Catching Fire

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins was well-received by critics, authors as well as readers. Catching Fire, especially, was praised for its “unadorned prose,” “perfect pacing” and “electrifying world-building.” Published with an initial print of 350,000 copies, the number was bumped up to almost 750,000 copies by February 2010.

The prequel to Catching Fire, The Hunger Games was already a worldwide sensation, with the rights to the novel being sold in 38 countries. Catching Fire was an even bigger success, and had already sold 10 million copies by 2012. Gabrielle Zevin from The New York Times commented, “Collins has done that rare thing. She has written a sequel that improves upon the first book. As a reader, I felt excited and hopeful: could it be that this series and its characters were actually going somewhere?”

There is no dearth to the number of honors that Catching Fire snagged upon its release. Not only did it make the bestseller lists of USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly, it also made the Top 10 Fiction Books of 2009 by Time Magazine and Best Books of 2009: Children’s Fiction by Publisher’s Weekly. People Magazine named it one of the Top 10 Best Books of 2009, while Los Angeles Times named it the Best Children’s Book of 2009.

Catching Fire was also the Booklist Editor’s Choice 2009, and a Kirkus Best Book of 2009. It was also the 2010 Children’s Choice Book Award and one of the Top 100 Editors’ Picks in the Amazon Best Books of 2009.

Reviews from critics have been positive for Catching Fire, with Publisher’s Weekly commenting, “If this second installment spends too much time recapping events from book one, it doesn’t disappoint when it segues into the pulse-pounding action leaders have come to expect.”

Reviewers have also praised the character development that occurs in the novel, as well as its cliffhanger ending. The Plain Dealer wrote “The very last sentence of Catching Fire will leave readers gasping. Not to mention primed for part three.”

A film adaptation of Catching Fire was released in 2013 to resounding success. The film was produced by Lionsgate Entertainment and starred Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth in the roles of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale respectively. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire grossed more than $800 million in 2013, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film at the box office that year. It was also the highest-grossing installment of the Hunger Games series, as well as the highest-grossing film by Lionsgate Entertainment.

The symbol of the Mockingjay, a fictitious bird in The Hunger Games universe has left a lasting impact on popular culture. The bird has made its way into fan merchandise, with necklaces and other accessories being fashioned out of it.

The three-finger salute – where one presses the three middle fingers of the left hand to their lips and then raises their fingers into the air – became popular after Catching Fire. Although the salute was first introduced in The Hunger Games, it was in Catching Fire that the salute became a symbol of the rebellion. The salute has been appropriated in the real world since then and has become a pro-democracy symbol after the 2014 Thai coup d’etat. The protestors in Thailand added further meaning to the three-finger salute, stating that the three fingers stand for the three ideals of the French Revolution – liberty, equality, and fraternity. It has since been used in protests and coup d’etats across the world, including Hong Kong, Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the United States.

As a part of The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire has given way to the world of Young Adult Fiction, specifically Young Adult Dystopian Fiction in the contemporary period. The trilogy has gained immense fame and influence, and parallels can be drawn with J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. Several writers of Young Adult Fiction across the world have gained inspiration from The Hunger Games for their works.

Catching Fire, much like the other Hunger Games books, is well-loved not only by its intended audience but by people of all ages. Its influence continues to be widespread, and it continues to make history in the world of Young Adult literature.