Every novel has a genre. Some authors use more than one genre, showing their ability to blend different ideas and make them work well together within a narrative. Some of the most popular blended genres that have emerged recently are those combining romance with fantasy, known as romantasy, as seen in novels such as Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing and Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses. Another example of a common blended genre within contemporary fiction is sci-fi paired with dystopia as seen in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games series.
I have always wanted to read the books for The Hunger Games after watching and enjoying the films so many times. This series consists of the original trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, followed by two prequels, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping.
The plot of the original trilogy follows the protagonist named Katniss Everdeen. The first book, The Hunger Games, sees Katniss volunteer to take her sister’s place in the 74th year of this annual titular event. This is a televised spectacle where tributes aged between 12 and 18 from each of the twelve districts of the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, are forced to fight to the death in an arena. Katniss and her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, survive their Games and become a symbol of rebellion, sparking a larger uprising against the tyrannical Capitol. The second novel, Catching Fire, focuses on the 75th Hunger Games, known as the Third Quarter Quell, a special edition of the event, and the growing unrest within the districts. Finally, Mockingjay follows the rebellion, Katniss’s role as the eponymous Mockingjay, and the final battle for control of Panem against the Capitol.
The two prequels focus on two other Hunger Games, which are important to those of the original trilogy. The first prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem, during the 10th Hunger Games. Struggling to maintain his family’s fading status, he’s assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12. As Coriolanus becomes emotionally involved with Lucy Gray, he grapples with ambition, morality, and survival. The story explores his descent into manipulation and power-hunger, revealing the roots of his tyrannical rule in the later series. The other prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, delves into the harrowing backstory of Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss’s future mentor. Set 24 years before the original trilogy, the novel chronicles the 50th Hunger Games – also known as the Second Quarter Quell – where, in a cruel twist, the Capitol mandates that each district send double the usual number of tributes: two boys and two girls.
I believe that Collins’ novels effectively blend science fiction with dystopian elements, creating a gripping narrative set in a future society gone awry. Collins uses the story to critique authoritarian control, socioeconomic inequality, and media manipulation, seen as hallmarks of dystopian fiction. The main dystopian element of the story is exhibited in how Panem is divided into twelve districts ruled by the Capitol, where control is maintained through fear, enforced poverty, and the annual Hunger Games event.
Science fiction is used by Collins to enhance the dystopian ideas of her works by introducing advanced technology and speculative world-building. Surveillance drones, genetically engineered creatures like tracker jackers, and Capitol luxuries such as food synthesisers and body modifications reflect a future shaped by scientific progress, but one that exacerbates class divides. The Capitol’s control of technology underscores its power, while the districts’ lack of access to such advancements highlights systemic oppression.
Lastly, I think that the Games themselves can be interpreted as being a sci-fi twist on gladiatorial combat, infused with high-tech arenas controlled in real time by people known as Gamemakers. This manipulation of reality for entertainment mirrors modern concerns about desensitisation through media and the loss of individual autonomy.
I have become fixated on The Hunger Games recently because of the chilling vision that its themes give to readers of a possible future – one where technology serves tyranny, and rebellion becomes the only path to reclaim humanity.
