The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press
Copyright: 2008
978-0439023481

The amazon.com product description:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

As I said in my last review, The Hunger Games got a lot of press when it first came out, and even more on the release of the movie, which is currently in theatres. Actually, it was the release of the movie that made me re-read the book this time.

I have to say that I found it as good this time as I did last time, and in some ways, found it even more intriguing. Mostly due to noticing the various hints of things to come in the later two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Not to mention having skimmed through books like The Girl Who Was On Fire, a book of essays on the world of The Hunger Games, including aspects of the different characters. All these factors combined to make me both more aware of the details of the characters and world that Suzanne Collins has created and more thoughtful about the read.

 Yes, this world is a violent and brutal place - It's perfectly normal for people to starve to death, and any world where children being forced to kill each other on TV is seen as normal and entertaining can't be called anything but violent and cold, but at the same time, The Hunger Games isn't only about that. It's also about doing the right thing, even when that's nearly impossible. This isn't just a book glorifying violence, it's more.

Katniss is quite the character too. From the start, she's a rule-breaker, breaking the rules about hunting - of course, that's simply the only way she and her family: mother and sister, can survive. But, the skills she picks up in hunting will serve her well in the arena, as will the attitude. Katniss is a survivor, and it shows. But, there's more to the games than simply being able to find food and avoid the other tributes. And those games (or not games) are where she's going to have a bit more trouble.

The Hunger Games is a teen book, and it shows with the inevitable love triangle aspect, but that just adds to the struggle for Katniss. Who will she choose? By the end of the Games, the question might be more "who can she choose?" Peeta or Gale? That question will last through the whole trilogy.

Teen book or not, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games is an immensely popular book that will grab the attention of more than just the teen readers out there. If you haven't read it yet, it's well worth the time.

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press
Copyright: August 2010
978-0439023511

The amazon.com product description:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Mockingjay is the third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, following on The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. It's also going to be a hard one to review without giving out spoilers. So... Off the top, I'm going to say that Mockingjay was an incredible story that kept me up until it was finished. In other words, I was reading until three A.M.

At the end of Catching Fire, Katniss was safe, as were half of the remaining tributes from the Quarter Quell Hunger Games. But, the fate of the others, including Peeta remained unknown. Well, Mockingjay picks things up from that point and keeps going as if there'd never been a break. All of the unresolved threads from Catching Fire are picked up at some point and sorted out: District 13, Katniss's family, Peeta, District 12, and of course, the Rebellion.

Even without a Hunger Games to center on, Mockingjay is a fast-paced and exciting novel to read. Although, it does rather require reading the first two books to understand this one. It's a bit different though, because there is more to it than just the action sequences. Katniss is learning about herself and how she's seen by the world of Panem, as well as the responsibilities that brings, being the Mockingjay and symbol of the rebellion. She does have some hard choices to make in this book.

There are some pretty good twists that you'll never see coming too. Not everyone is as they seem. That's a good part of what made the book so impossible to put down.

I won't recommend this series to younger teens. It's just a bit too brutal and violent. But, for older teens and some adults? Go for it. You won't be able to put it down. One thing about Mockingjay in this vein is that it doesn't glorify violence and war. It treats it as horrible, but sometimes as a necessity. The characters change because of what's going on.

A very good book, and a worthy ending to a good series.

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic
Copyright: 2009
978-0439023498

The amazon.com product description:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Catching Fire is the sequel to The Hunger Games, which I read last week. To be honest, although the second half of the book was incredible (I missed the bus twice, because I couldn't put it down), the first half didn't catch me the same way The Hunger Games did. It seems, I guess, to be more of a "middle book" than the first book did. The ending isn't good or bad. In fact, it doesn't seem to resolve anything at all. Of course, that's because there's Mockingjay coming out next month. Catching Fire has left plenty of story for the third book in the series.

This book (and The Hunger Games, for that matter) is not for younger teens. The violence of the story is not sugar-coated in any way. It's not sexual activity that's the problem in this book, like it is in some others, it's the violence - all of which is absolutely integral to the story. Panem is not a nice world. Which is something anyone who's read The Hunger Games already would know. Starvation, fear and violence are commonplace things in this world. And yet, it's a captivating world to read about.

I can't wait for the third book to come out next month, and I can really understand why this series is such a hit with readers.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press
Copyright: 2008
978-0439023481

The amazon.com product description:

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a book that got a lot of press when it first came out. Even Time Magazine had an article about both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the sequel At the time, I wasn't interested in reading it, but now the release of the third book, Mockingjay is getting closer, I thought I should give it a try.

I'm glad I did. The book almost defies words. It's dark, violent and nasty, but the characters are what really makes the story fly. Katniss' motivations make sense to me as a reader all the way through the story. But one of the things I really liked about the story was that it didn't have an overall message or moral like some of the other teen/kids books I've read lately.

The story just caught me up within the first pages. I started reading The Hunger Games while I was at work, and finished the book the same night. I just couldn't put the book down until it was done. It's not a long read, I'll admit, but everything the story really needed was there. I think it would have been nice to have some more background on what caused the world to become the one we see in the story, but that might have slowed the pace of the book down too much. Things are pretty clear as they are.

And it's not a world I'd want to live in! Rampant starvation, governmental controls, and then the Hunger Games themselves. It actually reminds me of the short story The Lottery that I had to read for English class years ago.

I'm now on to Catching Fire, and waiting for the third book.