Review – Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian
Length: 386 pages
Publisher:‎ Vintage
Release Date: May 2, 2023
ASIN: B0B5ST3XX4
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of the Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly popular, highly controversial profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry. It’s the return of the gladiators, and prisoners are com­peting for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death matches before packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thur­war and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, Thurwar considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games. But CAPE’s corporate own­ers will stop at nothing to protect their status quo, and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar’s path have devastating consequences.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This was an incredibly well done story. It is set in a near future dystopia where prisoners can elect to sign up with the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment (CAPE) program rather than carry out their prison sentence. This allows criminals to participate in gladiatorial fights to win their freedom. Throughout the chapters, there are footnotes with real life data on current statistics around prisons in the US.

This story mainly follows Loretta and Hamara, two gladiatorial fighters that are in the same Chain. They are lovers and are favorites of the public. Loretta only needs a couple more wins before she is free, and Hamara is next to take Loretta’s place as the top fighter in the system. However, not everyone loves this type of entertainment; many say it is even a form of torture and there are hopes that enough protesting and policy change can take the whole system down.

This is highly entertaining with intriguing characters and a lot of fast-paced action. There is a lot going on in this book, and it is very engaging. However, it is also very sobering. This book takes a look at so many important societal issues alongside the engaging story about these characters. For example there is a lot of racial discrimination in the criminal system, many of the crimes committed are because people don’t have the support they need in other social areas. The penal system is rampant with violence and bribery. Prisoners are tortured, abused, and not given decent living conditions at all. These are all things that are prevalent in our society today, but in this book they are just bigger and more spectacular.

The ending left me feeling a bit confused, I actually ended up on Reddit reading peoples’ opinions on what actually happened at the end. I re-read the end a few times; it was just so abrupt and so like “Uh, what??” I think I understand what happened now, but it would have been nice just to have an additional sentence at the end of the book clarifying things.

I found the footnotes around current criminal statistics added a lot of impact to the story for me. A lot these stats are shocking and hard to believe; they add a kind of realness and relevance to the story that made it hit even harder.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this book and am glad I read it. I enjoyed the premise and the characters; this is thought-provoking, action-packed, and engaging. The footnotes about prison stats throughout make this story feel even more impactful and real. I will definitely check out future books by Adjei-Brenyah.