Hunger Games, The, is the title of a science-fiction trilogy written by the American author Suzanne Collins. A trilogy is a series of three related works. The “Hunger Games” trilogy consists of the novels The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010).
The novels are set in the future after a series of disasters destroy the countries of North America. A new nation called Panem emerges. Panem consists of a wealthy city called the Capitol that dominates 12 poor districts spread across the continent. Many years before the start of The Hunger Games, the districts rebelled against the Capitol but were defeated. As punishment, each year the Capitol requires each district to send a young male and a female, selected by lottery, to fight on television until only one survives. The government holds the brutal competition to entertain residents of the Capitol. The competition also serves to demonstrate the Capitol’s power over the districts.
A 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen narrates the novels. She is a skilled hunter, trapper, gatherer, and archer. After Primrose Everdeen, Katniss’s younger sister, is chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Katniss eventually leads a successful rebellion against the cruel Capitol. Peeta Mellark is a 16-year-old boy from Katniss’s district who secretly loves her. He represents his district along with Katniss in the Hunger Games. The novels have several other major characters. Gale Hawthorne is Katniss’s best friend. Haymitch Abernathy, a drunken friend of Katniss and Peeta, serves as their coach in the Hunger Games. President Snow is the cruel ruler of Panem.
The trilogy has been praised for its exciting action and strong central characters. The books raise challenging questions about survival, government, politics, and the power of the media. The trilogy was adapted into a popular series of motion pictures starring the American actress Jennifer Lawrence, beginning with The Hunger Games, released in 2012. 
In 2020, Collins published a prequel to the “Hunger Games” trilogy. A prequel is a story that precedes a previously released book or film. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before the first book of the trilogy. It tells the story of impoverished high-school student Coriolanus Snow, who years later becomes the evil president of the Capitol. Coriolanus and his classmates are tasked with mentoring (advising) the children sent to the Capitol to participate in the Hunger Games, and with making the games more entertaining for the television audience.
