Book Reviews

Friday, May 24, 2013

The Hunger Games- First Book in Review

                                                     
Recently, I've reread The Hunger Games. I found myself, while less emotionally tossed with the characters as the first time, getting a lot more out of it the second time through. What one ends up having to surmise is that this is an extremely well executed Young Adult's book. Disregard the sequels- I'll talk about them in other posts- and view this book on its own. It has a strong yet flawed protagonist, the action and romance necessary to rein in much of the teenage market used with purpose, and a biting satire on reality. The one unfortunate thing that happens with The Hunger Games is that much of the audience falls into the very trap Suzanne Collins is warning us of. She's trying to make us realize how awful it is that people find entertainment in this awful violence the media glorifies, how twisted our sense of reality has become, and yet people are drawn to this book (and film) for this very reason. The violence and emotional trauma it parodies become its trademarks.
     Don't get me wrong. With the correct mix of seriousness, the type of entertainment these books condone is not detrimental. There are a lot of positive things that come out of reading about another's trials and reveling in the excitement of the book. But treating the violence itself with lightheartedness and interest is the very thing Collins is asking us to keep away from. What's gone wrong with our society when we put people in these situations to make us feel excited? Sure, literature and films give us simulated feelings such as empathy and triumph, which strengthens us as people instead of turning us into something more primal. But when the adrenaline violence creates is itself the desired product, we're in trouble.
     Let's begin a look at the actual story. I find Katniss and Gale's conversation at the beginning a great look into who these characters are, and what their storylines will be like. As we start on the character arc for Katniss, we see she's apathetic to anything bigger than her family. Partly, this is because her childhood has forced her to act logically and realistically. But there is a problem with not caring about a corrupt system because she can't change it at all. She's bitter, but she won't focus on anything more than herself for a while. Gale, on the other hand, is an idealist. Instead of being merely bitter about the Capitol, he's built up a rage. However, he's also seriously thought about just running away, which says a few things. While he hates the system, he would rather leave it than change it for everyone else. One might be tempted to say he was selfish, but he also has sacrificed his life for his family. I think he just likes the idea of an escape from the daunting life ahead of him. He also seems to already like Katniss. He'd be willing to run away and live with only her, and makes a small remark that if he lived somewhere else, he'd want kids.
     Now, for the most part, I want to stay outside the love triangle of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. I think that deserves a separate post on its own, based on its intricacies. So I'll skip to some of the other characters we know by the first few chapters. Prim needs a lot of development. Sure, she mostly symbolizes the innocence and family Katniss is trying to protect, but she has to make her own impression on the story. I'm a little mad about how she acts so far. What does it say, that she's twelve? She giggles and quacks when Katniss says she's a little duck. She acts like she's five. Similarly, the mother playing the role of the scared and useless parent may be all she's meant to be, but I turns her into a plot device instead of a character. Katniss refuses to forgive her, which is a hurdle she'll need to jump before the trilogy is over for full character development.
     Which brings us to the Reaping. After Katniss volunteers in the stead of Prim, there's the scene where all of District 12 refuses to clap, instead doing the classic three finger salute. This is a fantastic moment, especially considering the other books, where you get an idea of how dangerous that is. It's also impressive that not a single person was cowed into applauding. District 12 is much stronger than we first see, that they're fed up with The Hunger Games. I'm partly surprised that President Snow didn't punish them in some way.
     We also meet Peeta. The kindness he brings the story is a breath of fresh air. Except Peeta, this book is lacking in legitimately kind people. In a book bemoaning society's brutality, this kind of character is essential- the other side. Honestly, I think I'd enjoy him being the narrator. What would it be like to fall in love with a girl, and ten years later you're forced to fight to the death with her? That's a strong hook right there, even without the rest of the book's premise. I'm curious as to what his thought process is during this whole thing, especially at how he came to the conclusion of pitching the star-crossed lovers. There he was, about to die with the girl he had a crush on since he was five. So he makes a plan to announce it to the world, for sponsors. Being the shy guy he was, this way he could see how she reacted while he still had a back-up. But let's back up a bit to talk about the Capitol.
