An adult version of Hunger Games, with more advanced syfy mixed in. By adult, I mean a lot more brutality, but also more intense drama. By syfy, one example would be that the story takes place on Mars. And surgeons can completely modify your body, adding muscle and changing bone structure.
Darrow is a lowly miner, doomed to slave away the rest of his life in his back breaking job, far under the surface. In a miscarriage of justice and the loss of his wife, he becomes involved in a plot to lead his people out of their meager existence.
To do so, though, he as to go undercover in a most unusual way. Mars has a caste system, where Darrow is a Red, and he has to pass himself off as a Gold. The Gold have a different physical structure. Fortunately, the medical technology can make that happen.
So, similarities to Hunger Games:
1. A caste system.
2. Dystopian.
3. The upper castes can assist or interfere with the game.
4. Medical technology is delivered by a sponsor in the nick of time to save a life.
5. The hero outsmarts the game.
But don’t think of the books as a clone, because the difference are also huge. This is one of the best syfy books I’ve read (up there with Ender’s Game), and I’m looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.