X-Book

Chain-Gang All-Stars

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Welcome to Chain-Gang All-Stars - the popular and highly controversial programme inside America's prison system. In packed arenas, watched by millions of live-stream viewers, prisoners compete as gladiators for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

Fan favourites Loretta Thurwar and Hamara 'Hurricane Staxxx' Stacker are teammates and lovers. Thurwar is nearing the end of her time on the circuit, free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares for her final encounters, as protestors gather at the gates, and as the programme's corporate owners stack the odds against her - will the price be simply too high?

Critics Review

Criminally entertaining.
Guardian
Adjei-Brenyah's acerbic vision lands like a lightning bolt of truth.
Esquire
Grimly funny, epically violent and - at times - surprisingly tender. Quite the ride.
Marie Claire
Magnificent. A radical interrogation of incarceration, racism, entertainment, the whole fabric of American injustice, as well as a pure fire page turner.
Max Porter, author of SHY
A sort of The Hunger Games meets Gladiator meets WWE meets the modern private prison system.
Elle
Like Orwell's 1984 and Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Adjei-Brenyah's book presents a dystopian vision so upsetting and illuminating that it should permanently shift our understanding of who we are and what we're capable of doing... Shockingly intimate and moving.
Washington Post
Compelling... The range of different narrators provides a smart 360-degree perspective of the too-familiar society that demands murder for entertainment.
SFX
A brutal, heart-wrenching story that feels so close to reality.
Cosmopolitan
A hugely imaginative read - the world-building is masterful... Unmissable.
Independent
One of the most exciting young writers in America.
George Saunders, author of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
Author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Narrator Shayna Small, Michael Crouch, Lee Osorio, Aaron Goodson
Duration 13 hours and 39 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529906295
Format Audiobook
Publisher Random House
Genre Dystopian and utopian fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Politics, Narrative theme: Social issues, Penology and punishment, Racism and racial discrimination
Collections Reality Reads
Availability AU, GB, IE
Rating
5.0 (1 review)
Narration
5.0 (1 review)

More from the same

Author

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.