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anneklein 's review for:
Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
I really liked this, as a sequel but also as a book in and of itself. It's rare to find a sequel that is as good as the first book, let alone one that's better, but I think Catching Fire really did it. I was so glad to have even more parts of the book take place outside the Games than in the first book; I feel like I would have had the opposite opinion had I read this as a teen, but I liked that more than half of the story developed the context around the Games, allowed us to see the rest of the world, and so on. From the very beginning of the series I got very curious about the rest of the districts, I kept a note on my phone of what we knew about each of them, and the extra info we get about them via the tributes that Katniss meets in this book was really cool to learn. Whenever I read sci-fi or fantasy, one of the things that interests me most is the organising structures of our character's societies, the background systems in their world, and so on. I'm always interested in systems and the overarching perspective they give me as a reader, and so the parts of the book outside the Games were very interesting to me; and then once we moved to the arena for the games, that perspective was provided (albeit less so) through the characterisation of the other tributes.
We also see more of Gale's attitude to the oppression by the Capitol, and his revolutionary rationale and thought processes. I think his character is very interesting and complex, and it's a shame they didn't find space in the movies to show this part of him and instead reduced him to a second love interest. I think Gale tells us a lot about the revolutionary mindset and the different ways people get radicalised and turn to armed resistance. I imagine back when the series got published, his attitude must have seemed quite intense and violent, but in 2025 I feel like he is more and more sympathetic. I am very excited to see more of him in Mockingjay.
Aside from the wider worldbuilding and scope of the book, the supporting characters are what truly shines about Catching Fire. Plutarch is very interesting, and after his weird reference to his Mockingjay watch during the Victory Tour I really couldn't figure him out or know what to make of him. But the tributes really did it for me: Johanna, Mags, Wiress, Beetee and Finnick. Oh, Finnick. Suzanne Collins really captured that feeling of "doomed youth" that I associate so much with Classical Greek and Roman poetry, and I really loved that. He is so apparently self-assured, but deep down he cares way too much about everything and that is my absolute weakness. Also, the marine imagery of district 4 is so evocative, and I enjoyed that even though it was kinda implausible for Suzanne Collins to make him fight with a trident.
Overall I was extremely impressed with this book, and I can see why it deserves its rightful place in the sci-fi/dystopian hall of fame. Suzanne Collins pulls no punches, even fewer than she does in the first book, and is not afraid to end with an impactful cliffhanger. Massive respect for her willingness to stand behind her own writing and story like that.
We also see more of Gale's attitude to the oppression by the Capitol, and his revolutionary rationale and thought processes. I think his character is very interesting and complex, and it's a shame they didn't find space in the movies to show this part of him and instead reduced him to a second love interest. I think Gale tells us a lot about the revolutionary mindset and the different ways people get radicalised and turn to armed resistance. I imagine back when the series got published, his attitude must have seemed quite intense and violent, but in 2025 I feel like he is more and more sympathetic. I am very excited to see more of him in Mockingjay.
Aside from the wider worldbuilding and scope of the book, the supporting characters are what truly shines about Catching Fire. Plutarch is very interesting, and after his weird reference to his Mockingjay watch during the Victory Tour I really couldn't figure him out or know what to make of him. But the tributes really did it for me: Johanna, Mags, Wiress, Beetee and Finnick. Oh, Finnick. Suzanne Collins really captured that feeling of "doomed youth" that I associate so much with Classical Greek and Roman poetry, and I really loved that. He is so apparently self-assured, but deep down he cares way too much about everything and that is my absolute weakness. Also, the marine imagery of district 4 is so evocative, and I enjoyed that even though it was kinda implausible for Suzanne Collins to make him fight with a trident.
Overall I was extremely impressed with this book, and I can see why it deserves its rightful place in the sci-fi/dystopian hall of fame. Suzanne Collins pulls no punches, even fewer than she does in the first book, and is not afraid to end with an impactful cliffhanger. Massive respect for her willingness to stand behind her own writing and story like that.