Michael Van Cise

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Collins is wonderful with metaphor. The "mockingjay" that adorns the cover of the book is great. Take this passage:
"A mockingjay is a creature the Capitol never intended to exist. They hadn't counted on the highly controlled jabberjay having the brains to adapt to the wild, to pass on its genetic code, to thrive in a new form. They hadn't anticipated its will to live."
Of course, the similarity between the jabberjay/mockingjay and the people in the districts is not hard to spot. Katniss herself, while oppressed by the capitol and forced to sign up for tesserae to sustain her family after her father dies in a mine explosion, is creative and defiant and hunts illegally in the woods - training that equips her perfectly for the Hunger Games she wins in Collins' previous book.
Overall, I'm impressed with Collins writing. As stated in my review of The Hunger Games, the writing is not juvenile. Although her primary characters are teenagers, they think in a more mature way. Their thoughts and experiences are believable, however, given the hardship they have faced. For example, Katniss has been forced to sustain her family after her father died and her mother fell into a catatonic depression. Further, Katniss has been forced to kill other children to spare her own life in the hunger games. Lastly, as is fleshed out in Catching Fire, Katniss must consider how to preserve her family and friends in light of the Capitol's anger at her rebellion in the hunger games (threatening suicide if she and her fellow tribute from District 12, Peeta, aren't allowed to win the hunger games and live)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I heard about this book on NPR. Since the NPR piece spoke highly of the book and I am in a science fiction book club, I thought I might check this series out. While the book is geared toward young adults, it does not feel juvenile or dumbed-down. In the way that the Harry Potter series appeals to people of all ages, I can see how The Hunger Games would appeal to adults as well as young people.
The basic story resembles lord of the flies, The Running Man (Schwarzenegger movie), and Battle Royale. The book is set in North America in the future where the world, or at least the world of the main character, Katniss Everdeen, is governed by a totalitarian centralized authority. This central authority has divided its citizens into 13 districts (only 12 of which remain, as the 13th has been destroyed by the central government) each of which plays a certain role. Each year, the authority requires each district to send one boy and one girl (12 to 18 year olds are required to "register") to "The Hunger Games" which is a competition to the "last man standing."
The book is rebellious and insurgent. Katniss, though far outpowered by the centralized state, does all she can to resist the government--by hunting illegally and by some of her actions in the hunger games.
The book is well written and the characters and story are compelling. I really enjoyed The Hunger Games and am looking forward to reading the second part of the series, Catching Fire.