My ongoing obsession with dystopian novels led me to borrow this book from the library along with
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,
Leviathan, and
Broke, USA (see? I do read serious stuff occasionally). I'd heard good things about it from friends (who didn't like
Twilight-- I keep saying this because all of the people who recommended I read that awful book are barred for life from giving me reading advice), and am always a fan of dystopian novels. That it centers around characters from Appalachia is an added bonus. People from here tend to be portrayed as ignorant hillbillies in the popular media, and even serious novels tend to treat us as pathetic and helpless children who need to be rescued.
Needless to say, I'm a big fan of Katniss, the heroine. She is strong, brave, and absolutely committed to
not dying, even in the face of extreme moral ambiguity. I also enjoyed the world of
The Hunger Games which, although dystopian in nature, manages to highlight inequalities that currently exist in the United States. All told, very well done.
I give it a 4 out of 5. I can't wait to read the next two installments (hurry up, other library patrons!).
I read through those really quickly. They're good, though the third one kinda bothered me and I felt was the weakest of them.
ReplyDeleteDystopian novels...um...have you checked out the Japanese novel Battle Royale? The story line is similar to Hunger Games and I actually liked it a bit better.
I don't generally like to read books in translation, but I may give that one a shot.
ReplyDeleteIt's much longer than Hunger Games and the translation a few times is kinda odd (it may have been corrected since then).
ReplyDeleteIt deals with 44 students instead of around 12 from the Hunger Games. They provide a list of names, which I'd suggest making a copy of and cross them out as they die. It made it easier to read and keep track of people, I found.
It's faaaaar better than the films by the same name. I hated the films, but found the book hard to put down.