Voice actor (and author) Emma Newman narrates this latest novella wonderfully in the audiobook of this story by author Adrian Tchaikovsky. In typical Tchaikovsky fashion, he posits what if people who left an Earth ravaged by environmental destruction returned, then gives us an unexpected ending.

The main character of this story is Amri, a member of the Rabbit tribe on Earth, whose whole way of life is, "See danger. Run." There are many other tribes also, all of them eking out a miserable existence on the planet.

The two other tribes who feature prominently in this story are Seagull and Cockroach; Amri has a violent encounter with some Seagulls, and runs back home, only to watch as it is obliterated. Out of the devastation come two things: an explosive proliferation of plants, and a man claiming to a god.

Amri is overwhelmed and in shock, and just accepts what the man says, and works with him to bring the Seagulls on board with his plan, which is to basically stick a wrench in what his fellow "gods" have in the works to rebuild/remediate Earth because they rejected and tried to kill him.

The god proceeds to tell Amri where he and the other three came from (space), and what they did over years, and why they're back, but none of these four men even bothers to really engage with the people whose lives they're destroying and/or changing, instead manipulating and talking down to them, much to their detriment.

This is a darkly funny little tale about how tech bros, who, because of their privilege and technical aptitude, forget that people are at the centre of every situation, that problems are much more complex than they think, and unilaterally deciding for others, because they're small or supposedly irrelevant, is smug, superior and odious.

It was lovely to see Amri go from terror to veneration to cooperation with her former enemies, to canny priestess of a world that is gradually improving for Earth's inhabitants.

The story is so satisfying, as we see the tech bros get their comeuppance.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Tantor Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

3.75⭐️

I really enjoyed this one. I liked the premise, something familiar with the expected Tchaikovsky twist. We follow Rabbit as the ‘gods’ return to earth and wreak havoc. Rabbit is an inherently likeable character - remaining 3D throughout. We also follow Guy, through the lens of Rabbit, as he returns to earth and sells himself as a god.

Without giving anything away: the ending is what really made this book. It gave me everything I wanted in the very last chapter!

Notes on the narration: I wasn’t sure at first, but the voice suited Rabbit and really grew on me. She managed to embody each character in a way that I eventually forgot about the narrator and focused on the story. 5 stars just for that!


Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This is an honest review.

Science fiction is generally not my thing. Dystopian is also not my usual thing. But this was a really great take. I hadn't even thought of dystopian in the sense of what if we came back to our abandoned worlds, the conquerors vs. survivors. Also, the ending, chef's kiss.

Fantastic so much fun! Great premise and even better story! I need more now I can't wait!! A must read for fans of Adrian!!!

Thank you, NetGalley for this advanced ALC of this book by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is the first time I have. Read a book from this author & I am happy to say it won't be my last 😊.

I loved this book from beginning to end & got completely engulfed by the adventure I was taken on, his way with words & how his able to suck you in has left me craving more, this was a novella & listening to the audiobook was a treat for the ears with a great choice for the narrator Emma Newmen she brought warmth and depth to each chatacter she performed as well as her voice at the same time feeling comfting.

While listening to this in one sitting I loved the setting that we have been brought into a sci-fi dystopian world with humans living a mere existence hunting for scraps & anything they can. These fractions are the rabbits, the roaches, the king crabs and the seagulls & through each of them, we see how each group sees each other as well as what they do for survival in a world that's poisoned and slowly dying.

Amri is our main character whom we follow throughout the story & we see through her eyes how this world is & the hardships faced & since she is seen as the weakest in her faction the Rabbits' paw her view is seen as bleak, fighting to survive even in her area, but on one trip out to gave what she can she comes back to see something terrible has happened and this is where we are introduced to one of four characters that take off on the adventure of God's, ideas of perfection and worlds being made a new.

When these characters who are seen as gods start I got the feeling of it being biblical in a way mixed with Sc-Fi to speak to modern-day audiences, fighting for survival & trying to prove each of their perspectives through what they believed would save everything but at the same time no realising that they need each other to bond as one to create a harmonious unity to make this poison world flourish again.

