Hardcover, 391 pages
English language
Published Sept. 11, 2009 by Scholastic Press.
Sparks are igniting. Flames are spreading. And the Capitol wants revenge.
Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. …
Sparks are igniting. Flames are spreading. And the Capitol wants revenge.
Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.
In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn. (front flap)
I'm impressed! I could pick nits, but this is great storytelling, good ideas, and a real page-turner.
I appreciate that the book has some more fun SF world-building, but it suffers from a lot of repetitiveness. I guess it is necessary to set the stage for the final book in the trilogy, but too much time is spent re-hashing plot points from the first one. The romance is a bit frustrating, but that is excusable since this is a children's book.
First read in November 2011. 4 stars.
May 2014: 2nd reading, still 4 stars.
I have since seen the first two movies. I hadn't realized how much the second film omits until I reread it. At least 2/3 of the book takes place outside the arena (in District 12, in the other districts on the victory tour, in the capitol, in the training center), with only a short section of the book taking place in the arena. Which makes sense, given that the time spent in the arena is so brief; only a few days, versus a couple weeks in a typical year, according to the book.
Whereas a much bigger section of the second film takes place in the arena. Which also makes sense, given that they assembled a pretty amazing supporting cast who needed something to do to justify their presence. It made for a very watchable film …
First read in November 2011. 4 stars.
May 2014: 2nd reading, still 4 stars.
I have since seen the first two movies. I hadn't realized how much the second film omits until I reread it. At least 2/3 of the book takes place outside the arena (in District 12, in the other districts on the victory tour, in the capitol, in the training center), with only a short section of the book taking place in the arena. Which makes sense, given that the time spent in the arena is so brief; only a few days, versus a couple weeks in a typical year, according to the book.
Whereas a much bigger section of the second film takes place in the arena. Which also makes sense, given that they assembled a pretty amazing supporting cast who needed something to do to justify their presence. It made for a very watchable film -- I remember thinking it was a better film than the first one.
The sappy teenage love triangle is escalated to pretty ridiculous heights in Book 2. But with all the pre-arena time to fill, Book 2 also emphasizes a slow burn political plot, which (for me at least) is more interesting reading than Death Arena v2.0. It makes for a nice contrast with Book 1, which is essentially All Arena All The Time. The books are distinguished in a way that the films aren't.
Ready for the next book!!
Ten times better than the first book.
The second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy is exactly the same as the first. The style is as plodding and functional as the first novel and the narrative twists and turns as predictable. The concept is still interesting but the writing brings down a good idea.
Totally impossible to put down - need to start Book 3 immediately!
Loved the first one, and wondered if the second could be as good. It was.
This book was so much more emotional for me this time around. I think because I had time, since my last read of it, to really think about what the book was saying. Having read all three, knowing the outcome, it gave me such a clear picture about what was going on. Every moment was more meaningful.
I don't know if, after reading these books so long ago, I could write a review for each one...so I'm going to write and all-encompassing review of The Hunger Games Trilogy.
The Hunger Games (Book #1) - The best of the three.
Catching Fire (Book #2) - Gets better from about the half-way point on.
Mockingjay (Book #3) - Not that great. Probably the weakest of the three. Then the ending sucked HARD.
The Hunger Games is a story about North America after a horrific war has wiped out life and government as we know it. The survivors have banded together to form the Capitol City and various outer Districts, each with its own jobs/manufacturing tasks. The Capital City controlled everything to the point that the Districts rose up and revolted. And they were crushed. To remind the Districts that they must never revolt again, the Capital initiated The Hunger …
I don't know if, after reading these books so long ago, I could write a review for each one...so I'm going to write and all-encompassing review of The Hunger Games Trilogy.
The Hunger Games (Book #1) - The best of the three.
Catching Fire (Book #2) - Gets better from about the half-way point on.
Mockingjay (Book #3) - Not that great. Probably the weakest of the three. Then the ending sucked HARD.
The Hunger Games is a story about North America after a horrific war has wiped out life and government as we know it. The survivors have banded together to form the Capitol City and various outer Districts, each with its own jobs/manufacturing tasks. The Capital City controlled everything to the point that the Districts rose up and revolted. And they were crushed. To remind the Districts that they must never revolt again, the Capital initiated The Hunger Games. Each District must deliver one boy and one girl to fight to the death against the other District children for food.
All this happens before our story begins...
We begin with the 74th annual Hunger Games and our main character, Katniss Everdeen from District 12, is competing in the Games. While it won't shock readers to know that the main character wins the Hunger Games, there are still surprises, twists, and gut-wrenching scenes of loss and heartbreak. This is the first book. It was fantastic and an exceptional read. The Hunger Games could stand alone without the other two books and still be a knock-out first novel. In fact, I kinda wish I stopped reading here.
The second book picks up with the Victory Tour that follows the Hunger Games. Katniss, am anti-authoritative rebel, ended up pissing off the leaders of the Capital City with her actions in the 74th Hunger Games. So during the Victory Tour, she has to deal with the consequences of her actions from her Hunger Game win. This part really seemed somewhat repetitive and boring, especially after all the excitement of the first book. Then, everything changed from the middle of the book on. And it was almost as good as the first book. Definitely full of unexpected surprises until the cliffhanger ending...
The third book picked up from the cliffhanger ending of book two and completely different than the other two books. Mockingjay deals mostly with Katniss Everdeen being the figurehead of a District-wide revolt against the Capital City. The difference in plots alone doesn't make the book bad, just not as interesting as the other two. Then came the surprise "dramatic" conclusion to the trilogy and...IT SUCKED HARD. The ending was SO BAD it pretty much ruined the entire trilogy for me. I don't think I'd ever read these books again, cause I know how it ends and IT. IS. HORRIBLE.
My advice to anyone...Read "The Hunger Games" book #1 and THEN STOP.
This time I tried the audio version. The narrator isn't the most dramatic, but it is still an engaging read. That is despite the fact that Katniss Everdeen is supremely dense, and is wrong about everything. Maybe I am looking at this with too adult eyes. She is however loyal and honourable, almost to a fault, and that is what makes her endearing.
The only other criticism I have about this book is that Collins almost completely ignores the viewing audience during the Games. Last time the characters actions were driven by the audience. This time it seems like Collins remembered the audience 3/4 of the way through the Games.
Still going to get the 3rd one.
It's the further adventures of Katness in the world of Panem. This one starts immediately after the first book. I thought this was an improvement over the first book. A little more complicated plot, but still a very easy read. Great stuff!
Better than the first book, but you could see the plot coming a mile away. Not surprisingly, the same problems (present-tense style, insecure character) repeat themselves here.
If you read the first one, you'll feel compelled to read the second; the second then leads you into the third...
Si le premier volume était prometteur, la suite dépasse mes espérances. Les personnages sont bien en place, leurs péripéties fascinent et hypnotisent, on a vraiment hâte de voir comment tout cela va évoluer (ou dégénérer). Le personnage de Katniss (entre autres) prend de l’épaisseur, de jeune fille assez dure habituée à dissimuler ses émotions, on la découvre défaillante avec une forte émotivité, qu’elle exprime de plus en plus. J’ai craint une répétition avec les Quarter Quell mais non, la chose est bien traitée et on avance dans l’histoire sans avoir l’impression de relire la même chose. Un final qui vaut son pesant de cacahouètes.
