The Hunger Games

I recently finished reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It reminded me of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson -- that story where there's a lottery drawn every June 27th, and the lucky winner gets stoned to death. And then there's that Japanese movie, Battle Royale (it was a book first, written in 1999), about high school kids having to fight to the death until one is left standing in the span of 24 hours. Suzanne Collins' vision is a little different. The Hunger Games take place each year in this fictional world, in a place once known as North America, to instill fear and enforce power over the people. 24 boys and girls -- ranging from 12 to 18 -- are chosen at random to enter the games and fight to the death until only one is left standing. Sounds juicy, right?

What I liked most about this book was the fact that once you started reading, you couldn't seem to put it down. Though it almost seems obvious what will happen in the end, it's the little things that comes up that keeps you flipping pages. And though Katniss at times can be too technical and thinking of strategy that she can't see feelings, she is easily forgiven because she's smart, likable, and not like a lot of heroines. I wish the reader could have seen things from multiple angles, but since the story was told in 1st person, that would have been impossible. Oh well. I still liked the book, and have already started reading the second in the trilogy, Catching Fire.

Like I previously said, The Hunger Games will soon be a movie. Check out the lackluster trailer!



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Intrigued by Battle Royale? Well, here's their trailer, too. I think I know which movie I can expect more gore from.