The Hunger Games (Illustrated Edition)
By Suzanne Collins
Illustrated by Nico Delort
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan
The Hunger Games, a dystopian novel inspired by reality television, Greek mythology and Roman gladiatorial games, became a worldwide publishing phenomenon when it first appeared in 2008. It is the first in a series, has been made into a popular film and is now firmly ensconced as a classic.
For those who don’t know the story – Katniss Everdeen is struggling to survive in a harsh dystopian world of District 12 in Panem. One of the ways the Capitol keeps control is through the annual Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death featuring two young tributes from each of Panem’s twelve districts. When Katniss becomes a tribute the story becomes a thrilling, sometimes heart-wrenching fight for survival. Rich with interlaced themes of survival, friendship, first love, friendship, loyalty and more this story has thrilled thousands of teenage readers.
This stunning illustrated edition is aimed at those who want a copy to treasure, to linger over and savour the significant moments, to maybe give to someone who also enjoyed the book or film. It is a large heavy book, not something you would read in bed. The book is well designed with plenty of white space and reader friendly print, but it is the black and white illustrations that make this edition such a treasure.
Delort, a Canadian and French illustrator, has worked as a freelance illustrator for 15 years. Their black and white scratchboard illustrations are known for their elaborate compositions, dramatic lighting and intricate detail all of which are showcased to the full here. For this edition they have chosen many significant moments in the story and brought them to gloriouslife in full page, sometime double page illustration. The black and white style admirably suits the dystopian ethos. Rich in detail and emotion, balanced between quiet reflection and action sequences these pages add significantly to the story, immersing the reader in a world that is consistently grim and bleak contrasted with moments of love and tenderness.
Nico Delort has set the bar very high here and I look forward to seeing what they do with the rest of the series.
Scholastic Inc 2024
Suzanne Collins
Nico Delort
