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Alma Katsu

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Alma Katsu

Goodreads Author


Born
The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences

Member Since
June 2010


"Hard to put down. Not recommended reading after dark." -- Stephen King

"Makes the supernatural seem possible" -- Publishers Weekly

THE HUNGER: NPR 100 Favorite Horror Stories

THE HUNGER: Nominated for the Stoker and Locus awards

Author of THE DEEP, a reimagining of the sinking of the Titanic, and THE HUNGER, a reimagining of the Donner Party's tragic journey (Putnam);
THE TAKER, THE RECKONING and THE DESCENT (Gallery Books). The Taker was selected by ALA/Booklist as one of the top ten debut novels of 2011.

...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Alma Katsu A great question! That was one of the sad lessons of the Donner Party: you had families that didn't share with more vulnerable, so a couple families w…moreA great question! That was one of the sad lessons of the Donner Party: you had families that didn't share with more vulnerable, so a couple families were nearly wiped out, while one managed to have no fatalities. It's hard to say what you'd do if faced with a similar situation: they didn't know how long they'd be trapped in the mountains, and there was definitely no way to get additional food.Can you blame them for hoarding food? Which is the greater good or the higher loyalty: saving your family, or helping your neighbor? You just hope you'll never fin yourself in the same situation.

One thing I learned--not necessarily from writing the book but from my previous life as an analyst for the government, studying mass atrocities and genocides--is the fragility of civil society. It is frightening what people are capable of, sometimes at the slightest provocation. How easily some people can be frightened into acting against their own best interest, let alone the interest of their neighbors.

I believe there are always some people who will not turn on their neighbor, people with good hearts or who understand we stand stronger when we stand together, but it takes a lot of confidence and will-power to do that, particularly when everyone around you is surrendering to fear.

Thanks for the question and so glad you enjoyed The Hunger!(less)
Alma Katsu Great question! Writing is an amazing release, a mental exercise, a personal challenge, and more. But it can seem daunting in the beginning. One appro…moreGreat question! Writing is an amazing release, a mental exercise, a personal challenge, and more. But it can seem daunting in the beginning. One approach is to jump right in. You have an idea, even if it's not fully formed. Start writing. Try to write every day. Take some time to think about what you've written, what scene comes next. Make sure you keep reading. Think about what challenges you in your writing and see how other writers handled it (I had to deal with time jumps in The Taker, and so I studied The Time Traveller's Wife, for instance). There are great books on writing; start building your reference shelf. Ursula LeGuin's Steering the Craft is great for the basics: POV, verb tenses, handling exposition. Eventually, join a writing group to get feedback on your work. Critiquing others' work is a great way to grow your editorial eye. Remember, this is a craft--no rush, commit to getting better every day. Good luck!(less)
Average rating: 3.63 · 74,376 ratings · 11,594 reviews · 31 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Hunger

3.60 avg rating — 30,922 ratings — published 2018 — 44 editions
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The Deep

3.33 avg rating — 10,744 ratings — published 2020 — 18 editions
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The Taker (The Taker, #1)

3.66 avg rating — 8,143 ratings — published 2011 — 51 editions
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The Fervor

3.62 avg rating — 4,521 ratings — published 2022 — 12 editions
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Red Widow (Red Widow, #1)

3.87 avg rating — 4,223 ratings — published 2021 — 8 editions
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The Reckoning (The Taker, #2)

4.03 avg rating — 3,255 ratings — published 2012 — 14 editions
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The Wehrwolf

3.88 avg rating — 3,135 ratings2 editions
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The Descent (The Taker, #3)

3.77 avg rating — 1,808 ratings — published 2013 — 15 editions
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Red London (Red Widow, #2)

3.93 avg rating — 1,348 ratings — published 2023 — 3 editions
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Black Vault

3.76 avg rating — 1,230 ratings — published 2023 — 3 editions
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More books by Alma Katsu…
The Taker The Reckoning The Descent
(3 books)
by
3.75 avg rating — 14,372 ratings

