The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set [Hardcover]

Suzanne Collins (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 24, 2010 | Series: The Hunger Games (Book 1)

The extraordinary, ground breaking New York Times bestsellers The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, along with the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, are available for the first time ever in a beautiful boxset edition. Stunning, gripping, and powerful. The trilogy is now complete!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Hunger Games series

#1 USA Today Bestseller
#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
#1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A People magazine (Top 10) Best Book of 2009
A Time Magazine Best Fiction Book of 2009
A Best Book of 2009
A Kirkus Best Book of 2009
A 2009 BooklistEditors' Choice

"Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power." —Time Magazine
"Collins has joined J. K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer as a writer of children's books that adults are eager to read." —Bloomberg.com
"Perfect pacing and electrifying world-building." —Booklist, starred review
"A humdinger of a cliffhanger will leave readers clamoring for volume three." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Forget Edward and Jacob... readers will be picking sides—Peeta or Gale?" —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment." —School Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

Suzanne Collins' debut novel, Gregor the Overlander, the first book in The Underland Chronicles, received wide praise both in the United States and abroad. The series has been a New York Times bestseller and received numerous accolades. Also a writer for children's television, Suzanne lives with her family in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1408 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (August 24, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545265355
• ISBN-13: 978-0545265355
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4,691 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction
  • #19 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction
  • #22 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

More About the Author

Suzanne Collins has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Collins made her mark in children's literature with the New York Times bestselling five-book series for middle-grade readers The Underland Chronicles, which has received numerous accolades in both the United States and abroad. In the award-winning The Hunger Games trilogy, Collins continues to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age. Collins lives with her family in Connecticut.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#16 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#1 in Books > Teens

#16 in Books

#20 in Kindle eBooks

#35 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

#1 in Books > Teens

#16 in Books

#20 in Kindle eBooks

#35 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1,006 of 1,057 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An haunting series that will stick with you long after the last page is turned August 27, 2010

By Bonnie Lynn Wagner

Format:Hardcover

The Hunger Games (Trilogy) is one of the most "unputdownable" books to enter the teen market in a long time. The cliffhangers at the end of each volume are so intense, you can't help but continue on. Knowing this in advance, I decided against reading the series last summer despite the fact that everyone was talking about it. I waited the extra year, and I'm glad I did--even a week was torture when it came to getting my grubby mitts on a copy of Mockingjay.

For the record, this isn't a series for everyone. You will be drained emotionally by its end. The Hunger Games is one of the grimmest dystopian worlds I've encountered in literature. A lot of characters die, and their deaths aren't pleasant. This series may not be for you. Then again, those who know me well would say it's not for me, either. I'm one of the most squeamish people you'll meet, and The Hunger Games more closesly resembles the movie Battle Royale than I thought it would when I started reading. I really enjoyed the series, though. There are scenes so poignant, they'll stick with me. Between this and Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, I've found that even squeamish ole me can still enjoy a disturbing book if it's thought-provoking and well-written.

Now that I've warned you about the contents, let's move on to the meat of this review. It's hard to go in-depth without giving a lot away, so I decided to focus on the trilogy as a whole instead of singling out Mockingjay and reviewing it on its own (though I do have a paragraph dedicated to it further down). A brief synopsis for the uninitiated:
The trilogy takes place in the future. The USA has been destroyed; in its place is Panem, which consists of thirteen districts and a Capitol city.... Before the series begins, the districts revolt against the Capitol and are defeated; the thirteenth is completely obliterated. As retribution for their crimes, each district is now required to send a boy and girl, called tributes, to participate in the annual Hunger Games. The games are centered around survival; there can only be one winner (Luckily, most of the deaths occur off-page, so it makes it easier for the squeamish to read). The characters are very rich and detailed; some of their deaths hit incredibly hard and are forever memorable. In the second book, Catching Fire, there is a lot of unease in the districts, and a lot of anger when the year's Hunger Games take a twisted turn and past winners are forced to battle it out for survival. The final book, Mockingjay, consists of a full out rebellion; the districts are at war with the Capitol and it's do or die in a showdown so explosive, readers never see it coming.

Mockingjay has already received flack for not going in the direction fans anticipated. Most were caught up in a romantic triangle and hoped the final book would have a heavy emphasis on this theme with war as a backdrop and a happily-ever-after on the horizon. At the same time, Suzanne Collins has been setting up the revolution since Day One; the grim nature of the first two books should lead readers to believe that the finale will continue in a similar vein. Yes, people will die and it won't always be fair. That's life. I think the direction of Mockingjay was natural, especially in war-like situations. Characters will not be the same as they were earlier in life; war changes you. I would have been disappointed if Collins sidestepped harsh realities in order to soften the story. The tale she weaves is extreme, but it's also genuine. To me, by sticking to her guns and not copping out for something friendlier, she has created a memorable, haunting series that will stick with you long after you've finished reading it.

I'd also like to bring attention to the amazing book jacket art put together by designer Elizabeth B. Parisi and artist Tim O'Brien. At first glance, they don't mean much, but once you've read the serious, you notice just how ingenious they truly are. Before I read the series, I looked at the preview of the Mockingjay jacket and thought, "Wow, that's bright compared to the first two." Now I know better. Each book features a mockingjay, which is a hybrid mix of mockingbird and jabberjay (a Capitol creation used for spying on enemies during the first rebellion). The first book features the bird as the pin the main character, Katsa's, friend gives to her. The book is black and grim, giving it a desolate air. Every character in the Games feels hopeless, as though he/she won't survive. The second book's mockingbird is trapped inside a clock-like environment, which is the setting of the Hunger Games in this volume. The book is red for fire (both for its title, Catching Fire, and the literal associations with the element in the book), for anger (the fact that previous survivors of the Hunger Games must participate once more), and for bloodshed. Both books feature these circular objects that link to one another representing the way the districts and Capitol are linked. The final book features a mockingjay with its wings spread out. The linked circles are in broken pieces around it. The book is a vivid sky blue, the color of peace and hope. These covers have become favorites of mine; I adore the symbolism.

