Fri
Mar 23 2012 7:37pm

After the Games: What to Read After Watching The Hunger Games

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda Hooray, hooray, The Hunger Games movie is finally here! Fellow staffer Christopher Morgan and I saw it this morning, and I have to say, we were pretty impressed. In fact, I think we both came out of the theater way more excited about it than we had been going in.

That said, if you’re like us, you’re already wondering: What’s next?! After all, it will be months before we get another Katniss & co. fix with the next movie, Catching Fire, which is set to hit theaters on November 22, 2013.

Well, here are a few Hunger Games-esque books we’ve either already read and loved or are looking forward to getting our hot little hands on soon:

The Hunt (out May 8, 2012) by Andrew Fukuda (Read the first 80 pages on Facebook — you just have to like the page!)
Divergent (out now) and Insurgent (out May 1) by Veronica Roth (Read an excerpt from Chapter 2!)
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Legend by Marie Lu
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Blood Red Road by Moira Young

And if nothing will do but more of The Hunger Games (believe me, I know the feeling), there’s always The Hunger Games Companion by Lois H. Gresh, The Girl Who Was on Fire edited by Leah Wilson, The Hunger Games Tribute Guide by Emily Seife, The World of the Hunger Games by Kate Egan, and more.

How about you? Do these recs hit the spot? Can you think of any other books a fellow fan might enjoy? My list is all YA—are there Hunger Games-like romance novels we should be reading too?

paranormal

1. Lafka

view all by Lafka | Friday March 23, 2012 08:34pm EDT | amended on Friday March 23, 2012 08:35pm EDT

Not YA but definitely a must-read if you seek further exploration of kids-killing-kids dystopia : Koushun Takami's Battle Royale. Basically, in a totalitarian State, a class of teens is brought to an island, collared with explosive tracking system, given a bag with a little bit of supplies and a random weapon (from fork to Uzi), and forced to kill each other until only one survivor stands.
More violent than Hunger Games, and less focused on relationships between characters, but rather on how extreme fear and past experiences can have a regular kid commit the worst. Very different treatment of a rather similar topic :-)

I haven't read any of the books mentionned in the article, thanks for the suggestions!

2. lanchid

view all by lanchid | Friday March 23, 2012 08:36pm EDT

GONE by Michael Grant. It's the first in a six book series about a small fictional town in CA where one day, everyone over the age of 15 disappears. I just discovered this series and have become completely obsessed. Great characters, great interactions between them (Edilio has become my new fave!), and really horrifying events. Um..assuming that last one can be considered a selling point. :-)

3. aculver1

Sunday March 25, 2012 04:34pm EDT

Matched by Ally Condie and the second one Crossed. Similar idea of the dystopia society where the government tells everyone what the roll is, who they marry, and when you die. The main character Cassie believes she is to marry her best friend but another is chosen before the screen goes blank. Now she has a choice to make. The story focuses more on the relationship and the roll of the government.

4. Darlynne

Monday March 26, 2012 11:42am EDT

I'm a huge fan of Divergent and Blood Red Road, so I'm thrilled to see the recs here and Enclave is in my TBR pile. Both books began with heroines I didn't particularly care for, especially BRR, but the author won me over in each case and I'm eager to see where we go from here.

5. dawn_roberto

view all by dawn_roberto | Wednesday March 28, 2012 01:41pm EDT

Loved Enclave and have Divergent on my reading wish list. Added some of theo others as well. Thanks for the list.

6. BeguileThySorrow

view all by BeguileThySorrow | Wednesday March 28, 2012 05:00pm EDT

With the exception of The Hunt, I've read all of the books on your list and liked them all except Divergent. Really looking forward to getting The Hunt though, I've heard it's very good.

7. anaavu

view all by anaavu | Monday June 18, 2012 03:26pm EDT

Blood Red Road and Legend are fantastic recommendations! pretty spot-on. One you guys missed is Ashes by Ilsa J Bick. It's pretty violent and gory too, I just loved it!