I have a new obsession and it's not a TV show. It swept me off my feet in three parts and soon enough I'll get to experience it again in a whole new way. What is this new obsession?
For some of you, I might be a little late catching up to this party. The series began back in 2008 with the first book, The Hunger Games, so forgive my tardiness. It only took me three years to figure out what you already knew.
Anyway, I recently read all three books and was completely enthralled with the series. I couldn't put it down and in between reading sessions, it was all I could think about. The basic plot is this (from Wikipedia):
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem, where North America once existed. This is where a government working in a central city called the Capitol
holds power. In the first book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised
event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from
each of 12 districts for a massive televised battle in which only one
person can survive.
A brutal set-up to begin with, The Hunger Games is vicious and unrelenting. Children are forced to murder one another, year after year, in a so-called game devised to prevent a rebellion. I don't want to give anything away, particularly about the second (Catching Fire) and third (Mockingjay) books of the series, but trust me when I say it's the most violent young adult book series I have ever read.
I'm not sure why I was so affected by this series, but it has been almost two weeks since I finished and I am heavily considering starting it all over again. I think it has to do with my fascination for post-apocalyptic worlds. I love that stuff. Again, I'm not entirely sure why, but I sometimes think of myself as invincible and it intrigues me to think about whether or not I may have survived a given apocalyptic scenario. In real life, my chances are probably average, but in my head, I'm the one leading the group of survivors. I am the one who found a suitable shelter and a means for acquiring food and supplies. I guess we'll know for sure when the zombies take over. In this book, the apocalypse came and went long ago, but I can just as easily put myself in the Hunger Games and consider whether or not I'd come out a victor.
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| Yes, this makes me Buffy. |
Outside of my (wild) imagination, I think I enjoyed this series so much because of the unique concept and the characters. These characters are subjected to a world where right and wrong are not black and white, and every shade of gray leaves us questioning their decisions. Almost everyone is motivated by fear and an instinct to survive. Katniss, our heroine*, is far from righteous, but every choice she makes is based on what she views as being right in that moment. You root for her from the beginning, even when you don't agree with some of her decisions.
Of course, there is a love story, but it isn't all-consuming. This love-triangle is simply another battle in Katniss's war to survive. And even though the pressure to choose between Peeta and Gale is always there, Katniss puts this decision pretty far down her priority list.
In summation, go read these books. Or you can borrow them from me. And I do mean borrow. I'm going to want them back in a timely manner.
Furthermore, The Hunger Games has recently been adapted for film and is set to open on March 23, 2012. Just last week, posters were released, giving fans a first look at the characters, as portrayed in the film (all posters can be found at EW here).
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| Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen |
I am giddy with excitement! However, not all adaptations are good. In fact, most of them are pretty bad, but right now, I'm happy for any and all things Hunger Games-related. Perhaps my new fixation will subside by the time March finally rolls around. But if it doesn't, you know where to find me. Until then, I'll be watching the teaser trailer on repeat...
* And by heroine, I mean "lady hero." I don't want to inject her and listen to jazz.
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