Fallin' in the space between the universe and all we see has gone away
Is anyone else missing the new Glee songs we used to be blessed with every week?
Anyway, I finished reading both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. And suffice it to say now I understand why everyone has been raving about it. Because the series is AWESOME.
For once, I'm not reading a fantasy young adult book, and what a nice change it was to be brought back to the hard reality of The Hunger Games's universe. The future is not pretty, and it's a really terrible picture, and the descriptions could get violent at times, especially when we remember that these are happening to teenagers, but wow, those books had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was hard to stop reading because there was constant action. And many people were disappointed by the second book, but both were as amazing to me.
Basically, I love how vivid the whole universe was created. I love how Suzanne Collins made the president so terrible that even seeing his name elicited such strong hatred from me. And how even in person he's so obviously a bloodthirsty man with a last name as innocent and nice sounding as Snow. The whole concept immediately made me think of Battle Royale, which I've only seen the movies of, but it seemed the writer isn't familiar with it and just got the idea from elsewhere.
There's one thing bothering me though; in BR you have these explosive collars that pretty much threaten you to kill or be killed at all times. In The Hunger Games, what makes them willing to kill each other? Sure, it's the rules of the game, but killing is something that not everyone can just do because some people tell you do to it. You'll need a more powerful push, and with only the other players' willingness to kill you to motivate you to fight back, just imagine if one time all the players decide none of them is going to play the game? What'll happen then? The Capitol can't exactly kill them all because then the audience would just be disappointed and they'll have no victor. I'm just wondering why none of the players has ever stopped to consider this. Especially after the joined hands with the 75th games' tributes... they still eventually decided to turn against each other in the arena again. Why not try to defy the rules? Is it because of the general fear? Because no one ever tries to just defy the Capitol?
I always feel tempted to know what's going to happen so when I peeked ahead in Catching Fire and saw that Katniss was going to play in the games for a second time, I immediately thought I wouldn't like this particular twist. Because, come on, that whole adventure in the arena in the first book was supposed to be her epic victory and something that even us readers couldn't wait to put behind us so we could see the happier times in our heroine's life at last. But then I continued reading the whole thing, and in the end I realized I didn't mind so much. The story was sped up so that we were spared the boring details about the procedures that we already went through in the first book, and while many other people didn't like this, I preferred it because then we could go straight into action.
And the 75th games is so different and more fast-paced and everybody's more united and the stakes are higher, so much so that it managed to create an atmosphere different enough than the first. And you just know the outcome will be different, because this time it won't be about who stays alive until the end, but it's about working together and eventually launching the rebellion into full action. I read about how the series weren't actually meant to be a trilogy, but that it was only made into one because the way Katniss managed to get them to declare two victors to avoid having none at all wouldn't have gone unpunished in her world. And now I'm just grateful about that decision because after reading the state of her world, you must want that government to be overthrown. We need to see the rebellion in full scale, we need to see them succeed, and we need to see a new country formed in the aftermath. One in which the games don't exist anymore. Because only then would we have a really happy ending.
I wasn't so sure which side I was on in regards to the love triangle in the first book, because in it we knew so little about Gale, and even though it was hinted numerous times that Katniss has always been in love with him, they were all generally way too vague. I was tempted by the idea of her and Peeta together, especially because they seem to be comfortable with each other a lot, but then in the end I had to toss that idea. And then book 2 happened and the kiss by the fence... by then I was sold and I'm officially Team Gale. Even if Katniss still isn't entirely sure about that either and she knows she doesn't ever want to get married and have kids because they would have to face the games too.
So I really can't wait for the third book now, because we know they'll succeed in overthrowing the Capitol, and then Katniss will finally have to choose. I'd say Suzanne Collins managed to keep it balanced enough at the moment that the end could still go either way; Katniss sure has enough feelings for Peeta to want to keep him alive by sacrificing herself, and she also had those special feelings in the two kisses she shared with him. However by now, especially after the whole performance in the games, I can't help feeling that Peeta's just such a liability and I've started wishing he's out of the picture to make Katniss's life so much easier, LOL. Poor boy, although I did like him in the first book.
