63. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2008.

- - - . Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2009.

- - - . Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2010.

1,154 pages total.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

***SPOILER ALERT***

This review contains information about this series that reveals important plot points.

The Hunger Games is the first book in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy set in a dystopian future. In this future, the United States is divided into 12 districts that are all ruled by the Capitol and renamed Panem. The districts are poor and tightly-knit while the Capitol is rich and wasteful. The districts formed after a rebellion against the government and, as a punishment for the rebellion and a reminder of the peace the Capitol now brings, the Capitol mandates The Hunger Games which is an arena-style fight to the death. Each district must sacrifice two children between the ages of six and twelve, one boy and one girl, to fight in the Hunger Games. The children are chosen by a lottery and then taken to the Capitol to train for the games. Once trained, the tributes, as these children are called, are thrown into an arena and must kill one another until there is only one left—this last tribute is then declared the victor of the Hunger Games.

In the first book of the series, readers are introduced to the protagonist Katniss Everdeen. Katniss’ younger sister Prim is chosen as one of the tributes from their district so Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and Peeta, the other tribute, then travel to the Capitol, train, and enter the Hunger Games. The two end up successful by tricking the game maker into thinking they would commit a double suicide rather than killing one another.

This first book does an excellent job introducing the readers to the characters and dystopian structure of Panem. Collins avoids falling into any dystopian clichés that tend to run rampant in the genre such as the world being overtaken by technology or completely returning to agrarian lifestyles with no technology at all. Collins finds a nice balance between these common depictions which makes the setting of this series eerily plausible.

Right away readers are presented with important questions. Is your own survival more important than the life of another human being? In a world that is strewn with poverty, disease, and violence should one even entertain the idea of raising children of one’s own? These are all questions that Katniss and other critical characters wrestle with in The Hunger Games.

Catching Fire picks up where The Hunger Games leaves off with Peeta and Katniss on their victory tour. By rebelling against the game-makers, the two have unintentionally started rebellions in varying districts and President Snow has demanded that they settle the unrest on their tour. When the duo are not as successful as Snow desires, a 75^th Hunger Games is created in which all the victors must return to the arena, sending Peeta and Katniss in for round two. During this Hunger Games Peeta and Katniss make alliances with victors from other districts and are unknowingly caught in a tangled web to overthrow the Capitol.

Catching Fire was my favorite book of the series because the arena was incredibly creative and the characters unique and lovable. This book was a page-turner—even more so than the first. It expounded on the questions from the previous novel as Peeta and Katniss discuss how to handle this round of Hunger Games as ethically as possible, and still survive.

By the time readers reach Mockingjay, the third and final book, Katniss is in District 13 with a rebel group attempting to overthrow the Capitol. Collins is not kind to her readers in this portion of the series. Beloved characters are maimed and killed. Entire districts are destroyed. In the end, both leaders, Snow and Coin (leader of the rebel group) are murdered. The end of the series is abrupt and hastily written. Many readers argue it is the weakest part of the trilogy and leaves readers with a pit in their stomach. Neither side of this war are redeemable. There is no side to root for, no victory to cheer and by the end, Katniss, the leader, mascot, and symbol of hope is broken.

It took me months to understand how I felt and what I thought about the end of this series. My first reaction was to be extremely disappointed. A nagging at the back of my mind told me there was more to this conclusion than my initial reaction. I realized the ending of the series doesn’t sit well with me because it is so darn realistic. War is messy. War doesn’t have nicely wrapped up climatic endings in which good always triumphs over evil. The line between good and evil is blurry and difficult to draw. War ends abruptly and leaves a lot of loose ends. The conclusion of this series is all these things. Instead of following the typical narrative of romanticizing war, it does the opposite. It says that war is not something to revel in. It is not something to celebrate. No one is innocent. No one is unaffected. We aren’t supposed to enjoy it and until we stop romanticizing war, there will always be another Hunger Games. 

This realization made me really appreciate Collins’ choices in ending the series. Yes, it felt rushed and yes, perhaps I’m assigning my own meaning to this body of work and she was just rushing to meet a deadline. Isn’t that what literature is supposed to do, though? Help us find a deeper meaning and navigate parts of our own psyche? I’ve heard many people bash the ending of The Hunger Games series and all I ask is that you think it over a bit more before drawing your conclusions.

4.5 darts out of 5

Bookshelf Project Status: KEEP

62. "Dark World" by Zak Bagans and Kelly Krigger

Bagans, Zak and Kelly Crigger. Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew. Victory Belt Publishing.

