The Hunger Games: Special Edition

By: Suzanne Collins

Narrated by: Tatiana Maslany

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

Emmy Award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany narrates a brand-new special edition recording of the first audiobook in the worldwide best-selling trilogy from Suzanne Collins! 

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by 12 outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. 

This special edition audiobook includes a bonus track Q&A with Tatiana Maslany!

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2008 Suzanne Collins (P)2018 Scholastic Inc.

same great book but the performance.

same great book but the version performed by Carolyn McCormick are better. took me a while to realize I was listening to Nadia from parks and rec.

Now THIS is what Katniss is supposed to sound like

The Hunger Games trilogy has been important to me ever since the first movie came out. I loved the symbolism, the storytelling, the protagonist, and the metaphor for war. I love that the mental health impacts of oppression, traumatic loss, parental mental illness, and war are represented in a way that neither glosses over psychological and functional imparements nor turns mental illness into a plot device. I love the gender role flipping. And I love that such a hard story is written in a way that is compelling, exciting, brutal, and digestible for young and old alike. But when I bought the audiobook on sale a little while back, I was deeply disappointed. In this medium, the narrator can make or break the story, and the narrator they chose for the trilogy was all wrong for a trilogy that immerses readers so deeply inside of Katniss’s mind. Tatiana Maslany, however, is splendid. I know it was her first time narrating, and voice acting is so different from screen acting, but other than being a bit too breathy at times, I loved every minute. It was like rediscovering the joy of the Hunger Games all over again. I’m ten years older, but this story never gets old for me. It’s so important. I hope they bring Tatiana back to narrate the rest of the trilogy (hint hint). I also enjoyed the extras. One was a short interview with Tatiana, included after the final chapter, in which she answers questions about what the Hunger Games has meant to her and her experience narrating the first book. The other extra is a PDF downloadable from your library here on Audible’s website, which includes the transcripts of two interviews—one with Suzanne Collins done to celebrate ten years, and the second a forum with Suzanne and Walter Dean Meyers about the importance of writing war stories suitable for children and youth. The extras may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved them. Thank you to everyone who made this special edition happen. And, um... about the next two books... pretty pretty please?

the book is amazing

i love this book! my only problem with it is the reader sounded so bored. they should have kept the original person reading instead cause i couldnt even make it to the games before i had to give up. sorry Tatiana, you need to add life to what you read or else you might just ruin it

great story

My 14 year old son and I really enjoyed the story. We are excited for the rest of the trilogy. That said, I really struggled with the readers voices for the characters, I mean really struggled.

Great book, lackluster narration

Unfortunately this special edition recording features a VERY obviously inexperienced audiobook narrator, who constantly hesitates, cannot seem to keep a consistent volume and sighs every few words. She also sounds out of breath most of the time.

I hope she records the others

I have loved these books for years. I heard this was an excellent audiobook so I bought it and I don't regret it at all. I truly hope she records the other two at some point because she gets it. The dialogue is perfectly executed, the voices are great. You feel it. Catherine McCormick is wonderful but she just doesn't pull off the teenager vibe. I'm sad I've finished it already! I guess I'll have to listen again!

A certain classic!

I read and reviewed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the HUNGER GAMES prequel by 64 years that gave the background of the hated future President Snow, one month ago when it was released. I read the original Hunger Games novel 12 years ago when it was released. Few if any other Teen and YA Fiction novels have had the impact of the Hunger Games series. The current audio editions of the first three audio books in the series were published during the last two years. My age was 65 when I first read Hunger Games and I read it at the same time as my three oldest grandchildren as well as their parents. I continue to marvel at the imagination of author Suzanne Collins. It shows that excellent teen and YA fiction has a much broader age range appeal than its target audience. Make no mistake this series is dark (which is true of much teen fiction) but life can be dark. From my perspective Mockingjay is even darker than Hunger Games or Catching Fire. Since I do not plan o review Catching Fire or Mockingjay I will state here that I remain more than a little miffed at author Suzanne Collins for killing off Primrose (the younger sister of series protagonist Katniss Everdeen) in Mockingjay. I very, very highly recommend this entire series.

Hunger Games: special edition.

I only made it thru seven chapters before shutting it off. She reads with no emotion with lots of pauses. I felt like I was being read a story at daycare. How can I get the other narrarated version. I borrowed a kindle that got me hooked on audio books and that had a much better reader. The story is great but I can't listen to this one it's really bad.

Exceptional Narrator for an Exceptional Book

THIS is the audio version I highly recommend. I would avoid the other version that is almost painful to hear. This version is worthy of the book. I very much hope the remainder of the series will be rerecorded by this narrator - her performance is exceptional.

hard to listen to the performer

Amazing book but that narrator is hard to listen to. The voices she uses for Peeta and Haymitch are so irritating. There are times when Katniss is struggling through parts of the games and the narrator sounds constipated trying to convey the struggle-- i guess. I wish I’d bought a different version of this audio book. 10 hours of a girl trying to do boy/man voices and breathy straining. ugh.

Please have Tatiana narrate the next two books!

I am no stranger to the books or the movies and I was disappointed after listening to the sample of the other narrator. The story is one of my favourites and to hear Tatiana’s Katniss has added new depth. I very much look forward to purchasing the next two audiobooks in the series once they have also been performed by Tatiana.

Great story. Superb narration.

An excellent story. Thrilling from start to finish. Tatiana Maslany makes it that much better I think. I’m really hoping she does the next 2 books. I can’t bring myself to listen to the robot that performs the only available option for books 2 & 3!

Way better narrator

Please have Tatiana Maslany read the rest of the series! The narration is miles better than the other version you have available. She actually sounds how Katniss should sound, rather than a robot!

Great new narrator!

Excellent narration! I much prefer it too the older audiobook. I am really hoping that they continue to work on the rest of the series!

This narrator is great! Please do sequels!!

This review is supposed to be optional! it isn't!! all I can say is this narrator is awesome :) I can't stand the others, had to send them back! please have this narrator do the sequels and I'll buy them!!

great

really good book, had only seen the movies but really not disappointed! absolutely love the narration, feels natural and the voice is really calming. great job !

I loved listening to this story

This story is amazing, every second of it is amazing and gripped me from the start. The performance of Tatiana was unbelievable and she was a big part of my enjoyment. Overall 5 stars 💜

marvellous!

could listen to it all over again! lovely voice and great changing between the characters. thanks Tatiana!

Excellent performance by Tatiana

Just finished listening to the first book but now I’m so disappointed the other two books aren’t available yet by Tatiana. Any chance is it in the pipeline? Such a great story by Suzanne Collins.

wonderful

we love love love this book. amazingly written and brilliantly read. we could listen again and again.