A story I highly enjoyed and also cannot wait for me, I highly recommend this book 👌 ☺️

“Sometimes future demands sacrifice.”

Having read a string of quite unsatisfying novellas recently, I was about to start doubting the genre. But then Adrian Tchaikovsky as always swoops in and seemingly effortlessly shows how it’s done, how a sharply and skillfully written novella can be perfect for its length, with all the worlbuilding and character development and interesting well-paced plot happening at the same time and in the same space.

Tchaikovsky doesn’t fall into the common awards-bait trap of pompousness, preachiness and overt message fiction. He finds new angles to see old tales from a new point of view. He lets the story breathe and has characters develop organically, with ear for dialogue and believable human behavior that doesn’t feel like just plot service. His plots don’t need shocking twists to feel fresh, and he’s an absolute master of satisfying closure to the stories.

In Hungry Gods future Earth, polluted and poisoned, a few small tribes eke out subsistence living in the remains of once great cities — and then four gods come from the sky, ready to battle over the future of this world. Of course, they are not actual gods; they are elite scientist and tech entrepreneurs of eons ago who ran away from what they thought was a dying Earth to build utopias in space, but now are back, all with their own vision of how exactly they can fix the planet. But none of their grand ideas seem to leave any place for people who are actually already there, who dared to survive when the “best minds” left, and who may inconveniently get in the new gods’ way to become godlike saviors.

And maybe any sufficiently advanced technology can often be indistinguishable from magic, but also maybe narcissistically self-important tech/science bros can’t quite assume that everyone is so beneath them that manipulation is easy. When you used to being on top of the world, it’s too easy to disregard the rest of the “biomass”, but that way lies danger and payback.

It’s interesting and clever, and slightly cynical, and at first quite bleak, but the glimmer of hope gets brighter in the end. We all can easily think of those entitled few who are so convinced of their special superiority and untouchability and want to see the smugness knocked off the self-satisfied mugs of theirs. Well, Tchaikovsky is with us on that, and it’s satisfying to say the least.

Emma Newman did an excellent job narrating the story, and I’m very happy with all of it.

4.5 stars.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Hungry Gods is a novella set in a post-apocalyptic world. Where the best and brightest have left for greener planets.

Hundreds of years later, the survivors left on earth struggle to survive until 4 capsules fall from the sky. The gods have returned to remake the earth in their own image. However, none of them can agree what that image should be.

I enjoyed this story immensely. Amri was well written, a nobody thrust into major events. Throughout the story, she grew and adapted, becoming someone the tribes needed to survive.

I wish that there had been more to the book. I wanted to know more about the colony ship and the gods that returned. There were hints and basic information, but it left me wanting more.

I read the audio version and liked the narrator. Her voice acting fit with Amri's timid nature at the beginning. Every character had an identifiable voice that helped me visualize them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Audio ARC- Thank you Netgalley and Tantor/RB Media for the opportunity to read this book

Was this sci-fi book unique? No not really but it was entertaining and I was very hooked into the action and the plot. I really loved the character development that we see from Amri. She starts off a this weak girl who is too cowardly to really even fit in with the Rabbits who were her own people, to being the right hand of the new "god", to being a pivotal figure as a priestess in the new world that is being created. Her growth was really well written and I enjoyed watching it develop. I think the cast of characters were all really interesting. I was particularly fond of Beaker who was this dangerous thug who had a soft spot and fascination with science that made him endearing.

The main plot points were nothing really special. These people came back to resettle earth after destroying their paradise but could not agree on how to do it. So really it just turned into an ego measuring contest with lots of bloodshed and no regard for the indigenous population or the environment. It did have a rather satisfying conclusion though!

TLDR: Do you want to read something fun, and action packed that talks about what happens after humans flee earth? Read this. I am going to have to try other Adrian Tchaikovsky books now!

The Hungry Gods is a sci-fi dystopian novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky that is, I believe, a part of his Terrible Worlds: Innovations series of novellas. My first foray into the author’s works was with Dogs of War, and I absolutely loved that book. That said I haven’t found myself reading anymore of his work in the years since; until now.

