By Lois H. Gresh
St. Martin’s Griffin, $12.99, 256 pages

The Hunger Games Companion starts out with a bang. The first part of the book is spent explaining the author’s feelings towards Suzanne Collins’ massively popular trilogy with hints on how she will attempt to explain why the characters do what they do, look at aspects of the setting and culture shown in the books, how it relates to readers, and also spends time looking at aspects of this dystopian fiction. It’s a well-written and almost inspiring piece of writing that pulls readers immediately into the meat of the book.

Unfortunately, the book does not deliver on what the introduction promises us. Much of the text is spent analyzing current political situations, technology, weapons, and even history. Although these ideas are eventually connected to the characters and situations presented in the Hunger Games books, most of the analysis just doesn’t feel related. It’s not really a companion or guide to the Hunger Games books, but rather a jumping off point for the author’s thoughts and analysis. The result is a book that reads more like a collection of college research papers, and it likely won’t really appeal to the wide audience of the original trilogy.

Reviewed by Alyssa Feller