272 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Zak Bagans is the lead investigator of the TV show Ghost Adventures. In this show he and two of his buddies, Aaron Goodwin and Nick Groff travel around the world with high tech gadgets trying to document empirical evidence of the existence of ghosts. The show has aired around seven seasons and its fan base is continually growing.

Dark World contains information about how the Ghost Adventures series started, behind the scenes information about their experiences with the paranormal and various philosophies and research about the existence of ghosts. Zak starts the narrative explaining how he came to believe in ghosts and his experiences leading up to the original documentary created by himself and Nick Groff.

Zak explores his person struggles with anxiety and thrill seeking behavior as a young adult. He lacked direction in his life until greeted by a ghost at the foot of his bed one night. This experience led him to develop the life goal of documenting evidence of the paranormal and dedicating his energy to paranormal research. 

He attended film school in Michigan and met Nick Groff, a fellow filmmaker at a wedding they both attended. Getting into a conversation about paranormal experiences, the two hit it off and started planning what was to become the Ghost Adventures documentary wherein they capture some of the most convincing paranormal footage to date. From there, Zak describes how the show came into production on the Travel Channel and experiences his crew has behind the scenes.

While this is no work of literary prowess, it was really interesting to thumb through being a fan of the television series. The book answered lingering questions I had about the equipment the team uses and the research they do when conducting their “lock downs.” I would not recommend reading this book unless you are a fan of the show. If you are familiar with the series on Travel Channel, give this read a go.

3 darts out of 5.

Bookshelf Project status: KEEP

61. "Shadow of Night" by Deborah Harkness

Harkness, Deborah. Shadow of Night. New York: Vicking Press, 2012

581 pages.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Shadow of Night is the sequel to the much enjoyed A Discovery of Witches (click link to see my review). Shadow of Night picks up where A Discovery of Witches left of with Matthew and Diana traveling back in time in search of the elusive Ashmole 782. They traverse through sixteenth-century England where Diana works to find a mentor to help her develop her magical powers and she and Matthew meet many interesting people, including several important historical figures you are sure to recognize. The story has several twists and surprises and so many characters Harkness must provide a character list at the end of the book in true fantasy-fiction form.

This series is set to be a trilogy and I've heard rumors that there is already a movie series in the works. This is just a rumor, though--I'm not sure if it is actually true. One thing I do believe is that this series will make better films than they do books.

I do not mean this in a bad way. Harkness has a knack for description. The way she describes a scene is so clear and detailed, it is hard to not have a clear picture of what her vision is. It also doesn't leave much room for imagination. This is a personal preference and not necessarily a reflection of Harkness' writing. I like books that a leave a little wiggle room for the reader. I am more involved in a book that allows some breathing room for my imagination to play. I develop a closer relationship with a book when some details are left to my own devising. Harkness' writing doesn't allow for this. Every minute detail is nailed out providing great material for a potential screenplay.

Personal preference aside, the books was mostly enjoyable but not something of great literary prowess. I don't think it is meant to be anyway. The goal of this series truly seems to be aimed at entertainment rather than enlightenment. In comparison with the first book in the series, I like the story in Shadow of Night better but I like the writing in A Discovery of Witches more than in Shadow of Night. If you read this one, let me know what you think!

3 darts out of 5
Bookshelf Project Status: None (belongs to a friend)

d'Artagnan

60. On the Bookshelf November 2012

Books I will read and review in November 2012

1. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

This is the sequel to A Discovery of Witches. Loved the first one so have to read this one.

2. Dark World by Zak Bagans and Kelly Crigger

I'm a fan of the TV show Ghost Adventures and this is a book written by one of the investigators. It should be interested to get some insight into how the show started.

3. Insomnia by Stephen King

A friend of mine recommended this book to me as I'm just starting to get into Stephen King's work. This will be the second novel I've read by King.

4. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I'm terrible at keeping up with popular books. It took me almost three years to read the Twilight series after it became popular. This series only took me a year. Hopefully it does not disappoint.

What have you been reading lately?

--d'Artagnan

59. "Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok

Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. New York: Riverhead Books, 2010.

307 pages.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

“I was born with a talent. Not for dance or comedy, or anything so delightful. I’ve always had a knack for school. Everything that was taught there, I could learn: quickly and without too much effort” (Kwok, 1). These are the opening lines from Jean Kwok’s Girl in Translation, a coming of age story about a Chinese immigrant.

