The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

“May the odds be ever in your favor,” A line that is now synonymous with Suzanne Collins’ world-wide, best-selling phenomenon, The Hunger Games. Collins’ The Hunger Games is the first installment in a trilogy revolving primarily around female protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. The Hunger Games takes place in what is now a broken North America, now called Panem, divided into thirteen separate ‘Districts’. In the story, two people from each of the twelve districts are selected to compete in the annual Hunger Games. A blood sport, the Hunger Games puts all of the competitors into a pre-designed environmental landscape for one simple reason: fight to the death.

Yes, of the twenty-four competitors only one may make it out alive. What is the prize for being the victor of this brutal bloodbath? Enough money and food to support the winner and their family for the rest of their lives, new residence, and various other goodies. But is the money, fame, and wealth worth the casualties? Children as young as twelve slaughtered for a broken county’s entertainment. Is it honestly worth the murder?

The idea behind the book is one that greatly caught my attention. I feel it often reflects the lives of numerous young adults in the real world, due to the kill-or-be killed mentality. In the novel that theory comes in the physical sense. To me, in reality, it is more of a mental and emotional one. Young adults, ranging from junior high school to college, always have the feeling of “I have to better than others. If I fail in school I will never amount to anything, I have to be perfect!”.

To me, those kinds of thoughts are expressed very well through the character of Katniss Everdeen. She goes from being a poor coal miners daughter and capable hunter, to being plucked from her home and family and dropped into a world where she has to not only fight for her survival, but also for the livelihood of her family. Now consisting only of her clinically depressed mother and younger sister, Prim, whom was originally selected for the annual Hunger Games; Katniss offering herself as ‘tribute’ in her sisters place.

The romance in the novel between Katniss’ best friend Gale and her fellow District 12 competitor, Peeta Mellark, is very normal for the genre and also too predictable. The romance in The Hunger Games seems to be no different than lovers quarrels and love triangles seen in the wave of young-adult novels that have inhabited bookshelves for quite some time. The truly disturbing aspect of the book is the fact that these young people are forced to slaughter each other for the entertainment of the rest of Panem. An aspect that can immediately pull at the reader’s emotions.

All in all, Suzanne Collins’ first novel in her The Hunger Games trilogy was a rather good read and the action is definitely worth the read and the action/fighting scenes were pretty well executed. I also feel that were a lot of philosophical undertones within the story. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown; but I suppose like a lot of books, it is all open for interpretation.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good novel with a great female protagonist, decent action scenes, and a unique storyline. The Hunger Games is sure to please anyone who enjoys a solid, thought-provoking action novel. I hope you enjoy Suzanne’s trilogy that has taken the world by storm! Finally, I leave you with these words: May the odds be ever in your favor!