Catching Fire

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Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

First Edition: 2009

Category: Science Fiction/Adventures 

Pages: 391 (First Edition)

Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins was born on August 10th of 1962, at Hartford, Connecticut. American writer and scriptwriter. Her career started in 1991 as a scriptwriter of children's TV shows. She also worked in several projects of Nickelodeon; she was the major mind behind "Clifford" (the big red dog), and got a nomination to the Writers Guild of America for her work as a co/writer of the Christmas special "Santa Baby!", acclaim by the critics.  Her career as a novelist started when she met James Proimos, a writer who inspired her to write children's book. That's how, in 2003, she  released her first novel  "Gregor the Overlander", the first book of "The Underland Chronicles" saga. However isn't until 2008, when "Hunger Games" saw the light, that her fame began. This first Hunger Games trilogy's book has sold 500.000 copies and has been translate to more than 26 languages.    

What I Think...

When I read "Hunger Games", two feelings remained when I finished it. The first one is that it's a romance book disguised as an adventure book but still the story is interesting, rich, and you can make the best of it. The second feeling is that the author actually didn't take the best of it. 

As a remember, Hunger Games is about Katniss Everdeen, a girl who live in Panem, District 12, the poorest of the 12 districts because they are miners of coal. Panem is govern by the Capitol, a dictatorship. Every year each District has to chose two tributes, among their inhabitants, who has to fight among them and with the other tributes of all the districts because only one will survive and return home.

Panem's people,  week and oppressed don't have the strength to fight against the Capitol and thats why every year at least 23 boys and girls die in the Hunger Games while the inhabitants of the Capitol enjoy the games like they weren't seeing real people killing each other. Except this year. This year, both the tributes of District 12, Katniss and Peeta Mellark, rise up against the Capitol, (without knowing), when they decide to kill themselves if they can't go back home together. Finally the Capitol stops the games and let them go. 

However this act of rebelion, started by Katniss, fires up the desire of freedom of Panem's people, the need of fight for their rights, for their life, for justice. Katniss became the symbol of the rebellion against the cruelty of the Capitol. She became the Mockingjay. 

Thats how the second book, "Catching Fire" starts. With strike rumours, whit the President Snow threatening Katniss that she need to pretend to be really in love with Petta to stop the people to think she wants a revolution. 

I won't talk anymore of the plot of this book, because I don't want to kill all the surprises, but I want to told you how I felt when I finished it. As when I finished Hunger Games, with Catching Fire, I also felt like something was messing. Actually I thought that maybe my book was incomplete or lacking of some chapters. 

It's a book that feels unfinished, like a summary. Like something that has been done quickly to sell it rapidly. It lacks of a global look of the story. I think the principal problem is that it's written in first person, it is Katniss who tells the story, so we only have one perspective of it. We don't know what the Capitol is doing to stop the rebelion, what is the President Snow thinking, how is the people of Panem working together and organising the strike. We don't know anything but one point of view. I think it is important to know everything that is happend in a story, to have the complete picture of it; without all the visions it is just emotionless, empty, blah. 

So, I have to say one more thing. I'm really looking forward to watch the film, to finally know all the others edges of this story, that the author, in an explosion of, maybe, laziness, did't show us. So lets wait for the movie to really enjoy this amazing story.

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Ten Stephen King books for People who hate Stephen King

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Since I am a big fan of fantasy books in general, and a Stephen King fan in particular, and because I'm a bit late with the book I'm reading, I let you this article I found a couple of days ago in the web. I let you the trailers of some of the movies that had been inspired by Stephen King's books. I hope you'll enjoy it!

1. Misery

A thriller about a bestselling author who is rescued from a car wreck by his biggest fan…who then holds him hostage until he writes an entire novel just for her. Annie Wilkes is as terrifying a creation as any of King’s supernatural monsters, and represents one of King’s greatest fears – the obsessed uber-fan.

Misery (1990, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8LgoC0wwe8)

2. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

The main character in this book is a nine year old girl who is lost in a forest. King has always written the perspective of children well, and he takes it to a new level here. Not only is Trisha dealing with the practical elements of survival, but increasing hallucinations and the emotional trauma of her parents’ divorce.

3. Under the Dome

A sci-fi novel about what happens when a town is sealed off from the rest of the world by a mysterious force field. The reason this book is so accessible is that despite its length (1000+ pages), it’s actually King’s leanest novel in years. A large cast of characters, an intriguing mystery and a struggle for control of the town combine to make a fast paced and thrilling read. The TV series isn’t doing it justice.

4. The Green Mile

Originally released as a six part serial novel in 1996, The Green Mile is about a man with extraordinary healing powers and empathy, who has wound up on death row. Told from the perspective of a prison supervisor, it explores race and justice in America, and was King’s biggest foray into magical realism.

