The Hunger Games is a young-adult science fiction novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was originally published on September 14, 2008, by Scholastic.[1] It is the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy.[2] It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once existed. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capitol holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The Hunger Games exist to demonstrate that not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol's jurisdiction.
Collins says that the idea for The Hunger Games came from channel surfing on television. On one channel she observed people competing on a reality show and on another she saw footage of the Iraq War. The two blended together and the idea for the book was formed. The Greek myth of Theseus also served as inspiration for the book, with Collins describing Katniss as a futuristic Theseus.[3] Collins' father's service in the Vietnam War helped her understand how it feels to fear the loss of a loved one.
The book has been released as a paperback and also an audiobook, which was read by Carolyn McCormick. The Hunger Games has an initial print of 200,000 - increased twice from an original 50,000. Since its initial release, the novel has been translated into 26 different languages and rights have been sold in 38 countries. The book received mostly positive reviews from major reviewers and authors, such as Stephen King. Hunger Games is the first novel in a trilogy, followed by
Catching Fire, published September 1, 2009,[4] and Mockingjay, published August 24, 2010.[5]
Inspiration and origins
Collins says that the idea for The Hunger Games came to her one day when she was channel-surfing, and the lines between a reality show competition and war coverage "began to blur in this very unsettling way."[6] She also cites the Greek myth of Theseus, in which the city of Athens was forced to send young men and women to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, as inspiration for the nation of Panem; she explains, "Crete was sending a very clear message: 'Mess with us and we'll do something worse than kill you. We'll kill your children.'"[6] Collins also said that similar stories hit her hard when she was young, since her father fought in the Vietnam War and she was frightened knowing that he was there.[3]
Plot
The Hunger Games takes place in an unidentified future time period after the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. District 12, where the book begins, is located in the coal-rich region that was formerly Appalachia.[7]
As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol, every year, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected at random and forced to participate in the Hunger Games: a televised event in which the participants, or "tributes", must fight to the death in a dangerous, outdoor arena until only one remains. The story follows fatherless 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12, who volunteers for the 74th Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a boy whom Katniss knows from school and who once gave her bread when her family was starving.
Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol, where they meet the other tributes and are publicly displayed to the Capitol audience. During this time, Peeta reveals on-air his long-time unrequited love for Katniss. Katniss believes this to be a ploy to gain audience support for the Games, which can be crucial for survival, as audience members are permitted to send gifts like food and medicine to favored tributes during the Games. The Games begin with eleven of the 24 tributes dying in the first day, while Katniss relies on her well-practiced hunting and outdoor skills to survive. As the games continue, the tribute death toll increases, but both Katniss and Peeta are able to survive.
Supposedly due to Katniss and Peeta's beloved image in the minds of the audience as "star-crossed lovers", a rule change is announced midway through the games, stating that two tributes from the same district can win the Hunger Games as a pair. Upon hearing this, Katniss searches for Peeta and finds him wounded. She nurses him back to health and acts the part of a young girl falling in love to gain more favor with the audience and, consequently, gifts from her sponsors. When the couple are finally the last two tributes, the Gamemakers suddenly reverse the rule change and try to force them into a dramatic finale, where one must kill the other to win. Instead, they both threaten suicide by means of poisonous berries in hope that the Gamemakers would rather have two winners than none. It works and both Katniss and Peeta are declared winners of the 74th Hunger Games.
Though she survives the ordeal in the arena and is treated to a hero's welcome in the Capitol, Katniss is warned that she has now become a political target after having defied her society's authoritarian leaders so publicly. Afterwards, Peeta is heartbroken to learn that their relationship was at least partially a calculated ploy to garner sympathy from the audience, although Katniss remains unsure of her own feelings.
