As a middle aged male, I understand that I am not exactly the target audience for THE HUNGER GAMES but I did find it an enjoyable read. Some of it could be predicted from page one but there were still plenty of surprises. Obvious early on was that there would be a love triangle involved but it is handled with restraint and the main character Katniss does not dither over the topic—it does not smother the rest of the story. Katniss is allowed to be a teenager with her understanding of life being limited but the author does not allow that to limit her story telling. The reader is allowed an understanding of the world around Katniss that she herself has not achieved yet. The future dystopia that she lives in is well and believably structured. Beyond the Hunger Games themselves, there are no gimmicks designed to single out the dramatic lives of teenagers—no soap opera elements present teens as suffering saints. The world is oppressive, daily life stark, and survival is foremost on the mind…for everybody. Comparing it to another juggernaut young adult phenomenon, THE HUNGER GAMES has a much better main character than the TWILIGHT books. Whereas Bella is generally passive until the final book, swooning one way and then the other, Katniss is aggressive, self-possessed, and responsible because she has to be. The Games themselves start with a bang and maintain that tension pretty well. The violence is restrained, and Katniss isn’t exactly mowing people down but the action evolves in a way that is both logical and satisfying. That balance extends to the handling of the future society and the government that runs it—and her more immediate relationships within the district she lives in. Well done and the story certainly compels the reader into the next book.