The Hungry Gods starts off a bit confusing as we’re thrown into this dystopian world where there are rats, rabbits, seagulls etc. Are these anthropomorphic animals, or people (since I was coming with the background of Dogs of War in mind), but that is very quickly cleared up by the arrival of the ‘Hungry Gods’ so to speak. The book follows Amri, one of the last remaining survivors of the Rabbit tribe, as she finds herself the spokesperson of a God as he begins to rally support against his fellow gods out to destroy the planet.

A well-paced narrative with a prose that is addictive to read and hard to put down, we look at the dregs of humanity and how they deal with the appearance of Gods among them after having been abandoned for years. We also look at the question of what is a God if they have no followers.

This is a very interesting novella with such a good premise that I hope there are more novellas in this world. As mentioned earlier, this is to be part of a three part series called the Terrible Worlds: Innovations series. I also believe there are more trilogies in the Terrible World Series namely Revolutions, Destinations, and Transformations (only one book out in this series so far). Absolutely lovely read. Definitely recommended to anyone who would like to dip a toe in the author’s work before committing to his larger novels and series. Can’t wait to dive into the rest of his work.

I really do admire the way Adrian Tchaikovsky takes an idea, and changes it up to something totally unexpected that makes the reader (or at least me) continue to think about it long after the book is finished. This may be just a novella but it sure packs a punch! Starting with Amri and her life in the ruins of a city of a post apocalyptic earth right when the "gods" return to remake the world in their own chosen image. Of course that leads to a lot of turmoil between the groups of survivors and the gods who are so one minded in their views (like plants only, carnivorous ones, or bugs, or plastic everything!) Then there is Guy who seems to be different and that is who Amri follows around. Yes, it is dark and lots of horrible death (eaten by ants, etc.) but also revelations and while the gods have great power, sometimes something different is needed for the world. I did like the twist at then end as it seemed fitting while also providing hope that even in the ruins of the world, it can still be possible to live.

This was quite the quick and enjoyable audiobook to listen to. The narrator, Emma Newman, did a great job in bringing the quick and smart Amri to life and her story about when the gods returned to her world, bringing great change, some good, but some not so much. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

A quick read with a cool premise- the great inventors of the old world return to a ruined Earth, now seen as gods by the survivors. I liked the central idea and the clash between these “gods,” but because it’s such a short book, I never felt connected to our protagonist. The human factions were intriguing, but we didn’t get enough time to really explore them or their dynamics.

But this is a novella, so in that regard, I think it did what it needed to do. It’s a neat concept, and worth picking up if you want something short and a little different, just don’t expect much depth.
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Special thanks to RBMedia and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC. All opinions are my own.

On a post-climate-collapse Earth, humanity lives on as small tribes named and modeled after different animals they worship like gods. When four people wielding god-like powers arrive on the planet and start fighting each other for control, Amri, the littlest toe of the Rabbit, needs to keep her wits about her if she wants to survive. Especially as she forges an alliance with Guy Vesten, one of the "new gods" who says unlike the others, he will keep humanity safe if they just help him defeat all his old friends.

This was a fun and well-constructed romp that I enjoyed, but it felt like it was lacking the magic that I normally get from a Tchaikovsky story. I wish it pushed just a little further on some front - the characters, the setting, the themes - to take it into the heights of some of his other works I've loved. It's by no means a bad book and it sticks the landing in a way that I found extremely enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

7.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2025/08/09/the-hungry-gods-by-adrian-tchaikovsky-review/

Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, the Hungry Gods is this year’s Tchaikovsky novella—one that, while not completely devoid of political undertones, largely avoids the issues that ruin many of his full-length releases. On one hand, it’s a fairly rote, drab, dystopian world, but what are you really supposed to do with such things? On the other, it’s classic: the world has been befouled and left to rot. There are toxins everywhere—in the sea, in the water, in the soil. It’s hard enough for the plants to live, let alone the people.

