprisonment, are given the option to participate in a televised death match called Criminal Action Penal Entertainment (CAPE).

Adjei-Brenyah crafts a speculative vision of a society that has embraced the commodification of human life, turning incarcerated individuals into modern-day gladiators. The brutal fights for survival serve as a metaphor for the systematic oppression and violence experienced by marginalized communities. Through the stories of the main characters, Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, Adjei-Brenyah explores the transcendent struggle for humanity that extends beyond physical boundaries.

One of the most intriguing aspects of "Chain-Gang All-Stars" is the inclusion of Emily, a well-meaning white woman who becomes engrossed in the CAPE show. Through Emily's character, Adjei-Brenyah highlights the complexities of privilege and complicity. Emily's journey serves as a reminder of how easily individuals can become desensitized to violence when it is packaged as corporate entertainment. Adjei-Brenyah's portrayal of Emily's awakening raises questions about the exploitation of the incarcerated for profit, the complacency of violence, and the societal responsibility to dismantle such institutions.

The novel is a complex and compelling exploration of the human condition. While reading, I found myself grappling with the brutality depicted in the book, often needing to pause and reflect on the profound impact of the narrative. Adjei-Brenyah's unflinching portrayal of the systemic brutality experienced by the characters evokes a range of emotions, from anger and sorrow to hope and a determination to work towards change.
"Chain-Gang All-Stars" leaves readers with a multitude of ethical questions. Adjei-Brenyah prompts us to consider the value of life and the consequences of our silence and inaction in the face of violence. The novel challenges us to examine our personal and societal responsibilities in preventing harm and advancing justice. It forces us to confront the barriers to self-love and love for others at an institutional and societal level. How much violence are we willing to accept? Can unconditional self-love be equated with unconditional love for others? These thought-provoking questions linger long after turning the last page.

At its core, "Chain-Gang All-Stars" is a profound commentary on humanity, justice, and the price of silence in the face of systemic brutality. Adjei-Brenyah's unique storytelling approach, combined with his insightful exploration of contemporary issues, makes this novel a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the complexities of racism, incarceration, and the normalization of violence.

An incredible and powerful novel about the state of the justice system.

This story follows the paths of a number of prisoners who have entered into a competition to fight for their freedom. By defeating (killing) their opponents, they get one step closer to freedom - but will any of them ever actually be free? Interspersed within the story are real-life nuggets of the history of the US justice system which point towards the fiction being closer to reality than we might want to admit.

A confronting but beautiful piece of writing, which pulls you in from the start and drags you through the lives of the characters as they fight for their lives.

Having loved Adjei-Brenyah's short story collection Black Friday, I was very excited for this book, and it did not disappoint.

It is a book with a lot of ideas and topics it wants to cover, including incarceration and the prison industrial complex, media portrayals of villains, race, and relationships against the odds. But I think it pulls them off, telling a whirlwind story of people battling it out to both stay alive, but also commute their prison sentences, and the result is a book that is both biting critique and an enjoyable thriller.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A dystopian thriller, very graphic and quite an eye opener. Looks at the prison system in America and makes you think of things very differently. This book is very different and well worth the read

Chain-Gang All-Stars is an original, exciting read that packs a punch. The reader is thrown in to the action from the first page and gripped from that moment on.
If you loved the Hunger Games, you will very much enjoy this.

The world-building in the novel is both expansive and immersive. Adjei-Brenyah explains it all with ease, making it easy for readers to comprehend the world of Chain-Gang All-Stars. Though the world has a lot of elements, such as links, chains, HMCs, ranks, high and low-freed concepts, Influencers, and Marches, everything fits together seamlessly. The author has meticulously thought out every detail, which feels imposing for a debut novel.

Fortunately, the quality of the writing in the book is impressive. The fight scenes are described in a visceral and poetic way, with detailed explanations of punches, kicks, and scythe slashes. The characters in the story are complex and fully developed. Even the protagonists, who are criminals serving time for murder, are portrayed as reflective and open about their pasts, regrets, and the injustice of their situation. It is worth noting, however, that every time they commit a violent murder while in prison, they are rewarded with Blood Points.

The book is often misrepresented as a soulless action novel, but that couldn't be further from the truth. At its core, it's a queer love story between Thurwar and Hamara 'Hurricane Staxxx' Stacker, which adds complexity and depth to the fight scenes.

The author, Adjei-Brenyah, also explores the injustice of the prison system. Each chapter is interspersed with real-world facts about the disproportionate incarceration rates for marginalized communities. These interjections never feel forced and are essential to the novel's message. The book radiates anger at this injustice, and Adjei-Brenyah's message is clear.

The author's debut novel is compelling and thought-provoking, with a strong political message and engaging narrative.
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This was heavy, violent and a damn good read - the industrial complex that is prison as viewed through an almost Orwellian lens. I don’t think I’ve ever written a statement that’s so pretentious but it fits in this instance. Whilst this is a dystopian novel of inmates fighting to the death for their freedom, it’s almost scarily prescient and that’s what kept me reading. If you’re a fan of Hunger Games but wanted more violence and adult themes then enjoy.

This was quite a big disappointment for me. I found the premise so intriguing, but it was delivered in a discombobulated manner that made it difficult for me to connect to any characters or truly understand the message. I thought listening to the audiobook would help as it had multiple voice actors but I think it took me even further away from the narrative. Obviously, Adjei-Brenyah is exploring important topics, but unfortunately, Chain-Gang All-Stars failed to have any impact and I probably won’t think about it again beyond writing this review.

I received the ARC from NetGalley, my opinion is my own.

I got stuck somewhere in the middle for a long time, and once I got to 2/3 it actually started working better for me. I quite enjoyed Adjei-Brenyah's collection Friday Black, but didn't quite get into some parts of it - it's the same here, but the whole is greater than a sum of its parts. It's just that, well, I don't really like sports, especially contact and combat sports, I've never seen a boxing storyline I didn't dislike, so there were parts here that I was predisposed to find challenging in a way different from the intended moral difficulty.

But I think it's still true that this novel has a lot to say (I guess ymmv on the use of statistical and legal information strewn around the book) and says it eloquently. I found some parts of it utterly engrossing and moving (although I think I was invested in the secondary characters more than in the protagonists). I just didn't find the conclusion particularly powerful, I suppose, despite one great line within it - but the structure is interesting, the voice strong.

What a powerful concept of a story, and so perfectly handled, the critique of prison systems and how it mutates into something utterly brutal and dehumanising. It feels like an alert as to what might happen if things dont change in society and how we treat violent criminals.

Woman gladiators fighting in a debauched prison system, what’s not to like? Very hunger games with added gore and bloody violence. Gruesome, unputdownable, dystopian novel that has too many familiarities for comfort.

The title of this appealed to me as I enjoy reading dystopian fiction for my own enjoyment. This did not disappoint. Lots of gritty action and well description characters.

I am quite literally speechless - I don’t even know how to describe this or how I felt reading it but I honestly could not put it down!