Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
- From www.scholastic.com
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the first in the trilogy about Katniss and the world she lives in. It's received review after review, and, as far as I know, they've all been in its favor. And after finishing all three hundred and eighty-four pages in two days, I can see why.
I'd heard good things about the trilogy, and even talk of including it in future high school English curricula. So I bought the books to see what all the fuss was about. At first, I didn't have time to read them, so they sat on the edge of the Foosball table, unopened. Then, on Monday, I opened the first one.
Initially, I was unimpressed. My mind still had traces of editor-mode from my recent revisions of my upcoming novel, Project Z-29. So I may have been a little overly critical of Collins' sentence structure. It didn't help that the novel is set in first person present tense, which I generally don't care for. First person, okay, but present tense is difficult to pull off. However, I kept reading, and two pages later I'd completely forgotten all of my criticism. Before I knew it, I was halfway through. I followed Katniss as her story wove in and out of my expectations, leading me to believe it would follow some basic "story formula", and then taking a sharp left and whirling me in a whole new direction.
Would I recommend this book. Yes. A resounding, heartfelt yes. To just about anyone over the age of thirteen. What I love about this book is its universal appeal. Amazon lists the book at "Young Adult" reading level, but I don't know if that's entirely accurate. The writing style is almost invisible in the story. People who don't like reading will find it easy to read, while people who yearn for challenging material won't be bored. No matter what your reading level, you can enjoy this book.
Also, it transcends genre. Amazon lists it under Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, and Thriller. It's also a Dystopian novel with elements of Romance, Suspense and even Fantasy. It's set in the future, in a dystopian society, and includes interesting, even unconventional fight scenes, explosions, strange creatures, high fashion, a strong, independent female protagonist, plot twists that make you do a double take, a complex love story, three-dimensional characters (including the "villains") and moral dilemmas that leave you as stumped as the characters.
If you want a book that makes you think, this is it. If you want a story that will keep you turning pages well into the night, this is it. If you want both...what are you waiting for? I challenge anyone over the age of thirteen to read this book and tell me that they didn't love it, that they didn't feel an urgent, burning need to grab the sequel and dive in.
Notice, I say over the age of thirteen. The reason? Violence. Boys and girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen are forced to kill each other. Readers have to be able to handle that. If they can, this book is for them, no matter what their reading level is or what genre they prefer. This book is truly for everyone. It's become my favorite, displacing even the Harry Potter series. And that's saying something.
But, in the words of LeVar Burton, "you don't have to take my word for it". Here's the link to buy it on Amazon in either paperback, hardcover, and Kindle format. Also, you can buy the trilogy box set. I recommend this, because even with Amazon Prime's two-day shipping, you won't be able to get your hands on the second book fast enough. If you get the box set, you'll have the second and third waiting for the moment you reach page three hundred and eighty four and you're dying to know what happens next.
Next week's review? Catching Fire, the second book in the trilogy, which I'm currently reading and will probably finish by the end of tomorrow. So far, so good.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
- From www.scholastic.com
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the first in the trilogy about Katniss and the world she lives in. It's received review after review, and, as far as I know, they've all been in its favor. And after finishing all three hundred and eighty-four pages in two days, I can see why.
I'd heard good things about the trilogy, and even talk of including it in future high school English curricula. So I bought the books to see what all the fuss was about. At first, I didn't have time to read them, so they sat on the edge of the Foosball table, unopened. Then, on Monday, I opened the first one.
Initially, I was unimpressed. My mind still had traces of editor-mode from my recent revisions of my upcoming novel, Project Z-29. So I may have been a little overly critical of Collins' sentence structure. It didn't help that the novel is set in first person present tense, which I generally don't care for. First person, okay, but present tense is difficult to pull off. However, I kept reading, and two pages later I'd completely forgotten all of my criticism. Before I knew it, I was halfway through. I followed Katniss as her story wove in and out of my expectations, leading me to believe it would follow some basic "story formula", and then taking a sharp left and whirling me in a whole new direction.
Would I recommend this book. Yes. A resounding, heartfelt yes. To just about anyone over the age of thirteen. What I love about this book is its universal appeal. Amazon lists the book at "Young Adult" reading level, but I don't know if that's entirely accurate. The writing style is almost invisible in the story. People who don't like reading will find it easy to read, while people who yearn for challenging material won't be bored. No matter what your reading level, you can enjoy this book.
Also, it transcends genre. Amazon lists it under Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, and Thriller. It's also a Dystopian novel with elements of Romance, Suspense and even Fantasy. It's set in the future, in a dystopian society, and includes interesting, even unconventional fight scenes, explosions, strange creatures, high fashion, a strong, independent female protagonist, plot twists that make you do a double take, a complex love story, three-dimensional characters (including the "villains") and moral dilemmas that leave you as stumped as the characters.
If you want a book that makes you think, this is it. If you want a story that will keep you turning pages well into the night, this is it. If you want both...what are you waiting for? I challenge anyone over the age of thirteen to read this book and tell me that they didn't love it, that they didn't feel an urgent, burning need to grab the sequel and dive in.
Notice, I say over the age of thirteen. The reason? Violence. Boys and girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen are forced to kill each other. Readers have to be able to handle that. If they can, this book is for them, no matter what their reading level is or what genre they prefer. This book is truly for everyone. It's become my favorite, displacing even the Harry Potter series. And that's saying something.
But, in the words of LeVar Burton, "you don't have to take my word for it". Here's the link to buy it on Amazon in either paperback, hardcover, and Kindle format. Also, you can buy the trilogy box set. I recommend this, because even with Amazon Prime's two-day shipping, you won't be able to get your hands on the second book fast enough. If you get the box set, you'll have the second and third waiting for the moment you reach page three hundred and eighty four and you're dying to know what happens next.
Next week's review? Catching Fire, the second book in the trilogy, which I'm currently reading and will probably finish by the end of tomorrow. So far, so good.
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