I finished reading Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, a while ago, but I was too busy to write a review until recently. As I just finished reading the last book, Mockingjay, I decided to do two reviews in one, for a number of reasons. To be frank, one of those reasons was that I wasn't really willing to write a whole review for either book, especially Mockingjay.
I began reading Catching Fire eagerly, since I had really enjoyed The Hunger Games. But my enthusiasm swiftly began to ebb. The Hunger Games had had a good plot. Sure, it wasn't Tolkien, but the story seemed to be carefully thought out and written. Catching Fire, on the other hand, was, well . . . not the same. It just seemed like an assortment of ideas thrown together and somehow tied into a story. Maybe that's not entirely fair - once the story finally got going, it was pretty good. But Collins took far too long, I think, to set the stage. The book didn't really get exciting until halfway through.
Other things in Catching Fire bugged me, too. These were mostly annoying writing details; for example, there are two characters who seem to be awkwardly crammed into the story for almost no reason at all. In my opinion, Collins should have just written them out - it would have been pretty easy to do. I wasn't too keen on the whole "love triangle" thing, either (for those of you who have only read The Hunger Games - you knew it was bound to happen. Peeta. Gale. Oh, which will Katniss choose? *rolls eyes*). It gets a bit old after the first two or three chapters.
And then Mockingjay. Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed the epilogue. It was a sweet and somewhat satisfying ending to the series. But I really wish that the rest of the book had been as good.
Okay, the epilogue wasn't the only good part of Mockingjay - as I read the beginning, I had hopes that Catching Fire was just an awkward transition. Sadly, it wasn't. The writing, again, wasn't nearly as good as the first book, and the plot was not too great either, and I didn't like any of the main characters any more. They had all changed too much, and I couldn't relate to any of them. Another downer was that Suzanne Collins kept on killing off characters. Lots of characters. Including the ones who were still likeable. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that it's a good idea not to get very attached to any of the characters.
In conclusion, I wan't impressed by the last two books in The Hunger Games trilogy. I don't think I'll read them again, and I wouldn't really recommend them to anyone. If you really want to find out how the story ends, then go ahead and read them, but I wouldn't buy them - just borrow the books from the library. And if you're really busy and don't want to read any books that won't be really enjoyable and worth your while - Cliff's Notes, anyone?
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
19 May, 2013
11 March, 2013
The Hunger Games
I usually don't read popular modern fiction. It just doesn't appeal to me. I tried, a couple of years ago, to read the Harry Potter books, but I only got a few chapters into the first one before I stopped. It was just, in my opinion, too boring and badly written. I think that's actually the only popular fiction I've read; the kind of books that fall in that category hold no interest for me.
When I heard about The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, I must admit that I thought to myself, "Here we go again. Yet another badly written book that everybody's going crazy about." But then friends started to recommend the book to me. Oh, no, they said, it's not badly written. The idea is really interesting, and it's actually a very good book. So I decided last week that it was time I read The Hunger Games.
When I started reading, I was really quite surprised. The book was actually good! Well-written, interesting plot, much more unpredictable than I thought it would be.... I ended up devouring it in three days. Now I can't wait to read the other two books in the trilogy!
The first thing that surprised me about The Hunger Games was the writing. Collins skillfully uses an unusual writing style--the book is written in the first person and present tense, with frequent flashbacks--that quickly drew me into the story. Which brings me to the next thing: the plot. When I first heard what the book was about*, I was sure that it would be very predictable. There were certain things that would inevitably happen. How wrong I was! From the very first few chapters, I found that the plot had all sorts of twists and turns, some minor, some not so much. All of them were good. The book was also not quite as bloody and violent as I expected. Collins, in my opinion, handled the fight-to-the-death part of the story well.
The characters were also very compelling. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, is very complex and interesting. The supporting characters, too, are quite appealing. From Prim to Cinna to Effie Trinket, I can't imagine the book without any of them.
Another thing I really liked about The Hunger Games was the Roman and mythological influence. The idea of tributes is very similar to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. And the Hunger Games themselves are simply modern gladiator fights. I've always loved Greek and Roman mythology, and I loved the way Collins wove this into her story.
