The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

by Suzanne Collins

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...

• ISBN13: 9780439023528
• Publish Date: 3 July 2010 (first published 1 October 2008)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2012/02/20/joint-review-with-jaediasrantpage-the-hunger-games/

The joint review includes an audio discussion that does contain spoilers.

[girlinthepages]

I finally gave in and read this book, hearing everyone rave and recommend them, even people who did not normally enjoy reading. I decided to give the series a chance, reading with an open mind, yet my expectations were still inflated from all of the hype surrounding the series.

***May contain mild spoilers***

It was a quick read. Not overly long or overly sophisticated. There is a clear dystopian post-apocalyptic society feel to the book (and the fact that it takes place "in what used to be North America") yet I was disappointed that this was not elaborated upon though, not even a reference to an explosion, or a light, etc. The set up of their society with the 12 Districts, each of which specializes in an industry, is actually quite interesting and the world of the Capitol seems like an almost caricature-like version of our modern world today. Instances like this provide a deeper layer of meaning for readers who are reading between the lines, and allow for the book to appeal to a more sophisticated audience. Such as the whole premise of the Hunger Games is so much more than a competition. I found Haymitch's character as one of the most complex: written off as a previous victor of the games gone to seed, a bum and an alcoholic, it's clear that he has been unable to mentally leave the arena after all these years, that winning the games may actually be the crueler fate rather than dying, because then you are forced to live the rest of your life with the weight of what went on, and there's no escaping it. A way the Capitol manages to still win and oppress even over the "victor" of the competition that is supposed to remind the Districts that they are at the Capitol's mercy.

I didn't care much for the romance aspect of the story. As the series progresses it is clear that love triangles are going to arrive and play a major role, yet I felt that in the first book it was rather shallow and contrived (and I do know that this was partly due to intent) but I feel like Peeta's character was not given enough depth for me to take a real interest in his supposed "feelings" for Katniss. Gale seemed to be given much more depth in the few beginning chapters than Peeta was the whole book- and frankly it annoyed me that he was pretty much helpless in the arena. I'm all for heroines not needing a man to save them and what not but it does become annoying for the roles to be so dramatically reversed that the heroine always have to do the saving.

The game scenes themselves were interesting, graphic yes but what else is to be expected on the premise of which the book is based on? I felt an instant liking and connection with some characters, like Rue, which was a nice change from the either depth less or frustratingly impassive and only obligatory feeling of camaraderie with the main character, Katniss.

While the first book was not my favorite, I am actually excited more for the prospect of the second book and the rest of the series, which set up for much deeper themes such as corrupt governments, questioning authority, political turmoil, human rights violations, and all kinds of oppressions. I feel that while not my favorite book, the second and third will raise my opinions from the very real and intense issues that are going to arise: in my opinion the last few pages in the book were the best, setting up a premise for a more intellectual plotline and conflicts as opposed to the brutality of the games. As Katniss says, the most dangerous part of the games have just begun.

All in all I can see where this book appeals to those who are not usually readers, easily captivating entertainment. But there are also deeper themes that boil in an undercurrent of the series waiting to be discovered by the serious reader, the intellectually driven. All in all, I'd say pick up the book but expect to have to look for the true worth of the book in the deeper themes at the end, which show promise for the rest of the series.

May the odds ever be in your favor.

[tellemonstar]

I quite enjoyed this. Occasionally the narrative was a little odd, but considering it was being told first-person by a young girl, I felt this was perfectly normal. I can't wait to read the next two and find out what else happens to Katniss and Peeta.

[zarahoffman]

Suzanne Collins creates a wonderfully frightening dystopian novel with a great balance of action, romance, and bravery. I admire Katniss's devotion to her family and her heroic battle against the injustice inflicted by the Capitol and President Snow. Definitely a must read in Young Adult Fiction.

[EBookObsessed]

Katniss Everdeen lives in a world of poverty. District 12 as a whole survives on coal mining, and is the most forgotten district in the Nation. After the death of her father, Katniss learned to hunt with a bow and arrow to feed her mother and sister. When her 13-year-old sister’s name is drawn to fight in the Hunger Games, Katniss doesn’t hesitate to take her place. Will Katniss’s hunting skill be enough to help her survive? District 12 has only had one winner in the 73 prior Hunger Games. As if her chances to survive aren’t bad enough, she is being sent to fight against Peeta Mellark, the boy who’s act of kindness was a poignant memory for her. Will she be able kill him? Will they even survive long enough to decide that?

The first half of the book sets up world that Katniss lives in and after her selection as a contestant, we get the backstage tour of the “show,” because that is how the Games are treated by the people of the Capitol. The contestants are dressed, interviewed and paraded before the cameras so that the people of the Capitol and Districts can bet and live the thrill of the Games.

