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The Hunger Games – Book Review

Written by on July 5, 2012 | 3 Comments

A Remake of Battle Royale? Running Man? Lord of the Flies?

I know my title is a little brutal for a book – I’m ALMOST accusing Mrs. Collins of a rip off. But reviews are supposed to be honest; and one feeling that I was unable to shake off while reading this book was that I was reading Lord of the Flies all over again. Or The Running Man. Or The Long Walk. Or, most closely, the Battle Royale.

Totalitarian government – check. Dystopian world – check. Teens fighting to their deaths – check. Only one survivor must remain – check. 42 kids at the start – nope, 24. Same digits, big difference. A simplification, if you will.

And this is where I believe this book wins; a simplification of the complex, foreign, deeply disturbing and graphic Battle Royale for the mass Western audience. For us.

The strengths of the book are fantastic: a past paced thriller, a likable character, lives of innocent children at stake.

The weaknesses are no less formidable. The plot and the writing are unbelievably formulaic. Here are just a few I care to mention:
- Make your character lovable by: (a) being an orphan; (b) having a defenseless relative, preferably a child; (c) taking care of a hurt pet;
- Make your character fight against all odds, ideally for the survival of humanity;
- Make sure she of he are visibly running out of either (a) time or (b) options;
- Have someone (“a guardian”) warn them against the coming dangers…

The check list goes on.

I know this review is a collection of checklists; but this is exactly how I felt reading the book. A set of checklists to create an irresistible thriller.

Having said all that, the result is a fast-paced page turner that’s impossible to put down. Well done. I truly enjoyed this book (although not the two that followed) and will watch the movie.

If only Katniss were less repeatedly whiny about the same issues over and over and over again… oh father… or mother… oh Prim… oh father… oh mother… oh Prim… as if no other thoughts exist to choose from. Sadly, this part gets worse as the series goes on: ad nauseum.

It’s also amazing how Katniss gets through the Games without … spoiler beep … almost anyone. Lucky, I guess.

One major flaw that may call for a re-write, in my opinion, is the missed opportunity to create a hero. Good female leads are few and far between. Katniss (despite the name) could have been one. What do we get instead? A self-centered teen who can’t decide what she wants, does as she told, doesn’t stand for much apart from her family, and manipulates the poor, sincere Peeta. Later on, it gets so bad I don’t want to talk about it. Oh well.

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‘Lyonesse’ by Jack Vance

Written by on November 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment

More serious fantasy readers among us surely remember this book – a story about ancient, long forgotten islands on the Atlantic, consumed by its waters and about people who inhabited them. The Elder Isles – once home to magical creatures like elves, trolls and goblins; once home to human kingdoms of the 5th century A.D., with their politics, wars, passions and troubles; islands that have long submerged under the oceanic waves. In fact, Vance tells us this fact nearly at the beginning of the story, adding to his writing an aura of a long-lost heritage and nostalgia for something that will never return.

‘Lyonesse’ is a novel with several main characters – one of them is a young prince called Aillas. His fate is intertwined with stories of other characters, but Aillas can still be considered the leading one. He is a young prince of an island realm called Troicinet, located more or less 20 miles away from Gaul. Aillas is to succeed his father as king and he receives his education as the future monarch during an important diplomatic mission. Things get complicated, however, when he is mysteriously thrown over his ship’s board…

Aillas’ fate is linked to the fate of Suldrun, a young princess of another kingdom called Lyonesse. Her father, powerful king Casmir, wants to arrange a political marriage to boost his own diplomatic and military stance. But Suldrun does not want any of this – she seems to be interested only in the magical garden on the palace grounds. That is, until she meets Aillas…

The plot offers interesting twists, as one would expect to happen when mixing magic, wizardry, politics and military conquest. Jack Vance created his world while using rich references to our history, mythology and culture. In fact, the realm of Lyonesse is based on ancient chronicles of Phoenician, Greek, Roman and early Christian merchants. Different races and nations like Vikings or Celts also exist in the novel, depicted as declining or evolving into great powers that our history recorded them as.

‘Lyonesse’ portrays the magical reality of the early Dark Ages in a credible and riveting way – the seas are busy with cogs and boats, the battlefields are filled with roars of mighty armies, the highroads teem with merchants, missionaries, pilgrims and adventurers, both from fictitious kingdoms and real places like Gaul, Ireland, Wales or Cornwall. Vance’s world is abundant in historical allusions, although the author himself admitted that he treated historical accuracy with a pinch of salt. So we have the late Middle Ages traditions like jousting and chivalry combined with the political nuances of the collapsing Roman Empire; we have medieval dances, music and architecture existing in contrast with the pre-Christian, semi-barbaric culture saturated with magic.

In short, Vance’s ‘Lyonesse’ is a great read. It is linked to the myths of King Arthur and it artfully combines history and magic. I believe ‘Lyonesse’ is a classical historical fantasy novel, having achieved respect and acknowledgement of international critics of the genre.

Therefore, strongly recommended!

Have you read it? What do you think?

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Love Has no Limits

Written by on September 4, 2011 | 1 Comment

“Love has no Limits” is a wonderful story, and I was sorry it ended so fast. I’ve signed up to read all of Vanessa’s books.

Here are the things I particularly liked.

1. Elegance. In this age of self-edited, awkwardly worded novels, “No Limits” delighted me with simple, precise expressions that took me straight to the point. “Elegant” is the only way I can describe it. No unnecessary fluff. I was brought into the world of a young woman who explores her sexuality with engaging openness.

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Aztec

Aztec by Gary Jennings

Written by on May 8, 2011 | 2 Comments

AZTEC  by Gary Jennings

This book may change you. At the very least, it’ll excite your imagination and insult your senses. Full of lust for life, written “in the field” in Mexico, the book is polarizing, and has drawn both admiration and outright disgust from a few generations of readers.

It was the very first book I found when doing the competitive market research for my own writing about 10 years ago. Back then, I wanted to write a novel called “The Aztec”.

Imagine the depths of my emotion when I found an immensely successful title of the same name by the late  Gary Jennings, a well-known historical novelist.

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