Latest news with #KatnissEverdeen
Irish Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Dystopian futures, war-torn pasts: May's YA titles explore the darker side of humanity
'Every year we let them herd us into their killing machine. Every year they pay no price for the slaughter. They just throw a big party and box up our bodies like presents for our families to open back home.' Suzanne Collins brings us back to futuristic Panem, where teenagers murdering each other is must-see television, in the latest Hunger Games instalment, Sunrise on the Reaping (Scholastic, £19.99). As with her previous title, we are in prequel territory here – 24 years before Katniss Everdeen's rebellion against the wealthy, gluttonous Capitol – and attentive fans will recall how many of the details of these particular Games have already been given to us. Some plot elements are a foregone conclusion – for example, we know narrator Haymitch Abernathy will survive to adulthood to become Katniss's dissolute mentor, despite his own certainty about his fate: 'Now I mainly think about the people I love, making my death as easy as possible for them.' But quite how it happens is still to be revealed, and the nature of Collins's propaganda-fuelled world lets her rewrite what we might think we already know in a deliciously apt way. What we've been told – what we imagine is coming – is the Capitol's version, revealed here to be 'a mind-bending realignment of events'. This tense and thought-provoking novel shows us younger versions of several familiar characters, allowing for irony that is at times amusing (ha, that seemingly doomed crush will end in marriage!) and at times devastating (Haymitch noting in the first chapter 'I'm not a drinker myself'). It makes a bigger point about the nature of rebellions against oppressive regimes – that they are longer, harder, messier battles than we might dream of; that doing the right thing can have an impossibly high cost – without sacrificing the propulsive energy of the plot. READ MORE Brilliantly gripping in its own right, it also serves as a bridge between the last volume – set during the 10th Hunger Games – and the original trilogy, expanding and refining our sense of this cruel and yet darkly familiar world. There is also, as is fitting for dystopian fiction, a nod to a certain timely danger; the filmmakers who create Capitol propaganda find themselves sighing over 'the tools that were abolished and incapacitated in the past, ones deemed fated to destroy humanity because of their ability to replicate any scenario using any person'. The reference to generative AI is pointed without being overplayed, and echoed in the publisher's updated copyright reminder; as with so much of this book, the horrors referenced are an invitation to look at our own world with less blinkered eyes. Haymitch's sense of his own doom – that unquestioning acceptance of his lot in life – is echoed in Feldspar's fervent belief she should not have survived the murder of the 'ascendant' she's been assigned to protect in Anna February's The Hive (Chicken House, £8.99). The book offers another take on a bleak if plausible future, with a close eye on climate change; we learn 'the weather became too extreme for anything except the hardiest seabirds to thrive above ground', that 'only a tiny remnant of humanity was judged worthy enough to survive the scouring of the earth by storm and sea'. Chemical poisoning led to a wave of infertility, and even now the capacity to have children is a carefully controlled secret, managed by the royal family of the titular Hive. [ The Wildelings by Lisa Harding: Hard lessons in obsession, desire, abuse and power Opens in new window ] Against this backdrop, we have a murder mystery – the charming but temperamental Euphemie dies at the end of chapter one, and Feldspar, her 'shield' from birth, is suspected of killing her. Her sole ally is the black sheep of the royal family, Niko, who's rumoured to be an expert in the dark arts; their joint investigation unfurls more than a few family secrets while the body count rises. He sees the system more clearly than the indoctrinated Feldspar, and serves neatly as an explainer of this world, but as the story progresses, she develops her own critique of the deeply dysfunctional society and its treatment of so many people as disposable. An intriguing, satisfying page-turner. The highly accomplished and versatile Geraldine McCaughrean is on form in her latest novel, Under A Fire-Red Sky (Usborne, £8.99), drawing on her father's experience as a firefighter in the second World War. As the threat to London intensifies, young people are evacuated to the countryside via train – but four teenagers decide to jump off instead. Some return home, with a 'sufficiently good lie' about staying in order to get extra coaching 'to try for university' (a suitable excuse in a home where 'the very word 'university' would delight her mother'); others don't have much of a home to return to. [ Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin: Inventive exploration of identity, faith and family Opens in new window ] 'As if the matter of the war had been put into a drawer for safe keeping', the unlikely friends begin 'expeditions' to various historical locations: 'Best to see the Past now, then. The Past will never stop existing, but the Present might fall into the Thames and drown.' What seems like a slightly contrived premise at first morphs into genuine friendship against a backdrop of conflict and uncertainty, with characters hoping 'nothing would change long term. History would glue itself back together'. Alongside their excursions, each tries to find their own way of being helpful at a time of crisis, whether that involves becoming a firefighter or taking care of children. An author's note at the beginning leaves us in no doubt of the anti-war message of the book, with one character reflecting, 'It's us've wrecked the system, with our wars. I don't understand why people go to all that trouble to kill other people they've never met. What's to be got?' A familiar refrain, perhaps, but the second World War is often exempted from such messages in British fiction. The compassion McCaughrean allows her characters to extend to those fighting on the other side is also striking, and seems curiously old-fashioned in our current era of black-and-white thinking. We could do with more of it in both stories and reality. A kind of magic: Romantasy author Emily J Taylor 'Minutes after she escaped Inverly, the Written Door between the two worlds was burned to cinders, obliterating its magic. Then the fire spread to the other Written Door connecting Barrow and Leyland, burning it as well, stranding thousands on either side. By the time the smoke had cleared, everyone had learned the truth: that Inverly was destroyed and everyone inside of it was gone forever.' Emily J Taylor's second novel, The Otherwhere Post (Pushkin, £16.99), tugs us into a compelling universe of scriptomancy, a kind of magic involving handwriting and carefully mixed inks that allows travel between worlds. Seven years on from a terrible disaster, Maeve Abenthy cons her way into a training programme that may let her uncover the origin of a mysterious letter, and discover the true villain of that awful day. Hiding her own identity as the daughter of the man blamed for the tragedy, she nevertheless finds an ally in her mentor, Tristan, who has his own fraught relationship with this magic. Romantasy is at its most satisfying when the crackling tension between two characters is informed by the magical systems within the particular world, and Taylor does an excellent job on this front, with a tale both absorbing and swoon-worthy.
