Catching Fire (2009 novel)

Catching Fire
Author(s)	Suzanne Collins
Cover artist	Tim O'Brien
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction/ Young adult
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	September 1, 2009
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	391
ISBN	978-0-439-02349-8
OCLC Number	288932790
Dewey Decimal	[Fic] 22
LC Classification	PZ7.C6837 Cat 2009
Preceded by	The Hunger Games
Followed by	Mockingjay

Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. As the sequel to the 2008 bestseller The Hunger Games, it continues the story of Katniss Everdeen and the fictional, futuristic nation of Panem. Following the events of the previous novel, a rebellion against the oppressive Capitol has begun, and Katniss and fellow tribute Peeta are forced to return to the arena in a special edition of the Hunger Games.

The book was released September 1, 2009, and was later released in eBook and audiobook format. Major themes include survival, government control, rebellion and interdependence vs. independence. Catching Fire has received mostly positive reviews. Reviewers praised the prose, the ending, and how Katniss became more sophisticated. The third book in the series, Mockingjay, was released August 24, 2010.

Synopsis

Setting

Catching Fire takes place in a fictional country called Panem, which is located in what was once North America. The Capitol, the chief city and seat of government, is located somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. District 12, Katniss' home, is located in the coal-rich Appalachian region. There are a total of 12 Districts, but there once was a 13th, which was destroyed in a rebellion against the Capitol. The Hunger Games take place annually in an arena specially built for the event in an unidentified location.

Plot

After winning the 74th Hunger Games in the previous novel, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return home to District 12, the poorest sector in the fictional country of Panem. On the day that Katniss and Peeta are to start a "Victory Tour" of the country, she is visited by President Snow. President Snow explains that he is angry with her for threatening to commit suicide with Peeta at the end of the last Hunger Games, which permitted them both to win. President Snow tells Katniss that when she defied the Capitol, she created talk of rebellion in the districts. He threatens to kill her family and friends if she cannot prove to everyone in Panem that her act was not one of defiance, but that she was instead driven by an intense love for Peeta.

The first stop on the Victory Tour is District 11, the home of Katniss' friend and ally in the Hunger Games, Rue, before she died. During the ceremony, Katniss delivers a quick speech to the people of District 11, thanking them for their tributes. When she is done, an old man whistles a tune that Rue used in the arena to tell Katniss that she was safe. The song acts as a signal and everyone salutes Katniss using the same gesture that she used to say farewell to Rue. Katniss is taken away, but not before she sees Peacekeepers shoot the whistling man in the head. Katniss and Peeta then proceed to travel to all of the twelve districts and the Capitol. During an interview, Peeta proposes to Katniss publicly, hoping to settle the dispute between Katniss and President Snow. Despite this, Katniss learns that their attempts of subduing rebellion in the districts have failed. Shortly after returning to District 12, Katniss encounters two runaways from District 8. They explain a theory that District 13 was not wiped out by the Capitol, due to its residents going underground, and that stock footage of 13 is played instead of new film on television. Later, it is announced that, for the 75th Hunger Games, 24 victors from previous years will be forced to compete once again. This is in honor of the "Quarter Quell": an event that occurs every 25th year of the Games and allows the Capitol to introduce a twist. She half believes that this whole Quarter Quell may be a plot by President Snow to kill off Peeta and herself in a subtle way. Knowing that she and Peeta will both be competing in the Games a second time, Katniss decides that she will devote herself to protecting Peeta. However, Peeta is devoted to protecting her.

During the Games, Katniss and Peeta join up with two other previous victors, Finnick Odair: a 24-year-old man who successfully survived the Games at the age of 14 and Mags: Finnick's 80-year-old mentor, both from District 4. After Mags' death, Katniss, Peeta and Finnick join forces with Johanna Mason, a sarcastic and often cruel victor from District 7, and Beetee and Wiress, an older couple from District 3 who are said to be "exceptionally smart". Wiress soon proves her genius by revealing to Katniss that the arena is arranged like a clock, with all of the arena's disasters occurring on a timed chart. After Wiress is killed, Katniss learns of Beetee's plan to harness lightning in order to supposedly electrocute two other contenders. In the final chapters, Katniss directs the lightning at the force field that contains the arena, thereby destroying the arena and resulting in her temporary paralysis. When she wakes up, she is being transported to District 13: a place that is widely thought to no longer exist. She is joined by Finnick, Beetee, Gale and Haymitch but learns that Peeta, Johanna and Enobaria (a tribute from District 2) have been captured by the Capitol. Katniss is informed that there had been a plan between most of the contestants to break out of the arena and that Beetee had been attempting to destroy the force field in the same way that she did. The book ends with Katniss' best friend, Gale, informing her that, though he got her family out in time, District 12 has been bombed and destroyed.