Kimberly Chang moved to New York City with her mother after her father died and her mother survived a bout of tuberculosis. Indebted to her aunt, Kimberly and her mom must work for pennies in a clothing factory and live in a cockroach-infested apartment. Kwok’s description of this family’s experience with poverty is visceral and edgy. Life is very difficult for Kimberly and her mother and Kimberly looks to school as her ticket out of poverty. She excels in school and promises to take care of her mother by going to college and taking her along, escaping the Brooklyn slums.

Several complications lie in Kimberly’s way. Her aunt is jealous and spiteful and tries to block Kimberly’s success by making her and her mother work long hours at the factory for very little pay under the table. Kimberly is also distracted by Matt, a boy her age working in the factory with her. Kimberly must balance long hours at school doing homework in a language she is unfamiliar with, coping with social norms she is unaccustomed to and then after school illegally putting in long hours at the factory. Her strength and determination are admirable.

Kwok is highly creative in how she plays with language throughout the novel. She uses a particular trick (I won’t give it away) to throw us into the world of someone new to the English language. Readers sometimes feel just as lost as Kimberly does as she tries to navigate life in a new country. Beautifully written with a surprising twist at the end, Girl in Translation is one of the best books I’ve read this summer.

4 darts out of 5

Bookshelf Project Status: NONE (borrowed from a friend). 

58. "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness

Harkness, Deborah. A Discovery of Witches. New York: Viking, 2011.

592 pages

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

A Discovery of Witches is the first book in a trilogy about Diana Bishop, a witch who has spent most of her life denying her supernatural powers. Raised by her two aunts, Diana becomes a successful historian and professor specializing in the study of the history of alchemy. It is this very research that starts her on an adventure she is unwilling to experience.

Diana unlocks a spellbound book that tells the secrets of the origin of the three main species covered in the tale: witches, daemons, and vampires. This discovery does not go unnoticed by the other witches, daemons and vampires of the world and Diana is thrown into the start of a battle to own the book. Along the way she meets Matthew Clairmont, a chillingly handsome vampire. Despite the taboo of associating with vampires, Diana forms a bond with Matthew and he helps her unleash her inner witch.

This is a fun, fun, fun read. Harkness writes in a way similar to Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code and Elizabeth Kostova in The Historian. The plot is thick with several interwoven layers, time periods and rich characterizations. What I like most about Harkness’ writing is her use of description. She has a perfect balance of detail and you can feel, taste and hear pretty much everything just as she describes it. I can’t wait for the next book!

3.5 darts out of 5

Bookshelf project status: None (borrowed from a friend) 

57. "The Absolutist" by John Boyne

Boyne, John. The Absolutist. New York: Doubleday, 2012.

320 pages

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

John Boyne is an Irish writer most known for his novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold over 5 million copies and was recently made into a major motion picture. His work has been published in over forty different languages and The Absolutist is his most recent novel.

Set during the first World War, The Absolutist follows seventeen-year-old Tristan Sadler as he lies about his age, enlists in a British regiment, and is sent to the trenches. During basic training at Aldershot, Tristan meets Will, a curious and moral soldier who swiftly entrances Tristan with his depth and physical beauty. Their relationship is not a simple story. It is fraught with confusion, anger, pain, passion, and questioning.

In the trenches they must wrestle with big questions. What is a human life worth? Tristan often thinks about the humanity of the enemy soldiers pondering, “I crawl forward on my belly, holding my rifle before, my left eye firmly closed as I look down the viewfinder for anyone advancing in my direction. I picture myself locking eyes with a boy of my own age, both of us terrified, in the instant before we shoot each other dead” (Boyne). For Tristan, the Germans he is fighting and killing are people, young men just like him.

Will is the son of a vicar and has high moral standards, standards that are too high for the rest of his regiment. He follows in the footsteps of the conscientious objectors that came before him which causes the greatest divide between Will and Tristan. Is an idea or principle worth dying for? What is courage and how does one display it? These are all questions this novel explores in heartbreaking and sobering ways. Boyne does not beat around the bush when it comes to the harsh realities of love and war in 20th century England. By the end of the novel I was in tears.

The Absolutist is captivating. The nonlinear plot kept me riveted and wanting more. The characters possess depth and flaws and are extraordinarily human. Reminiscent of All Quiet on the Western Front, The Absolutist will take you into a world where simple pleasures are “the result of inhuman deprivations” and unconditional love is the greatest form of courage (Boyne).

 4.5 darts out of 5

Bookshelf Project Status: KEEP