Catching Fire is a 2009 young adult fiction novel written by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the second book in The Hunger Games series. This book follows the story of Katniss Everdeen, who is now 17 years old, and the nation of Panem, which exists after a major disaster. After the events of the first book, The Hunger Games, a rebellion against the strict rulers in the Capitol begins. Katniss and her friend Peeta Mellark are forced to return to the arena for a special version of the Hunger Games.
The book was first published on September 1, 2009, by Scholastic in hardcover. It was later released as an ebook and audiobook. Catching Fire received mostly good reviews, with readers praising Collins’ writing, the ending of the book, and how Katniss grows as a character. Themes in the story include survival, strict control by leaders, rebellion, and the idea of working together versus being independent. The book has sold more than 19 million copies in the United States alone. A movie version, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was released on November 22, 2013.
Plot
Six months after winning the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return home to District 12, the poorest area of Panem. Before their "Victory Tour" across the country, President Snow visits Katniss and warns her that her actions during the previous Games have inspired rebellion in the districts. Snow demands that Katniss convince the people she acted out of love for Peeta, not against the Capitol, or her family and friend Gale Hawthorne will be executed. Katniss shares this threat with her mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, but not with Peeta.
The tour begins in District 11, where Katniss’s Hunger Games ally, Rue, lived. Peeta announces he will give part of his winnings to Rue’s family and to the family of another tribute, Thresh. Katniss gives a sudden, sincere speech thanking the fallen tributes. An old man salutes Katniss, and the crowd follows, but the man is executed. Katniss tells Peeta about Snow’s threat, and they continue the tour as planned. To make Snow happy, Peeta proposes to Katniss during a televised interview in the Capitol, and she accepts. However, Snow is still unhappy with her actions, making Katniss fear for her loved ones.
Returning to District 12, which now has more strict Peacekeepers enforcing the Capitol’s rules, Gale is caught poaching and is publicly whipped until Haymitch stops the punishment. While hunting, Katniss meets Bonnie and Twill, refugees from District 8, whose uprising failed. They plan to travel to District 13, which was thought to be destroyed during the first rebellion. Katniss is injured while climbing over District 12’s live electric fence. As she prepares for her wedding, Katniss learns that Districts 3 and 4 have also risen against the Capitol.
The Capitol announces the 75th Hunger Games with a new rule: tributes will be chosen from previous winners. As District 12’s only female victor, Katniss must compete with either Haymitch or Peeta. Haymitch is selected, but Peeta volunteers to take his place. In the Capitol, Haymitch tells Katniss to find allies, but she connects with the weakest tributes. During a televised interview, Katniss’s stylist, Cinna, changes her wedding dress into a black dress made of feathers that look like a mockingjay. To stop the Games, Peeta lies in the interview, saying Katniss is pregnant. Before entering the arena, Katniss watches helplessly as Cinna is beaten and dragged away by Peacekeepers.
Katniss and Peeta team up with Finnick Odair from District 4 and Mags, his 80-year-old mentor. Peeta is nearly killed by the arena’s force field, and the group escapes a poisonous fog. Mags sacrifices herself to help Finnick save the injured Peeta. Katniss and Peeta later join Johanna Mason from District 7 and Beetee and Wiress from District 3, who are described as exceptionally smart. Wiress explains that the arena is set up like a clock, with dangers appearing at specific times and places for one hour. Wiress is killed, and Katniss and Johanna kill the District 1 tributes, Gloss and Cashmere. The group works on Beetee’s plan to use lightning to attack the District 2 tributes, who later stop the plan. Katniss uses her bow and arrow to direct the lightning into the force field, destroying it and knocking her unconscious. Meanwhile, Peeta kills the District 2 male tribute, Brutus.
Katniss wakes up traveling to District 13 with Finnick, Beetee, and Haymitch. She learns from Haymitch and Plutarch Heavensbee, the Head Gamemaker, that there was a hidden plan to rescue Katniss, who is now a symbol of the rebellion. Peeta, along with Johanna and District 2 tribute Enobaria, has been captured by the Capitol. Later, Katniss learns from Gale that, although some family members and residents have escaped, District 12 has been destroyed.
