Book Review: The Hunger Games

A co-worker and I were talking about books last week and she mentioned "The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I had not heard of them, but she said I should give them a try and let me borrow the first one.

You all know that I'm always on the look out for good books to read, so I gave them a whirl. (The third book doesn't come out until August.)

I started the first one on Friday and finished it late Saturday morning. I had to know what happens in book 2, so I went to Barnes and Noble, bought it, and finished reading it Sunday morning.

One word: Haunting

Seriously! I cannot stop thinking about them because the premise is just so insane. They are definitely science fiction, so if that doesn't float your boat, these books are not for you. They are also classified as Young Adult fiction, in case you were wondering.

They take place in the future where the United States of America no longer exists, but has been renamed Panem and divided into 13 districts and The Capitol, which is somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

Prior to the books taking place, there was a rebellion. The districts rose up against The Capitol. As a consequence, The Capitol obliterated District 13, and developed The Hunger Games as a reminder to the rest of the districts that The Capitol is in charge - of everything.

Each year, a "celebration" is held called The Reaping. All district citizens between the ages of 12 and 18 must enter their name in a drawing. One boy's name is drawn and one girl's name is drawn. They are then sent to The Capitol as tributes to participate in The Hunger Games.

They are given mentors and stylists who prepare them for the Games and try to win over sponsors. The Hunger Games is reality TV at its absolute worst. The children/teens are paraded about in front of everyone; mostly for the entertainment of the citizens of The Capitol. The people of the districts are forced to watch as a reminder of the rebellion and what cruelties The Capitol is capable of.

So, 24 children/teens are thrown into what's called The Arena and are forced to fight to the death. The. Death! There can be only 1 victor of each annual Games. If the "show" is not exciting enough, the Gamemakers will move the action along by offering a feast where all the tributes show up and a battle ensues. Or, they cause some kind of disaster to get the tributes to move closer to each other, thus battling for their very lives. Alliances are formed between the tributes, but they can only last for so long since there can only be 1 winner.

The books follow Katniss, a 16 year old who takes her 12 year old sister's place in the Games and ends up becoming the symbol for a new uprising because she embarrasses the government.

I can't wait for August when book 3 comes out and concludes the trilogy.