The Hunger Games By the time the film adaptation of "The Hunger Games" was released in 2012, the publisher had reported over 26 million "Hunger Games" trilogy books in print, including movie tie-in books. "The Hunger Games" universe is a dystopia set in Panem, a country consisting of the wealthy Capitol and 12 districts in varying states of poverty. Every year, children from the districts are selected to participate in a compulsory televised battle royale death match called The Hunger Games. The novels were all well received. In August 2012, the series ranked second, exceeded only by the "Harry Potter" series in NPR's
The Hunger Games between Peeta and Gale and the series lacked the "erotic energy" seen in the "Twilight" series. J.C. Maçek III of "PopMatters" stated "While the film saga does capture the action of "The Hunger Games", the novels are most assuredly the heart of the story. They are nothing less than 'The Writer’s Cut' of the films themselves." The last book, "Mockingjay", was criticized by Dan Shade of "SF Site", who felt that Katniss is a weaker character than her comrades and less resolute in her journey to the Capitol, and that with respect to her vendetta against President Snow, her actions