Themes
Publication history
The Hunger Games was first published as a hardcover in the US on September 14, 2008. An audiobook version was released in December 2008, and is read by Carolyn McCormick.[11] A trade paperback edition of the book was released on July 6, 2010.[12] The novel was given an early release in February[when?] in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.[citation needed]
Audiobook
An audiobook version of The Hunger Games was released in December 2008, is read by Carolyn McCormick, and runs at about eleven hours, ten minutes.[11] The magazine AudioFile said, "Carolyn McCormick gives a detailed and attentive narration. However, she may rely too much on the strength of the prose without providing the drama young adult listeners often enjoy."[13] School Library Journal also praised her performance: "Carolyn McCormick ably voices the action-packed sequences and Katniss's every fear and strength shines through, along with her doomed growing attraction to one of her fellow Tributes."[14]
Sales
After writing the novel, Collins signed a six-figure deal for three books with Scholastic in 2006.[6] The first book originally had a 50,000 first printing, which was then bumped up twice to 200,000 copies.[6] As of February 11, 2010, The Hunger Games has sold 800,000 copies[15] and 26 foreign editions.[16] Rights to the novel have been sold in 38 territories,[15] and there are over 2.9 million copies in print.[17] The book is a USA Today[18] and The New York Times Best Seller.[19] It was on The New York Times list for over 100 consecutive weeks as of September 2010.[20]
The Hunger Games trilogy has sold exceptionally well in ebook format. Suzanne Collins is the first children’s or young adult author to sell over one million Kindle ebooks, making her the sixth author to join the “Kindle Million Club,” which recognizes authors who have sold over 1 million paid units in the Amazon Kindle store.[21]
[edit] Cover
The cover of The Hunger Games is black, featuring a gold bird with an arrow inscribed in a circle. This is an image of the pin given to Katniss by the mayor's daughter, Madge Undersee, which Katniss wears in the arena.[22] The image matches the description of the pin that is given in the book, except for the arrow: "It's as if someone fashioned a small golden bird and then attached a ring around it. The bird is connected to the ring only by its wing tips."[23] The UK cover's title is in red, and it has "HG" in big letters with Katniss standing in the middle wearing the gear she is described as wearing in the arena. The name of the bird on the pin is a Mockingjay.
Critical reception
The Hunger Games was received well by critics. In Stephen King's review for Entertainment Weekly, he praised how the book is addictive and also compared it to "shoot-it-if-it-moves videogames in the lobby of the local eightplex; you know it's not real, but you keep plugging in quarters anyway." However, he stated that there were "displays of authorial laziness that kids will accept more readily than adults", that the love triangle was standard for the genre, and that the reality TV "badlands" were similar to Battle Royale, The Running Man, and The Long Walk. He gave the book an overall B grade.[1] Stephenie Meyer (author of the Twilight series) said, "I was so obsessed with this book....The Hunger Games is amazing."[24] Elizabeth Bird of School Library Journal praised the novel, saying it is "exciting, poignant, thoughtful, and breathtaking by turns". The review also called it one of the best books of 2008.[25] Booklist also gave a positive review, praising the character violence and romance involved in the book.[26] In a review for The New York Times, John Green wrote that the novel was "brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced", and that "the considerable strength of the novel comes in Collins's convincingly detailed world-building and her memorably complex and fascinating heroine." However, he also noted that sometimes the book does not realize the allegorical potential that the plot has to offer and that the writing "described the action and little else".[27] Kirkus Reviews gave a positive review, praising the action and world-building, but pointed out that, "poor copyediting in the first printing will distract careful readers—a crying shame".[28] Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, claims it is the "closest thing to a perfect adventure novel" he has ever read.[29] Time magazine was positive and praised the hypnotic quality of the violence.[30]
Awards
The Hunger Games received a number of awards and honors. It was named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of the Year" in 2008[31] and a The New York Times "Notable Children's Book of 2008".[32] It was the 2009 winner of the Golden Duck Award in the Young Adult Fiction Category.[33] The Hunger Games was also a "2008 Cybil Winner" for fantasy and science-fiction books along with The Graveyard Book.[34] It also one of School Library Journal's "Best Books 2008"[35] and a "Booklist Editors' Choice" in 2008.[36] In 2011, the book won the California Young Reader Medal.[37]
[edit] Film adaptation
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Main article: The Hunger Games (film)
Lions Gate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, which will be produced by Nina Jacobson's production company Color Force.[38][39] Collins adapted the novel for film herself,[39] and her script is being revised by screenwriter Billy Ray.[40] It is anticipated to have a PG-13 rating.[41] Alli Shearmur, Lionsgate President of Motion Picture Production, and Jim Miller, Lionsgate Senior Vice President of Motion Picture Production, will be in charge of overseeing the production of the movie.[42]
The film will be directed by Gary Ross and will have a budget of $75 million.[43] The filmmakers hope to go into production in late Spring 2011[44] with an anticipated release date of March 23, 2012.[45] Lionsgate confirmed in March 2011 that about 30 actresses have either met or read for the role, including Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, Saoirse Ronan, Chloë Moretz, Lyndsy Fonseca, Emily Browning and Shailene Woodley.[46] On March 16, 2011 it was announced that Jennifer Lawrence had landed the role of Katniss.[47]
On April 4, Lionsgate announced that Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth would portray Peeta and Gale, respectively.[48] In the May 20 version of Entertainment Weekly, new pictures of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss were run, as well as new character summaries. The May 20 edition also stated that a town in North Carolina had been chosen as a filming location.[49] It was recently announced that Lenny Kravitz will play the role of Cinna, the stylist who preps Katniss for the Hunger Games.
In the previous installment of these emulation series, you saw how to play Sony PlayStation (PSX) games on your PC.
