I recently read a YA series that I had heard so much about, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The series was interesting and it reminded me of a short story I read my freshman year in college, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. In the a short story one villager was selected to be stoned to death by the rest of the village to ensure a good harvest. The Hunger Games uses this lottery aspect, but it goes even further. What if whole nation had to participate? What if each district had to send two representatives, one male and one female? What if the chosen had to be children, ages 12-17? What if they were forced to kill the other lottery winners or die themselves? And, what if the whole nation was forced to watch it as a form of entertainment?
I must say, it was an interesting concept and I really felt for and connected with the characters. The first novel was well thought out and full of suspense, horror, and unlikely acts of kindness which showed the humanity of the contestants. The novel was thought provoking and while it takes place in the future it has ties to the past with the horror of pagan rituals. In truth, while it might not be happening here and now, it could happen. That is why the novel is so gripping and relateable.
However, while the first novel was a complete page turner the second and third novels were not up to par with the first book. They were good and did continue to show the horrors of human nature through a rebellion and war against the capital of this futuristic nation, but I had a hard time believing that one young girl became the face of the rebellion. However, after reading the books, i thought about it and there have been cases of this in the past. After all, Joan of Arcadia lead the French Army to many victories during the Hundred Years' War. So maybe it is plausible that Katniss, the young girl who won the Hunger Games through an act of rebellion, became the face of the rebellion against the capital. While it is a little hard to believe while reading the later books, it is not completely unprecedented.
The series is definitely noteworthy and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy YA novels that beg the question what if? Frankly, I am excited to see how they are going to turn these novels into movies. They will definitely be more gory then Harry Potter since there is no magical element and the children are being forced to kill other children. It could prove to be a very emotional film if done correctly.
Have you read The Hunger Games trilogy? If so, what did you think? If not, do you plan on reading the books or at least seeing the films?
Hi Kasey,
ReplyDeleteI haven't read it, but people at work and friends told me about it. I don't read a lot of YA and would have difficulty reading about kids killing each other.
I agree with you, it will be interesting to see the movie version.
Hi Kasey,
ReplyDeleteI've heard about the books and someone who's read them told me about them. I thought at the time it sounded reminiscent of "The Lottery." I have to agree with Elke, though, I find it would be hard to read of kids killing each other. (I didn't care for "Lord of the Flies" either.)
Thanks for your excellent review.
I read LORD OF THE FLIES and I agree that was a hard book to read. I didn't care for it much either. However, the focus of this book is not so much on the killing and the protagonist shows how hard it is to be in the games. The author does it in a very (I am not sure if this is the right word to use, but) tasteful way. It is one of my favorite books that I have read so far this year and I would recommend it because she does so well with the subject matter. I was skeptical at first too, but like I said it was a really good and powerful YA novel. Plus it has a great love triangle in it.
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