Pardon the I read them, and though they are chilling and disturbing, I wouldn't exactly call them evil, though the government definitely is evil in the series. It is what COULD happen, if America fell, and a corrupting central government seized power and stripped people of their freedom. Of course, that is exactly what happened to bring about those horrific hunger games. I read the series as what it would be like if people had no concept of God whatsoever. In the books, there was not a single reference or utterance of God or hell. There wasn't even a "thank God" or "Oh my God"--not a one. It was if the government just "erased" God. It was also like a peek into just a few minutes of the Tribulation. (side note: of course that little subtlety was lost on Hollywood, so in the movie they injected a few "Oh my God"s and a "What the h***". ) I can totally see pitting kids against each other (to fight to the death!) for television entertainment. I have to say that the end of the series was disappointing to me. I would have liked to have seen a spark of the Divine--for them to realize where their "heart" came from. I have written my own ending of the series (in my head ), and when the rebels take over the Capitol, Katniss finds a Bible and becomes a believer. She shares her Bible with Peeta and Gale, and they start a Bible Study. *sigh* What could have been.