Book Review: 'The Hunger Games'

Do you know where I get my book recommendations? Well, one place is from my sister Rachel, who is reading 365 books this year; she's a pretty good source. I have also posted a request on Facebook, asking for recommendations. My Facebook friends have not led me astray; first they led me to read Dune, a book I tried to read as a teenager but never finished. Most recently they turned me onto The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.


What intrigued me the most about the recommendation was the diverse group who recommended it. This group included my neighbor who's a stay-at-home mom who used to work in finance, and a former journalist colleague who's biggest claim to fame is that he's interviewed almost every great living rock guitarist. What could this fiction book offer that appealed to such a divergent group?


So I dove in and learned myself. The Hunger Games is easily one of the most compelling character books I've read in a long time, a compelling futuristic thriller that breaks no new ground in sci-fi/post-apocalyptic lore, but weaves a spell-binding tale with characters that quickly become real to the reader.


What worked. The best part about the book is the lead character, Katniss, and that the book is told in her first person voice. I always fear first person when I began reading a novel; I think it's a default mode for modern fictionalists, but I think it fails more often than it works. In this case, I can't imagine the story told in any other way.

The other key part for me was the world. Katniss lives in District 12 before she's thrown into the Capital's sadistic Hunger Games. The settings are few (which is a good thing), but feel real, particularly District 12 and the arena for the Hunger Games.

The other characters were also strong. The other key characters, Peeta and Haymitch, are beautifully done, filling in the rest of the story, perfect counterpoints to the headstrong lead.

What Didn't Work. Very little. The book is quite violent during the final act in the arena, and has very dark themes. But none of this really bothered me because of the way it was handled and how it played into the story.

Who Would Like It. Anyone who likes good, compelling, character-driven fiction. I've heard it described as a young-adult novel, but this is way too narrow of a definition; I think it's appeal is much broader than that. It also is good for all you post-apocalyptic fans (like me).

Who Wouldn't Like It. As I mentioned above, the final act is quite violent, and many of the themes are quite dark. Personally I don't think it's over the top (especially since the violence is in no way glorified, just the opposite), but it could offend some people's sensibilities. And though it called a young adult novel, I would urge parents to read it first or with their younger teens or tweens to discuss the deeper themes.

Parting Thoughts. As you might have noticed, I loved this book. It wasn't a page-turner in the style of Harry Potter, or my favorite sci-fi book of all-time Ender's Game, but it was awesomely compelling, character-driven, action-packed drama. And you can quote me on that.

Thank you Facebook friends.

Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

I first got interested in the Percy Jackson series when I saw ads for the movie. The concept intrigued me: the Olympian Gods were still alive, living in the US, and their demigod children were living among us mere mortals. Seemed like an interesting premise.

Then I never saw the movie. I heard about the changes from the novel, and my interest waned in the film. But I did read all five books over the past 6 months.

For whatever reason, this series frequently gets compared to the Harry Potter books. I understand why: teen fantasy novel written in a modern world for a modern teen audience. Other than that, here are the major differences:

• Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan writes nothing like J.K. Rowling. Unlike like Rowling 3rd person, limited narrator (from Harry's perspective), Riordan goes with the first person story telling technique, which is done in an irreverent, teenage tone (and is actually one of my favorite parts of his writing).
• Olympians and witches/warlocks is not the same thing. The worlds are very different from one another. I didn't feel like I was in similar world at all.
• Unlike the Harry Potter universe, which became incredibly complicated as time went on, Riordan keeps it relatively simple. This means less depth to his world, but easier reading.

So on with the review.

What works
A lot of things, so I will return to my lazy old bullet list.

• Characters. I love the characters. Percy is a believable, NYC teenager. His friends, fellow demigod Annabeth and Grover the Satyr (half man, half goat), were unique and interesting. The other main characters (including the Gods and villains) were fun, especially during the first 2-3 books when everyone is being introduced.
• Fast-moving plot. If I have one major issue with some fantasy is slow plot. Riordan keeps it rolling.
• Great battles. His battles are awesome, and I really had a hard time stopping during those tense moments.

This is a complete list at all, but these were my favorite elements.

What doesn't work
Again, back to the bullets.

• Cliche gods. Though some of the gods and monsters were really cool, a lot of them were cop outs, where Riordan went with cliches over depth.
• Swift conclusions. This wasn't true for books 4 and 5, but 2 and 3 ended a little abruptly for me. A little more denouement would have been appreciated.
• High brow teenager. Sometimes Percy knows a little too much about architecture and history for a kid who hated school. Obviously this is Riordan flexing his literary muscles a bit, but sometimes it made me pause.

