Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, 391 page


Catching Fire, as I'm sure it is very well known, is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It picks up roughly where the first book left off: the months following Katniss and Peeta's victory in the Hunger Games arena. The book quickly picks up steam as less of a dystopian novel and more of a revolutionary story. I am still quite amazed as to what passes as young adult subject matter, and I am increasingly anxious as to what the third book will bring in terms of tumultuous emotions.

I am still way behind the times as I finished Catching Fire. Nevertheless, I finished it, and I will finish the trilogy...once I get through a few books with an upbeat edge first.

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, 374 pages

Thomas wakes up with no memory, in the middle of a strange place and surrounded by a group of boys with the same issue.  They are in a closed-in area surrounded by tall walls- the middle of a maze full of deadly creatures and danger, and the only way out is to solve the maze. Thomas' arrival starts a series of changes in the community, and not all are for the better.  This is the first book in a trilogy (or what do you call it when a trilogy has a prequel? shrug.), a movie was made out of it, and it has a teen male protagonist, for those hoping to engage a reluctant male reader.  I thought that it was not very good at all, full of lackluster explication, weak language, and a story that did not feeling compelling.  But to each their own.

Fool's Fate

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb, 631 pages.

Robin Hobb has crafted an extensive world with heroic Farseer, and Liveship  Traders trilogies, and now continuing to build on her world with her Tawny Man trilogy. Concluding the Tawny Man trilogy is Fool's Fate where we see FitzChivalry Farseer's journey come to a very satisfying end, or at least pause since Hobb has recently started another trilogy starring every one's favorite Farseer. I really don't want to write too much about what happens in this book as it is the last book of the trilogy, and a lot of the plot deals with things from the previous books and series. Filled with adventure, intrigue, and unforgettable characters, Hobb's previous books could be considered as classics of the fantasy genre, and Fool's Fate is no exception. I would highly recommend any of Robin Hobb's books to those who love a good fantasy adventure, as well as reading them in order.

The Magician's Land

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
401 Pages

This is the conclusion of Grossman's Magicians trilogy.  Quentin Coldwater is no longer a ruler of Fillory, a secret magical land.  Now he must figure out his path back in the mundane life on Earth.  He ends up teaching at Brakebill's Preparatory College of Magic.  He becomes embroiled in a plot to find the missing volume of one of the children that the Fillory series of books was based upon.  At the same time the magical barriers of Fillory are failing and the end of that world is near.

Part Harry Potter, part Narnia, this series also deals with the magical worlds of childhood fading away as adulthood is reached. Through the eyes of Quentin, we have gone full circle in the trilogy.  Lev's snarky style and wit provides an adult version of the Chronicles of Narnia without the heavy handed sentimentality that persists in that series.