All in all, I'm personally glad I've read this series and wouldn't change a thing. I'm glad I didn't sidestep it due to its violent nature and extreme situations. This trilogy is one I'll read again to delve into the intricate layers I know Collins has laid out for us. Collins is a master at capturing a society at war and showing the horrors that come when a corrupt government is in control. Read more ›

265 of 287 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic August 24, 2010

By Mary Kate TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Because I was such a fan of Suzanne Collins' The Underland Chronicles (also known as the Gregor the Overlander series), I picked up The Hunger Games the first week it was out and I feel privileged in a way to not only have read this series as it unfolded, but to have witnessed its climb in popularity over the last 2 years. That popularity is richly deserved.

Collins is both a talented writer and a gifted storyteller, two things that do not always go hand in hand. In The Hunger Games trilogy, she has created characters that will stay with me and has given them a hard and difficult story that will haunt me. She also managed to keep the quality of the series high throughout which is not always the case with a book series.

At the conclusion of book three - Mockingjay - Collins hasn't wrapped everything up in a neat little bow and slapped a happy face sticker on the bow's ribbon ends nor, IMHO, should she have done so. Instead, Collins provides a conclusion that suits the story, that left room for my internal `if-onlys', `what-ifs', `I-wonders' and `but-what-abouts', but that I also found satisfying.

I consider The Hunger Games trilogy to be a great accomplishment for Collins and a true classic for both teen and adult readers of both sexes. I'm very pleased to give it a permanent place on my-favorite-books-of-all-time shelf where, coincidentally, it will sit right alongside The Underland Chronicles.

Very, very highly recommended.

Note: Prices will vary, but you may want to price the books out to see if you'll get a better deal buying them separately. As I write this, you will, so if you're not really committed to the box... :-)

382 of 457 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars for formatting July 25, 2011

By Lori Maze

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

***This review only concerns the formatting for The Hunger Games Trilogy-Kindle edition***

I downloaded this ebook trilogy collection on 7/23/11 and have found the same inconsistent font defect as other reviewers. I noticed that the font would suddenly change when beginning a new chapter or if I returned to the page I was reading after viewing a highlight or dictionary defintion.

And like another reviewer, I have also found that once I passed page 377 (the actual page 377 is the cover of the second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire), the trilogy always indicates that I am on page 377 of 379, even though I am well beyond that page, and it is clear from the final location number that there are obviously more than 379 pages in this collection of three books. The locations, however, do seem to track properly.

Although these formatting defects are not dealbreakers and I really enjoyed the books, they are annoying (with the ever-changing font size being the more annoying of the two). I hope the publisher will fix these defects and reissue a corrected version.

41 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hunger Games: More Powerful Than You Think December 11, 2010

By Nathan Robinson

Format:Paperback

First, as The Hunger Games are wildly popular at this time, I really did not want to like them as much as I did. There's a snobbery in me that tends to assume that extremely popular fiction has merely reached a low common denominator for the unwashed masses, and them alone (see Nicholas Sparks and Stephanie Meyer). That said, contrary to my expectations, I did not merely enjoy The Hunger Games. I was devastated by them.

I devoured the whole trilogy in about a week and a half. I've no doubt it wouldn't have taken that long if (a) I didn't have a day job, and (b) I'd had access to all three books in one sitting. If this seems extreme, well, it is. Not afraid to say it.

The framework is a common enough idea in literature: it's fiction of dystopia (there are hints that the country of Panem has replaced the now-dead USA) with an oppressive government and pockets of oppressed citizens. Leaders rise, conflict ensues, and the fates of citizens and nation alike are challenged, burned, and reformed (almost never in neat-and-tidy ways, either).

This isn't to say that the plot is formulaic, because the specifics of the Hunger Games themselves as modern gladiator-style melees to the death is unique and compelling in the future context. Katniss Everdeen as the first-person protagonist does not fit into any formal compartments either, and her inner conflict, selfishness, selflessness, good decisions and bad ones all present emotions that not only compel and frustrate, but also ring true.

While the storytelling is clean and the events easily maintain interest, it's the crushing human emotion and condition that propelled me through and left me an emotional wreck at the end of each novel.... Relationship, loss, oppression, rebellion, selfishness, selflessness, brokenness, bitterness, hatred, destruction, redemption, grace, love, epic sadness, humor, injustice, family--it will rock you if you let it. And I recommend you let it.

The books have their fair share of violence, but the writing is neither overly graphic nor gratuitous. It's not a violence of glory, either, but one of tragedy and necessity. The love interest between Katniss and (well, it would be cheating to tell) is tactful and doesn't fall into the trap of being overtly sexual. There are instances where Katniss sleeps together with a boy her age, one that loves her, and one that she kisses and cares for--but it's only that. Their relationship develops out of care and protection, not sexuality.

I recommend the trilogy to anyone with a heart. I think it's more than appropriate for younger readers, provided you are ready to have some really great discussions about violence, liberty, oppression, revenge, love, and sure, even sex (though again, there is no inappropriate content to that end).

Please read it now. Read more ›