|
The Hunger Games | 
 enlarge | Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Category: Book
List Price: £11.72
Buy Used: £9.70
You Save: £2.02 (17%)
Used (5) from £9.70
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 163811
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.6
ISBN: 0439023483
EAN: 9780439023481
ASIN: 0439023483
Publication Date: October 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition. Ships from United States, Please allow 10-15 business days for delivery.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Younger Readers Get Lucky! December 3, 2008
This is a really good and well-written story and, as others have said, pretty well un-put-downable. I know it's aimed at teenagers and all I can say is lucky teenagers!
Set in a dystopian future, the heroine, Katniss Everdeen, comes from District 12 - formerly a coal-mining area of the Appalachians. The former US has disintegrated and the 12 districts are now ruled by a cruel and dominant Capitol, based somewhere in the Rockies.
Katniss has grown up independent; her father was killed in a mining accident, her mother withdrew into herself, so Katniss had to learn to not only look after herself, but her baby sister as well. However, the skills she had to learn to feed herself and her family hold her in good stead when she is recruited into the annual Hunger Games, played for the enjoyment of the Capitol and to re-inforce the Capitol's dominance of the Districts.
The first 20 or 30 pages were, I thought, a bit slow, but then it quickly picks up and becomes really engrossing. Yes, I suppose there are hints of 'Lord of the Flies', but it also reminded me a bit of 'Logan's Run' - a story of revolt against a tyrannical government, of solidarity amongst friends. It's also the story of a fourteen year old girl, hardened by her family's mishaps and the cruelty of the society she grows up in, who can't see love when it is offered to her.
The abrupt ending leaves plenty of scope for the next book - and I'm truly tempted to look out for it when it's published. Also, I think maybe that this has sorted out a few Christmas presents - for this year at least!
 A Smart and Engaging Page turner December 2, 2008
The Hunger Games begins in the post apocalyptic dystopia of Panem (which was once North America) each territory is divided into districts which each deal with different arenas of commerce and trade; for instance in District 11 they deal with agriculture, in District Three factories and fancy goods and in District 12 from which the protagonist Katniss and Peeta hail they mine coal.
A bloody rebellion between the districts and the very Orwellian capital in the past has resulted in a cruel and authoritarian ritual called the Hunger Games where a single boy and girl from each district is chosen by lottery to take part in an almost gladitorial contest of survival in a specially constructed arena- think equal parts Battle Royale with the voyeuristic aspects of Big Brother television as well as Orwell inspired totalitarianism.
This is an exceptionally well written tale that had me gripped from start to finish. The characters are well rounded and although Katniss (our narrator and protagonist) seemed initially unsympathetic as the novel progressed I found myself warming to her as a pragmatic, resourceful and sensitive character who often appears as harsh because of the circumstances she has lived through.
The world in which Peeta and Katniss live is portrayed in broad brushstrokes as a harsh and uncompromising environment where nearly all the Districts' populations fight starvation and have to try to circumnavigate the rigid rules to get by. The world building is perhaps a little slight but there is enough information to empathise with Katniss when she volunteers herself for the brutal Hunger Games to save her 12 year old sister Prim from what would be certain death.
Setting is handled ably and there is a real sense of the differences between the districts and the Capital although the characters spend a relatively short time in both environments for their pre games training.
Characterisation and pace are really the selling points of this novel though; as a relationship between Katniss, Rue (the youngest competitor who reminds Katniss so much of her sister) and of course the tentative relationship between Katniss and Peeta.
In terms of characterisation Peeta was a very pleasant surprise, as initially the novel leads you to believe that Gale (another local boy with whom Katniss hunts) would be the love interest. Peeta is very sympathetically drawn and although his circumstances are not as harsh as Katniss' he earns her admiration for his simple acts of kindness.
I didn't feel there was much to fault with this Young Adult novel if anything there were a few minor errors in tense but not unexpected for a Proof copy. If I had any complaints it was that I personally am not keen on the use of present tense in a first person narrative as it tends to drag, but I did find that I quickly got used to it. Perhaps the most serious fault is that the explanation for the reasoning behind the Games seems a little ludicrous but given that there are another two books to follow this that may even out.
There is a good balance of tension as we root for Katniss to use her simple strengths as a hunter to survive the most deadly of hunts, and the romantic angle is covered very well as even the reader is kept unsure of how much of the romance is genuine (very it seems on Peeta's part) and how much of it is another survival strategy to keep the crowds support.
Overall this reminded me in general mood of Orson Scott Card's Enders Game- it has a similar feeling of threat, tension and responsibiliry being left on young shoulders by adults who should know better. I will definitely be buying the next two books in the trilogy as I am intrigued by what will happen to the characters and would genuinely like to see how the author progresses the world building.
