Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

[alexandral]

I am sailing fairly quickly through "Hunger Games" trilogy, mostly because I promised myself to listen to THE WHOLE OF "Vorkosigan Saga" next and all the books are ready and I can't wait!

I feel very apologetic because I know so many of you on my friends list love the trilogy, but "Catching Fire" (the second book of the trilogy) left me not very impressed. I AM SORRY. But I must tell you the truth. :D



The first book of "Hunger Games" trilogy ("Hunger Games") had a really good idea, even though this was something that Susanne Collins can't be given the full credit for (in my opinion) because even if you take "Battle Royale" out of the equation there is also "Running Man" and "1984". This idea worked really well in the first book, but the second book (Catching Fire) feels like rehashing of the same story. Inventing the way to send Katniss and Peeta back into the Arena felt contrived and unexciting.

Plus there were a couple of points I found particular problematic:

1. Worldbuilding.
I waited for some of the more cumbersome aspects of the Hunger Games Universe to be explained in the second book but there was no explanation:

- Why do we have so many Greek/Roman names and terms? Where have they come from? This feels like pseudo-Chinese used in Firefly without any explanation as to how it has become so popular. How Greek/Latin language has become so commonly used in USA? I feel I need an explanation.

- Why in the world that seems to be highly technologically developed people are still using coal? Why are they using manual labour? Also, when technology is developed well enough the production of material goods becomes very cheap which leads to the overall increase in the quality of life. This is the law of technological development. Why not in Panem?

2. Love triangle

I have heard that "Hunger Games" is anti-Twilight. I agree to a certain degree because Katniss, in some ways, is anti-Bella (apart from the "boy magnet" quality they share).

But I must point out that the love triangle part of "catching Fire" is taken out of Twilight. Some of descriptions of Gale's hot skin being warm and sunny made me think directly back to Jacob, the hot blooded werewolf.

I think I have made my mind up about love triangles. I do not like them. All that "blah blah blah, it feels so good to be kissing Gale" and "blah blah blah, I like Peeta sleeping with me and holding me too" is just so.. not my thing at all. I want Katniss to make her mind up as soon as possible. I am getting close to becoming annoyed; this is so not my thing.

For the record, my money is still on Peeta to "get the girl" at the end.

3. I am getting a little bit tired with too many descriptions of various frocks and jewels Katniss "is made to wear against her will".

This is not a fashion magazine! Continuous lavish and loving descriptions of dresses and outfits make the author look hypocritical because she tries to criticise consumerism, in the same book. I hope to see less of descriptions of various outfits and more of character and worldbuilding development in the book 3, "Mockingjay".

Overall, after two books I rate this series 7/10, mostly because the first book was really good. I am giving the series some time and may be everything will be explained in the book 3 and the love triangle will be resolved soon.

But I definitely don't understand why so many people are so in love with this series (I would really appreciate any explanations). WHY??????????

For me, the series feel like a patchwork with the best bits taken from various sources (for example, Rue's death scene brings Ophelia painting to my mind, etc.).

PS: Somehow reading "Catching Fire" made me appreciate "Harry Potter" much more. I think Harry Potter is a much better series, especially in the worldbuilding sense. You might see me eating my hat and admitting that may be I have always been a bit unfair to "Harry Potter". :D

Comments

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, i agree - Chinese felt right to be one of the widely used languages because as you say, there are probably more people speaking Chinese than any other language .

BUT! There is a but. :D The problem in Firefly was that there were NO CHINESE people or anyone who looked remotely Asian is this series. So - all the Chinese people have died out but the language has got incorporated into the mainstream? This doesn't makes sense. It would hvae made sense if the language got incorporated into the mainstream IF the people of Chinese origin have become mixed with the other races. but then we would have seen more people with Asian features! I mean - I think the population of China is something like 1/5 of the whole population. So , if all the races have mixed together, there must have been one person with Asian features per every five people!

You see, I am very geeky and count those things. :D BTW, in the case of Firefly, this is a minor annoyance for me because I LOVE the series overall.

The same with HG - I absolutely accept it that Greek/Roman stuff might have become popular/in fashion, but I need to know how..

What irks me in Katniss/Peeta/Gale triangle is not whom Katniss loved/didn't love, but her complete cluelessness and egoism. I mean - ok, I am all for strong women and all, but telling Peeta she was kissing Gale in the woods AND asking him to stay with her IN BED on the same day? This is no strong woman, this is a clueless woman (and you have to be seriously clueless to think things like "oh, we are just friends, but I like him in my bed everyday").

Oh yes, the series is written very compellingly. And I still like the gender reversal. I just wish katniss wasn't portrayed as such a clueless person

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

jkjgkhfgj I want to tell you some things but I can't because it's in book three but basically and to go with the very big picture, there's a moment where Katniss ears the boys saying all this (and Gale has what I find to be a very very VERY harsh sentence at that point but so terribly true) while they don't think she does and it's glorious XD.

I don't think she's clueless. I actually wrote an all essay here and had to erase it because hello spoilers all over the place :p. I know you don't mind them but still ^^.

Huh such a good point about Firefly. They should have went all for it.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think this moment with the boys "saying something" should have come at the end of the book one/beginning of the book 2, otherwise Katniss feels like some kind of "not quite there" brain-wise. :D I think the cluelessness was endearing for me for one book, but her constantly thinking "oh, why did Peeta/Gale/All other people do it?" is becoming too repetitive. I am going to dl the book and count all instances of Katniss thinking "Why did he do it???" and I think the number will be high.

I still love her charcter, but I honestly think the author is overdoing the cluelessness. No-one is that slow in thinking!

I don't mind spoilers/ :D Especially here, where I am sure I semi-know how this ends. :D

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

Do not tempt me :p.

I just think that the author saw the all thing in a different light. Or maybe I'm just imagining it. Basically, Katniss chooses Gale in book 2 (she even says it out loud) and lol at her at that moment because it is so obvious that she does it for the wrong reasons. I actually love Gale. I love the character and unlike 99% of the fandom, I love where the author went with him but it adds to the all confusing elements between Panem the Capitol and Panem the Districts. She's in front of what she considers to be two choices: boy with the bread but he's been marked by the Capitol and the hunger games and Gale who is like her and almost represent the rebellion (his speech is certainly crystal clear in that area). Of course she was going for Gale almost at the same time she agrees to represent the fight.

I really saw more the "love triangle" to be a Faith one about the all symbolic path she had. Problem is, the feelings has always been also very obvious.

I was going to post the quote I just told you and searched for it in english since I have the french version and ... wow... it's so not the same meaning :o. It's a lot more harsh in french :o.

English quote: “Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can’t survive without.”
French translated literally by yours truly: " She will choose the one she estimates to be more fit in order for her survival."
Oh *___*.