Where the setting falls a bit flat, the characters impress. Tchaikovsky’s great for inventing weird, curious characters, and then letting them loose to play with one another, often violently. The Hungry Gods is no exception. Each clan has their way—but the arrival of the gods (in the form of men from the past) stretches these to their breaking point. Amri is just one such example, though perhaps the most radical of these. As such, she is a perfect narrator, and we follow her (3rd PPOV) throughout.

The text tells a good, entertaining story over its five hours, and the conclusion wraps everything up quite nicely. While the ending isn’t exactly profound, it does leave a lasting impression. As with most Tchaikovsky novellas, there is a moral to this story—see if you can guess it. This one echoed throughout my head the night after finishing, but wasn’t profound enough to last the week.

It’s a good, entertaining bit of story to fill up an afternoon—or, at least, part of one. The impression made me want to think on it a bit when all was said and done, rather than immediately moving on to something else. It’s not a terrible price, especially in audio format. So… recommended. More and more, Adrian Tchaikovsky has killed these yearly novellas, and I can’t wait to read what he dreams up next!

TL;DR

Set in a mostly forgettable, post-apocalyptic dystopia, the Hungry Gods is a tale of survival, perseverance, and second chances. While it does leave a bit of a lasting impression, don’t expect to lie awake at night ruminating on its message. Still, the novella tells a good story, and features some interesting character development, while telling a mostly hopeful story about a world gone wrong. But remember to expect some sort of twist—with Tchaikovsky, there’s always something.

Audio Note: At $9 for an ebook, it’s actually a better price than past years’ novellas, but still a bit high for a 140 page read. But with Murderbot still commanding a $13 price tag… well, it’s all relative. The $6.36 price-tag for the audiobook is a much nicer ask—and I feel confident about recommending this, as it is the format in which I experienced this tale. Emma Newman remains a spectacular narrator. It’s not Tchaikovsky’s most innovative novella, but it remains quite good, despite its rather bland beginnings.

Think folks should read this and take some notes about preventing the NEED of doing the conclusion of the novella. Just a thought. "The Hungry God's" by Adrian Tchaikovsky (out 12 August 2025) continues my fight to keep up with him. Thank you Tantor Audio for the arc.

Being the bottom rung of a small clan scrounging out a life in the wasteland of the world sucks. Amri lives by 1 rule of Rabbit "If you want to see tomorrow, you run." But how do you run from gods falling from the sky? Former lords of the planet have returned to claim what they feel is theirs. Does the rabbit run in the shadow of a god or does it try to survive?

Narrated by Emma Newman, the matter of factness of some parts just landed for me. And the casually condescending tone and explanations are spot on.

Reasons to read:
-You don't like Ted Faro
-Learn the signs
-Dealing with problems in interesting ways
-Bug printing
-Terrifying the rich

Cons:
-Let's stop things before they get this far! PLEASE

As usual Adrian Tchaikovsky has quite interesting sci-fi premise that lends itself well to clever social commentary. Far future dying earth is tribal once again as the resources on earth are scarce and civilisation is in ashes. At this time four 'gods' or rather advanced humans who left earth centuries ago to build an utopia decide to come back to earth. However, they each have their own vision on how earth should be rebuild or reused (all very destructive) and so they end up in a fight to defend their methods. Amri of the Rabbits becomes entangled with one of the 'gods' in order to survive and ends up in the middle of life changing events.
This provide ample of commentary about ways humans tend to think of themselves as all capable gods. But in the end humanity is, thankfully, very restrictive.
Overall 3.5/5
Audiobook (narrated by Emma Newman) 3.75/5
The copy of the audiobook to review was provided for free on NetGalley.

In a distant future where civilization as we know it has collapsed and been forgotten, people form into tribes based on different animals to try to survive their harsh world any way they can. When a mysterious weapon attacks from the sky, Amri is one of the few survivors of the Rabbit clan. Reeling from the devastating attack, she meets a ‘god’ named Guy, who tells her that he and his fellow gods have returned to Earth, and the other gods must be stopped or humanity will be destroyed.

