Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, …
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Collins delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.
Man these books are so addictive. It took me about a 100 pages to get into the book, I don't like katniss or peeta much so I seem to have a little battle to get drawn in. The story is cleverly written again, it really gets you involved, fills you with blood-lust.
I now have one book left to go and I am looking forward to it with how this one ends. And then I can watch the films. Yay!
Review of 'The Hunger Games Movie-Tie in-Edition [Paperback] [Nov 10, 2014] SUZANNE COLLINS' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Well that's the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy finished. Thoroughly enjoyed it, a pretty impressive ride and so much better than the movie, which for some reason I have watched, I've held off watching the next two movies until I have finished the books.
For a while I was impatient for the action to start and for the fighting to get going in the arena, but the way the book is written making the tension build up with boring run-of-mill interviews is very clever, by the time the trumpets sound and the games begin you find yourself on the edge of your seat.
For once one of these books people say "you have to read" is actually really good. yay!
Review of 'The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Having seen the movie before listening to this audiobook, I had to abandon any hopes of comparing my imagination with the film vision. Still, it was an interesting experience that made me think about audiobooks as a medium. The narrator could have whistled Rue's song, they could have had several narrators for all the characters, the book could have music and sound effects – but it didn't, yet it still delivered a rich world. Similarly, paperback books could have photographs, illustrations or varying typography, but they also work without these enrichment techniques. So why is it exactly that the film business keeps insisting a philosophy of "show, don't tell"? Just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should do it. Anyway, this was a good read. Or a good listen?
So, I saw the movie first. This kind of story really isn't my usual read so despite the hype I didn't read it. However the movie put a lot of questions into my head that the book happily answered. There was a lot going on in Katniss' mind, and while everyone I know hailed her as this great female lead character the movie kind of whitewashes that a little. I wondered if the book did a better job, happy to say it did.
I'm holding out judgement on whether or not I truly like the series until I've done all three books. How they wrap it up is going to really determine that for me. ______
UUUGH this book. That's a good sort of UGH, but also just one of frustration. Looking at the series as a whole I just want to weep for humanity, because honestly …
So, I saw the movie first. This kind of story really isn't my usual read so despite the hype I didn't read it. However the movie put a lot of questions into my head that the book happily answered. There was a lot going on in Katniss' mind, and while everyone I know hailed her as this great female lead character the movie kind of whitewashes that a little. I wondered if the book did a better job, happy to say it did.
I'm holding out judgement on whether or not I truly like the series until I've done all three books. How they wrap it up is going to really determine that for me. ______
UUUGH this book. That's a good sort of UGH, but also just one of frustration. Looking at the series as a whole I just want to weep for humanity, because honestly it's not a massive stretch to see something akin to this happening.
This series is really one best reviewed as a whole because although the books are standalone, the actual story they tell is greater than each individual book.
So I read this after a friend made me watch the movie. The story's a pretty interesting one. I mean aftermath of a revolution as the Capital makes poor people fight to the death for their amusement. Plus the social commentary on reality TV? It was actually a really interesting book.
I wasn't expecting much when I ordered this book from the Amazon Lending Library, but I found the story to be more engaging than I'd expected. The book is clearly written for young adults, but it was pretty easy to look past that. While the prose could be awkward and the story superficial, I still found the main characters sympathetic and engaging. If you're looking for a quick, entertaining read from the lending l library, I'd recommend this book.
The Hunger Games had me completely riveted from the first line to the last.
It's a really novel idea, a fine depiction of what can happen if reality shows ever go too far.
Despite me knowing that it's this fact which I should have been focusing on, I truly got involved in the Games. I found myself rooting for our heroine, Katniss Everdeene, wishing her competitors dead, wishing she would kill them, and truly hoping that she would win.
As to Katniss herself, she's a bit of an enigma. She sometimes comes across as the tempestuous, temperamental teenage girl that she is, and often does completely unpredictable, irrational, and illogical things. Other times she's cool, calm and collected; a true survivor.
She's a truly interesting character, and I'd love to play someone like her in a tabletop role playing game. She seems as though she was made for it!
Review of 'The Hunger Games Movie-Tie in-Edition [Paperback] [Nov 10, 2014] SUZANNE COLLINS' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I saw the movie first. I was surprised that the movie was really close to the book. On the other hand: the book is so short there wasn't much room to leave out anything. That's my only critique really: way too short. I finished the book in one sitting. I enjoyed that sitting: the characters are believable, no weird motivational jumps, no unexplained skills or out of character actions. The emotions of the characters are credible. I was put off at first by the first person narrative but it turned out fine. If I had not seen the movie it would probably have been full of suspense. Even so I could not put the book away. Only four stars because all in all it is a bit too simple for my taste: the writing style, the plot, the characters - it all screams "young adult" and the books I read …
I saw the movie first. I was surprised that the movie was really close to the book. On the other hand: the book is so short there wasn't much room to leave out anything. That's my only critique really: way too short. I finished the book in one sitting. I enjoyed that sitting: the characters are believable, no weird motivational jumps, no unexplained skills or out of character actions. The emotions of the characters are credible. I was put off at first by the first person narrative but it turned out fine. If I had not seen the movie it would probably have been full of suspense. Even so I could not put the book away. Only four stars because all in all it is a bit too simple for my taste: the writing style, the plot, the characters - it all screams "young adult" and the books I read right before were the ASoIaF series ... a stark contrast.
So: if you enjoyed the movie it is worth a read and if you haven't seen the movie it is still worth a read.
A good story which is significantly hampered by leaden prose. I understand that this is young adult fiction, but the plodding along of 'I say' 'he says' with only functional paragraphs becomes tedious. As far as themes go, this is very interesting and I like the social satire.
