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Catching Fire

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For other uses, see Catching Fire (disambiguation).
Catching Fire
North American first edition cover
AuthorSuzanne Collins
Cover artistTim O'Brien
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Hunger Games trilogy
GenreAdventure
Dystopian
Science fiction[1]
Action
PublisherScholastic
Publication date
September 1, 2009
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages391
ISBN978-0-439-02349-8
OCLC288932790
[Fic] 22
LC ClassPZ7.C6837 Cat 2009
Preceded byThe Hunger Games 
Followed byMockingjay 

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

The book was first published on September 1, 2009, by Scholastic, in hardcover, and was later released in ebook and audiobook format. A film adaptation of the novel is set to be released on November 22, 2013. Catching Fire has received mostly positive reviews, with reviewers praising Collins' prose, the book's ending, and the development of Katniss's character. According to critics, major themes of the novel include survival, government control, rebellion, and interdependence vs. independence. Catching Fire was followed by the release of the final novel in the series, Mockingjay, on August 24, 2010.

Synopsis

Further information: The Hunger Games

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 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, who explains that he is angry with her for breaking the rules at the end of the last Hunger Games, which permitted both Peeta and Katniss to win. Snow tells Katniss that when she defied the Capitol, she inspired rebellion in the districts.

The first stop on the Victory Tour is District 11, the home of Katniss's deceased friend and ally in the Hunger Games, Rue. During the ceremony, Katniss delivers a brief speech to the people of District 11, thanking them for their participants in the Games. When she is done, an old man whistles the tune that Katniss used in the arena to tell Rue 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. Leaving District 11, Katniss and Peeta 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 and placate the growing rebellion. Despite this, Katniss learns that their attempts of subduing revolt in the districts have failed.

Shortly after returning to District 12, Katniss encounters two runaways from District 8. They explain their theory that District 13 was not wiped out by the Capitol, contrary to what the other districts have been led to believe, and that many of its residents survive in underground shelters. Later, it is announced that, for the 75th Hunger Games, 24 victors from previous years will be forced to compete once again. This is the third occurrence of the "Quarter Quell": an event that occurs every 25th year of the Games and allows the Capitol to introduce a twist. Knowing that she and Peeta will both be competing in the Games a second time, Katniss decides that she will devote herself to ensuring that Peeta becomes the Quarter Quell's victor. However, Peeta is devoted to protecting her.

During the Games, set in a jungle with a saltwater lake, Katniss and Peeta join up with two other previous victors: Finnick Odair, a 24-year-old man who survived the Games at the age of 14, and Mags, Finnick's 80-year-old mentor, both from District 4. After Mags's 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 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 Katniss wakes up, she is being transported to District 13, joined by Finnick, Beetee, and her mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. She learns that Peeta and Johanna have been captured by the Capitol, and is informed that there had been a plan among most of the contestants to break out of the arena—Beetee had been attempting to destroy the force field in the same way that she did. The book ends when Katniss's best friend, Gale, comes to visit her and informs her that, though he got her family out in time, District 12 has been bombed and destroyed.

Themes

The main themes of Catching Fire include survival,[2] and the conflict between interdependence and independence. As reviewer Margo Dill noted, "In [Catching Fire], 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." Dill goes on to explain how this likely increases the chances of each character dying.[3]

Government control is another important theme, both within the book and throughout the entire trilogy. After quashing the first rebellion, the Capitol establishes rules in order to restrict and control the citizens' lives. Examples noted by Dill include that, "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 quash any hope that the citizens started to have after the last Hunger Games."[3] Another major theme throughout the trilogy is the media and the influence or power that popular culture has over the emotions, wishes and views of society. Other themes in the book include morality, obedience, sacrifice, redemption, love, and law.[2]

Publication history

Catching Fire had a preliminary hardcover release date of September 8, 2009, which was moved up to September 1 in response to requests by retailers to move the release to before Labor Day and the start of school for many readers.[4][5] It was also published as an audiobook on the same day.[6] Advance reading copies were available at BookExpo America in New York City,[7] 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.[6] Catching Fire had an initial print of 350,000 copies,[4] a number which had grown to over 750,000 by February 2010.[8] The release of Mockingjay, the third novel of the series, followed on August 24, 2010.[9][10]

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."[11] Booklist commented on how the "unadorned prose provides an open window to perfect pacing and electrifying world building".[2] 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?" The review also praised Collins' development of the character of Katniss.[12] The Plain Dealer wrote, "The very last sentence of Catching Fire will leave readers gasping. Not to mention primed for part three."[13]

