Eager_Igraine
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Hunger Games Was Not A Bad Read
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I had a three hour flight last night, so I borrowed the book from my GF and read it on the flight. First person and it moves pretty quickly. It has all the standard flaws you would expect from a book targeting a tween audience of angsty kids, but still delivers a fair amount of entertainment. I am sad because I'm told the series goes rapidly downhill in book two.
Also, it is evil in that the book jacket says nothing about a series and the last line in the book is a to be continued statement. I haven't seen that crap since they suckered me in with the Robert Jordan crap way back when.
I give it one thumb's up for a quickie evening read.
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Vydor
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My wife and kids loved the books. It was an annual read for my wife to her 6th grade class, now she says she won't read it any more cuz the movie kinda took the mystery out of it.
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imaloon1
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Hunger Games Was Not A Bad Read
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The movie was meh....
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Eager_Igraine
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Hunger Games Was Not A Bad Read
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The movie creates a much different feel by taking the viewer many places the protagonist never goes in the book, such as the game's ops center. The movie was mediocre and some of the pointless dialogue makes sense when you've read the book. It is interesting what movie scripters decide is important and unimportant in stories they adapt, writing entire characters and plotlines out of a script while maintaining sections of dialogue that no longer have context.
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imaloon1
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I just don't like the idea that they can have starving masses of people and yet have the technology to magically conjure animals to hunt and kill you.
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Jaedence
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You heard correctly about book 2 and 3. Each was worse than the last.
While I don't like Quentin Tarantino movies, my one complaint about the movie was - It wasn't violent enough.
None of the deaths meant anything. In the book they were heart wrenching and you got a real feel for the horror these kids have to face in The Hunger Games. The movie was about as violent as a "My Little Pony" ad so it muted the whole point.
Do yourself a favor and watch the death of Rue fan made film on youtube. That five minute clip is better than the whole movie.
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Jorrdan
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I actually enjoyed the movie. Much more so than any other young adult movie I've seen (Potter and Twilight come immediately to mind) which surprised me.
But then, I have not read the books so maybe that makes a difference.
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Eh.
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Eager_Igraine
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Hunger Games Was Not A Bad Read
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imaloon1 posted:
I just don't like the idea that they can have starving masses of people and yet have the technology to magically conjure animals to hunt and kill you.
My understanding is this is some kind of post apoc US and '74 year ago' several states rebelled, the capital put the rebellion down and now maintains power largely by keeping the enslaved states in a constant state of deprivation with not enough food or materials much like modern NK.
So the 1% has plenty of everything and lives much like Mitt while the 99% that support them are so busy trying to survive they don't have time or energy to think about revolution, and any hint of rebellion or free thinking is crushed.
Hungry people get angry, starving people get weak.
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Jorrdan
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Eager_Igraine posted:
imaloon1 posted:
I just don't like the idea that they can have starving masses of people and yet have the technology to magically conjure animals to hunt and kill you.
My understanding is this is some kind of post apoc US and '74 year ago' several states rebelled, the capital put the rebellion down and now maintains power largely by keeping the enslaved states in a constant state of deprivation with not enough food or materials much like modern NK.
So the 1% has plenty of everything and lives much like Mitt while the 99% that support them are so busy trying to survive they don't have time or energy to think about revolution, and any hint of rebellion or free thinking is crushed.
Hungry people get angry, starving people get weak.
Agreed. I thought that was intentional. For punishment/control since the rebellion.
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Seething199
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i read the book on the way to italy last week. the book was written at a 3rd grade level, was ridiculously predictable, and was a pretty heavy rip-off of battle royale. i think it's funny that so many critics talked about how gruesome it was. it was like disney level violence.
it was a fast read and was somewhat entertaining. but it doesn't deserve really any of the hype it got. seems that fat 40 yr old women just need a teen romance book series to squawk about and they picked this one. i have no interest in reading the next two book. the end of the first one left me not wanting to know more.
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Azure-TheBlueOne
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I finished it this weekend, I thought it was actually a pretty epic read and couldn't put it down. That doesn't happen for me very often with books.
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Sinlock
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Jaedence posted:
You heard correctly about book 2 and 3. Each was worse than the last.
This is true - the third one was plain ridiculous.
That said, I thought they did such a good job on translating the first book that I actually have hope for the films. I expect them to be better than the books.
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Eager_Igraine
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Hunger Games Was Not A Bad Read
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Seething199 posted:
i read the book on the way to italy last week. the book was written at a 3rd grade level, was ridiculously predictable, and was a pretty heavy rip-off of battle royale.
I've heard comparisons to a lot of movies including battle royale, but I've never seen that so I dunno. Still, it isn't new ground in any way so it is really similar to lots of other stories. I think the simplistic style and small words are part of its mass appeal, like I said I read it on a freaking three hour plane flight. I thought it might be more middle school level than third grade though. 
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imaloon1
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I understand the politics behind it, but what I don't understand is the technology. If you have the tech to create animals out of thin fucking air there is no need to rule by starvation, just turn 1.5 billion of those dogs against the populations.
It's the plot hole of all plot holes to me and totally ruined the story.
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Eager_Igraine
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imaloon1 posted:
I understand the politics behind it, but what I don't understand is the technology. If you have the tech to create animals out of thin fucking air there is no need to rule by starvation, just turn 1.5 billion of those dogs against the populations.
It's the plot hole of all plot holes to me and totally ruined the story.
Gotcha. In the book, the dog(s) and the wasps and the mocking jays and other stuff are biotech developed during the rebellion and used to keep the people down at the time, then left loose to keep the people either within their districts or dead and not a problem. Although the dogs specific to the climax of the battle were specially manufactured for that fight, I got the impression that they were taken from an existing template.
