The Hunger Games Trilogy ★ ★ ★ ★
by Suzanne Collins
I first borrowed The Hunger Games from the library a couple months ago, figuring I'd finally see what all the fuss was about. I didn't like the book immediately; the writing is stark and narrated by a no-nonsense, survival-minded girl. Then the story picked up, and I finished it in two days. The quote from Stephanie Meyer (yes, her) on the back cover about summarizes my experience: “I was so obsessed with this book I had to take it with me out to dinner and hide it under the edge of the table so I wouldn't have to stop reading. The story kept me up for several nights in a row, because even after I was finished, I just lay in bed wide awake thinking about it...”
The Hunger Games is set in North America, in a future where nuclear war has wiped out most of the population. There's a semi-Star Wars (or Firefly, if you like) government in which the Capitol, the victor in the war, tightly controls twelve districts, oppressing the people and punishing the rebellious districts who lost the war by starving them. In addition, every year there are gladiator-type games where two children from each district are sent into the arena to kill each other for public entertainment.
I don't think it's a big spoiler to tell you that the main character, Katniss Everdeen, ends up as a player in the Hunger Games. The first book chronicles her struggle for survival, which includes both avoiding a violent death by her opponents and playing up to the audience to gain favor. More importantly, Katniss struggles to keep her humanity and to deny the Capitol the satisfaction of playing by its rules. Katniss is a rebel at heart, but if she goes too far, the Capitol will kill her and her family without hesitation.
There's an urgent sense of the necessity for survival that runs through the first book. Katniss is quick, clever, and an expert hunter. She's also strong in a way that I think we all wish we could be, and it's impossible not to be on her side and desperately want her to live.
Although the first book is the best of the series, the other two do not disappoint. I never tired of the characters, and there's always a good surprise around the corner for the reader. There are also psychological issues, politics, and more angsty romance than one would expect (but well-written angst), especially in the later books. I honestly can't think of any major issues I have with the series; most bad reviews seem to think the themes are too disturbing... but if you've been through freshman literature, you've read darker stuff.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who wants an intense, seat-gripping, chill-down-the-back-of-your-neck experience.
