The Hunger Games takes place in an unidentified future time period after the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a rich Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol, every year one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected at random and forced to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised event where the participants, or "tributes", must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains. The story follows fatherless 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Games in place of her younger sister, Prim. Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a boy whom Katniss knows from school and who once saved Katniss's life by giving her bread when her family was starving.
(Synopsis from Wikipedia)
The first book details Katniss' journey through the Hunger Games - I read this book over the course of weekend (a busy weekend where I only had time to pick up the book to get a few pages in while waiting for water to boil or sitting in my car outside a friends house before leaving to tailgate). I haven't yet read the second two books in the (supposedly) young-adult trilogy but the person who recommended them to me assures me that they are just as good. The second looks at life after the Hunger Games and if I tell you too much about what happens in the third, I'd have to tell you too much about the second...so if you want to know, read them ;)
I have these on my amazon wish list...
ReplyDeleteThe idea is not a new one, but these days what is? When I read the synopsis for Hunger Games the first thing that came to mind was Steven King's Running Man (the movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger is entertaining, saw it recently as a late night movie) and secondly Battle Royale by Koushun Takami it too is a movie!
Not having read Hunger Games I couldn’t comment on how it is similar and how it differs, but I hope to find out!!
They remind me a little of Ender's Game by Card - a future scenario where children are forced into life and death games as a result of previous generation's bad choices...not original but good nonetheless. I'm still waiting for the second book to come out in soft cover before I buy it.
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