Note/Friendly Warning :: I will attempt to limit spoilers, unfortunately though they will exist. Read at your own risk. Until I figure out how to add a spoiler tag, we will have to live with page break. You have been warned.
I finished the "Animoprhs" for the most part early Tuesday morning. I finished the last book to read(that I had read previously) a day or too later. It is now Sunday and I am pleased to say that I am finished with another Young Adult series, a trilogy this time. A story of world-wide fame. The movie adaptation came out 3 months ago, which Jess and I have yet to see(next weekend if I can convince her).
Have you guessed which trilogy it is yet? Well for those of you who have not, I present to you "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I somehow managed to avoid the whirlwind popularity the series received, although I did grab a boxed, hardcover, trilogy set for my book case a few weeks before the movie was released. I made it 3 months without reading the story, of which I had heard such good tidings. Mostly due to Stephen R. Donaldson and then the 11 year-ish itch to finish the "Animorphs".
I started slow, but immediately hooked. The limiting factor was work. I couldn't stay up all night reading(if only...). Things didn't really take off until Saturday, when I finally finished "The Hunger Games" at 3 PM. Without going into story detail(be patient) the biggest question on my mind, larger even than(spoiled down) "What happens to the stories characters?" was "How is this going to be a trilogy?". I had that question from about midway through the book. I definetly could imagine the entire "The Hunger Games" book itself being a massive trilogy, resembling a LoTR size. Clearly there was more to the story than the 74th Hunger Games. How were there another ~800 pages to go? I was not disappointed and had my final answer to all my questions by Sunday at no later than 8 PM.
Here is the basic story breakdown(Skipper, if you are reading, go read the books, don't let me spoil it for you).
In future North America, apparently a long time, as the history of the U.S.A. is taught as a distant occurrence. Things are tough on people. Technology is not a huge factor in day to day life for most of the Panem society(which resides in present day North America). The country is broken into 14 "sections". The Capitol, Districts 1-12, and the "destroyed" District 13(destroyed approximately 75 years in the past). The districts provide for the Capitol, whose residents live a life of luxury, even by current standards.
District 13 was destroyed when they rebelled against the Capitol. In order to prevent future uprisings, the government initiates the Hunger Games, which is a ironic name for an abominable competition, a very public fight to the death, between the District's children. Each District "offers" a male and female as a tribute to attend the Games.The purpose of the games is two-fold, provide the Capitol with entertainment, and remind the general population living in the District's that the government is in such complete control, that they can force everyone to watch their children murder each other.
The protagonist is a 16 year old girl, Katniss Everdeen, living in the 12th District. The main business in District 12 is mining the ancient coal mines of the Appalachian mountains, where the District is located. She is the main provider for her family because her father passed away in a coal mining accident when she was younger. She hunts, which is illegal in part because it involves leaving the protection of the District, and trades her game on the black market for food, supplies, money.
The story picks up steam at The Reaping, the annual day on which the tributes are chosen for the Hunger Games. In an ironic twist of fate Katniss's sister Primrose is chosen as the District 12 female tribute, although Katniss has about 20 times the probability of being selected. Katniss, horrified that her sister has been selected, immediately volunteers to take her place. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark, the son of a well off baker, relatively speaking, to the Everdeen's.
Things rapidly change for Katniss and Peeta, as they board a train to go to the Capitol, and eventually the games themselves. Food in plenty, technology they have never seen, and luxury in abundance. They are to be coached by the prior Hunger Games winner from District 12, Haymitch, who is a drunk. Arriving in the Capitol, the tributes are cleaned up and paraded like royalty in front of the nation. Katniss and Peeta stun the audience with their "spark". The tributes are trained for things they may face in the arena and for the interviews they must give. Both are scored very highly in the skill judging. Katniss is deemed unlikable by Haymitch and treated as a lost cause for the interviews. Haymitch, being the crafty adult who masterfully guides his tributes as Suzanne masterfully illustrates, uses Peeta's unknown love for Katniss, to wow the crowd and make them both fan favorites. Katniss, furious for not being informed of this "ploy", attacks Peeta and resents both he and Haymitch.
The games begin, and the tributes slowly whittle each other away. Alliances are formed, broken, and torn asunder by the brutality of the games. Eventually, as the field of tributes dwindles, it is announced that a rule change has been made, which we are led to believe is due to public opinion, that dual winners can be declared, if they are from the same District. This invigorates Katniss, as she was dreading the possibility of having to kill Peeta. She now has a trust worthy ally, if she can find and save him from an injury. She goes to extraordinary lengths to keep him alive. Eventually, only 3 tributes remain, and Katniss saves Peeta after he was taken hostage, and then kills the final tribute out of mercy as he is being slowly killed by re-animated and mutated versions of the other 22 tributes. The gamemakers then revoke the 2 can win rule. Instead of killing each other, Katniss and Peeta are seconds away from committing mutual suicide before the gamemarkes give in and proclaim them both winners.
This is interpreted as treason against the government, as it plants the seeds of rebellion in the peoples minds(or sparks the fire of rebellion that had been lying dormant). To get out alive, Katniss must pretend(as she did during the games) to be madly in love with Peeta.
The victors return to District 12. As the story ends, Peeta becomes distant as he learned that Katniss was faking love, manipulating it to survive.
As this has become insanely long, I will follow Suzanne's example, and make this a trilogy. Until next time "May the odds ever be in your favor".
:)
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