     When Katniss and Peeta go to the Capitol, we see Collins' satire on our society in full. We are self-obsessed gluts who conform our lives to trends and fads. I think this is where the message of the book hits me hardest- when Katniss comes from her awful living conditions to find the sickening glamor of the upper class. And while we may enjoy the thrilling storyline, or the love triangle, the book seems to be asking us, "How dare we live like this? How dare we leave others starving to live in such pomp, how dare we find entertainment in people's tribulations?" We are the ultimate consumerist society, and it's becoming utterly corrupt. However, part of this seems inevitable. Discontentment is contagious. You see Katniss slightly changing over her short time in the Capitol. For instance, it talks of her snacking in her room, then feeling "starved" when Effie calls her down to dinner. So recently she really was starving. We will naturally change our lifestyles to fit the expectations others hold around us.
     Another lesson I took away at this point of the lesson was, if our lives didn't revolve around entertainment, what could we be doing in our free time? There was so much Katniss wasn't able to do back home because she had to always hunt. Without that necessity, people fill in the time gaps with the media. I think managing our time wisely is important. At the same time, however, I think society is overloading us with activities and useless obligations that clutter our lives more than is necessary. I think priorities are important to sort out, and while many of our life obligations can't be helped- school, friends, sports, jobs, and service- I think much of our lives' organization could be adjusted. Back on topic.
     When Peeta announces his love for Katniss, I feel bad for the poor guy. The worst reaction you can possibly get is to have the girl of your dreams beat you up when you tell her you love her. And then when you explain that it was a plot to save your lives, she says sorry, she thought you were serious. His final scene on the rooftop before they go into the games is his strongest moment of the book.
     The moment they enter the games, the book turns into literary candy for a while. While it's exciting to read about Katniss' adventures in the games, it takes a break from the harsh criticism of the world and turns into more of what you'd expect from a Young Adult book. It was still highly enjoyable, and well executed. My one complaint is that if Katniss could shoot the eye out of a squirrel, you'd think once she got a bow, the others would be as good as dead. There are multiple opportunities for her to shoot her opponents. perhaps if she had explained that shendidn't feel comfortable killing people yet?
      Once Rue dies, the power of the book reaches its apex. As far as I'm concerned, this was the climax of the book, where we feel most acutely what Katniss is up against and why it's evil. Plus, we get some heavy foreshadowing on Prim's eventual death. Or at least on how difficult it will be for Katniss. She mentally thought of Rue as Prim, which was partly why the death was so difficult for her. In order for her to be pushed all the way, she'll have to let Prim go, too.
     As she begins to work with Peeta, I can't stop wishing I could see the other characters' storylines. Is Haymitch breaking out of his alcoholic habits, so caught up in the games and finally feeling like he has a purpose? Is Gale watching, unable to look away but unable to bear that Katniss is making out with Peeta on television? Is Katniss' mom shocked to find out that the Peeta's dad was in love with her, or did he tell her when they were young? There's a lot going on, and we only see a sliver of it.
     In the final showdown, the muttations were a magnificent card to play, with the "ghosts" of the previous tributes come to haunt the final players. Logically, I've got a complaint on Cato and Katniss not killing each other even with the danger of the dogs right on them. As soon as they kill the other team, the game is over, as will be the danger. So when Cato barrels through Peeta and Katniss to escape the hounds, he could have slashed them both and won.
     And then the berries! I'm surprised nothing like this has happened in the 73 previous years of the Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta pretend to do suicide by eating the berries, thinking somehow that it would me more of a slap in the face of the government for there to be no contestant than to give in and allow multiple. But it works, and Peeta and Katniss are out. We see one final example of Katniss being a jerk, drawing her bow on Peeta, before she feels guilty about deciding to kill her friend, and thinks of a way out. And a way out she finds! Out of The Hunger Games they go, and into the problems of the real world.
     Haymitch is becoming a stronger character, fighting with the Capitol who wanted to sexualize Katniss (also an eerie echo of the real world's media). Aside from him, however, no one seems to have changed as a character throughout this book. I guess we'll have to wait for the next books.
     As I've said before, this was a wonderfully done Young Adult book. It has strong themes, characters that feel real, and a plot that'll keep teens attached. However, it was definitely only a first step. Though it succeeded in being a strong solitary book, it also had a lot of promise that she'll have to carry through. In my opinion, however, those promises are broken. In a trilogy, the first book should not be the strongest. In this case, it was, and the quality of the books go downhill from here.
   