The Green Mile (1999, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zkms0Tkmus)

5. On Writing

This non-fiction book is part memoir, part writing manual. It even contains exercises and ideas for aspiring writers, and is a must-read for anyone who is serious about a career in commercial fiction. As I mentioned in the introduction, King really is a master at what he does, and his insights into how fiction works are fascinating.

6. Different Seasons

Some of King’s most famous stories are included in this collection of four novellas, which form the basis for the films Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil. They are some of King’s most atypical stories and really demonstrate his skills as a storyteller.

Stand by Me (1986, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVnfaA-kpI)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raRbQkJ2pD4)

7. 11/22/63

Another sci-fi story, this time-travel tale is about an English teacher who is shown a rift in time that will take him back to 1958. Convinced by an older time traveller that he must go back and prevent the assassination of JFK, he starts a new life in the 50s and prepares to wait for the day of Kennedy’s death. Not only does he have to adjust to his new life in the past, and deal with the personal relationships that arise, but he also decides to keep an eye on Lee Harvey Oswald. This book is almost like two novels. The first is a love story, the second is a race-against-the-clock thriller.

8. The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

While this novel is positioned in the middle of the Dark Tower saga, it’s actually more of a prequel, with the events taking place many years before. It’s about the main character’s first mission as a Gunslinger, and what happened when he met his true love. It’s a tragic love story set in a magical/western realm with strong fantasy elements. As part of the massive Dark Tower saga it adds depth to the character of Roland, and fleshes out the world a lot more. As a standalone novel it is a moving story about youth, life, betrayal and love.

9. Lisey’s Story

Stephen King has said in interviews that of everything he’s written, this novel is his favourite. It’s about the wife of a bestselling author who is trying to cope after the author’s death. Partly it’s a memoir of their relationship, but it’s also a fantasy story about another world and a power that Lisey must harness to stop a crazed fan. Ultimately this is King’s most blatant love story that explores a connection between people that can outlast death.

10. The Stand

This is quite possibly King’s defining work. It’s the story of a post-apocalyptic showdown between the forces of good and evil that takes place after a virus kills 98% of the population. Using an empty and desolate America as its setting, The Stand follows a disparate group of survivors who are drawn to either the call of good or the call of evil. It’s an epic quest story, high fantasy but set in a modern, yet ruined, landscape.

The Stand (1994, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsMp2pZK-Cw)

Source: http://momentumbooks.com.au/blog/ten-stephen-king-books-for-people-who-hate-stephen-king/

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Egyptian Mythology

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While I finish the Enchantress, the last book (I expect), of Nicholas Flamel's saga, and as it is full of mythology, I let you a little information about the Egyptian Mythology which is interesting, at least for me.

I hope you like it! Meanwhile I'll keep reading.

The first men's Gods were the forces of nature. The Ancients Egyptians deified those features of nature they feared or got disconcerted with. Their Gods had animal and human forms and also its qualities; they got angry, fought with each other, had kids and even fell in love.

The Egyptians divided the world in 3 parts:

1.- Heaven (Nun): God's dwelling. Nut, its heavenly Goddess, the Elder who gave birth all the Gods, was symbolise with her back bended covering the Earth.

2.- Earth: Human's dwelling, the house of Geb the Inventor, who is symbolise as a man laying under Nut.

3.- The Beyond (Duat): The kingdom of the Deads, where Horus and afterwards Osiris ruled. Ra went through it every night in his solar rowboat  and it was a place where the spirits of the dead walked avoiding dangers.

Egyptian mythology exists since the pre-dynastic era until the imposition of Christianity, when its practice was forbidden by Justiniano I in the year 535. In this long period of time the Gods and Goddess combined and mixed between them and became new deities. Because of the Helenic influence upon Egypt, the Gods who remained were Osiris, Isis, Horus and their enemy Seth.

Life after Death

The initial belief of the immortality of Gods and Pharaohs, was after extended to the rest of the Egyptians. That's why they practised the embalm and mummification with the idea of preserve the body integrity in its future life.

The Ancients Egyptians considered that human spirit was defined by 3 forces:

1.- Ba: The living force of every dead person, the spiritual personality.

2.- Ka: The vital force, a bite of the universal and immortal principle of life.

3.- Aj: The supernatural spiritual force.

According to their beliefs, the spirits of the Deads were carried by Anubis to the hall where the Trial took place, "The Room of the Two Truths". The heart of the Dead (symbol of its morality), was weight in a scale against a feather which represented Maat (Truth, Justice and Cosmic Harmony). If the income was favourable, the Dead was taken before Osiris in Aaru; but, Ammut (the Heart Eater), symbolised as a mixture of crocodile, lyon and hippopotamus, destroyed those hearts whose sentence turned out negative, blocking its immortality.

