john smith
New member
and interesting? As negative ‘Utopias’ go, Suzanne Collins has created a dilly. In her smash hit book ‘The Hunger Games’ released on the 13/9/2008 she has created a world of misery and despair for everyone besides the folk from the Capitol. Forget the USA, North America is now called ‘Panem’ and is ruled by a place called the ‘Capitol’. Panem originally had 13 districts but the 13th district got on the capitols nerves so they were obliterated and Panem was reduced to just 12 Districts. 12 Districts, 24 Contestants 1 Survivor. This blood curdeling novel is portrayed through the eyes of the heroine “Katniss Everdene” who was ordered to go into an unknown terain and virtually slaughter anything that moves. The last one standing receives a life of luxury and the losers obviously have to pay the ultimate price, it is kill or be killed. Let's see the makers of the movie try to get a PG version on this baby! The games are televised in all 12 Districts for each of them to root for their favourite contestans. Katniss resides in the desperately poor mining community of district 12 called the ‘Seam’. When her little sister's name is chosen as one of the contestants in the upcoming Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. A gutsy decision considering that the District 12 hasn’t produced a winner in 30 years or so. The other male contestant chosen to accompany Katniss until told to kill her is Peeta Mellark, a clueless baker’s son. The Hunger Games is rapid moving adrenalin filled thrill ride of the best kind. The book is not short of some teenage romance with Katniss having a ‘sorta’-crush on her 18 year old hunting partner Gale back at the district. With romance comes controversy. In the last chapter of part 1 of The Hunger Games when in the interview before the games Caesar (the host) asks if Peeta has a special girl back home and if that will inspire him to win and return to her. He responds ‘I don’t think that will happen, because that girl came here with me’. This book of Susan Collins doesn’t disappoint and grasps the reader in its murderous claws.