Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

F
COL
SciFi/Fantasy

At the end of The Hunger Games, breathless readers were left in the lurch with any number of questions. Will Katniss lead an uprising against the Capitol? Does she fancy Peeta or Gale? Both? Neither? And perhaps most importantly, how in the world is Collins going to live up to the (well-deserved) hype? Without divulging too much, don't sweat it. The book opens with Katniss and Peeta reluctantly embarking on their victory tour through the 12 oppressed districts of Panem, where they witness more than a few surprising things. And right when it seems as if the plot might be going into a holding pattern between the first and third acts of the trilogy, a blindsiding development hurtles the story along and matches, if not exceeds, the unfiltered adrenaline rush of the first book. Again, Collins' crystalline, unadorned prose provides an open window to perfect pacing and electrifying world building, but what's even more remarkable is that aside from being tremendously action-packed science-fiction thrillers, these books are also brimming with potent themes of morality, obedience, sacrifice, redemption, love, law, and, above all, survival. Honestly, this book only needs to be good enough to satisfy its legions of fans. Fortunately, it's great. And if you were dying to find out what happens after the last book, get ready for pure torture awaiting the next.

2 comments:

JCastille said...

Loved this book! I thought the first one was great, but this one is even better! The Gamemakers are just evil, but once I got past that, the action, drama, and love story elements are fabulous! Collins really knows how to keep readers engaged and craving more!

Angela said...

I could not wait to read this one since I just finished The Hunger Games. I could not put it down. Great read!