Hunger Games and Ringworld

[Drunkencorgimaster]

Just read the books Hunger Games and Ringworld over vacation/holiday. Very different books but both good reads if anyone is looking for some non-40k sci fi.

[DarkLink]

Hunger Games are pretty good, at least the first one. Haven't read the rest of the series, I have a dozen other books to get through first.


I'm also most of the way through Altered Carbon, which someone here recommended. It is quite good, but definitely not a young adult novel like the Hunger Games. I'm also simultaneously reading American Gods (which is a strange but extremely engaging book) and A Dance With Dragons.




And if you like Hunger Games, you might also like Maze Runner. It's a similar distopian YA novel, but instead of kids trying to kill each other it's about a bunch of kids stuck in, well, a maze. They have no memories of how they got there or their life beforehand, and the clock is ticking down as they try to escape the maze.

[Drew da Destroya]

I like Neil Gaiman... or at least the few books of his that I've read. Have you read Neverwhere, Darklink? That one was pretty good as well, but still certainly strange.

[Grailkeeper]

I like Neil Gaiman... or at least the few books of his that I've read. Have you read Neverwhere, Darklink? That one was pretty good as well, but still certainly strange.

I liked neverwhere and Stardust and i absolutely loved Good Omens which he wrote with Terry Pratchett, otherwise I find his books quite pretentious and dull, step forward American gods or Anansi boys. I think generally his wokr is very overrated, even in other genres like TV and Comics.

Have any of you read Dan Abnett's Triumff? Its much better than his other non 40k book embedded. Its very Terry Pratchett like- full of puns.


One author I can't recommend highly enough is Simon R. Green. I have read everything he's written barring one or two short storys and a film tie-in. He's started to get big over the last few years.

[Lord Azaghul]

I've hear 'the hunger games' mentioned alot recently - might have to check it out soon.

In the middle of a Dune reread at the moment, its one of my all time favorites.

[DarkLink]

It's a pretty popular and recent YA novel. The first one is pretty good, though it's a bit more young adult than, say, Harry Potter so it comes with a few mild flaws. Ignoring a few minor details (the bad guys are somewhat one-dimensional-super-uber-beyond-belief-kill-everyone-and-their-families-who-even-thinks-about-opposing-them-and-has-dinner-with-hitler-every-friday-and-stalin-on-saturdays-and-mao-on-sundays sort of evil, for example), it's a thoroughly enjoyable book. Especially when the kids get thrown into the arena and have to start either killing each other or pairing up to kill each other but have to betray each other eventually or the game masters will make the highly lethal environment kill them.


I like Neil Gaiman... or at least the few books of his that I've read. Have you read Neverwhere, Darklink? That one was pretty good as well, but still certainly strange.

American Gods is the only book of his that I've read, but it was amazing. Completely surreal. It literally feels like the whole book is one big day dream, yet it still retains a tight plot with character development and the works. It was like a book your teacher would make you read in English class with the fancy prose and stuff, but it was actually good.

I mainly picked it up because of the massive sales at Borders right now, but I might check out some of his other stuff, too.

I also picked up Cryptonomicon, which is a hefty novel. Second only to a Way of Kings, of all the books I've bought. Between that and the other books in my pile, I've got well over 4000 pages to get through.

[Drew da Destroya]

Have any of you read Dan Abnett's Triumff? Its much better than his other non 40k book embedded. Its very Terry Pratchett like- full of puns.

I have not, although I did read "Embedded". That was pretty good. I felt like the ending could've been stronger, but the characters and overall plot were really good.


American Gods is the only book of his that I've read, but it was amazing. Completely surreal. It literally feels like the whole book is one big day dream, yet it still retains a tight plot with character development and the works. It was like a book your teacher would make you read in English class with the fancy prose and stuff, but it was actually good.

I think the first summer reading book I enjoyed was 1984. Now, that was pretty excellent. Farenheit 451 was pretty good as well, although I wasn't in that class... just read it years later.

This isn't really within the same genre, but have you read Neuromancer, or any of Gibson's other stuff? He's one of my favorite authors.

[Drunkencorgimaster]

I think the first summer reading book I enjoyed was 1984. Now, that was pretty excellent. Farenheit 451 was pretty good as well, although I wasn't in that class... just read it years later.


Those two books are great. Agree with Lord Az on Dune too. I also read Ender's Game in May, I really liked that one too. I will admit that the Hunger Games seemed a bit like that Japanese Movie "Battle Royale" mixed with "The Running Man," but it was still a page-turner. Ringworld reminded me of Hitcher Hiker's Guide a little. There was a fair amount of humor in it. I'll have to check out some of the other titles you all mentioned.

[DarkLink]

No, American Gods is the first book of his I've read. I'll probably change that once I get through the stack of books on my desk.