Anyway, I'd definitely recommend these books to young adult book lovers. It's a fresh change from all the vampires/supernatural stuff!
Anyway, I finished reading both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. And suffice it to say now I understand why everyone has been raving about it. Because the series is AWESOME.
For once, I'm not reading a fantasy young adult book, and what a nice change it was to be brought back to the hard reality of The Hunger Games's universe. The future is not pretty, and it's a really terrible picture, and the descriptions could get violent at times, especially when we remember that these are happening to teenagers, but wow, those books had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was hard to stop reading because there was constant action. And many people were disappointed by the second book, but both were as amazing to me.
Basically, I love how vivid the whole universe was created. I love how Suzanne Collins made the president so terrible that even seeing his name elicited such strong hatred from me. And how even in person he's so obviously a bloodthirsty man with a last name as innocent and nice sounding as Snow. The whole concept immediately made me think of Battle Royale, which I've only seen the movies of, but it seemed the writer isn't familiar with it and just got the idea from elsewhere.
There's one thing bothering me though; in BR you have these explosive collars that pretty much threaten you to kill or be killed at all times. In The Hunger Games, what makes them willing to kill each other? Sure, it's the rules of the game, but killing is something that not everyone can just do because some people tell you do to it. You'll need a more powerful push, and with only the other players' willingness to kill you to motivate you to fight back, just imagine if one time all the players decide none of them is going to play the game? What'll happen then? The Capitol can't exactly kill them all because then the audience would just be disappointed and they'll have no victor. I'm just wondering why none of the players has ever stopped to consider this. Especially after the joined hands with the 75th games' tributes... they still eventually decided to turn against each other in the arena again. Why not try to defy the rules? Is it because of the general fear? Because no one ever tries to just defy the Capitol?
I always feel tempted to know what's going to happen so when I peeked ahead in Catching Fire and saw that Katniss was going to play in the games for a second time, I immediately thought I wouldn't like this particular twist. Because, come on, that whole adventure in the arena in the first book was supposed to be her epic victory and something that even us readers couldn't wait to put behind us so we could see the happier times in our heroine's life at last. But then I continued reading the whole thing, and in the end I realized I didn't mind so much. The story was sped up so that we were spared the boring details about the procedures that we already went through in the first book, and while many other people didn't like this, I preferred it because then we could go straight into action.
And the 75th games is so different and more fast-paced and everybody's more united and the stakes are higher, so much so that it managed to create an atmosphere different enough than the first. And you just know the outcome will be different, because this time it won't be about who stays alive until the end, but it's about working together and eventually launching the rebellion into full action. I read about how the series weren't actually meant to be a trilogy, but that it was only made into one because the way Katniss managed to get them to declare two victors to avoid having none at all wouldn't have gone unpunished in her world. And now I'm just grateful about that decision because after reading the state of her world, you must want that government to be overthrown. We need to see the rebellion in full scale, we need to see them succeed, and we need to see a new country formed in the aftermath. One in which the games don't exist anymore. Because only then would we have a really happy ending.
I wasn't so sure which side I was on in regards to the love triangle in the first book, because in it we knew so little about Gale, and even though it was hinted numerous times that Katniss has always been in love with him, they were all generally way too vague. I was tempted by the idea of her and Peeta together, especially because they seem to be comfortable with each other a lot, but then in the end I had to toss that idea. And then book 2 happened and the kiss by the fence... by then I was sold and I'm officially Team Gale. Even if Katniss still isn't entirely sure about that either and she knows she doesn't ever want to get married and have kids because they would have to face the games too.
So I really can't wait for the third book now, because we know they'll succeed in overthrowing the Capitol, and then Katniss will finally have to choose. I'd say Suzanne Collins managed to keep it balanced enough at the moment that the end could still go either way; Katniss sure has enough feelings for Peeta to want to keep him alive by sacrificing herself, and she also had those special feelings in the two kisses she shared with him. However by now, especially after the whole performance in the games, I can't help feeling that Peeta's just such a liability and I've started wishing he's out of the picture to make Katniss's life so much easier, LOL. Poor boy, although I did like him in the first book.
Anyway, I'd definitely recommend these books to young adult book lovers. It's a fresh change from all the vampires/supernatural stuff!