Suzanne Collins: Hangā gēmu (Japanese language, 2012, Mediafakutorī)
Japanese language
Published Dec. 24, 2012 by Mediafakutorī.
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.
I honestly don't know, because I really enjoyed this book back in my early 20s. Enough that I could compare it to the movie. I definitely need to read them all soon.
One of the best YA novels I've read (not that I've read a whole lot of them). It's a surprisingly intense story, with lots of suspense and some pretty brutal moments (as you might guess from the premise). There were a few moments where I saw what was coming a mile off, but it works because it builds suspense: All such developments are basically Bad News for everyone concerned. The characterizations are strong, and Collins avoids some of the excesses of the Harry Potter series by not methodically introducing all the competitors or spending time on characters who don't fill a role in the story. There's very little waste here.
My biggest detraction is that the climactic show-down of the Games is something of a let-down, and the book ends rather abruptly (though it's clear Collins intended it to be a series from the outset. But overall, it's a book …
One of the best YA novels I've read (not that I've read a whole lot of them). It's a surprisingly intense story, with lots of suspense and some pretty brutal moments (as you might guess from the premise). There were a few moments where I saw what was coming a mile off, but it works because it builds suspense: All such developments are basically Bad News for everyone concerned. The characterizations are strong, and Collins avoids some of the excesses of the Harry Potter series by not methodically introducing all the competitors or spending time on characters who don't fill a role in the story. There's very little waste here.
My biggest detraction is that the climactic show-down of the Games is something of a let-down, and the book ends rather abruptly (though it's clear Collins intended it to be a series from the outset. But overall, it's a book that lives up to the hype, and I'll be moving on to the second volume next week.
