The Hunger Games trilogy
Encyclopedia
The Hunger Games trilogy is a young-adult adventure
science fiction
series written by Suzanne Collins
. The trilogy consists of The Hunger Games
, Catching Fire
, and Mockingjay
.
The first two books were each New York Times best sellers, and the third book, Mockingjay
, topped all US bestseller lists upon its release.
, in a nation known as "Panem." Panem used to consist of a rich Capitol, located somewhere in the Rocky Mountains
, and twelve (formerly thirteen until one is destroyed) surrounding, poorer districts which cater to the Capitol's needs. As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol wherein the thirteenth district was supposedly destroyed, every year one boy and one girl from each of the remaining twelve districts, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected by lottery and forced to participate in the "Hunger Games." The Games are a televised event where the participants, called "tributes," must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains. The winning tribute and his/her corresponding district is then rewarded handsomely. It is required viewing for everyone in the districts.
, was written in the same way, as Collins is "very comfortable" with this structure. She sees each group of nine chapters as a separate part of the story, and comments that she still calls those divisions "act breaks".
, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in place of her younger sister Prim. Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark
, a boy who loved Katniss the moment he laid eyes on her. As Katniss and Peeta battle the other tributes together, they pretend to be madly in love to gain favor with the audience. When the Gamemakers try to force the pair into a dramatic finale where one must kill the other to win, they threaten suicide and are subsequently both declared winners.
and the Minotaur
. As a punishment for past crimes, Minos forces Athens to sacrifice seven youths and seven maidens to the Minotaur where they were killed. Collins says that even as a child the idea stunned her since "it was just so cruel", as Athens was forced to sacrifice their own kids.
Collins also cites the Roman gladiator games. She feels that there are three key elements to create a good game; an all powerful and ruthless government, people forced to fight to the death, and it being a source of popular entertainment.
to Scott Westerfeld
's Uglies series
. Catching Fire was praised for improving upon the first book. Mockingjay was praised for its portrayal of violence, world building, and romantic intrigue.
Criticism has come from the reality TV "death game" theme, which is also present in Battle Royale
, The Running Man
, and The Long Walk
. Also, the "romantic dithering" and poor love triangle of the second installment was under criticism. The last book, Mockingjay, was criticized by fans of the book and critics for not tying up loose ends.
's Color Force production company. Collins adapted the novel for film herself, and her script is being revised by screenwriter Billy Ray. The film will reportedly begin production in late spring 2011 and will be released March 23, 2012, with an anticipated PG-13 rating. Gary Ross
will direct; the cast includes Jennifer Lawrence
as Katniss, Liam Hemsworth
as Gale and Josh Hutcherson
as Peeta.
Adventure novel
The adventure novel is a genre of novels that has adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, as its main theme.-History:...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series written by Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collins is an American television writer and novelist.-Early life:Suzanne Collins is the daughter of an Air Force officer. She graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts and earned her M.F.A. from New York University in Dramatic Writing....
. The trilogy consists of The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a first person young-adult science fiction novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was originally published on September 14, 2008, by Scholastic. It is the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy. It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world...
, Catching Fire
Catching Fire (2009 novel)
Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. As the sequel to the 2008 bestseller The Hunger Games, it continues the story of Katniss Everdeen and the fictional, futuristic nation of Panem...
, and Mockingjay
Mockingjay
Mockingjay is a 2010 young adult dystopian novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the third installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, following 2008's The Hunger Games and 2009's Catching Fire, and continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to lead the rebellion against the rulers...
.
The first two books were each New York Times best sellers, and the third book, Mockingjay
Mockingjay
Mockingjay is a 2010 young adult dystopian novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the third installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, following 2008's The Hunger Games and 2009's Catching Fire, and continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to lead the rebellion against the rulers...
, topped all US bestseller lists upon its release.
Background
The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in an unidentified future time period after the destruction of the current nations of North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in a nation known as "Panem." Panem used to consist of a rich Capitol, located somewhere in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, and twelve (formerly thirteen until one is destroyed) surrounding, poorer districts which cater to the Capitol's needs. As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol wherein the thirteenth district was supposedly destroyed, every year one boy and one girl from each of the remaining twelve districts, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected by lottery and forced to participate in the "Hunger Games." The Games are a televised event where the participants, called "tributes," must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains. The winning tribute and his/her corresponding district is then rewarded handsomely. It is required viewing for everyone in the districts.
