Still Hungry? Recommendations Beyond The Hunger Games
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last six months or so, you’ve heard of Suzanne Collins’ breakout trilogy The Hunger Games. For those of you that have been stuck under a rock (everyone else can skip the rest of this paragraph), basically the books are dystopian fantasy, set in a future where each city sends a child to compete in “the hunger games,” where they have to kill each other until one stands alone as the winner. The winner gets a lavish lifestyle from that day on, whereas most people in this future are starving and poor. The books have become an overnight phenomenon, with a movie already in theaters and their places solidly ensconced on the New York Times bestseller list for weeks.
If you haven’t read them, you probably should, just to see what all the hype is about. If you have read them, loved them, and want more… well, you’re in luck! We’ve taken it upon ourselves to tackle the daunting task of filtering through the chaff of the genre for the golden grains of excellent literature. Below, find a trilogy (just to keep the theme going) of our favorite trilogies with brief plot synopses. We don’t want to ruin the fun for our readers, so we won’t go into too much detail or put in any spoilers, fear not!
Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness
It’s a surprise that this excellent trilogy hasn’t gotten more press or recognition, as it is truly a page-turner, with a clever premise and strong characters. Todd Hewitt is the main character, a boy born on a world where all men can hear each other’s thoughts, and where animals are capable of speech. Giving too many details about these superb books will ruin the fun for the reader, but trust us, you won’t be able to put these books down. They’re available for purchase from Amazon in a nice package for the Kindle with all three books for $16.50 which is a pretty great deal. This is truly an outstanding page turner of a book trilogy that deserves more recognition.
Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth
Although the Chaos Walking trilogy has a stronger plot and characters, Divergent is a fun book with a lot of the Hunger Games overtones. Beatrice, known as Tris, is the main character, and she lives in Chicago, although a Chicago that few will recognize, being set far in a dystopian future. In Tris’ Chicago, society is split into five factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Each group assiduously cultivates and recruits based on the value expressed in their names, ie, the “Abnegation” look for Mother Teresa types, the “Amity” Nelson Mandela types, and so forth. When each person turns sixteen, they choose their own faction. Most choose the ones their parents are and that they were raised in, but a few are… divergent, and choose something different for themselves. Tris is divergent, and this is her story. This trilogy is still being written, and the second book (Insurgent) just came out a few weeks ago. The story is very interesting, although unfinished, although some readers may find it to be a rip-off of The Hunger Games, especially the main characters and the settings of the books.
Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner
Excellent story, but the character development leaves something to be desired. You don’t find yourself really caring about the characters as people, but you’ll keep reading to find out what happens anyway. These books are a little more violent and gory than the other selections highlighted here. If you’re passing them to your children, be aware that they’re more of a “PG-13” rating than for a “G” audience. The main character of this trilogy is a boy named Thomas, who wakes up in a strange place one morning with other boys, and nobody remembers anything or how they got there. Every night a gate opens into a mysterious, dangerous maze which offers the only chance for escape. Due to the threatening creatures that populate the maze and the time limit imposed by the gate closing in the mornings, the boys run through the maze nightly (hence the title) trying to map it and figure out a way to escape. They’ve almost given up hope, when a mysterious girl arrives and things begin to change. There are three books in the trilogy (Maze Runner, Scorch Trials, and Death Cure), and each book gives you a broader view of the world Thomas and his friends inhabit.
We hope you enjoy our recommendations! We’ll be back with more.
Related Posts
About The Author:
Jane Jonas
Jane Jonas is the CEO of Eyeth Studios, LLC (http://www.eyethstudios.com). Jane grew up in the Bay Area, and has always been somewhat obsessed with technology and literature. Her first efforts at entrepreneurship came in elementary school. At age seven, she used her Apple IIc to write up newsletters with stories and jokes, and then peddled them to the neighbors. That early drive for independence and creativity has never faded. Throughout her career, she has been involved with establishing underground newsletters with groundbreaking journalism stories, interviewing, filming and editing videos, designing and producing websites, and administrating employees. This diverse background led to the formation of Eyeth Studios in 2006. In her spare time, Jane enjoys mothering her two rhodesian ridgebacks, cooking gourmet messes, and reading as much as possible. Her personal website and CV may be found at janejonas.com.
