Hunger Triology

Hunger (Book 1 of the RC-714 Trilogy) one in the Hunger Trilogy

“Who knew cabbage would be the beginning of the end?”

Summary

To fix a global food shortage, ExoGen scientist Dr. Ella Masse releases RC-714—a gene that triggers crops to tap into long-dormant junk DNA and evolve on the fly. Plants become unstoppable, growing in any climate, on any surface. World hunger ends. Humanity thrives. But RC-714 doesn’t stay in the lab. It spreads. It mutates. And then it hits humans.

Pre-Review Context

I picked up the full trilogy because I like to stretch my Audible credits. I don’t burn credits on anything under 6 hours. The preview sounded solid. Kafer’s narration was promising. The short story hooked me. So, was it worth the credit? Let’s dig in.

Spoiler Review

The concept is a solid curveball from the usual EMP-and-chaos start. The first third of the book moves fast—too fast. Years pass in minutes. It’s all setup for the mutations, but it feels rushed. Around chapter 15, the timeline settles, and that’s where things start clicking.

The relationship dynamics are what saved it. The mutated wife, the ex-lover Emily—those threads felt well-developed and carried emotional weight.

Best moment?

No contest: the son facing down a naked mutant ready to eat him. Then he says, “Mom?”—and she recognizes him. Twisted, effective, and not overplayed.

The helicopter scene with the dad vs. mutant mom showdown is the book’s big climax. The military angle felt predictable, but the tension worked. The “why” behind the helicopter showing up was weak, but the moment still landed.

Pacing overall struggled early on. The longer chapters felt bloated—less immersive, more like filler to hit a runtime goal. That said, once the plot stabilized, it delivered a solid, weird, worthwhile experience.

Narration

Jeffrey Kafer is built for this. His tone fits military sci-fi and apocalyptic grit perfectly. He’s got that no-BS alpha male cadence. His range for female and young characters isn’t great, but the book leans on third-person or male POV, so it works out. If you’re into military/apoc audiobooks, Kafer’s voice alone is a draw.

Judgement

Hunger has issues—pacing, filler, timeline whiplash—but if you push past the clunky start, it pays off. Mutations, emotional gut punches, and a weirdly original premise make it stand out. If you’re burned out on the same old end-of-the-world tropes, this one brings something new to the table.

Judged worthy. Give it a listen.