Structure
Each book in The Hunger Games trilogy has 27 chapters and is further divided into 3 sections of 9 chapters each. Collins says that this format comes from her playwriting background, which taught her to write in three acts. Her previous series, The Underland ChroniclesThe Underland Chronicles
The Underland Chronicles is a five-part series of fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in a land called the "Underland", hidden under New York City...
, was written in the same way, as Collins is "very comfortable" with this structure. She sees each group of nine chapters as a separate part of the story, and comments that she still calls those divisions "act breaks".
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games follows 16-year-old Katniss EverdeenKatniss Everdeen
Katniss Everdeen is the main character of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games trilogy. Her name comes from an edible plant called katniss. Jennifer Lawrence is set to portray Katniss in the upcoming movie The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross....
, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in place of her younger sister Prim. Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark
Peeta Mellark
Peeta Mellark is one of the protagonists of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins...
, a boy who loved Katniss the moment he laid eyes on her. As Katniss and Peeta battle the other tributes together, they pretend to be madly in love to gain favor with the audience. When the Gamemakers try to force the pair into a dramatic finale where one must kill the other to win, they threaten suicide and are subsequently both declared winners.
Catching Fire
Katniss learns that the Capitol is angry at her for her defiance in the previous novel, which started a chain reaction that inspired rebellion in the districts. For a special 75th edition of the Hunger Games, she and Peeta are forced into competing a second time with other past winners. They team up with a few other tributes and manage to destroy the arena and escape the Games. Katniss is transported to District 13, a place that is widely thought to no longer exist, but Peeta is captured by the Capitol.Mockingjay
Mockingjay, the third and final book, centers around Katniss and the districts' rebellion against the Capitol. Katniss, now a refugee in District 13, demands the right to kill President Snow. Peeta and the others who were captured by the Capitol are rescued by a party including Gale, but Peeta's memories have been "hijacked" with the use of tracker jacker venom, which causes him to hate Katniss. He tries to choke Katniss, but is restrained. Finally, a group including Katniss, Gale, and a normalized Peeta go to the Capitol on a mission to assassinate President Snow. Before Katniss can reach him, her little sister Prim is killed in a bombing. Snow later tells Katniss that Coin, the president of District 13, was behind the bombing. During Snow's execution, Katniss shoots Coin with her bow and arrow, and later Snow is also found dead, possibly from choking on his own blood. Katniss has a psychotic break, and tries to kill herself while in solitary confinement. Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch return to District 12, and Katniss eventually begins to recover.Inspirations
Collins says that she drew inspiration for the series from both classical and contemporary sources.Classical
Collins says that the main classical source of inspiration came from the Greek myth of TheseusTheseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
and the Minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
. As a punishment for past crimes, Minos forces Athens to sacrifice seven youths and seven maidens to the Minotaur where they were killed. Collins says that even as a child the idea stunned her since "it was just so cruel", as Athens was forced to sacrifice their own kids.
Collins also cites the Roman gladiator games. She feels that there are three key elements to create a good game; an all powerful and ruthless government, people forced to fight to the death, and it being a source of popular entertainment.
Contemporary
Collins says that another source of inspiration was the recent fascination with reality TV. She relates this to the Hunger Games in how they are not just entertainment, but also a reminder to the districts of their rebellion. On a tired night, Collins says that she was channel-surfing the TV where she saw people competing for some prize and then saw footage of the Iraq war. She describes how the two combined in an "unsettling way" and she got the idea for the series.Main characters
- Katniss EverdeenKatniss EverdeenKatniss Everdeen is the main character of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games trilogy. Her name comes from an edible plant called katniss. Jennifer Lawrence is set to portray Katniss in the upcoming movie The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross....
: The protagonist of the series, Katniss competes in the Hunger Games in each of the first two novels and constantly battles between her feelings for both Peeta and Gale. She becomes the face of the districts' rebellion after she unknowingly defies the Capitol in The Hunger Games. - Peeta MellarkPeeta MellarkPeeta Mellark is one of the protagonists of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins...
