TheKatnissChronicles.com, 2011 -
Returning to this spin-off after
a break gave me time to evaluate how fan-generated material actually works. It offers listeners the pleasures of familiarity,
of seeing characters from The Hunger Games facing new perils and overcoming them through sheer strength of character
and companionship.
The Katniss Chronicles also transforms a single film into an aural soap opera that now runs to
thirty-nine episodes. Week by week fans can re-encounter their favourite characters trying to cope with the rigours
of their chosen life. The structure is straightforward enough, with the characters trying to cope with a violent world
in which the eponymous Hunger Games resemble ancient gladiatorial conflicts - quite literally, fights to the death.
But listeners can become easily hooked, especially when episodes end with potential cliff-hangers.
However The Katniss Chronicles
is not just a fan-inspired drama; it can also be used as a teaching resource. The website offers suggestions as to how
the material might be best developed pedagogically. I applaud everyone involved for creating such a worthy series.