Normally, I read more pure fantasy stuff, and some war biographies. If you think you've read some intense books before, go pick up Joker One and that'll change. One Bullet Away is very good, too. Both are memoirs of Marine officers during the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

[The Girl]

If you liked Hunger Games and want something a bit more adult [for lack of a better term], I highly recommend Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. Dystopian alternate reality, kids fighting to the death in a government created program... but with depth you won't get in a YA novel.

[DarkLink]

Yeah, that was actually one of my first thoughts on the Hunger Games. It's almost exactly like an American YA Battle Royale.

[Lord Azaghul]

Those two books are great. Agree with Lord Az on Dune too. I also read Ender's Game in May, I really liked that one too. I will admit that the Hunger Games seemed a bit like that Japanese Movie "Battle Royale" mixed with "The Running Man," but it was still a page-turner. Ringworld reminded me of Hitcher Hiker's Guide a little. There was a fair amount of humor in it. I'll have to check out some of the other titles you all mentioned.


Enders Game is another of my 'all time' favorite books.

Battle Royale? I have vague recollection of a movie about that, don't think I actually saw it though... was this ever a book or just a movie?

The only YA series I've even read any more are the harry potter books...I generally avoid YA has a rule - and have since I was about 11! (although some might consider Ender Game one)

I used to read mostly fantasy but the last few years have seen a strong sci-fy surge.
Dan Abbnet: love his IG stuff. Its about the only thing that keeps 40k alive for me anymore.
I'll also give anything Timothy Zahn writes a shot.

[The Girl]

Yeah, that was actually one of my first thoughts on the Hunger Games. It's almost exactly like an American YA Battle Royale.

*nods* And they both play back to King Minos and the Minotaur - with the characters governments selecting kids to slaughter in order to control the populace and prove its power, rather than a rival nation selecting them to prove might outside of blatant warfare.



Battle Royale? I have vague recollection of a movie about that, don't think I actually saw it though... was this ever a book or just a movie?

The movies [there are 2] and manga series [there are also 2] are based on a novel.

[Drew da Destroya]

(RAH)² (AH)³ + [ROMA (1+MA)] + (GA)² + (OOH)(LA)²

This is completely unrelated to this thread, but I just figured out what your signature here means, and that's awesome. Well played.

My girlfriend is not a fast reader, but she just finished the second Hunger Games book (and started the third) after starting the first 3-4 days ago. So far, what she's told me has sounded pretty good, but I'm in the middle of Pillars of Creation (Sword of Truth), and I don't like to read two stories at once any more.

"Ender's Game" I liked a lot, and I read a couple of the ones afterwards (Speaker of the Dead and Xenocide), which I thought were better... At least, they explored more interesting topics, for me. I've heard the Enders series starts going downhill, though I don't think I've hit that point yet.

[The Girl]

I've heard the Enders series starts going downhill, though I don't think I've hit that point yet.

Orson Scott Card has slowly... how do I put this without offending people? Grown more conservative and grasped a certain philosophy that has made his sf writing suffer, imo. No idea who to recommend as a replacement... I don't really read a bunch of sf, more of a Bret Easton Ellis/Jeffrey Eugenides/Michael Chabon/etc and nonfic kind of girl.

[Drew da Destroya]

Orson Scott Card has slowly... how do I put this without offending people? Grown more conservative and grasped a certain philosophy that has made his sf writing suffer, imo. No idea who to recommend as a replacement... I don't really read a bunch of sf, more of a Bret Easton Ellis/Jeffrey Eugenides/Michael Chabon/etc and nonfic kind of girl.

Yeah, I had heard that. It doesn't take away from his earlier writing, at least. It is, however, at least part of the reason why I stopped reading his books... that, and falling into other series.

[Lord Azaghul]

Yeah, I had heard that. It doesn't take away from his earlier writing, at least. It is, however, at least part of the reason why I stopped reading his books... that, and falling into other series.

I don't think his writing has suffered because of his personal beliefs in fact I believe its stronger for it. He's just not jumping on the bandwagon or compromising himself- to deliver pop-sci-fi, and I respect him for that.

Keep in mind, everything you watch/read carries some form of message or ideal that some one is trying to convince you of, and most of the time that IS intentional.

IF his writing has suffered its his overindulgence into the battle kids series.

BTW - the Ender series breaks off into two distinct routes.
1) You follow Ender specifically - through the 'speaker for the dead' series. These is much more of a thinking persons read. (the stronger of the two IMO)

2) The battle kids series where you follow Bean and many of the battle school students though a 'post-bugger' humanity/earth. This is a much more action based seriers

[DarkLink]

*nods* And they both play back to King Minos and the Minotaur - with the characters governments selecting kids to slaughter in order to control the populace and prove its power, rather than a rival nation selecting them to prove might outside of blatant warfare.