   
   

Monday, April 15, 2013

The End of the World

                                         
Compared to the last episode, The End of the World was a big improvement. While it still suffered from a slightly painful dialogue ("What's that old Earth saying? Oh yes, burn baby burn! HAHA!"), the pacing and character development took a step forward. The one major feeling I got from this episode was an overwhelming sense of sci-fi. Rose got it right when she said, "They're just so...alien," describing the aliens. With strange sentient creatures, malicious robots, space ships, and trademark alien music, this was a heavy stereotype. Oddly enough, I think it worked. This is, after all, the classic sci-fi show. I kind of got the feeling I get when watching old and outdated television shows--that while no one else really finds them interesting, I enjoy them even if they're boring on account of the authenticity most modern shows seem to lack.
     Let's recap the episode quickly. The Doctor shows off his machine to Rose by taking her to the last day of Earth's history. Everyone has evacuated, and the richest aliens watch the destruction of the planet for entertainment. We get a look at some strange aliens, many of whom come into play later- The Face of Boe and Cassandra show up in upcoming seasons. Cassandra is the last pure human, but has been turned into a flab of skin through centuries of maintaining. Gifts are given by all, and some sketchy hooded men give everyone metal balls that soon, undetected, become small robots that attack the ship's functions. While the Doctor investigates with a sentient tree woman, Rose gets knocked out and put in a room with the solar filter slowly getting turned off. Just before she dies, the Doctor saves her in the last minute. However, all the defenses begin to shut down as the Doctor realizes Cassandra is behind it all, trying to get money with hostages. While the plan was foiled, she would instead merely reap the benefits of the stock increases from their competitors. The Doctor and the tree lady go to turn the defenses back on, and as the tree holds down a lever, slowly burning, she reveals that she knows who the Doctor is. He walks through the fans she's slowing down with the lever, and with Time Lord powers walks through one as it spins at full power. He turns on the defenses, brings Cassandra back, and watches as she dries up with no one to moisturize her. He goes back to Earth with Rose.
     That being said, there were still some scientific inconsistencies, which I can't stand in shows that specifically try to justify their plots through the world's laws. Cassandra is a stretched out piece of skin with a face on it. How exactly does she talk, again, with no lungs? How does she breathe, for that matter? Later in the episode, as the Doctor is walking through the fans to switch on the shields, the glass in Rose's room cracks all over and nearly falls apart. Realistically, wouldn't this force all the air out of the room and kill Rose immediately? Picky, I know, and not necessarily accounting for future technology, but it made me wonder.
                                     
     I found one line particularly noteworthy. A robot welcomes people onto the ship, and reminds them that religion on board is prohibited. This seems to speak for the series itself. One of my main problems with Doctor Who is the strong atheistic tone. While I'm all for shows having their own set of beliefs, I think it should always stay in the realm of belief-- that in order to buy into a story, you don't have to make adjustments to your world views. For instance, in one episode, Tennant quips that you'd never believe what actually happened on Easter morning. Therefore, in the Whoniverse Christianity is factually false, and I don't think they should force the viewer into that position.
     What really held this episode above the previous one was the insight we got on the Doctor. It's easy to forget by season seven that there was a time (in the modern series) when what the Doctor is was a mystery. It was refreshing to have an episode in which Rose doesn't know about him being a Time Lord, or what that means. I remember one of the highlights of Eccleston's era was the slow understanding that underneath the goofy alien traveller, there was something far more powerful and tragic. The mystery was well developed in this episode, where we don't know much- only enough to keep our interest in it going strong. What made this cheesy tv series- scratch that, what makes this cheesy tv series- so amazing is the complexity of the Doctor. Each actor thus far has shown with great skill the tragedy of the Doctor, which roots the series in the realm of being taken seriously. What Eccleston is best at is establishing the character for the oncoming seasons, and this episode began that for me.
     On top of the Doctor's mystery and the episode's plot, there was the underlying theme of the Earth's fragility. Our lifestyle is by no means eternal, which reminds us to rethink what's important in life. There was also the daring idea that our race might live on- that this mania we have over the Apocalypse or Nuclear Wars isn't actually going to wipe us out. I think the main takeaway was that culture is temporary, but humanity will never die. I think this is a pretty strong theme, considering the fact that the plot was weak.
     Lastly, did you notice an alien speculate whether this was the "Bad Wolf" emergency? I'll try and spot a reference in every episode.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Rose

