The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Mockingjay Discussion and Appreciation

[WingedPegasus]

Second trailer:

[MIZA]

Second trailer:

Oh yes that new trailer looks awesome ! , we should all listen to HG fireside chat podcast on iTunes , in which they will do scene by scene analysis of the new trailer

[gotthammer]

I just got the first book today. I don't know when I'll start reading it (I think my reading backlog could be piled up to be taller than me...), but all this 'fuss' (i.e., upcoming movie) got me curious and I may read it as soon as I finish several other books.

[magictrick]

The series was decent, but nothing special. It had potential to be a lot better. I had to keep remembering that it was written for young adults, which basically means teens nowadays. I was reading the series right after I finished A Dance with Dragons so the differences in the writing style took some getting used to.

The way she chose to conclude the series in the 3rd book was extremely weak though.

Spoiler:

So many questions remain unanswered. Characters that have been there all along are simply forgotten. Characters get killed off near the end and their deaths really aren't explained well at all. The result of the war isn't examined at all.
Even in the 20 years after part, they still don't examine how the society is like now with a new government - is it better or not?

[Morbo]

thats what i said

[MIZA]

The series was decent, but nothing special. It had potential to be a lot better. I had to keep remembering that it was written for young adults, which basically means teens nowadays. I was reading the series right after I finished A Dance with Dragons so the differences in the writing style took some getting used to.

The way she chose to conclude the series in the 3rd book was extremely weak though.

Spoiler:

So many questions remain unanswered. Characters that have been there all along are simply forgotten. Characters get killed off near the end and their deaths really aren't explained well at all. The result of the war isn't examined at all.
Even in the 20 years after part, they still don't examine how the society is like now with a new government - is it better or not?

I must say you do have a point, I sometimes think there should be a fourth book. May I ask what do you think in comparison to say the Harry Potter series , in terms of completion ? Thank all

[gotthammer]

I just finished 'Hunger Games' last night (I was going to put it on the to-read pile, but I got curious...).
Pretty good, methinks. Just wondering: is it just me, or was the author quite, for lack of a better word in my head, 'loose' with grammar? Or was that intentional?
In any case, I liked the pacing and the characters for the most part. I just got back from the local bookstore with the other 2 books.

[magictrick]

I must say you do have a point, I sometimes think there should be a fourth book. May I ask what do you think in comparison to say the Harry Potter series , in terms of completion ? Thank all

I couldn't tell you as I've never read a Harry Potter book

I think the completion could have been a lot better. The 3rd book was just poorly written from about halfway, which is a shame because it had potential to be pretty good.

[Morbo]

prim kills dumbledore

[WingedPegasus]

prim kills dumbledore

Spoilers!!

[Angela V]

I must say you do have a point, I sometimes think there should be a fourth book. May I ask what do you think in comparison to say the Harry Potter series , in terms of completion ? Thank all

Well they are different in the sense that one is Fantasy whereas the other is Science Fiction. As an adult I enjoyed both series. I think the Hunger Games books though could go on. The 3rd books does seem like there could be more to the story. Or else the author was just in a rush to finish the story. Though I felt it was still a good read.

My son is almost 12 and loves the HP series. I read the HG books from my local library to see if my son would like them. I liked them so much I bought him all 3 books for Christmas that came with a MockingJay pin.

[MIZA]

Well they are different in the sense that one is Fantasy whereas the other is Science Fiction. As an adult I enjoyed both series. I think the Hunger Games books though could go on. The 3rd books does seem like there could be more to the story. Or else the author was just in a rush to finish the story. Though I felt it was still a good read.

My son is almost 12 and loves the HP series. I read the HG books from my local library to see if my son would like them. I liked them so much I bought him all 3 books for Christmas that came with a MockingJay pin.

I seem to be running into the problem of reading a book and than watching the movie, there are so many inconsistencies. I know a lot of people felt this with the Twilight series too.

[LtColCarter]

I seem to be running into the problem of reading a book and than watching the movie, there are so many inconsistencies. I know a lot of people felt this with the Twilight series too.

*shudders* at the thought of that series...I couldn't get past chapter 3 because of the infantile writing. ANYHOO...I was thinking of picking up the Hunger Games...but could someone give me a general idea of what happens in the series? I asked some of the hellions (aka students) at work...but ya know...you can't always trust teens.

[gotthammer]

Hmm. I've only recently read and finished the 1st book (am more than halfway into the 2nd book).

Spoiler:

the protagonist is a girl named Katniss who lives in one of 12 districts. the districts are part of a country called 'Panem' (the former US, after a cataclysmic event of some sort. nuclear war? I forget) and ruled by the 'Capitol'. the districts rebelled in the past, but failed.
As punishment, each district is required to offer a tribute of a boy and a girl, between 12 - 16 years, I think, each year to 'compete' in the annual 'Hunger Games'. Basically, it's deathmatch in an arena (the terrain/contents vary per year) where only one kid gets out alive. (they start w/ nothing, so survival skills and instincts are very important)
the 'Hunger Games' (and 'Catching Fire', so far) is told exclusively from Katniss' perspective. it basically gives a fair amount of character background and development, and covers a portion of her life in district 12 up to the Games and the immediate aftermath.
'Catching Fire' some time after the first book and is about consequences of the choices/actions made by the protagonist in the first book. hope this helped

IMHO, the writing's 'ok', but the characters and pacing are quite good. It took me only 2 nights to finish the 1st book (which is pretty fast...well, the PC being broken helped).
I'm guessing I'll be finished by the 2nd book tonight (having started on it yesterday. took a short break w/ Sandy Mitchell's latest Ciaphas Cain novel, 'The Last Ditch'. Fun read...better than the last Cain book).

[Aussie_86]

I must say you do have a point, I sometimes think there should be a fourth book. May I ask what do you think in comparison to say the Harry Potter series , in terms of completion ? Thank all

Haven't read Harry Potter, but the third book to me seemed rushed. There could easily have been another book or two before the final Hunger games book, exploring Panem and its culture.

HOWEVER one main difference between the series is that the main character in Hunger Games is not THE main agent of the overall story arc (i.e. the rebellion). While Katniss is the 'face' of the rebellion, she is not THE rebellion. Therefore she does not, and is not, involved in everything. Whereas in Harry Potter, he is the main one doing everything and everything hinges off of him. Therefore, the world and experiences of Harry Potter would be much more in-depth and involved than the experiences of Katniss.