No, I'm Not Going to Read The Hunger Games...

The Hunger Lames

... just like I didn't read the Harry Potter novels. Thanks for asking, but I'm just not interested.

This post is for no one in particular (and certainly not for any of the dozens of people who have encouraged me to read these books, along with whatever other series happens to be popular at the time), but just something I wanted to share with the world.

I know of The Hunger Games. I've read the back of the books, looked at the wikipedia page for the series, and even sat down at a book store recently and read most of the first chapter of the first novel. They're not for me, and I'll tell you why: I've already these stories. I don't mean to say that I've read this particular series of novels by Suzanne Collins, just that as a life-long science fiction fan, I have read dozens of novels and short stories that have already dealt with the same tropes, plots, and ideas as these books. I'm pretty sure Issac Asimov covered everything that happened in all four of those novels in a single short story he wrote some time in the fifties or sixties. That isn't to say that The Hunger Games are derivative, poorly written, or lacking in substance or originality (how would I know?). I'm sure they are wonderful books that are very entertaining for people who haven't grown up reading these kinds of stories.

All I'm saying is that The Hunger Games are science fiction stories for people who don't like science fiction.

Just like the Harry Potter novels were fantasy for people who don't like fantasy.

Just like Twilight was horror for people who ... actually, I'm not sure who Twilight was for.

But anyway, no, I'm not going to read The Hunger Games. I like sci-fi and I like fantasy, so I've read stories that deal with the same ideas and themes, only better and written for adults. I'm glad that The Hunger Games and Harry Potter exist, of course, since they have given so many people so much enjoyment. And, I suppose, to a certain extent they have offered more opportunities for people to write and publish real science fiction and fantasy. I don't begrudge the success of these franchises, and I love the fact that they allow nongeeks a glimpse into what real geeks love about sci-fi and fantasy, even if they will never actually read anything else from either genre.

But, please, don't ask me to read them, because I'm just not interested.