                                            
This is my first entry on Doctor Who! My plan is to discuss each episode and its value. Keep in mind that there will be spoilers for episode, so make sure you watch it before reading this. We begin with Rose, the first episode of the new series started in 2005. Thank goodness the show survived after this painful pilot. With retro music, idiotic characters, and a paper thin plot riddled with holes, Eccleston's era started as a mess. The only thing that kept this show viewable for fans was that the Doctor was instantly likable, as usual.
     The show begins in a strange montage of Rose's day--her looking like a slob, her kissing Mickey, her still looking like a slob, her working...all to a strange 90's beat that at best could be called unique. As Rose descends into a scary lower basement, we dive pretty quickly into action. Truth be told, it is a pretty solid start. The creepy manikins turn their heads toward Rose in an isolated basement, and the Doctor takes her away to run from the monsters in a classic beginning to a Who episode. And then it starts to falter. As the elevator closes on the manikin reaching through the doors, the Doctor pops its arm off.
     Let's jump forward a little. We know from the episode as a whole that the plastic is being controlled by the Nestene Consciousness, giving it life. Something about the plastic allows the Consciousness to enter. The idea of it possessing mannequins comes immediately to mind in a sci-fi show, but we also know that it isn't limited to human forms. Therefore, the Doctor should immediately realize that the arm is going to create trouble. Instead, he cheerfully hands it to Rose as if it's harmless and lets her carry it all the way home, getting to his own silly shenanigans.
     And what shenanigans are those, again? He needs to blow up a transmitter that's controlling the plastic in this building. However, what could the plastic possibly do that's more harmful than blowing up the entire store in a gigantic explosion? And how did he know the building was clear of people, again?
     So Rose goes home, which is an immediate plummet for the pacing of the show. All the characters at this point are unlikable except the Doctor, which makes any scene without him kind of painful, especially the ones with Mickey. The show tries to make us dislike him extremely hard, only to make him one of the main protagonists of the episode.
     The Doctor makes an interesting comment to Rose as they talk the next morning. He can feel the Earth move, hurtling through space. When I first heard this, I thought it was an awesome line. It gives us this idea that the Doctor is someone strange, that he's alien, and the sense that he's powerful. But if we look a little more closely into it, that ability doesn't make any sense. According to physics, we can't feel the Earth moving because we're all going at a constant rate. Therefore, we might as well be stationery, because as long as we're spinning as fast as the Earth, it's unnoticeable. What the Doctor is saying is that he's exempt from this rule-he might as well be saying gravity doesn't effect him. This is never explained or expanded upon, which makes me wonder whether to accept it as a true statement (in the canon) at all. Science is science, and just being a Time Lord doesn't mean you don't have to follow its rules without a good reason.
     After a little bit of brilliant detective work on Rose's part (let's type "Doctor" into google and see what pops up), she goes to find a man who knows all about this mysterious man. We learn some ominous details about the Doctor, like the fact that he's found all throughout history. Ooh, and destruction follows wherever he comes. And one last thing, Rose, before you leave: he always has one companion. Death. As this sinks in, Mickey finds that a garbage can is creeping toward him, which is where we learn that the Nestene Consciousness must be after Rose to get information about the Doctor.
     This is also, however, where the episode just gets cartoonish. The garbage can proceeds to eat Mickey, burp (how is that supposed to work?), then magically make a Mickey replica out of no materials. Somehow, Rose doesn't seem to notice that something's wrong with Mickey, even though he's a plastic doll that can barely talk or drive. Perhaps her boyfriend is so incompetent and emotionless as it was, and she couldn't tell the difference. We proceed to have a battle between the Doctor and this monster, and the cartoon violence gets even more obvious.
     As Rose enters the Tardis for the first time, a great scene at face value, we also learn that the Doctor couldn't care less that Mickey is dead. Doesn't he have, I dunno, some sort of creed against that? I thought the whole point of the Doctor was that he valued life over everything. Rose herself seems to be more concerned with the Doctor's flippancy than the actual fact her boyfriend's dead. They quickly forget this little argument, and find Mickey safe and sound in a couple minutes.
     We proceed to learn that this episode has no logic guiding it at all. The mannequins, coming to life to destroy the world, have now all obtained laser guns in their fingers. How did this happen, again? Do we have reason to be concerned with the manufacturers of our mannequins?
                                                   
                                                              The Nestene Consciousness
     Finally, I would be interested to find out what the Doctor is talking about with the Consciousness about the war he fought in, the one he tried to help them with. Is there an earlier episode with that in it? From what I can find, the Doctor has only tried to thwart the Nestene. Well, that's all for this episode. Feel free to discuss in the comments anything you noticed about what went on in this episode or any feedback. Thanks for reading!
   

Sunday, March 31, 2013

A Guide to the Blog

Hello! I'm Andrew, and here are the humble beginnings of my blog. I don't want to limit this blog to any one purpose, so this particular post is written to help guide you to whatever section you're most interested in. My primary goal is to extensively review books, television series, and movies according to their merit in a world overflowing with options of entertainment. I want to delve deeply into different aspects of whatever I'm discussing, having several posts designated to each title I'm reviewing. On your right will be a list of different pages you can go to. On any one of these, you'll find a list of blogs that are associated with the label. For instance, if you wanted to find a discussion on the historical significance of A Tale of Two Cities, you would find it under the label, "A Tale of Two Cities".
     However, I think a journal type of a blog is also helpful, or at least to a certain audience. Therefore, there will also be a page merely labelled "Journal" which will have personal information about my life. Each of my entries in that section will be titled after the date it was written. The most recent of my blogs will immediately be on the homepage.
     And what about everything else? Any posts I have on random stuff like music, the current world, history, recommendations of good sites, and other such things will be posted under miscellaneous. Now, I understand that this is a very broad way of looking for things, particularly if this blog expands to as many topics as I hope it will. You can therefore find the search bar on the right side of the main page.
       A final note-those who happen to find this blog any time soon, I understand that the archive is more or less empty. This post is meant more as a guide to the ideal blog this will become. Thank you for reading, and I hope you find something of worth here at Burt's Blog!