Themes
The main themes of Catching Fire include survival, sacrifice, and the struggle between relying on others and being independent. As reviewer Margo Dill explained, "In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta depend on each other to stay alive. They care more about the other person’s survival than their own." Dill also points out that this relationship may make it more likely that both characters could face danger.
Another key theme is government control, which appears in the book and the entire trilogy. After putting down the first rebellion, the Capitol creates rules to control citizens’ lives. Dill notes that the 75th annual Hunger Games introduce "new" rules that put Katniss and Peeta in danger again. More Peacekeepers are sent to districts to stop any hope of rebellion that remained after the last Hunger Games. A major theme throughout the trilogy is the power of the media and how popular culture influences people’s emotions, desires, and opinions. Other themes in the book include morality, obedience, sacrifice, redemption, love, and law.
Publication history
Catching Fire had a first hardcover release date of September 8, 2009. This date was changed to September 1, 2009, because retailers wanted the book to be released before Labor Day and the start of school for many readers. The audiobook version was also released on September 1, 2009. Advance reading copies were available at BookExpo America in New York City and sent to some booksellers. These copies were also offered as prizes in Scholastic's "How Would You Survive" writing contest in May 2009. An eBook version was published on June 3, 2010. The book had an initial print run of 350,000 copies, which increased to over 750,000 by February 2010. The third book in the series, Mockingjay, was released on August 24, 2010. By March 2012, the book had sold more than 10 million copies.
Critical reception
Publishers Weekly wrote, "Although this second book spends some time reviewing events from the first book, it still delivers exciting action scenes that readers enjoy." Booklist noted that the "simple writing style allows readers to easily follow the story's fast pace and vivid world creation." The New York Times gave a positive review, stating, "Collins has created a sequel that is better than the first book. As a reader, I felt excited and hopeful that the story and characters would continue to develop." The review also highlighted Collins' work in making the character of Katniss more detailed. The Plain Dealer wrote, "The final sentence of Catching Fire will surprise readers and leave them eager for the next book."
However, some reviews were not positive. The Plain Dealer also mentioned disappointment with "too much focus on romantic relationships after 150 pages, which made the story feel slow." A review from Entertainment Weekly said the book was less strong than the first one and noted, "Katniss acts as if she is in love with Peeta Mellark, a kind Games contestant, but secretly wants to be with Gale, a childhood friend. However, the reasons for this are unclear, and the two characters are not very different from each other. Collins does not create the same exciting tension seen in books like Twilight."
In addition, Time magazine listed Catching Fire as number four on its list of the top 100 fiction books of 2009. People magazine ranked it as the eighth Best Book of 2009. The book also received the 2009 Best Book of the Year award from Publishers Weekly.
Film adaptation
Lionsgate announced that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire would be released on November 22, 2013, as a sequel to the film version of The Hunger Games. In April 2012, it was announced that Gary Ross, the director of The Hunger Games, would not return because of a busy schedule. Francis Lawrence was officially named the director for Catching Fire on May 3, 2012. The film included returning actors from the first movie and new cast members, such as Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, Lynn Cohen as Mags, Alan Ritchson as Gloss, Sam Claflin as Finnick, and Jeffrey Wright as Beetee. Production began on September 10, 2012, and ended on December 21, 2012. Filming first took place in and around Atlanta. Scenes from District 11 were also shot in rural areas of Macon County, Georgia, and the rest of the filming was done in Hawaii. Some scenes with trees were filmed in Oakland, New Jersey.
The film was successful, earning over $800 million and becoming the fifth most successful film in 2013. It received good reviews from critics. It was followed by the two-part film version of the third book, Mockingjay, which was released on November 21, 2014 (Part 1) and November 20, 2015 (Part 2).