March is a
great month for me. I feel energised and have been soaking up the sunshine,
clearing away the dead wood and emerging from my winter shell. I've been full of energy and it's great. Tonight is
also the premier of the film adaptation of The Hunger Games so I shall be at the cinema tonight with my
eldest son. It’s been a long time since
I was so excited over a film, but I loved Suzanne Collins’ trilogy of novels.
It's teenage/crossover fiction which is based in a dystopian future
and it’s an incredibly compelling read. America is now Panem, divided into 12 states or 'Districts' kept in abject poverty, exploited by the ruling and rich Capitol. 24 teens are picked at random, two from each of the states and sent into an arena to kill each other, only one is to survive. The Hunger Games is a reality TV programme, consumed by The Capitol as entertainment, and a stark warning against rebellion for the rest of the Districts. I read the first quickly and thankfully
I had bought the trilogy together so didn’t have to wait before reading the
next or I may have had a meltdown. I’m yet to meet anyone who has read it and
disliked it, or hasn’t consumed the whole trilogy rapidly. As an aspiring children's author I can only dream of writing something this good.
It’s written in the
first person present tense, which very often doesn’t work in novels but in this case it
leads us through the story perfectly. The back story is covered in each book
seamlessly too. The plot is perfectly sewn with imagination and nice touches which seem to flow well into the film. In the genre of teenage fiction where ‘Twilight’ is dominant
and makes me despair for teenage girls this book not only refreshing but
gripping. Twilight is sickeningly romantic and gushy. The protagonist’s
whole world revolves around her glittery boyfriend and her dysfunctional relationship with him. The Hunger Games' Katniss is a teen who is clever, skilful and a survivor. She doesn’t need a glittery boyfriend to solve
her problems for her. She fights her own battles, with a bow and arrow right in the eye socket.
Here is a clip of the movie; (It's a private listing of the trailer so won't let me upload the video here)
5 comments:
I've heard so many good things about The Hunger Games I'm now downloading a copy of the audiobook.
Thanks for the head's up to the worthiness of this title.
Ash
I wasn't aware of the Hunger Games until recently. Looking at the film trailer my initial reaction was it was a westernised and watered-down version of Battle Royale. I shall suspend my reservations on your say-so, though would still need persuading to pay money to watch it.
Have heard the film's been censored to make a 15 rating so maybe the book's a better bet.
The film's a 12A, and they've cut right back on the blood. I'm taking my ten year old so that's ok with me. I'd never heard of Battle Royale until after I read the Hunger Games so I've just bought the book today and will have to check the film out. I'm not a fan of gory stuff anyway but there are allegations on Amazon reviews that Suzanne Collins nicked the plot so I'll be checking that out. The Hunger Games is well written though. If you don't want to buy a copy I can lend you one.
sounds good. Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead' is next on the list but, yes, I might take you up on that :)
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