Red Widow Red London
(2 books)
by
3.88 avg rating — 5,571 ratings

The Vanishing Man On Enemy Ground Shaken, Not Stirred
(3 books)
by
3.82 avg rating — 1,381 ratings

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Alma’s Recent Updates

Alma Katsu rated a book it was amazing
The God of the Woods by Liz    Moore
The God of the Woods
by Liz Moore (Goodreads Author)
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Written on multiple time lines for multiple characters, you'd think this novel might be a little hard to follow but because the author did a great job with character development, it's anything but. We're introduced to members of the wealthy Van Laar ...more
Alma Katsu answered Jay Heubner's question: Alma Katsu
SPOILER ALERT!!!! Don't read any further if you haven't finished the book yet!

The idea is that Annie is fighting possession, and it makes her think she's losing her mind.

Hope you enjoyed the book.
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A Better World by Sarah Langan
A Better World
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Black Vault by Alma Katsu
Black Vault
by Alma Katsu (Goodreads Author)
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Red London by Alma Katsu
"Although spies and espionage aren't usually my genre of choice, this was phenomenal--a first-rate thriller with everything a reader could hope for and more. That "more" is an intelligent, experienced, behind-the-scenes look into the intelligence comm" Read more of this review »
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The Long Drop by Denise Mina
The Long Drop
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Alma Katsu voted for The Fervor as Best Horror in the Opening Round of the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards.
The Fervor by Alma Katsu
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Red London by Alma Katsu
Red London (Red Widow, #2)
by Alma Katsu (Goodreads Author)
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Quotes by Alma Katsu  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“I’d always secretly believed that a love as fierce and true as mine would be rewarded in the end, and now I was being forced to accept the bitter truth.”
Alma Katsu, The Taker

“I´ve always wanted him to love me the way I loved him. He did love me, I know he did. Just not the way I wanted him to.

"And it´s so different for a lot of people I´ve known. One partner doesn´t love the other enough to stop drinking, or gambling, or running around with other women. One is the giver and one is the taker. The giver wishes the taker would stop."

"But the taker never changes," Luke says, though he wonders if this is always the case.

"Sometimes the giver has to let go, but sometimes you don´t. You can´t. I couldn´t give up on Jonathan. I seemed to be able to forgive him anything.”
Alma Katsu, The Taker

“We were arrogant and naive, thinking we knew what we felt then was love. Love can be a cheap emotion, lightly given, thought it didn´t seem so to me at the time. Looking back, I know we were only filling in the holes in our soles, the way the tide rushes sand to fill in the crevices of a rocky shore. We-or maybe it was just I-bandaged our needswith what we declared was love. But, eventually, the tide draws out what it has swept in.”
Alma Katsu, The Taker

Polls

What would you like to discuss in December? (Read by Dec 1st)
Please do not vote unless you will return if your book wins.

The Hunger by Alma Katsu
2018, 376 pages, 3.64 stars
Kindle $8.99, used print starting at $9.30, at library

"Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.

Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone--or something--is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow a disastrous experimental route West, or just plain bad luck--the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest and most disastrous western adventures in American history.

While the ill-fated group struggles to survive in the treacherous mountain conditions--searing heat that turns the sand into bubbling stew; snows that freeze the oxen where they stand--evil begins to grow around them, and within them. As members of the party begin to disappear, they must ask themselves "What if there is something waiting in the mountains? Something disturbing and diseased...and very hungry?"


 
  11 votes, 44.0%

Stranded by Bracken MacLeod
2016, 304 pages, 3.46 stars
Kindle $7.99, cheap used print, probably not at library

"In the spirit of John Carpenter's The Thing and Jacob's Ladder comes a terrifying, icebound thriller where nothing is quite what it seems.

Badly battered by an apocalyptic storm, the crew of the Arctic Promise find themselves in increasingly dire circumstances as they sail blindly into unfamiliar waters and an ominously thickening fog. Without functioning navigation or communication equipment, they are lost and completely alone. One by one, the men fall prey to a mysterious illness. Deckhand Noah Cabot is the only person unaffected by the strange force plaguing the ship and her crew, which does little to ease their growing distrust of him.