I Hunger for more... November 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A reviews states this a Teenage version of The Running Man, I couldn't agree more with that sentence.
I won't say about the story as its already been said, but I just couldn't put this book down, I was gripped from the reaping ceremony to the end. Katniss is a survivor and it shows throughout the book, her thoughts and feelings are so vivid you actually are there with her. She is a nice caring girl with a heart of gold she lets few see.
The further you get from the beginning of this book the more it picks up speed...and takes you on a roller coaster ride towards the end...
A Superb & well written new series that will be a keeper for any age 13 and up.
This author has had a lot to do shows on Nickelodeon and wrote Gregor the Overlander, a five-part series called The Underland Chronicles. But I feel this is her best yet, I'm an adult and I'm hooked.
I hunger for more & I certainly cant wait for book 2.
survivor extreme November 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
america, somewhere in the future. a new order has arisen following the demise of the old. the unnamed capital city rules over a country divided into twelve districts. each of these produce supplies or vital services. there once was a thirteenth district, but that was destroyed after it rebelled. and to keep the other districts in line, each must send two teenagers a year to fight, in a controlled environment, to the death. there can only be one winner.
that's the setting of this story, seen through the eyes of sixteen year old katmiss. she lives in the mining district, number twelve, and has had a harsh life, turning to hunting to survive and support her mother and sister. she narrates the story in first person present tense. don't be put off by her first page confession of wanting to put an animal down, as she's a well drawn character. and worth getting to know.
and this the story of her competing in the hunger games.
a novel for younger readers, but I'd say they'd have to be twelve or over, thanks to the harsh scenario and the fight scenes. although none of the latter are too graphic. the scenario may have been done before but it never feels over familiar. because this is a good and readable book and the main character will grab your attention and you will find yourself rooting for her.
It runs for roughly 374 pages, in three parts, and there is a lot of build up to the games so they don't start till at least a third of the way in. the story is pretty much self contained but the end does make it clear that there's more to come in a future volume.
the acid test of such a book is did I find it a good enough read to make me want to know what happens next, and thus buy it? thanks to some good writing, a good lead character, and a good story, the answer is yes
Excellent book. You won't be able to put it down! November 23, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is one of those books which you can't bear to put down because you are desperate to know what happens next.
Katniss is a heroic teen who takes her 12 year old sisters place in the 'Hunger Games', a barbaric contest where children are forced to battle to the death until one winner remains. The baker's son, Peeta, is the other child who must compete from Katniss's district 12. The story is set in a post apocalyptic U.S where 12 districts act as slave states producing goods and essentials for the ruling city. A 13th state was obliterated for rebelling against the rulers and the annual 'Hunger Games' are held as punishment for the other 12 districts. A girl and boy are chosen by lottery to enter from each district. Some areas crazily always have volunteers but others like coal mining district 12 dread each selection day.
For anyone worried about the huge death toll in this book I can assure you its done carefully and not in a bloodbath manner. The worst actions are reported back to the main story line and the author uses a clever device of the victims faces being shown in the night sky to inform the fellow contestants who has died that day. The deaths are also told from the victors standpoint so the suffering is there to see but not described in horror by the victim. The setting is gripping enough that this one sided view does not spoil the book. Also it is not just brute strength that helps some of the contestants but guile and tactics. The battle arena has traps of it's own which all the contestants must face and prizes and rewards they must win or collect.
As you can imagine all types of fantastic gadgets and lifestyles are described in this futuristic story - these are only available to the bizarre ruling classes but Katniss and her fellow contestents experience them while being prepared and trained from the games. They provide an excellent constrast to Katniss's life and struggle for survival in a slave mining district and her post training struggle for survival in the battle arena which is several days walking distance wide.
There is much in this book to recommend. It deals with a parents depression and recovery, suprisingly not in the games but in a pre games story. The parents response to the the action is not covered in any way. It gives a fascinating nightmare view of the media, image consultants, sponsorship and branding in a warped future. The heroine of the story has to play along to try to survive. It deals with starvation and hunger not in a third world setting but comparisons can be made with our world today. It deals with honour, compassion and friendship and has some tear jerking moments of sadness but it's not a sentimental tale.
The ending is suitably clever, awful and unexpected and there is a what happens next scenario and I really want to know what happens next.
I am sure others will analyse this story and find fault but to me it is an excellent story for teenagers which will set imaginations on fire and get readers thinking about all manner of topics.
Highly recommend for teenage girls and recommended for anyone else who wants to read a fast paced, gripping childrens' story.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