In conclusion, The Hunger Games was very good--much better than I expected them to be. I enjoyed it very much indeed, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series!
*For those of you who don't know what The Hunger Games is about, here's a brief synopsis.
Once, North America was a continent. But now, after the oceans have swallowed up so much of the land, all that's left is Panem--a country ruled by the Capitol, a city of wealth and plenty, where the people look on while the inhabitants of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol starve to death. Years ago, the districts rose up in rebellion. But the Capitol defeated them, and now they are worse off than before. For now, on top of the poverty and hunger, they have the Hunger Games: the Capitol's form of punishment for the rebellion. The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. Two "tributes", one boy and one girl, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected from each district. They are taken to the Capitol and forced to fight to the death in an enormous arena, while camera crews film every minute for the inhabitants of the Capitol to watch for entertainment.
Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen-year-old from District Twelve, one of the poorest districts. She's already a survivor--the death of her father when she was eleven has forced her to be--but when she finds herself in the Hunger Games, surviving becomes a lot harder. She's going to have to use every one of her skills if she wants to stay alive. And even that might not be enough. Because this is, after all, the Hunger Games, and the odds are not always in your favour.
When I heard about The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, I must admit that I thought to myself, "Here we go again. Yet another badly written book that everybody's going crazy about." But then friends started to recommend the book to me. Oh, no, they said, it's not badly written. The idea is really interesting, and it's actually a very good book. So I decided last week that it was time I read The Hunger Games.
When I started reading, I was really quite surprised. The book was actually good! Well-written, interesting plot, much more unpredictable than I thought it would be.... I ended up devouring it in three days. Now I can't wait to read the other two books in the trilogy!
The first thing that surprised me about The Hunger Games was the writing. Collins skillfully uses an unusual writing style--the book is written in the first person and present tense, with frequent flashbacks--that quickly drew me into the story. Which brings me to the next thing: the plot. When I first heard what the book was about*, I was sure that it would be very predictable. There were certain things that would inevitably happen. How wrong I was! From the very first few chapters, I found that the plot had all sorts of twists and turns, some minor, some not so much. All of them were good. The book was also not quite as bloody and violent as I expected. Collins, in my opinion, handled the fight-to-the-death part of the story well.
The characters were also very compelling. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, is very complex and interesting. The supporting characters, too, are quite appealing. From Prim to Cinna to Effie Trinket, I can't imagine the book without any of them.
Another thing I really liked about The Hunger Games was the Roman and mythological influence. The idea of tributes is very similar to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. And the Hunger Games themselves are simply modern gladiator fights. I've always loved Greek and Roman mythology, and I loved the way Collins wove this into her story.
In conclusion, The Hunger Games was very good--much better than I expected them to be. I enjoyed it very much indeed, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series!
*For those of you who don't know what The Hunger Games is about, here's a brief synopsis.
Once, North America was a continent. But now, after the oceans have swallowed up so much of the land, all that's left is Panem--a country ruled by the Capitol, a city of wealth and plenty, where the people look on while the inhabitants of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol starve to death. Years ago, the districts rose up in rebellion. But the Capitol defeated them, and now they are worse off than before. For now, on top of the poverty and hunger, they have the Hunger Games: the Capitol's form of punishment for the rebellion. The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. Two "tributes", one boy and one girl, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected from each district. They are taken to the Capitol and forced to fight to the death in an enormous arena, while camera crews film every minute for the inhabitants of the Capitol to watch for entertainment.
Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen-year-old from District Twelve, one of the poorest districts. She's already a survivor--the death of her father when she was eleven has forced her to be--but when she finds herself in the Hunger Games, surviving becomes a lot harder. She's going to have to use every one of her skills if she wants to stay alive. And even that might not be enough. Because this is, after all, the Hunger Games, and the odds are not always in your favour.
23 November, 2012
Around the World in 80 Days
A while ago, I tried to read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I am fascinated by submarines, but I found Jules Verne's book very slow going, indeed (even giant sea spiders failed to interest me). I stopped reading about halfway through the book, and checked all other Jules Verne books off of my reading list. I tend to do that if I don't like a book, but I'm trying to stop; it's a very bad habit. Nevertheless, I made the mistake of deciding never to read Jules Verne again.
