Epic

Astonishingly good. The last time I read a book that swept me off my feet as thoroughly as this one, it was the very first time I read the very first Harry Potter book.

Not that there are all that many similarities, beyond that it's set in a very well-developed imaginary world and that it's also very well-written. The story is set in the distant future on a planet that was colonized by refugees from Earth. The characters are (appparently) many generations removed from that event; to them, it seems to have taken on some mythic qualities.

Because the refugees were fleeing from a world that was on the verge of destruction from warfare, they brought with them one inviolable law: no violence, EVER. All conflicts are resolved through combat within a computer role-playing game. Because this combat forms the basis of the legal system, it is vital for each citizen to have a character within the game that can win such a trial (should the need arise). The most successful players can also earn lucrative positions within the government.

As you're reading, be ready to pay close attention, because it's very easy to get caught up in the plot - it MOVES. Trust me, as much as you may be eager to find out what happens next, you don't want to miss a single word of what's happening NOW.

The descriptions are vivid and clear; game terminology is explained without being condescending.

The characters are fantastic; they are ordinary people - but not boring. They succeed and fail not because the plot demands it (or at least, not ONLY because the plot demands it) but as a result of their individual personalities and the choices they naturally make.

I go through a LOT of books. This one really stands out. Get it from your library (if they don't have a copy, demand one!) and see if you don't agree. Continue...

First Daughter

Sameera Righton (known as "Sparrow" to those close to her) is the adopted daughter of a Presidential candidate. She was born in another country, and her ethnic heritage becomes a hot issue in the campaign. She faces pressure to be "Americanized" but also to represent the culture of her birth.

This was fun, light, and enjoyable. While her father's campaign for President is the catalyst for the plot, it doesn't take the spotlight from Sparrow's story, which was good. Sparrow's situation is unique, but the problems and choices she deals with will be familiar to every reader.

3.5/5 Continue...

The Hunger Games

I was surprised by how much I liked The Hunger Games, but that may have more to do with my incredibly low expectations (despite - or perhaps partly because of - the incredible buzz around the book; I didn't like any of the Twilight books, after all). It's a great story - fast paced, description in sharp, vivid strokes, intriguing characters - but IMO, not a lot of depth as far as connection to real life.

I actually own Battle Royale on DVD, and it's about a group of teenagers who get rounded up to participate in a nationally televised battle to the death. I love it. It's distressing, creepy, bleak, horrifying, and beautifully tragic. And it's a lot more tense - not only does it not follow the principal characters as closely as Hunger Games follows Katniss, I've learned through experience that Western storytellers tend to be a bit nicer to their protagonists, at least when it comes to, y'know, SURVIVAL. ;)

But Hunger Games lives up to (most of) the hype. You get a lot more introductory exposition - this is NOT a dystopian story, I don't care what anyone else tells you. In no way is this society presented as ideal. It is, however, post-apocalyptic; in the distant past, there was some sort of calamity (or series thereof) that eventually led to the current setup of Panem: the Capitol plus twelve "districts" that are subordinate to it (previously thirteen, but one was [supposedly:] obliterated in a revolution generations ago).

So anyway, you get to know the main character and what life is like out in the Outer Rim ahem, districts, before she goes to fight in the Games. And then there's this whole setup - training and interviewing and whatnot - which was very well done, slowly building the tone for the battle.

A lot of people have groused about Katniss' seeming obliviousness, but I don't have a problem with it - before the story really starts, she hasn't thought about Peeta much, and then when they're both tributes, she has every reason NOT to trust anything he says or does.

But upon reflection, what I like the most about this book is the classical awareness. First of all, you've got the story as a whole: King Minos demanding tributes for the Labyrinth. Second, there are the names, and this is where it really starts to get interesting for me. Everyone from the Capitol has Roman-style names; those from the districts tend to have "common" names (Katniss, Prim, and Rue are named for plants - although 'rue' also means 'regret').

There are two exceptions. One is a reflection back to a previous Game - Titus, from District 6. (Look for a synopsis of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.) The other is Cato. I doubt that either is a mistake.

The other name that attracted my attention was Cinna. Now, all I know of this is from Julius Caesar (so I guess it's a good thing I started teaching it this year, or I likely wouldn't've remembered it from back in high school), but in the play, there are actually TWO characters named Cinna. Hm. Hmmmm indeed...

Finally, literary convention demands that the FIRST eligible member of the appropriate sex with enough 'face time' is the intended Special Someone. After being pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this first book, I will be annoyed to no end if this series follows the predictable in that regard.

Picnic Basket rating: 4.5/5 - Your picnic basket is incomplete without this book.

Continue...

Books in our classroom library

Igraine the Brave
Son of the Mob
Schooled
Epic
Icefire
Peter and the Starcatchers
The Skull of Truth
Stargirl
Lord Edgeware Dies
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Dor
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Haveli
Weetzie Bat
First Daughter 1 & 2
The Traitor King
Pirate Curse
First Boy
Ratha's Courage
Fabulous Terrible
The House Where Nobody Lived
Samurai Shortstop
Dawn Undercover
Takedown
Dunk Under Pressure
Simon Bloom, Gravity Keeper
Ratha's Creature
Chasing Yesterday #2: Betrayal
Athletic Shorts
The Starry Rift
Peeps
My Side of the Mountain
Gregor the Overlander
21 Proms
Firebirds Rising
Among the Hidden
Connections: Short Stories
The City of Ember
Necessary Noise
Jim Thorpe: Original All-American
Skullduggery Pleasant
What Are You Afraid Of?
The Library Card
Unexpected
The Action Hero's Handbook
Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan
Stormbreaker
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories
Point Blank (GN)
The Midnight Library: Voices
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook
Blood, Bones & Body Bits
The Greatest
Top Secret
Warriors!
The Wish
Curses, Inc.
More Ghost Stories
Visions: Short Stories
No Easy Answers: Short Stories
I Won't Leave You
Wizard at Work
Sons of Liberty
Tithe
So You Want to Be a Wizard
Full Tilt
Nightmare Academy
Larklight
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Brave
Sirena
The Hunger Games
Master of Murder
Fall Into Darkness
When She Was Good
The Man Who Was Poe
Hit and Run
Party Line
Scavenger Hunt
Spellbound Continue...