The Hungry Gods has an interesting premise that really sucked me in, and I enjoyed the themes explored. Though I enjoyed this novella overall, there were a few issues I had with it. The pacing felt off to me, and while I liked most of the characters, I didn’t feel particularly connected to them. It was by no means bad, but I think I was hoping for something more.

The themes explored in this novella are similar to the themes Tchaikovsky explores in his other works (particularly his other novellas), so if you’re a Tchaikovsky fan you’ll probably like this as well. Personally, it’s not my favorite of his works, but overall I still liked it and would recommend it.

I listened to the audiobook and mostly enjoyed it. I liked the narrator, but I did have a hard time distinguishing between a couple of the characters at times.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for providing me an ALC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Adrian Tchaikovsky tackles religion, the purpose of religion and tech bros and AI natural stupidity in novella length, and it's glorious. His best novella since [book:Ogres|58438207] and it goes straight to my top 3 of his novellas (along with Ogres and [book:Elder Race|50663055]).

Far future Earth, with humans clinging in low-tech tribes, when self-announced gods fall from the sky – human scientific geniuses and entrepreneurs that had left Earth long ago to create a new utopia elsewhere and return ostensibly to fix Earth. It's a fantastic setup, and the author does it justice with his own particular view into things. (Not sure if it is just me, but I kept seeing these gods as a cynical commentary on Tolkien's Istari wizards …). The self-importance and the smarmy-ness are all shining through loud and clear. We do not usually praise Adrian Tchaikovsky for the characterisation, perhaps because that is not the focus; his work is too filled with ideas and worldbuilding for that to be the focus, but it has been my opinion that in recent books he is very good at reliably portraying the concerns of his main characters, not dodging self-interest as motivation, and here again Amri was incredibly relatable to me.

The epilogue is a banger (for my taste), but well, it is Adrian Tchaikovsky, that is to be expected.

I heard it on audiobook, narrated by Emma Newman who does a great job with rhythm, accents, and expression.

This was a NetGalley request. Thank you very much to Tantor Audio for the chance. I did love it, and while it was on my wishlist, it might have taken me a while to finally get it and read it. Instead, I was lucky enough to get this to the top of my TBR and it was precisely the kind of exhilarating read I was in the mood for. No strings attached to this, except writing down my honest opinion, which this is, even if not too professional.

Ahoy there mateys! This is the first book in the Terrible Worlds: Innovations series.  I received a copy from Tantor Audio in exchange for my honest review.  It is read by Emma Newman.  She is such a great narrator for Tchaikovsky's work.

Amri is a member of the Rabbit tribe on Earth.  One day she witnesses the destruction of her people.  Four Gods have returned to Earth.  The four Gods are at war.  They did not expect to find any survivors on Earth.  Amri meets the God called Guy Vesten.  He will help her survive and get revenge if she helps gather other tribes to help him fight his war.

This was such an odd little book but I enjoyed it.  The Gods are so egotistical and short sighted that they are incapable of seeing the truth.  They each have a specialty - plants, insects, plastic (i.e. robots etc), and people managing.  I liked the concept of Earth's "smartest" people leaving Earth and returning later.

The only problem I had was that I wanted more about the human tribes on Earth and how they worked before the Gods came.  The brief descriptions of them were awesome.  I also thought the ending of this novella was excellent. Arrrr!

This is one of my favorites in this series of novella's written by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I think the premise is really interesting and to be completely honest it took a minute to realize that the characters are human as they are referred to as other animal names. In general, I love the concepts explored in this short story about "Gods". I don't feel like I should say more as almost anything said would / could be a spoiler. But going in blind is the way to go.

One of Tchaikovsky's best, and my second favourite of all the Terrible Worlds novellas.

An engaging point of view character, first-rate world building, class commentary. It's all there.

The big "twist" that the remaining god had evil plans as well was pretty thoroughly choreographed, but there was still tension because I *hoped* he was a good guy. The denouement was a bit abrupt, but it was very satisfying. Honestly, this book is just a blast.