Main characters

See also: List of Characters in the Hunger Games trilogy

• Katniss Everdeen returns as the narrator and the main character for the second installment, facing new challenges. She is forced to continue to show that she is in love with Peeta, and that her desperate action at the end of the first Games was only an act of mindless love. When she is forced to compete in the 75th Hunger Games, she decides to do everything in her power to keep Peeta alive. Katniss battles with her devotion to Peeta versus Gale, and remains undecided.

• Peeta Mellark - Katniss's fellow tribute, who goes along with Katniss's "in love" charade, although it is clear it is not a charade for him. Peeta volunteers to take Haymitch's place in the 75th Hunger Games, wanting to keep Katniss alive. Peeta is among those captured by the Capitol at the end.

• Haymitch Abernathy -Katniss and Peeta's mentor due to being District 12's only other living survivor of the Hunger Games. Although he is regarded as the town drunk, Katniss slowly begins to understand how being forced to compete and then mentor in the Games has affected him.

• Gale Hawthorne - Katniss's best friend in District 12, who works in the coal mines and hunts illegally. Katniss slowly starts looking at him as a love interest, rather than a friend, ever since he kissed her in the woods.

• President Snow - The President of Panem. He speaks to Katniss face-to-face for the first time at the beginning of Catching Fire. President Snow is described as having very puffy lips which was most likely from an appearance altering operation that is very popular in the Capitol. Katniss describes him as having a smell of blood and roses, with snake-like eyes.

• Finnick Odair - The male tribute from District 4, described as being very handsome. He won a previous Hunger Games ten years ago by using a trident against other tributes (District 4's trade is fishing.) Despite Haymitch's insistence, Katniss was hesitant to make Finnick her ally, but he proved to be valuable and trustworthy.

• Cinna - Katniss's trusted stylist, who makes her a wedding dress that turns into a mockingjay outfit. Just before the games are to take place, he is captured by Capitol authorities and beaten unconscious while Katniss is forced to watch.

Publication history

Catching Fire had a preliminary hardcover release date of September 8, 2009 which was moved up to September 1, 2009 in response to requests by retailers to move the release to before Labor Day and the start of school for many readers. It was also published as an audiobook on on the same day. Advance reading copies were available at BookExpo America in New York City, and were sent out to some booksellers, and offered as prizes in Scholastic's "How Would You Survive" writing contest in May 2009. An eBook version was also published on June 3, 2010. Catching Fire had an initial print of 350,000 copies. The book has over 750,000 copies in print.

Themes

One of the main themes in the book is survival. The purpose of the Hunger Games is to be the last one alive.

Another main theme is interdependence versus independence. As one reviewer noted, "In The Hunger Games book 2, Katniss and Peeta are definitely interdependent. They are both helping each other to survive. As a matter of fact, they want the other one to survive more than they do themselves." The reviewer goes on to comment how this actually increases the chances of each character dying.

Government control is another important theme throughout the book and the series. After overpowering the first rebellion, the Capitol sets up rules in order to restrict and control the citizens' lives. Examples include how, "the 75th annual Hunger Games have "new" rules that cause Katniss and Peeta to be in danger once again. More "Peacekeepers" are placed in districts to squash any hope that the citizens started to have after the last Hunger Games." Other themes in the book include morality, obedience, sacrifice, redemption, love and law.

Critical reception

Catching Fire received mainly positive reviews from critics. Publishers Weekly wrote, "If this second installment spends too much time recapping events from book one, it doesn't disappoint when it segues into the pulse-pounding action readers have come to expect." Booklist commented on how the "unadorned prose provides an open window to perfect pacing and electrifying world building". A review from The New York Times also gave a positive review, writing, "Collins has done that rare thing. She has written a sequel that improves upon the first book. As a reader, I felt excited and even hopeful: could it be that this series and its characters were actually going somewhere?" and also praised how Katniss became more sophisticated in the book. The Plain Dealer wrote, "The very last sentence of Catching Fire will leave readers gasping. Not to mention primed for part three."

However, not all reviews were positive. The same review from The Plain Dealer became annoyed at how, "after 150 pages of romantic dithering, I was tapping my foot to move on." A review from Entertainment Weekly called the book weaker than the first and wrote, "Katniss pretends to be in love with her sweet-natured Games teammate Peeta Mellark, but she secretly pines for brooding Gale, a childhood friend. Except — why? There's little distinction between the two thinly imagined guys, other than the fact that Peeta has a dopier name. Collins conjures none of the erotic energy that makes Twilight, for instance, so creepily alluring".

In addition, Time magazine named Catching Fire the fourth top fiction book of 2009, while People magazine rated it their eighth Best Book of 2009. It also won Publishers Weekly's Best Book of the Year for 2009 award.

Film adaptation

Lionsgate announced that a film adaption of Catching Fire will be released November 22, 2013, as a sequel to the film adaption of The Hunger Games, which will be released March 23, 2012.

External links

• Suzanne Collins' official website
• Scholastic Official Site
• Catching Fire at the Hunger Games Wiki.