Collins sees her books as variations of war stories. The “Underland” series, she explains, tells five different aspects of conflict — the rescue of a prisoner of war, an assassination, biological weapons, genocide and the use of military intelligence. “The Hunger Games” series is an exploration of “unnecessary” war and “necessary” war, when armed rebellion is the only choice.
“If we introduce kids to these ideas earlier, we could get a dialogue about war going earlier and possibly it would lead to more solutions,” she says. “I just feel it isn’t discussed, not the way it should be. I think that’s because it’s uncomfortable for people. It’s not pleasant to talk about. I know from my experience that we are quite capable of understanding things and processing them at an early age.”