Hah, I didn't even think of that. I'd forgotten the setting for the whole Labyrinth thing.


I don't think his writing has suffered because of his personal beliefs in fact I believe its stronger for it. He's just not jumping on the bandwagon or compromising himself- to deliver pop-sci-fi, and I respect him for that.

While I haven't read the later Ender's game books, I agree with what you're saying here. A lot of people get annoyed over anything even remotely political (that they disagree with) entering books, but really, do you expect everyone in the world to agree precisely with what you believe in? Half the time the complaints are entirely unjustified. Starship Troopers is accused of promoting fascism, but anyone who's also read Stranger in a Strange Land should be laughing at that idea. The combination of the description of military culture plus the absolute willingness to use violence in self defense portrayed in Starship Troopers isn't about fascism or oppressive governments. It's about military culture, and the willingness to commit violence in self defense. Stranger in a Strange Land, on the other hand, is about free love and understanding people. It sounds contradictory, but I don't actually think that it is necessarily. I think Heinlein just had a unique and complex view on how we should treat our friends and our enemies, and the seemingly contradictory views in Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land are just different aspects of that overarching theory.

[Lord Azaghul]

I always forget the Heinlein wrote both of those!

I found 'Starship Troopers' such a fantastic read (and reread), and enjoyed how the novel explorers what the author feels the purpose of a military should be in a civilized society. (the movie definitively missed that one!)

'Stranger in a Strange land' however I didn't care for, mainly because of the 'free love' aspect. I felt it was a dishonest portrail of love and relationships - to an extent! (same reason I didn't care of Ayn Rand).

But part of critical readers job is discover under what premise the author is operating - and where they wish to take the reader, and your right - there is no way your going to agree with everyone you read, but at worst you still learn something with a well written novel!

[The Girl]

But part of critical readers job is discover under what premise the author is operating - and where they wish to take the reader, and your right - there is no way your going to agree with everyone you read, but at worst you still learn something with a well written novel!

Whole heartedly agree :)

[DarkLink]

Right, Ayn Rand's works (and by extension Terry Goodkind's stuff) tend to set up strawman villains in order to give the heroes an ideal situation to preach their philosophy. I happen to like the whole 'stand up for yourself and your rights, and use reason' ideal, though I can't agree with everything they say. It's a weakness in those books, and Stranger in a Strange Land has some of the same issues, but I still enjoyed them. Starship Troopers probably suffers from the same issues as well, tbh. Things just always seem to work out just right for the main characters by virtue of their moral... well, virtue.


On the other hand, for a work that's very refreshingly not preachy, Princess Mononoke is an amazing movie. The whole anime is all about people's relationship with the environment they live in, but unlike virtually every other movie instead of pointing fingers it portrays all sides of the conflict as unique, flawed characters doing what they think is best. Even if you don't like anime (especially if you don't like anime, actually), anyone who hasn't seen Princess Mononoke should.

[Lord Azaghul]

I have seen that movie, its been a while, I do recall enjoy it though...(just wiki-ed it to double check :P )

Terry Goodkind: I gave up about 350ish pages -(wizard's first rule) first book I ever just 'stopped' reading. I found him VERY formulaic! It felt like he had mapped out all the great adventure fantasy's and then tried to just insert his own character names. I was more bored then anything. Glad I didn't commit to that series!

Speaking of commit: did the 'wheel of time' ever get finished? I know Robert Jordan died a while back, and an unknown (Brandon Sanders - I was kind of meh oh his stuff) - Anyone read any of the newer stuff...I haven't read anything since book 9I think - Winters Heart.

What reminded me was 'flatness of characters' - It kind of got to the point where all the female characters felt like they were all written the same! Overall good story (as far as I got) but it become long winded - Its been about 8 years since I looked into this series...

[Drew da Destroya]

Terry Goodkind: I gave up about 350ish pages -(wizard's first rule) first book I ever just 'stopped' reading. I found him VERY formulaic! It felt like he had mapped out all the great adventure fantasy's and then tried to just insert his own character names. I was more bored then anything. Glad I didn't commit to that series!

You know, that's actually how I felt about Wheel of Time. I got a couple books in, at least... I liked the early stuff, but then it just rubbed me as a generic fantasy ripoff with too many characters for its own good. The only good example I can even remember at this point was the island of Tir'Totally-Not-A'valon that the main dude goes to for some reason. I'm pretty sure they even did the Maiden, Matron, Crone thing there.

I do like the Sword of Truth series a lot, though. I see your criticism, though... it's a problem I see with a lot of the fantasy out there. I think I just like how they've combined it more.

Ayn Rand... Ugh. Dagney Taggart might be the worst character of all time.