I’m late to the bandwagon so I’ll jump to the point—The Hunger Games is one of the scariest books I’ve read.
It’s not just twenty four 12 to 17 year olds battling to the death for the entertainment of the populace. It’s them being forced to do it, putting their names in the lottery extra times just to earn food for their starving families. Being forced to be gleeful, to celebrate the process, chosen or not. Celebrate what is billed to be their own punishment for a rebellion 74 years ago.
I thought, hey it’s a book with some interesting subtext (I did see the movie first). Except, it’s not subtext. Main character Katniss knows and hates the system of control in place. But she’s powerless to stop it when her 12 year old sister is the one chosen to participate in the Games. In her attempts to not let the government own her, Katniss not only survives, she sparks a revolution.
The Hunger Games is a dystopian field entry every bit as good as SF classics. A traumatized heroine who has to become a brutal killing machine just because she refuses to lay down and die? Chills, I tell you. And Oh, the Feels!
Not for those who shy away from human psyches stripped painfully bare and exposed. This is not light reading. It’s overpowering and intense and absolutely a good read.