Boxed set |
|
| Author | Suzanne Collins |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Adventure Science fiction Young adult |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
| Published | 2008–2010 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
The Hunger Games trilogy is a young-adult adventure science fiction series written by Suzanne Collins. The trilogy consists of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.[1][2][3] The first two books were each New York Times best sellers, and the third book, Mockingjay, topped all US bestseller lists upon its release.[4][5]
Contents |
The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in an unidentified future time period after the destruction of the current nations of North America, in a nation known as "Panem." Panem used to consist of a rich Capitol, located somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and twelve (formerly thirteen until one is destroyed) surrounding, poorer districts which cater to the Capitol's needs. As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol wherein the districts were defeated, every year one boy and one girl from each of the remaining twelve districts, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected by lottery and forced to participate in the "Hunger Games." The Games are a televised event where the participants, called "tributes," must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains. The winning tribute and his/her corresponding district is then rewarded handsomely. It is required viewing for everyone in the districts.
Each book in The Hunger Games trilogy has 27 chapters and is further divided into 3 sections of 9 chapters each. Collins says that this format comes from her playwriting background, which taught her to write in three acts. Her previous series, The Underland Chronicles, was written in the same way, as Collins is "very comfortable" with this structure. She sees each group of nine chapters as a separate part of the story, and comments that she still calls those divisions "act breaks".[6]
The Hunger Games follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in place of her younger sister Prim. Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a boy who loved Katniss the moment he laid eyes on her. As Katniss and Peeta battle the other tributes together, they pretend to be madly in love to gain favor with the audience. When the Gamemakers try to force the pair into a dramatic finale where one must kill the other to win, they threaten suicide and are subsequently both declared winners.
Katniss learns that the Capitol is angry at her for her defiance in the previous novel, which started a chain reaction that inspired rebellion in the districts. For a special 75th edition of the Hunger Games, she and Peeta are forced into competing a second time with other past winners. They team up with a few other tributes and manage to destroy the arena and escape the Games. Katniss is transported to District 13, a place that is widely thought to no longer exist, but Peeta is captured by the Capitol.
Mockingjay, the third and final book, centers around Katniss and the districts' rebellion against the Capitol. Katniss, now a refugee in District 13 and quite damaged from her experiences, is used by the rebels as a propaganda tool to unite the districts in the uprising against the Capitol and President Snow. Peeta and the others who were captured by the Capitol are rescued but Peeta's memories have been "hijacked" with the use of tracker jacker venom, a hallucinogenic poison that causes him to hate Katniss and unsuccessfully attempt to kill her. Finally, a group including Katniss, Gale, and a still somewhat unstable Peeta go renegade in the Capitol on a mission to assassinate President Snow. Before Katniss can complete her objective, Prim is killed in a bombing targeting Capitol children and rebel rescuers. Later, a captive Snow tells Katniss that Coin, the president of District 13, was behind the bombing. When asked to carry out Snow's execution, Katniss kills Coin instead to prevent a repeat of the previous regime. Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch eventually return to a ruined District 12 after Katniss is exonerated of the death of Coin, and Katniss slowly begins to recover from her many mental scars. Katniss' mother and Gale both take jobs in different districts. Katniss eventually comes to genuinely love Peeta, marries him, and after many years of misgivings they have children.
Collins says that she drew inspiration for the series from both classical and contemporary sources.
Collins says that the main classical source of inspiration came from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. As a punishment for past crimes, Minos forces Athens to sacrifice seven youths and seven maidens to the Minotaur where they were killed. Collins says that even as a child the idea stunned her since "it was just so cruel", as Athens was forced to sacrifice their own kids. Collins also cites the Roman gladiator games. She feels that there are three key elements to create a good game; an all powerful and ruthless government, people forced to fight to the death, and it being a source of popular entertainment.[7]
Collins says that another source of inspiration was the recent fascination with reality TV. She relates this to the Hunger Games in how they are not just entertainment, but also a reminder to the districts of their rebellion. On a tired night, Collins says that she was channel-surfing the TV where she saw people competing for some prize and then saw footage of the Iraq war. She describes how the two combined in an "unsettling way" and she got the idea for the series.[8]
Praise has focused on the addictive quality of especially the first book,[9] and the action.[10] John Green of the New York Times compared The Hunger Games to Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series.[11] Catching Fire was praised for improving upon the first book.[12] Mockingjay was praised for its portrayal of violence,[13] world building, and romantic intrigue.[14]
Criticism has come from the reality TV "death game" theme, which is also present in Battle Royale, The Running Man, and The Long Walk.[9] Also, the "romantic dithering"[15] and poor love triangle of the second installment was under criticism.[16] The last book, Mockingjay, was criticized by fans of the book and critics for not tying up loose ends.[17]
Lionsgate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, which will be produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force production company.[18] Collins adapted the novel for film herself,[18] and her script is being revised by screenwriter Billy Ray.[19] The film will reportedly begin production in late spring 2011[20] and will be released March 23, 2012, with an anticipated PG-13 rating.[21][22] Gary Ross will direct; the cast includes Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Liam Hemsworth as Gale and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta.[23][24][25]
|
|||||||||||||||||