The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collinsby Suzanne Collins
Ranked 6 of 8 dystopian novels by recommenders
People recommend it as a compelling, easy-to-read page-turner that avoids being simplistic for young adult fiction. One reader says it is fun but not the best book of all time.
People recommend it as a compelling, easy-to-read page-turner that avoids being simplistic for young adult fiction. One reader says it is fun but not the best book of all time.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Compelling, easy-to-read young adult fiction
“Hunger Games does nail a sweet spot of Young Adult fiction: compelling, easy to read, but not completely dimwitted.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “The Hunger Games Was Just Voted the 'Best Book Ever' by Goodreads Readers” Modern page-turner
“Example of a modern page-turner”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Every novel is boring until it isn't” Fun read
“Fun book sure, but best book of all time?”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “The Hunger Games Was Just Voted the 'Best Book Ever' by Goodreads Readers”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Not the best book of all time
“Fun book sure, but best book of all time?”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “The Hunger Games Was Just Voted the 'Best Book Ever' by Goodreads Readers”
Other dystopian novels people recommend
The four most recommended other dystopian novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984by George Orwell | 42 | 8 | 84% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Roadby Cormac McCarthy | 27 | 2 | 93% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Nineteen Eighty-Fourby George Orwell | 24 | 0 | 100% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Weby Yevgeny Zamyatin | 11 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Hunger Gamesby Suzanne CollinsThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Example of a modern page-turner”
“Hunger Games does nail a sweet spot of Young Adult fiction: compelling, easy to read, but not completely dimwitted.”
“Fun book sure, but best book of all time?”
“nothing beyond the lower 48 is a thing”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.