South China Morning Post
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hunger Games prequel novel Sunrise On The Reaping hailed as ‘heart-wrenching' and lyrical
The latest book in The Hunger Games series has been described as a 'heart-wrenching' addition to the franchise by critics. Advertisement Sunrise On The Reaping, the hotly anticipated fifth book in the series, is a prequel set more than two decades before the original dystopian trilogy, which was made into popular films starring US actress Jennifer Lawrence It is the first published by American author Suzanne Collins since the prequel The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes in 2020. The new novel follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, one of the few Hunger Games victors from the same area, District 12, as Katniss Everdeen, who was played by Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in a still from The Hunger Games. Photo: Lionsgate Haymitch, played by Zombieland actor Woody Harrelson in the films, is first introduced to readers in the original trilogy as an alcoholic mentor to protagonists Katniss and Peeta Mellark before they are sent off to fight to the death in a televised arena.
South China Morning Post
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hunger Games prequel Sunrise On The Reaping hailed as ‘heart-wrenching' and lyrical
The latest book in The Hunger Games series has been described as a 'heart-wrenching' addition to the franchise by critics. Advertisement Sunrise On The Reaping, the hotly anticipated fifth book in the series, is a prequel set more than two decades before the original dystopian trilogy, which was made into popular films starring US actress Jennifer Lawrence It is the first published by American author Suzanne Collins since the prequel The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes in 2020. The new novel follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, one of the few Hunger Games victors from the same area, District 12, as Katniss Everdeen, who was played by Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in a still from The Hunger Games. Photo: Lionsgate Haymitch, played by Zombieland actor Woody Harrelson in the films, is first introduced to readers in the original trilogy as an alcoholic mentor to protagonists Katniss and Peeta Mellark before they are sent off to fight to the death in a televised arena.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘March Katniss': Hunger Games returning to Ohio theaters
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Ahead of Suzanne Collins' new book, ' 'Sunrise on the Reaping,' Cinemark theaters are hosting a Hunger Games movie marathon. In a press release, the theater chain announced 'March Katniss,' a cheekily-titled event that will show all four of Katniss Everdeen's big screen adaptations: From 'The Hunger Games,' to 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.' The event will take place from March 12 to 16. 'The Hunger Games' – playing March 12. 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' – playing March 13. 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' – playing March 14. 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2' – playing March 15. On Friday, March 16, Cinemark theaters will play all four movies, back-to-back-to-back-to-back. A 9 hour and 8 minute adventure a.k.a. a full day's work and some change. Cinemark theaters in Huber Heights, Beavercreek, West Carrollton, Piqua and more have advanced tickets on sale now. Click here to learn more about the movie marathon. Collins' 'Sunrise on the Reaping' is expected to release on March 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Mid East Info
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Mid East Info
MOTIONGATE™ Dubai celebrates Women's Day with fearless characters at an irresistible price
Dubai, UAE: This Women's Day, MOTIONGATE™ Dubai—the region's largest Hollywood-inspired theme park—is celebrating fearless women & girls with a special price on tickets. From 1st to 9th March, ladies can enjoy day tickets to an action-packed adventure for only AED 125, the lowest ticket price with 62% savings! Fearless is embracing unwavering determination, like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Fearless is unleashing unstoppable strength, like Master Tigress from Kung Fu Panda. Fearless is radiating confidence, like Gloria from Madagascar. Fearless is rewriting her own story, like Princess Fiona from Shrek, with fierce independence. With over 29 thrilling rides and attractions, MOTIONGATE™ Dubai offers heart-pounding excitement for every fearless adventurer. Guests can brave the gravity-defying Capitol Bullet Train from The Hunger Games, soar through the skies on Dragon Gliders in the How to Train Your Dragon zone, or team up with the Ghostbusters to save New York in an interactive battle. For those seeking high-speed thrills, the Madagascar Mad Pursuit roller coaster delivers nonstop fun, while the Smurfs Village charms families with whimsical adventures. The park will also feature themed in-park entertainment, including the Fearless Superstars street show, celebrating female icons after sunset. Meanwhile, guests can also enjoy the Hollywood Dreams show at the Hollywood Theatre, along with meet and greets with beloved characters like Fiona, Mavis, Smurfette, and more, adding an extra touch of fun to the celebration. Whether conquering adrenaline-pumping rides or soaking in the lively atmosphere, MOTIONGATE™ Dubai invites all women to embrace their inner heroine and take advantage of this unbeatable offer to celebrate Women's Day in style.
