Just when Katniss thinks the horror of being in The 74th Hunger Games is over, she gets thrown in yet another Game: the 75th Hunger Games or the Quarter Quell. In this special edition of the Games, she is pitted against other victors. This sucks because victors are supposed to get immunity for life. We learn something of how they won their own games: some by sheer brutality, others through ingenuity, and by out-starving the other tributes. Many of the victors are young but some are old like senior-citizen-old. So how does Katniss find it in her to kill, let's say, Mags, an 80-year-old victor from District 4? If Book 1 has kids killing kids, Book 2 has kids killing anyone.
Outside the Games, the sequel shows the effect that Katniss's courage has on all the districts. People are standing up for what they believe in which of course the totalitarian government hates. Katniss is also turned into the unwitting symbol of the riots -- everyone knows it but her. When she's flung back into the Games, she discovers hidden and surprising allies as well as powerful enemies. Amidst the many character standouts here, Cinna's actions are the most inspiring because he makes revolutionary art come alive. Kudos to the author for taking stylists to a whole new level of relevance and depth.
Catching Fire slams the brutality of entertainment squarely in the realm of politics and ideology. The Games have been used by the Capitol for decades to strong-arm the districts into submission. But because of Katniss, this propaganda device is being turned on its head to be used against the government instead. On live TV, people see how the victors succeed in not becoming a piece in the Games.
I think Catching Fire holds up the series's torch very well. It's as good as the first book and in some cases, particularly in how the victors team up, does even better.
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