: The male tribute from District 12, who has secretly been in love with Katniss since they were children. His love for her is evident throughout the series. In Mockingjay, he is "hijacked", causing him to hate Katniss, but he recovers. In Mockingjay's epilogue, he marries Katniss and has two children. - Haymitch Abernathy: Katniss and Peeta's drunken friend and mentor for the Games. He won the 50th Hunger Games and is the only living victor from District 12.
- Primrose Everdeen: Primrose Everdeen, often called just "Prim," is Katniss's 12 year old sister (in Mockingjay, she is 13) who was chosen by lottery to be in the Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers to take her place. Prim is a sweet little child who everyone loves, and she regularly helps their mother heal the sick. Near the end of Mockingjay, she dies in an explosion.
- Gale HawthorneGale HawthorneGale Hawthorne is one of the main characters of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games trilogy.-Character background:Gale is two years older than the main protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. His father was killed in the mine explosion that also killed Katniss's father, leaving his mother, Hazelle, a widow...
: Katniss' best friend and fellow huntsman. Gale is fiercely devoted to Katniss, and their relationship borders on romantic throughout the series. He is two years older than her, and lost his father in the same mine explosion which killed Katniss' father. - President Snow: The main antagonist of the series, President Snow is the head of the Capitol and all of Panem. Provoked by the survival of two tributes in a single Hunger Games, Snow demands of Peeta and Katniss to prove the reason behind it all was just they were madly in love.
Critical reception
Praise has focused on the addictive quality of especially the first book, and the action. John Green of the New York Times compared The Hunger GamesThe Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a first person young-adult science fiction novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was originally published on September 14, 2008, by Scholastic. It is the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy. It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world...
to Scott Westerfeld
Scott Westerfeld
Scott Westerfeld is an American author of science fiction. He was born in Texas and now divides his time between Sydney, Australia and New York City, USA.-Books:...
's Uglies series
The Uglies series
Uglies is a book by Scott Westerfeld for young teens.-Setting:The story follows a teenage girl named Tally Youngblood who lives three hundred years from now in a futuristic city...
. Catching Fire was praised for improving upon the first book. Mockingjay was praised for its portrayal of violence, world building, and romantic intrigue.
Criticism has come from the reality TV "death game" theme, which is also present in Battle Royale
Battle Royale
thumb|260px|Cover of the 2009 expanded edition, ISBN 978-1-4215-2772-3 is a 1999 Japanese novel written by Koushun Takami. The story tells of schoolchildren who are forced to fight each other to the death....
, The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books...
, and The Long Walk
The Long Walk
The Long Walk is a novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books, and has seen several reprints since, as both paperback & hardback...
. Also, the "romantic dithering" and poor love triangle of the second installment was under criticism. The last book, Mockingjay, was criticized by fans of the book and critics for not tying up loose ends.
Film adaptation
Lionsgate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, which will be produced by Nina JacobsonNina Jacobson
Nina Jacobson is an American film executive who, until July 2006, was president of the Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
's Color Force production company. Collins adapted the novel for film herself, and her script is being revised by screenwriter Billy Ray. The film will reportedly begin production in late spring 2011 and will be released March 23, 2012, with an anticipated PG-13 rating. Gary Ross
Gary Ross
Gary Ross is an American writer, director, and actor. He is best known for directing Pleasantville and Seabiscuit, both of which featured Tobey Maguire in the lead role...
will direct; the cast includes Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence is an American film and television actress. She has had lead roles in TBS's The Bill Engvall Show and in the independent films The Burning Plain and Winter's Bone, for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress...
as Katniss, Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth is an Australian actor. He took the role of Josh Taylor in the soap opera Neighbours and as "Marcus" on the children's television series The Elephant Princess and appeared in the American film The Last Song, released on 31 March 2010...
as Gale and Josh Hutcherson
Josh Hutcherson
Joshua Ryan "Josh" Hutcherson is an American film and television actor. He began working in the early 2000s, appearing in several minor film and television roles...
as Peeta.