Who would like this
Anyone who likes light fantasy. It's also a good match for the Harry Potter crowd, though I know some Potter fans have rejected the series (not sure why). It's also a pretty light read for those looking for a fun series to read during the series. Would be good for teens who like fantasy fiction.

Who wouldn't like this
Only people without a soul. Just kidding. It's pretty light fiction, and it does have violence and death (especially book 5). Also, if you're afraid your kid might turn into an Olympian god worshiper, I would avoid this. (Warning: Heavy doses of sarcasm have been know to be very contagious).

Final Chapter
As you can tell, I really liked these books. I've been reading a lot of deep nonfiction lately, and the Percy Jackson series has been a nice change of pace. If you're looking for a good, fun fantasy read, pick it up. Five books later you won't regret it.

Aliens beat vampires

The Host book review

8/10

After reading Twilight by author Stephanie Meyer, I had no interest in continuing in her vampire series. Way too much teenage love angst for my taste, and the book got a little boring in the middle (may have had something to do with the teenage love angst). And then there's a big vampire brawl at the end, but because the book was written from the perspective of the heroine who was passed out, we don't even get the fight. Yikes.

So when my wife suggested I read Meyer's non-vampire book The Host, I wasn't really interested. She said it was very different than Twilight, no teenage love story. And she said it was the kind of tense sci-fi thriller I enjoy. And heck, the cover of the book has an endorsement from Orson Scott Card.

Several weeks ago I decided to give it a go. And it was really good.

Let me start with the negatives. There is nothing incredibly original here; as far as sci-fi is concerned, the concept of parasitic aliens is nothing new. It also has some 'sci-fi' holes, where if you think too much about them, the universe she's created seems to unravel. Lastly, about 3/4 through the book, the rhythm of the book seems to stall before a stunningly well-done ending.

So let's get to the positives. Much like Twilight, she creates compelling characters you care about, characters with depth and feeling. All of the main characters (with the possible exception of one) were painted beautifully. Most sci-fi books fall short in this area, but not Meyer's.

This was your classic page-turner. Once you get into this book, it will posses you. Though I did see the ending coming about 30 pages before, the rest of the book was an intriguing path of twists and turns, most of which I did not see coming. It was a very refreshing piece of fiction set in an interesting, compelling world.

I would definitely recommend it, even if you have no interest in her vampire series. This is not the same kind of book, and almost feels like it was written by someone else, which speaks to Meyer's versatility as a writer.

Now my wife is trying to get me to read the second book in the Twilight series. I should probably just take her recommendation instead of resisting.

Elves and urgals and dragons, oh my!

Brisingr book review

Score: 8/10

For the uninitiated, Brisingr is the third book in the 'Inheritance cycle' by young writer Christopher Paolini. The first two books, Eragon and Eldest, were both big young adult fantasy hits. Brisingr has not disappointed, currently #114 on the Amazon.com book list months after its release. The book sold 550,000 copies on the first day of its release in September.

This is definitely my favorite in the series. The first two books (which I recently reread before reading Brisingr) are decent young adult books, but lack the kind of character depth I prefer in my fiction. In addition, the dialogue difference between the two books is remarkable; Paolini has really matured as a writer since he began his career as a 17 year-old.

The best passage in the book comes in the first half. One of the characters, an elf named Arya, is describing to the lead character Eragon what happened to her during her captivity in the first book. The passage is easily my favorite part of the novel, and the best thing Paolini has written in the three books. Its infused with such emotion and pathos, that it almost left me in tears after I read it, and I went back and read that part again.

If the rest of the book had matched that passage, Paolini would have created one of my favorite books of all time. But unfortunately Brisingr suffers from a couple of flaws. First, it's too long. Like many successful writers, it appears Paolini did not discipline himself and cut where needed. I don't mind long books, but a fantasy young adult fiction novel should not drag in the middle like this one did. Second, as good as that passage was, other major parts of the novel seemed to lack the style and emotion of other parts.

But these are minor criticisms. I loved the novel and would recommend it to anyone who's read the first two or who likes good fiction (especially fantasy). Paolini has created characters I care about, and his plots are interesting. There is little that is truly original in fantasy anymore, but Paolini has created a terrific world that wraps you up and carries into Alagaesia, a place you're not eager to leave.