Book Review
May. 29th, 2011 03:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
I really enjoyed this dystopian YA novel, and found it quite compelling, the kind of book I kept thinking about even after putting it down. The premise of the novel was, if not the most original concept, very well played. I liked the little touches, like all the Capitol staff for the games having Roman names, which reinforced the connection with gladiatorial games (although I do wish the reference to Theseus and the Minotaur had been brought out more). In the buildup to the game itself, Collins did a great job of alternating between lulling the reader with the glitz and the glamour, and then jolting back to the essential barbarity of it all. I kept wanting to take the Capitol by its collective shoulders and shake it while yelling "what the hell is wrong with you people". And, of course, the parallels with certain aspects of our reality-TV watching, celebrity devouring present pop culture are inescapable. The ending really goes after the problems of the media-manufactured persona versus the true self, and I think the sequel will get into that even more.
I especially loved Katniss, the lead character. She's tough, competent, smart, and independent. I also liked her grim determination to survive the Hunger Games, even though she does not have much confidence that she can do so. She is willing to kill to survive, but not particularly eager for it, and does not lose sight of her humanity. She is still able to honor and even forge genuine relationships in the face of the brutality of the game, and she holds on to that, even when the game tries to force her to do otherwise, coming up with a creative and defiant solution to that dilemma.
While the prose is solid but unremarkable, Collins does a terrific job with the pacing and suspense. I was fairly glued to the book, and I often regretted reaching my stop when reading on the T. Collins also makes things very vivid - the characters' feelings and motivations, the details of the setting, the gritty realities of fighting for survival.
by Suzanne Collins
I really enjoyed this dystopian YA novel, and found it quite compelling, the kind of book I kept thinking about even after putting it down. The premise of the novel was, if not the most original concept, very well played. I liked the little touches, like all the Capitol staff for the games having Roman names, which reinforced the connection with gladiatorial games (although I do wish the reference to Theseus and the Minotaur had been brought out more). In the buildup to the game itself, Collins did a great job of alternating between lulling the reader with the glitz and the glamour, and then jolting back to the essential barbarity of it all. I kept wanting to take the Capitol by its collective shoulders and shake it while yelling "what the hell is wrong with you people". And, of course, the parallels with certain aspects of our reality-TV watching, celebrity devouring present pop culture are inescapable. The ending really goes after the problems of the media-manufactured persona versus the true self, and I think the sequel will get into that even more.
I especially loved Katniss, the lead character. She's tough, competent, smart, and independent. I also liked her grim determination to survive the Hunger Games, even though she does not have much confidence that she can do so. She is willing to kill to survive, but not particularly eager for it, and does not lose sight of her humanity. She is still able to honor and even forge genuine relationships in the face of the brutality of the game, and she holds on to that, even when the game tries to force her to do otherwise, coming up with a creative and defiant solution to that dilemma.
While the prose is solid but unremarkable, Collins does a terrific job with the pacing and suspense. I was fairly glued to the book, and I often regretted reaching my stop when reading on the T. Collins also makes things very vivid - the characters' feelings and motivations, the details of the setting, the gritty realities of fighting for survival.
