Suzanne Collins
Author of the Hunger Games Trilogy Suzanne Collins has said that she got the idea for the story after one night tiredly flicking through channels on her TV. On one channel was a Survivor type reality TV show, while another had scenes of war footage. The two shows melded into one and an idea was born.
The Hunger Games novels, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, are set in a dystopian not-so-distant future. In some ways reminiscent of the terror in George Orwell's 1984, mixed with the cult Japanese movie Battle Royale and Golding's Lord of the Flies; there are 12 districts of the country known as Panem (based on North America), who live in poverty and are ruled by the wealthy Capitol.
As punishment for the districts' uprising against the Capitol, a male and female tribute from each district - aged between 12 and 18 - is chosen every year to compete in the barbaric Hunger Games. Said games are incredibly disturbing; the winner is the last child standing of the twenty four who compete, as they one by one kill each other, or are killed off by whatever cruel obstacles the Gamemakers of the Capitol design for them.
Enter the out-and-out protagonist of the novels, Katniss Everdeen - a brilliant creation of Collins'. When her younger sister's name is pulled out of the hat as tribute in their home, District 12, Katniss volunteers in her place. And so begins a Hunger Games unlike any other; one that takes everyone - including the leader of the districts and the Capitol President Snow - by surprise.
The Hunger Games are, from the offset, written in the genre of Young Adult Fiction, but don't let that put you off for a second if you don't fit into that category. Collins has written such a gripping story and created such a fascinating world that the trilogy can be read by anyone. Each and every chapter of the books ends in some form of cliff hanger or another and, once you pick the first book up, it is impossible to put any of the books down until you have read all three straight through, so I would advise you buy them all at once. Once I started, I spent every spare second reading them.
I have one quibble; Mockingjay has a slightly weaker ending than the other two books, but it would be very hard to think of a way Collins could have provided an alternate ending. It's impossible to review all three books individually without ruining The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but combined The Hunger Games Trilogy is a must read. This series of books will surely fall into the genre of classic in the future.
(Originally written for entertainment.ie)
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