In Suzanne Collins’ YA novel, she has created a futuristic but
depressing world in which The United States no longer exists and in it’s
place are 12 small districts that are under the iron rule of one city
known as the Capitol. The districts are forced to send 2 tributes to
Capitol City to compete in a annual event known as the The Hunger Games.
The rules of the games are simple , 24 will enter and only 1 will
leave (kinda like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome) . The main character,
Katiniss or Kat, lives in District 12 which has only had one past
tribute winner and is not expected to do much better this time around.
The Hunger Games are televised across the Capitol and the 12 Districts
and are huge event, such as the Superbowl or The World Cup of today.
Odds are calculated and bets are placed.
Since this a sci-fi novel with a post-apocalyptic slant, it is right down my alley. In the end, this is a truly a griping novel and a lot of fun. Think of it a cross between the movie The Running Man mixed with Lord of the Flies and sprinkled it with a little of The Gladiator.
Dust Jacket Summary: 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.
What I liked: The story line follows a pattern that is usually a turn off for me. The reason I generally do not like fantasy novels is that half of the novel is spent traveling and camping and I find it boring (yes, I have no patience). The majority of The Hunger Games takes place inside the game which is a wilderness setting that does involve some camping and traveling. But, from the very beginning Ms. Collins does something that is very difficult to do in books, she creates tension with the cat and mouse chase of her main character that had me page turning until the late hours. I couldn’t stop until I found what happened next and became addicted.
Ms. Collins writing style is fluid and easy to read. She is able to keep the reader inside the action and you never feel lost as to what is going on. The action is pretty intense at times and this feeling is easily transferred to the reader.
The political background is also fascinating but lightly touched upon. At one time, there were 13 districts and they revolted against The Capitol. The Capitol was able to put down the revolution,which caused the demise of District 13 and forced The Capitol Government to create the The Hunger Games in order to keep the other Districts in line. The other districts are briefly mentioned but not in much detail. I am hoping that the back story of what happened to District 13 and the life in the other districts will be explored in future novels and I cannot wait.
What I didn’t like: I would have like the main character to have faced a tough morale dilemma during the story (the character is faced with a decision at the end of the game but I felt the solution was kinda a cop out). In the game, Kat does end up killing some of the other tributes but they are considered the “bad” guys. All of “good” guys are killed off by the “bad” guys or by accident, Kat is never really forced into a tough circumstance. This would have made the story more powerful and given Kat her motivation in subsequent novels. I would like to see the main character have to make some hard decisions and live with the consequences.
Last word: As I have said in previous reviews, all because this novel is classified as YA but don’t let that put you off. This is a thrilling ride from beginning to the very end. The Hunger Games is a set up for continuing series and I will be definitely picking up the next one.
Since this a sci-fi novel with a post-apocalyptic slant, it is right down my alley. In the end, this is a truly a griping novel and a lot of fun. Think of it a cross between the movie The Running Man mixed with Lord of the Flies and sprinkled it with a little of The Gladiator.
Dust Jacket Summary: 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.
What I liked: The story line follows a pattern that is usually a turn off for me. The reason I generally do not like fantasy novels is that half of the novel is spent traveling and camping and I find it boring (yes, I have no patience). The majority of The Hunger Games takes place inside the game which is a wilderness setting that does involve some camping and traveling. But, from the very beginning Ms. Collins does something that is very difficult to do in books, she creates tension with the cat and mouse chase of her main character that had me page turning until the late hours. I couldn’t stop until I found what happened next and became addicted.
Ms. Collins writing style is fluid and easy to read. She is able to keep the reader inside the action and you never feel lost as to what is going on. The action is pretty intense at times and this feeling is easily transferred to the reader.
The political background is also fascinating but lightly touched upon. At one time, there were 13 districts and they revolted against The Capitol. The Capitol was able to put down the revolution,which caused the demise of District 13 and forced The Capitol Government to create the The Hunger Games in order to keep the other Districts in line. The other districts are briefly mentioned but not in much detail. I am hoping that the back story of what happened to District 13 and the life in the other districts will be explored in future novels and I cannot wait.
What I didn’t like: I would have like the main character to have faced a tough morale dilemma during the story (the character is faced with a decision at the end of the game but I felt the solution was kinda a cop out). In the game, Kat does end up killing some of the other tributes but they are considered the “bad” guys. All of “good” guys are killed off by the “bad” guys or by accident, Kat is never really forced into a tough circumstance. This would have made the story more powerful and given Kat her motivation in subsequent novels. I would like to see the main character have to make some hard decisions and live with the consequences.
Last word: As I have said in previous reviews, all because this novel is classified as YA but don’t let that put you off. This is a thrilling ride from beginning to the very end. The Hunger Games is a set up for continuing series and I will be definitely picking up the next one.
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