The Games themselves will leave you on the edge of your seat. Katniss’s fight to survive against all odds, not just against the other contestants, but the traps set up by the Capitol for the entertainment of the viewing audience, will leave you breathless.

Comes see my book review blog: http://ebookobsessed.com

[laughingrachel]

Addicting.

[angelarenea9]

I didn't know weather I loved this book or I hated it. It was very well written and captured the feelings of the characters well. But I do have to wonder about what kind of twisted mind would come up with this concept. I'm still not sure where I stand on this book, but I think I like it well enough to read the second one.

[nannah]

Well jeepers, how do I start?



I'd had many people recommend this book to me, so in the beginning I had to try and force myself not to judge it. When I just started I started with a bit of skepticism, because though it was good and interesting, it didn't blow me out of the water.



But wow, just after I was thinking that, I got lost. I just got lost in this book. I don't normally like the first person present tense for a novel but Suzanne Collins made me forget about that. The characters were perfectly human--Katniss's character and tumult of emotions (especially regarding Gale and Peeta) is just undeniably, enjoyably human.



And the book itself is paced to absolute perfection and the juggle between Katniss's thoughts and the Katniss she wanted/needed to portray to the audience watching the Hunger Games was balanced very well and added to the book that level of depth that is so often missing from young adult books these days.



Plot, characterization, pacing, this book seriously has it all. You can go into it with doubts or with high expectations--you'll be amazed and craving more at the end of it, I swear. One of my new favorites!

[Charli G.]

The country they live in is separated into Districts – and each year, each District must provide one young man and one young woman to participate in a cruel display of the government’s power over the Districts called The Hunger Games. It is violent. It shows a blatant lack of care, by the government, for the family and life itself. It shows nothing but the tyranny of a government. Sound like an interesting concept? It is – and because of that interesting concept, this book – this series of books – has been challenged and/or banned by libraries.

When you meet Katniss Everdeen, you may not think much of her. I know I didn’t. I didn’t think much of what would be the heroine of this story. That changed as I saw how she interacted with her little sister and how she reacted during the process of selecting the “tributes” for The Hunger Games. At that point I started to see what kind of person Katniss Everdeen is.

The world she lives in is a world where she has nothing – her neighbors work in coal mines. Everything is more or less backwards. They have televisions and telephones as we do, but cellular devices and computers do not exist in District 12, or least they are not mentioned much if they have them. The Capitol has hovercraft and computers, etc., but keeps these things away from the Districts as much as possible. Oh, and let us not forget the barbaric manner in which The Capitol keeps control of the citizens.

The Hunger Games paints a grim picture of what actually could happen in our world. It is not a far stretch to imagine an uprising against a government that the North American people are not satisfied with. It is not a far reach to imagine a tyrant coming to power – a tyrant with a sick and twisted imagination that would pit the people’s children against each other in a fight to the death. I think that is what both makes this book so good and makes people want to challenge this book and see it banned.

I have to admit, this book took me less than 24 hours to read from start to finish. This was probably helped along by the fact that when reading it, I was on a bus trip from Iowa to Colorado, and needed something to do on the bus. But I had other books with me, and frankly, I never once considered switching books. I simply felt no need to switch books – I couldn’t get enough of the book. I honestly couldn’t get enough of it.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

I’ve seen the movie; Death Race and Gamer so it was interesting to read a book where last man standing/fight to the death for entertainment was the central theme. I have to admit that I was worried about reading this; I thought it was be sappy teenage romance junk – since it shows up as a favourite book, with people that like Twilight – but this was dark and a well-paced dystopian adventure. I decided to read this at the guarantee that it was nothing like Twilight and at the recommendation of fans of dark YA fiction (following the whole YA is too dark article in the WSJ).

The Hunger Games is the story of a 16 year old girl that takes the place of her younger sister to compete in the annual televised event ‘The Hunger Games’. This is an even were a young boy and girl are called up randomly to participate in a fight to the death for survival for the entertainment of the rich and powerful. While this has been done in movies a few times; I think the book was written well enough to combine that sense of action found in those movies with the required storytelling of a decent novel. Katniss; while a weird name; she is a strongly written character, with all the normal awkwardness you would expect from a teenager, having to deal with love, death and loneliness in this dystopian world that she lives in.

For a dark, violent and fast paced Young Adult book, I would definitely recommend The Hunger Games. While I would have liked a darker book, I think this book would be enjoyed but readers of all ages. I try not to use cliques like ‘Page Turner’ or ‘captivation’ but I think that would sum up just how good this book is. I really don’t think I want to continue on with the trilogy, I think as a stand-alone book, it’s fantastic; but if I try to predict the rest of the series and all I can see is love-triangles, fighting authority and a lot more romance. If this isn’t the case, I might read the other books, I just think it works better as a single story.