Dismissing Noah's warnings of worsening conditions, the captain of the ship presses on until the sea freezes into ice and they can go no farther. When the men are ordered overboard in an attempt to break the ship free by hand, the fog clears, revealing a faint shape in the distance that may or may not be their destination. Noah leads the last of the able-bodied crew on a journey across the ice and into an uncertain future where they must fight for their lives against the elements, the ghosts of the past and, ultimately, themselves."


 
  6 votes, 24.0%

When the Floods Came by Clare Morrall
2016, 352 pages, 3.4 stars
Kindle $7.31, cheap used print, at library

"A taut, gripping novel set in the future, when the lives of a family existing on the margins of a dramatically changed society are upset by a mysterious stranger.
In a world prone to violent flooding, Britain, ravaged 20 years earlier by a deadly virus, has been largely cut off from the rest of the world. Survivors are few and far between, most of them infertile. Children, the only hope for the future, are a rare commodity.

For 22-year-old Roza Polanski, life with her family in their isolated tower block is relatively comfortable. She's safe, happy enough. But when a stranger called Aashay Kent arrives, everything changes. At first he's a welcome addition, his magnetism drawing the Polanskis out of their shells, promising an alternative to a lonely existence. But Roza can't shake the feeling that there's more to Aashay than he's letting on. Is there more to life beyond their isolated bubble? Is it true that children are being kidnapped? And what will it cost to find out?

Clare Morrall, author of the Man Booker Prize-shortlisted Astonishing Splashes of Colour, creates a startling vision of the future in a world not so very far from our own, and a thrilling story of suspense."


 
  5 votes, 20.0%

When Worlds Collide by Philip Wylie
1999, 382 pages, 3.91 stars
Kindle $11.99, cheap used print, at library

"A runaway planet hurtles toward the earth. As it draws near, massive tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions wrack our planet, devastating continents, drowning cities, and wiping out millions. In central North America, a team of scientists race to build a spacecraft powerful enough to escape the doomed earth. Their greatest threat, they soon discover, comes not from the skies but from other humans. A crackling plot and sizzling, cataclysmic vision have made When Worlds Collide one of the most popular and influential end-of-the-world novels of all time."


 
  3 votes, 12.0%

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The Next Best Boo...: Joseph - Frequent Flyer 45 166 Sep 14, 2011 10:59AM  
The Next Best Boo...: Alma Katsu and her Q&A 3 154 Oct 06, 2011 03:18PM  
“Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
Arthur Schopenhauer

“I’d always secretly believed that a love as fierce and true as mine would be rewarded in the end, and now I was being forced to accept the bitter truth.”
Alma Katsu, The Taker

“I´ve always wanted him to love me the way I loved him. He did love me, I know he did. Just not the way I wanted him to.

"And it´s so different for a lot of people I´ve known. One partner doesn´t love the other enough to stop drinking, or gambling, or running around with other women. One is the giver and one is the taker. The giver wishes the taker would stop."

"But the taker never changes," Luke says, though he wonders if this is always the case.

"Sometimes the giver has to let go, but sometimes you don´t. You can´t. I couldn´t give up on Jonathan. I seemed to be able to forgive him anything.”
Alma Katsu, The Taker

“We were arrogant and naive, thinking we knew what we felt then was love. Love can be a cheap emotion, lightly given, thought it didn´t seem so to me at the time. Looking back, I know we were only filling in the holes in our soles, the way the tide rushes sand to fill in the crevices of a rocky shore. We-or maybe it was just I-bandaged our needswith what we declared was love. But, eventually, the tide draws out what it has swept in.”
Alma Katsu, The Taker

“A man´s desire is a powerful thing. It can reduce a strong man to nothing. When he sees a woman who fascinates him, he will give up everything for her.”
Alma Katsu, The Taker

