The Hunger Games Trilogy – Suzanne Collins

My daughter turned me on to this set of books and I read them in quick succession in about 3 weeks – miraculously fast for me. That alone is a thumbs up.  My wife read the first book – her first attempt at science fiction – and she liked it too.

I have not read a book from the “young adult” genre since I was in junior high and read S.E. Hinton’s The Outsider.  The only thing that seems young adult about this is the main characters and the fact that it is a fast and easy read.  Otherwise if I did not have hype to tell me otherwise, I would have characterized this as quality science fiction.

The basic plot of the trilogy – and I am not giving anything away – is that in a future society the central government asserts oppressive control over its colonies by annually having a cruel event called the Hunger Games.  Each of the 12 colonies (called districts in the book) must use a lottery to pick two children (male and female) between 12 and 17 who are then sent to the capital to compete in a fight to the death (only one winner amongst 24 contestants) for the amusement of the oppressors.

The book is a very entertaining read and it is just thought-provoking enough to really make you think about our own culture and government.  Soon to be a major motion picture – read it now in anticipation of the movie.  I am not sure if it will be Twilight big – but I bet it will be pretty close.