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Altra_Shadowstalker
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I was entertained by the movie, but it certainly had it's flaws.
The dogs kind of pissed me off. And the fireballs. Who would want to watch that crap? Can you imagine UFC where the guy is obviously winning, so the ref pulls out a knife and slices him a few times?
Plus, the girl never successfully defended herself. They recycled the harrowing struggle with someone obviously about to kill her and then they start monologuing before a random person saves her. Once, ok. But twice? Come on.
How does a baker learn camouflage from putting frosting on cake?
Kids killing smaller kids is what passes for entertainment? Or maybe creates riots when their twelve year old is murdered by a pyschopath. You'd think they'd have put adults convicted of stealing food into this game. Or not put little children in the game due to that sector rioting every god damn year.
Those schools that the I's and II's go to must really suck. They should win every year. Every year. They're volunteers for craps sake. They should be taught game theory, healing techniques, hunting/tracking, leadership, treachery, and every skill that win the previous 74 games. Instead, they're mighty awesome at sword play and being arrogant dillhole crybabies.
How does a baker learn camouflage from putting frosting on cake??
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Eager_Igraine
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Yeah, I think I mentioned the story has the expected amount of stupid in it, but my standards were fairly low as I've already gotten a sense of how craptastic the Eclipse series is and how horribad the writing and plotting is and yet that series has pulled down insane profits and generated huge amounts of fame and popularity in the general public, so my guess is that this is a huge step up in every way to that.
In other news, Frodo should have just ridden an eagle to Mount Doom.
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Kamdar
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Seething199 posted:
i read the book on the way to italy last week. the book was written at a 3rd grade level, was ridiculously predictable, and was a pretty heavy rip-off of battle royale. i think it's funny that so many critics talked about how gruesome it was. it was like disney level violence.
it was a fast read and was somewhat entertaining. but it doesn't deserve really any of the hype it got. seems that fat 40 yr old women just need a teen romance book series to squawk about and they picked this one. i have no interest in reading the next two book. the end of the first one left me not wanting to know more.
Wait till book 2 and 3.
The violence ramps up a TON.
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Eternal_Midnight
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Seething199 posted:
i read the book on the way to italy last week. the book was written at a 3rd grade level, was ridiculously predictable, and was a pretty heavy rip-off of battle royale. i think it's funny that so many critics talked about how gruesome it was. it was like disney level violence.
it was a fast read and was somewhat entertaining. but it doesn't deserve really any of the hype it got. seems that fat 40 yr old women just need a teen romance book series to squawk about and they picked this one. i have no interest in reading the next two book. the end of the first one left me not wanting to know more.
This is what I've assumed about the writing style, which no one seems to say anything about. I couldn't make it through Harry Potter because the writing was so juvenile.
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Jorrdan
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This thread is cracking me up. You guys can suspend disbelief enough to play an MMO but not enough for fiction. I don't think the plot holes were that enormous.
Such as in Twilight as pointed out so correctly in Cracked I think it was. When Edward thinks Bella is dead...he goes to kill himself. But he doesn't bother to, oh, I dunno...call her? Check Facebook? Twitter? I mean, hello, this is the age of social media. Call his sister.."Hey, is Bella dead? Just checking before I off myself." Now that's a enormous plot hole.
As for writing style/level...well, yes. It is a young adult novel. Most books for adults these days are even written at lower language levels. And, sadly, they have to be.
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Eager_Igraine
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I thought it was pretty stupid to run the lottery starting at age 12. I understand that was a critical tool in forcing her plot, but when the games involve people watching children being murdered it seems the design is to create the rage and rebellion the games are supposed to suppress. It just seems so much more sensible to make it some form of adulthood ritual and limit the selection to 18 year olds. Also, given all the big brother tech the Capital seems to have, why bother with the hand drawn lottery when you could simply ensure that the selections are made from the most obvious trouble makers? You'd think the Capital would have a pretty solid system in place after 74 years of experimentation.
I'm generally pretty good at suspending disbelief in the process of reading or watching, but a lot of stuff just collapses upon any reflection. So it wasn't a bad read.
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Altra_Shadowstalker
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I've been told that fiction stories need to be more realistic than reality. I believe this. When crafting a fantasy story, you're already asking your readers to accept the reality your forcing on them. Plot holes and logic gaps stretch your readers imagination beyond acceptable levels. Too much and it shatters your fragile crafted reality.
Like I said, it was a really entertaining movie. I just won't give it props for a quality story.
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Jorrdan
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Altra_Shadowstalker posted:
I've been told that fiction stories need to be more realistic than reality. I believe this. When crafting a fantasy story, you're already asking your readers to accept the reality your forcing on them. Plot holes and logic gaps stretch your readers imagination beyond acceptable levels. Too much and it shatters your fragile crafted reality.
Like I said, it was a really entertaining movie. I just won't give it props for a quality story.
I don't disagree there. At all. Just that the plot holes were so enormous. Although I do agree with this:
Eager_Igraine posted:
I thought it was pretty stupid to run the lottery starting at age 12. I understand that was a critical tool in forcing her plot, but when the games involve people watching children being murdered it seems the design is to create the rage and rebellion the games are supposed to suppress. It just seems so much more sensible to make it some form of adulthood ritual and limit the selection to 18 year olds.
Yeah, agree totally. In fact, I remarked to my friend next to me, "You would think after 74 years of watching your kids be slaughtered, the next rebellion would have started by now."
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