Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

With the cliff hanger provided in Hunger Games, the first book in the trilogy, I was like many fans waiting in anticipation for Catching Fire to be released.  Catching Firepicks up after the Hunger Games and Katniss and Peeta have returned home to District 12.  Katniss is uncomfortable with Peeta’s admission that their planned romance to win isn’t so business like for him as she also wrestles with her changing relationship with her childhood friend Gale.

A surprise visit from the President of Pelham quickly brings the harsh reality that Katniss and Peeta has sparked a revolution with their “love” defiance of the Capitol. With everything and everyone at stake they travel to the Capitol in hopes of squashing any rebellion. Epically failing, the Capitol shows how cruel it can really be and changes the very rules their society functions on. Will the spark become a fire or will everything be lost?

I stayed up late, really late, on a work night to finish this book. Like many readers, I am already attached to the characters and am wanting to watch them grow. I’m wanting the plot to evolve and develop into something new and I want revolution. Well, come on, the whole theme begs for it. Collins delivered to an extent on all three and I was left with my mouth hanging open at the last sentence so I’m keeping the jury out.  Book 2 is always tough and I think that is part of where it lost its punch.  Here’s to hoping that book three will provide the release that continued to build-even if only in the background-in book two. 2009, 291 pages.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I first heard about this book from our very enthusiastic teen librarian who had just gone to a YA workshop. The book that was the buzz of the workshop was Hunger Games, the first book in a proposed trilogy. Since then, I have seen it fly off the shelves as teens also took an interest.  Despite its popularity, I have not seen it make any of the “award” lists that are so popular these days.

Katniss lives in one of the poorest districts in what was once the United States. As punishment for a past rebellion, each district must send one boy and one girl to participate in the Hunger Games once a year where only one person survives. When her younger sister is drawn in the lottery Katniss does not hesitate to volunteer to take her place.

I won’t kid you, the topic is brutal. We are talking life and death of children here but the social commentary is wickedly smart and thought-provoking. The characters are well-drawn and the reader becomes conflicted and full of tension realizing only one person can survive. The pace is fast and uneven-surprises are everywhere but unlike a bestselling thriller, there is depth in these pages. This would make an excellent book discussion title. 2008, 374 pages.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

When picking the required reading for the science fiction genre class I teach at work, I read that if you read only one science fiction title, it must be Ender’s Game.  I was convinced because I trust the source and also, I knew that I really should have read this book a long time ago. I was not disappointed and the discussion we had in the class made me even more convinced that this is an engaging and certainly relevant title.

Ender Wiggin is six years old when he is taken from his family and sent to Battle School. He is thrilled to leave his sadistic older brother Peter and devastated to leave his sister Valentine who protected him and loved him unconditionally.  It is hard to remember that Ender is six as he quickly asserts himself as an intelligent and strong commander and he is promoted quickly. What we come to find out is that his success in the battle games he plays will determine the future of human life on earth.

I always forget how deeply philosophical science fiction is for the reader. It pulls you deeply in and makes you think about the ramifications of who we are and how we interact as a society.  Ender’s story is told by a master storyteller and provides the reader with a provocative view of how individuals make a difference. The pace moves quickly through the exciting action at the battle school and beyond, but readers interested in richly drawn characters who face a deep internal struggle will find much in the mind of Ender.  This is also a story that will appeal to pre-teen and teen readers who will recognize fellow students trying to fit in.  1985, 324 pages.

Vossoff and Nimmitz : just a couple of idiots reupholstering space and time by Adam-Troy Castro

Vossoff is essentially evil and is always trying to conquer the world-he just never seems to get a break. Nimmitz is his sidekick and book idiot. Deja Shapiro is Vossof’s ex-wife and Nimmitz’s current wife. It gets weird from there. V & N proceed to get into lots of strange situations while trying to conquer the world. Think criminals without a clue.

This book falls solidly into the humor subgenre of science fiction that is represented most familiarly by Douglas Adams. Little character development and a fair amount of action create the bulk of this odd little book. 2002, 230 pages.