
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is, of course, one of the prequels of the Hunger Games series, set sixty or so years before the action of the first novel (so, it happens in the 10th Hunger Games, not the 74th as in the original novel series). Here, we find a world in which Panem has only recently emerged from its ruinous civil war with the districts and is only slowly recovering. The Hunger Games remain as an instrument of vengeance, but many of the entertainment elements which gave a subtle horror in the original series are only slowly being added. Here, it's all about the punishment aspect and with minimal superstructure.
The story follows the District 12 female tribute, Lucy Gray Beard, and her sponsor, Coriolanus Snow (yes, that Coriolanus Snow, the President in the later series, but much younger) as they navigate the 10th Hunger Games. The story largely told from the point of view of Snow, whose family were ruined by the civil war and whose father died as a war hero. This left them impoverished and Snow juggling his lingering sense of privilege without the means to support it. Collins is at her best here, revealing the rationalizations and drives which lead him from a scheming teenager to the ruthless young man at the end of the story, who is willing to betray anyone, including the love of his life, for power and money. Lucy, on the other hand, is clever, witty, talented and deeply rebellious, which captivates young Coriolanus and that could be a redemption arc, but, as in the nature of dystopias, that proves a path not taken. I won't say more in fear of giving more spoilers than I've given.
This is a really interesting take on the Hunger Games and stands alone very effectively. Well worth reading.
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