The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

Suzanne Collins (author)

Scholastic, UK: 2010

ISBN: 9781407109374

Genres: action, adventure, science fiction

 Issues: corruption, ethics, family, politics, relationships, sustainability

The final in The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay is perhaps the most disturbing of all. Katniss Everdeen was pulled out of her second Hunger Games by the Rebels, who want her to become the living symbol of their rebellion. The only problem was that nobody thought to ask Katniss what she wanted – and while she isn't sure what her future holds, she knows she's tired of being used.

Can Katniss find a way to use her symbolic value to her own ends? Can she rescue Peter, overthrow the hated government and ensure that it's replaced with something, someone who will ensure equality and justice for her community? And if she can't, will she be allowed to live? Katniss soon realises that she may have escaped the artificial and contrived nightmare of the arena only to find the games continue in the real world.

This chilling trilogy, exploring a violent, corrupt dystopian society that consumes its young – and therefore itself – is also a disturbing commentary on the increasingly voyeuristic nature of our own world. Collins' ability to maintain the complex interplay of characters, to reveal 'wheels within wheels within wheels' is astonishing. The extent to which the ruthlessness taught by such a society has permeated even those trying to bring about positive change is all too believable, yet Collins still maintains the theme that the actions and choices of one person can tip the balance for good. Her emphasis on the value of honesty, particularly in relationships, of staying true to oneself, encourages readers to believe that no matter how bleak they may find their world, change is always possible if people are willing to stand up for what they believe.

Powerful, absorbing and thought-provoking, The Hunger Games trilogy will go down as a seminal work in modern dystopian fiction.

Warning: deaths of major characters

Note: sensitive readers will find the violence, manipulation of characters and levels of injustice and betrayal quite distressing; they should also find the themes thought-provoking and stimulating.

Series: The Hunger Games; Catching Fire