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Publisher’s write-up:
‘In the ruins of a place once known as North
America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve
outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in
line by forcing them all to send one boy and once girl between the ages of
twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the
death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as
a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the
Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is
second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she
is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against
humanity and life against love.’
The Hunger Games is the first
book of the Hunger Games universe. It is based in a dystopian setting in the
fictitious country of Panem which comprises 12 districts, which resembles the
United States there is no reference to it.
The Capitol is a rich metropolis
that exercises political control over all the districts and exploits their
resources and people. The Capitol organises an annual hunger games event
– where 2 teenagers from each district are chosen for a fight to death (similar
to gladiatorial games in the Roman Empire). The intention of the event is to
remind the districts of their failed rebellion against the Capitol.
District Twelve is a coal mining
district and is poor; and in this district lives Katniss Everdeen, who takes
responsibility for her ailing mother and young sister; by hunting for food in
the forests with her friend Gale. Her life changes forever – when her sister
whom she is determined to protect at all costs; is selected as District 12’s tribute
for the Hunger Games. This forces Katniss to volunteer herself in place of her
sister; while satisfied that she has saved her sister, she has very little hopes
of survival in the games.
The very premise of the book was gloomy
and darker elements kept being added as the plot developed. Every time when you
feel that there cannot be something worse about this world – we are introduced
to one – starting from the abject poverty, the suppression, the games; and the
fact that the games are a televised even with high viewership. I enjoyed these
aspects and could imagine how under imposing circumstances, even in the real
world, people are likely to give in (we have had examples in history too) – and
this book by itself has allusions to Greek mythology and ancient Roman empire –
mixing with the present day reality TV.
While the book started slow, it
picks up pace with the start of the Hunger Games where the children from each of
the districts start killing each other. However, since I am reading the book
now where I know that there are sequels; my thought while turning the pages was
‘how does Katniss survive amidst all this?’ than ‘will Katniss survive?’.
Much as it is a universe, the initial few pages had too many characters
introduced and even by the end of it only a few characters remained in my mind –
the writer has developed the characters of Katniss, her fellow district 12 tribute
Peeta and their mentor Haymitch well but other than them, I felt a little
overwhelmed by the number of names and the limited significance they had. Katniss
in particular – was a rebellious character, till the very end that her refusal
to play along the narratives of The Capitol set a good premise for the sequel.
The advantages that the sequel has
is that the writer has been very mysterious about this universe – about what
was the apocalyptic event or what led to the rebellion against the Capitol in
the first place; providing scope for a lot more to be explored in this universe.
To conclude, this book does well
in making one’s blood run cold; what is expected of a dystopian novel and sets
up an excellent premise for the future novels. The major drawback of this novel
other than what has been mentioned earlier is the sheer predictability of the
book. I award the book a rating of seven on ten.
Rating – 7/10
Have a nice day,
Andy