I starting
reading the series for book club about a month ago, but saw the movie at midnight
with a friend because I need something to replace Potter and Rings. This was not a great choice.
The first book
is written beautifully, the struggle for Katniss to survive in the brutal
Hunger Games is very compelling. Much
like battle-dome, the idea is that twenty four kids enter; only one emerges. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and
our heroine has a painful parting before whittling down the opponents to two.
The second book
starts off where the first left off, the two kids from Katniss’ area survive
and are forced to enter another Hunger Games as part of a 75th
anniversary celebration. In this round
of the Hunger Games, Katniss is befriended by unlikely sources, saved again and
again by other victors. As their time in
the Games continue, the victors work together to fight the way the Games are
set up, instead of trying to kill one another.
They manage to set up a trap, breaking out of the Games and being
whisked away.
Unfortunately,
as we see in the third and final book, Katniss was saved, but Peeta was captured
by the Capitol. The third book follows
the progression of the Rebel attempt to overthrow the Capitol. The first-person perspective greatly hampers
the story here, as the reader only sees and hears what Katniss herself is privy
to, making for a disjointed story. As
she makes her way through various battle zones, she is faced with the death of
many of her friends and two love interests, Gale and Peeta. The final few chapters are surreal and I
honestly thought she was dreaming through it.
Sadly she was
not imagining it. What starts off as a
very endearing series ends in a triumphant sigh. Suzanne Collins had the chance to make a
meaningful ending, and while she does kill of some endearing characters, the
ultimate mental state of Katniss makes her an unsympathetic character. She herself muses about her indifference for
both Peeta and Gale, who are hopelessly in love with her. Not unlike the oft-maligned Twilight series,
Katniss doesn’t want to hurt either of their feelings, but uses them for her
own gain.
As the second
book progressed, I found my disdain for Katniss to increase, she became an
insufferable gnat in what would otherwise be an amazing story. I think my desire to have Potter or Rings
replaced was overstated when I picked this book up. I’d like to think that the underlying themes
of loyalty and friendship, like Potter or Rings, come out in this book, but
they don’t. The story is far darker than
I expected despite the obvious backdrop.
I was disappointed with the ending and now wish I hadn’t bothered
reading the second or third books.
I was afraid of that - there are very few sequels that are the equal of the original especially in movies but authors and directors can not resist making them. It is famous - go back the Planet of the Apes. the first was fun if not great cinema but the others were almost painful to watch and the trend continues.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few exceptions - but they are primarily from works written as trilogies not sequels - isn't quite the same when you break the book up into three or sometimes even more parts to keep it from being to long or to maintain story integrity.
the sequels that become almost painful to read or watch are often made afterwards in an effort to make money from the success of the original. I don't know if that was the case with Hunger Games or not