55884 Q&A with Alma Katsu — 31 members — last activity Mar 15, 2012 04:57AM
...October 1, 2011 to October 30, 2011, please join me to discuss my debut novel and first in a trilogy, The TAKER, and enter to win swag.
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A book club for those with grim tastes, we'll be focusing on dark fiction, including horror, thrillers, dark fantasy, and anything else that goes bump ...more
72710 Historical Fiction Panel - July 18, 2012 — 707 members — last activity Aug 26, 2017 08:57PM
Join us on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 for a special day-long discussion of historical fiction. What does it take to write about a bygone era? How much r ...more
1218 The Next Best Book Club — 25053 members — last activity Sep 27, 2024 05:49PM
Are you searching for the NEXT best book? Are you willing to kiss all your spare cash goodbye? Are you easily distracted by independent bookshops, bi ...more
390 Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy — 23562 members — last activity 3 hours, 8 min ago
Welcome to Paranormal Romance! This group is for the discussion and recommendation of paranormal romances and paranormal erotic romance, along with ur ...more
20786 Book Haven — 10768 members — last activity 23 hours, 31 min ago
This is a group for people who enjoy many different genre's. If you are someone who appreciates a good book, regardless of the genre...this is the gro ...more
22225 Book Buying Addicts Anonymous — 3328 members — last activity Jul 14, 2024 06:31AM
All are welcome, but this group is meant for those who not only love to read, but those who also love to buy their books to read as well as those who ...more
4862 Books on the Nightstand — 6103 members — last activity Sep 25, 2024 07:45AM
A group to discuss books and topics mentioned on Books on the Nightstand, a blog and podcast about books and reading.
26989 Goodreads Authors/Readers — 52210 members — last activity 1 hour, 7 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
25x33 Women's Fiction authors — 801 members — last activity Aug 31, 2024 09:06PM
A group for authors of contemporary women's fiction only. (This isn't the place for sci-fi or fantasy.) Post a description of your book for readers to ...more
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Comments (showing 1-10)    post a comment »
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message 10: by Alma

Alma Katsu Laura wrote: "Hi Alma! I just finished The Reckoning!! I am so excited about what is to come between Lanny and Adair! I absolutley cannot wait until The Descent!!! Thank you for writing such AMAZING books!"

Hi Laura, So glad to hear that you enjoyed The Reckoning! If you're interested, please consider joining the mailing list as I'm going to be releasing some new short stories soon, free, leading up to the release of the last book in the trilogy next year. http://www.almakatsu.com

best,
Alma


Laura Pierre Hi Alma! I just finished The Reckoning!! I am so excited about what is to come between Lanny and Adair! I absolutley cannot wait until The Descent!!! Thank you for writing such AMAZING books!


message 8: by Alma

Alma Katsu Alis wrote: "Hey Alma, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed The Taker! Thanks for writing such a beautifully written book!"

Hi Alis, Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed the book. Please join the mailing list as I'm going to be releasing some new short stories soon, free, leading up to the release of the last book in the trilogy next year. http://www.almakatsu.com

best,
Alma


Alicia Justice Hey Alma, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed The Taker! Thanks for writing such a beautifully written book!


Savannah Alma, thank you for the friendship.
Stay naughty,
Savannah
Photobucket


message 5: by Alma

Alma Katsu I can't thank you enough, Emma! Let me know how it does at your store.

Emma-Louise wrote: "Hi Alma :) Just wanted to let you know that I'm spreading the word at Waterstones Cribbs Causeway that The Reckoning is out next month! I determined to get it to the top of our chart! x"


Emma-Louise Hi Alma :) Just wanted to let you know that I'm spreading the word at Waterstones Cribbs Causeway that The Reckoning is out next month! I determined to get it to the top of our chart! x


Ms. MiLo Thanks for the add Ms. Katsu. Looking forward to reading your books :)


Cassandra Thanks Alma for accepting my friend request. Looking forward to reading your book, The Taker.


message 1: by Alma

Alma Katsu Blog entry about the trials of writing the second book, and dreams of a Second Book Boot Camp: http://bit.ly/dXLr0p


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