Reviews

The Hunger Games is a trilogy of books written by Suzanne Collins and oriented towards young adults. The whole trilogy is very readable and very engaging. The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a teenager living far in the future in a post-global warming world. The former United States has become a group of twelve districts controlled by the authoritarian Capitol. The Capitol, in a show of their control, forces each of districts to offer up two "tributes" each year. The tributes are children who are forced to compete in a battle to the death where the victor's district is awarded with extra food rations for the coming year.

The premise is very interesting and helped along because everything from the situation to the characters are very believable. At times, the lead character is very angsty, but never annoying. The other characters are likewise fascinating and believable and it's easy to find yourself cheering for them.

My only complaint with the books is that at times the story is very predictable. While you might not be able to guess the specifics, the plot arc isn't at all surprising; with the exception of the very end, you can probably guess how the whole series will conclude after the first chapter of the first book. The other slightly odd thing is the level of thought that goes in to the various methods that the Capitol tries to use to kill people. In many ways it feels like the author was also responsible for Saw or The Cube series of movies with her sometimes sadistic and graphic means of murder.

Despite the minor nit-picks, The Hunger Games is a wonderful series and I read the entire three books in little more than a weekend. If you're looking for a fun and thought-provoking read, put this one on your list.

This series of novels written by the late Stieg Larsson were originally written in Swedish and translated into English. They follow two main characters: Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who investigates various corporate scandals; and Lisbeth Salandar, a troubled young genius. The books are masterfully written and the translation is completely seamless. They are an easy read and you'll have a hard time putting the book down.

The first book is, in my opinion, the best and most captivating and since it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, you could finish reading there if it didn't grab your interest. The second and third books shouldn't really be considered separate books at all as there is no real transition between them any more significant than a chapter transition. The following books are equally good reads, but the story is a little more drawn out and Larsson takes a little while longer to get to the point.

All-in-all, the Millenium trilogy is one of the best series that I have read in years (especially in the crime thriller genre) and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for their next book.