However, not all reviews were positive. The same review from The Plain Dealer expressed displeasure at how, "after 150 pages of romantic dithering, I was tapping my foot to move on."[13] A review from Entertainment Weekly opined that the book was 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."[14]

In addition, Time magazine placed Catching Fire at number four on its list of the top 100 fiction books of 2009,[15] while People magazine rated it the eighth Best Book of 2009.[16] It also won the Publishers Weekly's 2009 award for Best Book of the Year.[17]

Film adaptation

Main article: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Lionsgate has announced that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released on November 22, 2013,[18] as a sequel to the film adaptation of The Hunger Games. In April 2012, it was announced that Gary Ross, director of The Hunger Games, would not return due to a "tight" and "fitted" schedule.[19] Francis Lawrence was officially announced as the director for Catching Fire on May 3, 2012.[20] The film's cast is slated to include Jena Malone as Johanna Mason,[21] Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee,[22] Lynn Cohen as Mags,[23] Alan Ritchson as Gloss,[24] Sam Claflin as Finnick,[25] and Jeffrey Wright as Beetee.[26] Production officially began on September 10, 2012 and concluded on December 21, 2012.[27] Shooting first took place in and around metropolitan Atlanta. Several District 11 scenes were also filmed in the rural areas of Macon County, Georgia, and the rest of production took place in Hawaii. [28]

References

  1. ^ "Mockingjay proves the Hunger Games is must-read literature". io9. 26 August 26. Retrieved 12 February 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c Chipman, Ian. "Booklist Catching Fire Review". Booklist. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b Dill, Margo (July 15, 1234). "Novel Study Guides : Themes in Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins". Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  4. ^ a b "The On-Sale Calendar: September 2009 Children's Books". Publishers Weekly. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  5. ^ "The Hunger Games". Scholastic. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  6. ^ a b "Amazon Catching Fire". Amazon. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  7. ^ Roback, Diane (2009-01-22). "'Hunger Games 2': A First Look". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
  8. ^ Roback, Diane (February 11, 2010). "'Mockingjay' to Conclude the Hunger Games Trilogy". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  9. ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (2010-02-11). "Final 'Hunger Games' novel has been given a title and a cover". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  10. ^ "Suzanne Collins's Third Book in the Hunger Games Trilogy to Be Published by Scholastic on August 24, 2010" (Press release). Scholastic. 2009-12-03. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  11. ^ "Children's Book Reviews: 6/22/2009". Publishers Weekly. 2009-06-22. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  12. ^ Zevin, Gabrielle (October 9, 2009). "Constant Craving". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  13. ^ a b Welch, Rollie (September 6, 2009). "'Catching Fire' brings back Suzanne Collins' kindhearted killer: Young Readers". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  14. ^ Reese, Jennifer (August 28, 2009). "Catching Fire (2009)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  15. ^ "The Top 10 Everything of 2009". Time. 2009-12-08. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  16. ^ "People Magazine's Top Ten Books of 2009". BookGuide. January 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  17. ^ Grossman, Lev (8 December 2009). "Scholastic Catching Fire page". Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  18. ^ Weinstein, Joshua L (August 8, 2011). "The Hunger Games Sequel Set for 2013 Release". The Wrap. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  19. ^ Hertzfeld, Laura (April 10, 2012). "Gary Ross will not direct second 'Hunger Games' installment 'Catching Fire'". Entertainment Weekly. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (May 3, 2012). "Francis Lawrence confirmed as 'Catching Fire' director". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  21. ^ Kit, Borys. "Jena Malone Chosen as Tribute for 'Catching Fire' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  22. ^ Cornet, Roth (July 9, 2012). "Philip Seymour Hoffman Cast As Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire". AMC Entertainment. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  23. ^ Games, Hunger. "Lynn Cohen Hunger Games". Facebook. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  24. ^ Adly MacKenzie, Carina (August 9, 2012). "'Smallville's' Alan Ritchson joins 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' as Gloss". Zap2it. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  25. ^ Wigler, Josh. "'Catching Fire' Casts Sam Claflin As Finnick". Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  26. ^ Sperling, Lindsay (September 7, 2012). "Jeffrey Wright Joins Catching Fire". Complex Media. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  27. ^ Vary, Adam B. "'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' begins shooting in Georgia, before moving to Hawaii". Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  28. ^ McAllister, Cameron. "'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' officially begins production in Georgia". Retrieved 10 September 2012.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catching_Fire&oldid=540028473"