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The Warlock

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Title: The Warlock - The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Author: Michael Scott

First Edition: 2011

Category: Fantasy, Thriller, Mythology

Pages: 376 (English Edition, 2011)

Synopsis (Spoiler alert!)

Alcatraz: Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will loose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Francisco, thereby triggering the end of the humani race.

San Francisco: The end is finally near. Josh Newman has chosen a side, and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or with the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He will fight alongside Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare. Unless Sophie can find her twin before the battle begins, all is lost - forever. Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel only have one day of life left, and they have to protect San Francisco from de monsters coming from Alcatraz.

Danu Talis: The Shadowrealm that Scatty and Joan of Arc have entered is far more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And they haven't landed here by chance -the warriors were called for a reason. So were Saint-Germain, Palamedes and Shakespeare- The groups was summoned because they must travel back in time to Danu Talis and destroy it. For the island of Danu Talis, known in humani myth as the lost city of Atlantis, must fall if the modern world is to exist.

My Opinion:

This review will be a bit shorter than my previous ones, because I think I have written all and I don't want to repeat what was already said. This is the fifth book of the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel's Saga, and for my stupor it was very fun for me to read it. But don't read me wrong; I'm still have no interest in knowing how is going to end this story (each time more and more elaborate, intricate and with unexpected interrelations between its characters). If there is one, important, thing that I haven't done with this novel is that I haven't felt identified with any of the characters, or even like them. That feeling, when you read a book, of starting to know the characters and getting involved with them. That feeling of wanting that things work out for them, that everything goes right. In this saga, I wouldn't mind if all die; it will be even better because it will last less (satisfaction that the author denied us since he had the great idea of making all his characters immortals).

In this volume doesn't appear a lot of new actors, but we realized that loads of them were related, and others who we used to think were normal people, turn out to be -surprise- immortals (I'm starting to believe that Michael Scott would like that everyone in the world was immortal, can you imagine the overpopulation?).

Not being this enough for Scott, (to use every famous, historical and mythological person or creature in his book), in this volume they travel back in time, to the past, to avoid the destruction of the world.

Sincerely, I can't imagine what to expect from the next book; spaceship travels, alien life, future travel or maybe to the Middle Earth to ask an Immortal Hobbit for help. 

I think Michael Scott forget the meaning of the sentence "less is more".   

My mark: 2 out of 5 (I raise the mark because it wasa book fun to read)

(Forgive me if there are grammatical mistakes in the text. If you want to correct me something I'll thank you)

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Michael Scott

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Writer born in Dublin, in 1959. Throughout his career he'd written more than 100 books, some of them have been globally recognized as exceptional. 

Here is a little sample of his work and the literary genders he've specialised in. 

     

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The Necromancer

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Title: The Necromancer - The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Author: Michael Scott

First Edition: 2010

Category: Fantasy, Thriller, Mitology

Pages: 544 (Spanish Edition, 2011)

Synopsis (Spoiler alert!)

After ran away to Ojai, then to Paris and after escaped from Londres, Josh and Sophie Newman are, finally, at home. Nevertheless, not everything is solve: neither of them have got the magic skills they need to protect themselves from the Dark Elders, they've lost Scatty and Dr. John Dee is still after them. But the most unsettling of all, is if they can trust in the Flamels or if they can trust anybody.

My Opinion

This is the forth book of the saga which tails the adventures of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. I have to say that is more of the same. In comparison with the previous books, it has no surprises. This is, maybe, because this book is so, but so, fantastic than anything is unexpected. Nor even that all the historical people are immortal (Shakespeare, Joan of Arc, among others), nor even that every god and mythology beings are Elders nor even the existence of vampires, nymphs, ghost and a big etcetera. The whole idea is brilliant, the problem is the exaggeration of it. I can't stand to read in the same book about historical characters and mythological ones, mixed in time and working in opposite sides. Characters of different eras and from different mythologies (if Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny appears  in the future books, I wouldn't be surprised at all).

This story doesn't have anything new in comparison with the previous volumes of the saga. The twins are still doubting about if they should believe in the Flamels or not (they've been doing this since the first book, The Alchemist). There are new characters that doesn't contribute much to the plot, except to point Michael Scott's obsession to have in his book every single person, creature or god who had been named or existed in the world history and mythology. There's a character with a hook in one hand, who has no name until now, but if Peter Pan appears I think I'll go mad.

I just lost so many hours of my life reading this saga, and unfortunately, I still have two books to read, which I will because I like to finish what I started, and to comment to you about them. As an advice, if you run into the first book and you think is interesting, put it back on the shelve in the library and keep walking away from it. You're better off without it. With all my heart I advice you this.

My Valuation: 1 out of 5 (I would like to put it negative numbers... but that would be too mean)

(Forgive me if there are grammatical mistakes in the text. If you want to correct me something I'll thank you)

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