Recently, however, a friend recommended Verne's Around the World in 80 Days. I decided to try it, as this friend has very good taste in literature. I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the book! It was amusing, well-written, engaging. . . in short, everything that I think a good book should be.
I believe that part of why I enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days was the characters. The main protagonist, Mr. Phileas Fogg, is an incredibly eccentric yet likable Englishman. He undertakes the incredible task of travelling around the world in eighty days as a wager with some of his friends. He is very mechanical, almost to the point of seeming robotic, but he does posses human feelings, as is seen at the end of the book.
Mr. Fogg's servant, Passepartout, is very different from his master. He is a Frenchman, who is engaged by Mr. Fogg on the day of his departure. As a read the book, I found myself often thinking of Sancho in Don Quixote when I read of Passepartout's antics.
The other two main characters are Fix, a detective who is convinced that Mr. Fogg is a bank robber, and Aouda, a beautiful Indian maiden who is rescued from an untimely death by Mr. Fogg and Passepartout. Both are compelling characters, and without them, the book would doubtless lose some of its charm.
The premise of Around the World in 80 Days is also quite fascinating. The book is set in 1872, when all travel must be done by train and ship. These were the fastest modes of locomotion available at the time, yet they were quite slow by modern standards. Indeed, Mr. Fogg is compelled to avoid all possible delays in order to complete the journey in the appointed time.
If all these charming details were not enough to make the book an appealing read, there is also a great deal of suspense in Around the World in 80 Days. After all, Mr. Fogg has 20,000 pounds sterling at stake, that being the amount of the wager. This is half of his fortune, and he spends most of the other half along the way. Towards the end of the book, I found myself on the edge of my seat, feeling the tension growing with every unexpected delay, hoping desperately that Mr. Fogg would make it back to London in time to win the wager.
In conclusion, I enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days very much. It was an excellent book, and I have resolved to try harder than ever now not to write off an author just because I did not enjoy one of their books. I highly reccomend this book, and I am looking forward to reading even more Jules Verne novels in the near future!
Recently, however, a friend recommended Verne's Around the World in 80 Days. I decided to try it, as this friend has very good taste in literature. I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the book! It was amusing, well-written, engaging. . . in short, everything that I think a good book should be.
I believe that part of why I enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days was the characters. The main protagonist, Mr. Phileas Fogg, is an incredibly eccentric yet likable Englishman. He undertakes the incredible task of travelling around the world in eighty days as a wager with some of his friends. He is very mechanical, almost to the point of seeming robotic, but he does posses human feelings, as is seen at the end of the book.
Mr. Fogg's servant, Passepartout, is very different from his master. He is a Frenchman, who is engaged by Mr. Fogg on the day of his departure. As a read the book, I found myself often thinking of Sancho in Don Quixote when I read of Passepartout's antics.
The other two main characters are Fix, a detective who is convinced that Mr. Fogg is a bank robber, and Aouda, a beautiful Indian maiden who is rescued from an untimely death by Mr. Fogg and Passepartout. Both are compelling characters, and without them, the book would doubtless lose some of its charm.
The premise of Around the World in 80 Days is also quite fascinating. The book is set in 1872, when all travel must be done by train and ship. These were the fastest modes of locomotion available at the time, yet they were quite slow by modern standards. Indeed, Mr. Fogg is compelled to avoid all possible delays in order to complete the journey in the appointed time.
If all these charming details were not enough to make the book an appealing read, there is also a great deal of suspense in Around the World in 80 Days. After all, Mr. Fogg has 20,000 pounds sterling at stake, that being the amount of the wager. This is half of his fortune, and he spends most of the other half along the way. Towards the end of the book, I found myself on the edge of my seat, feeling the tension growing with every unexpected delay, hoping desperately that Mr. Fogg would make it back to London in time to win the wager.
In conclusion, I enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days very much. It was an excellent book, and I have resolved to try harder than ever now not to write off an author just because I did not enjoy one of their books. I highly reccomend this book, and I am looking forward to reading even more Jules Verne novels in the near future!
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