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Hi, this is Dana Stevens, Slate's movie critic, here with the Slate Spoiler Special podcast on The Hunger Games, the new adaptation of the mega bestselling Suzanne Collins novel.

And joining me from Washington, D.C., Slate's office in D.C. is Dan Koyce.

Hey, Dan.

Hi, Dana.

You are a Slate senior editor.

I am now.

Things have changed. Yes, we've been doing this podcast for so long that you've had probably five different jobs while we've done it.

But now we work at the same place.

And you're one of my longest standing and favorite podcast companions, and you are definitely

my go-to person for anything involving young adults, trilogy, fantasy, giant bestsellers,

franchise, all that stuff. So this is a perfect Dan Koyce spoiler. I'm really happy to have you here on it.

I'm happy to be here. I'm your nerd guy. Yes, I get it.

Well, I just, you're going to know so much background lore on this that I don't know. I have read the book, the first book, and I'm now reading the second book, essentially because these books are so addictive

that I had to run and run to an airport bookstore and buy a hardcover copy of catching fire

the second book in the Hunger, Hunger Games trilogy after seeing the movie.

Yeah, they do that to you.

I believe I read all three of them through one single weekend, getting progressively more and more angry.

Oh, yeah, because they're supposed to go downhill, right? But don't tell me. Don't tell me.

Well, I mean, this is the spoiler special, Dana. You signed up for this.

Oh, so it's all pervasive. Once you're on a spoiler special, everything and anything is fair game to be spoiled.

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