Topic: So... The Hunger Games...

[UncleBob]

After seeing previews for the movie and thinking it looked decent, I looked up info on it - thought it actually sounded pretty good.

So, I figured, I'd pick up the books and give 'em a read.  I don't read as often as I should or as I'd like - I grabbed the first and third book (we were out of stock on the second)... while I was checking out, a co-worker said - as if he was warning me - that he'd heard The Hunger Games was "the new Twilight".

Now, to be fair, I've never read a Twilight book, nor seen a Twilight movie, so I don't really have much to compare them to... but, I started reading the first book late Friday night.  In spite of several aspects of my life getting in the way (having to go out of town to get the dogs groomed on Saturday, which was a good thing, as it allowed me to pick up the second book, having to go out of town again on Sunday and spend most of the day with my wife, then having to work Monday and Tuesday), I just finished the third and final book tonight.

Good books.

Curious if anyone else here has read them.

[ShyGuy]

Walmart has always had such a lousy book section.

[BranDonk Kong]

Because most Walmart shoppers can't read.

[Morari]

I had never even heard of the series until just recently, with the film coming out. It looks like Battle Royale for tweens.

Just like with Harry Potter and Twilight, it confuses me when grown men and women break their long held cycles of not reading to indulge in things as trite as literature aimed and marketed at pre-teens.

[UncleBob]

Hey, you leave Harry Potter out of this.  A) I was between 19 and 20 when I started that series (sometime after 3 was released, but before 4 came out) and B) You cannot honestly say that the later books in the series are aimed/marketed at "Pre-teens", if nothing else, considering anyone in their "pre-teens" when the first book came out would have been 20 by the time the final book came out.

Anyway, so, I basically get from your post that you've not read the books - even the first one?
  Well, then, thanks for your opinion, I guess.

Geesh, the idea that an artform can *only* be aimed at a particular age group.  There you go, folks - Nintendo games are kiddie because Nintendo markets towards kids.  Grow up and get a life, folks.

Are the books high-brow, top shelf, apex of man kind's literary achievements here on earth?  Of course not.

Are they entertaining reads?  I thought so.

[Morari]

That may be so, but I'm sure that there are equally entertaining books out there that many have not read. Incidentally, those books are also have much better stories to tell, convey a meaningful message, and are generally written better. These are books that many may never read because this checkout-lane literature is monopolizing their time.

It's not as if the general populace is made up of heavy readers, who only occasionally fill their time with this fluff. It's more likely that these are people that rarely, if ever read, unless prompted by a popular series written at the level of a junior high-school text book. It says a lot about our culture, actually. It's not a good message that's coming across by any means.

[UncleBob]

I'd actually argue that a junior high school text book is probably written at a higher level than these books.

Regardless, your argument just falls flat on me - and should as well, for most members of this forum.

After all, how many of us are okay with reading Super Hero comics from the big two?

People read a book.  They enjoyed it.  Sorry the book, which you haven't even read, isn't up to your standards.  Thankfully, we still live in a free country where no one is forcing you to read The Hunger Games and you still have the option of reading Battle Royale.  Meanwhile, I'm going to go and re-read Theseus and the Minotaur, from which both THG and BR are cheap, third-rate, imitation rip offs.

[Morari]

Note that I didn't necessarily mean that Battle Royale was any battle, only that Hunger Games appears to be a pretty straight forward (and not entirely unique) interpretation of that kind of scenario.

I'm really not sure why you're defending the books if you also propose that they are written at a very low level. I'm not saying that the books don't have their place. Kids can read them, and perhaps even should. Of course, there will come a point when they should move up to bigger and better things. I don't adults as having much of an excuse, outside of a lack of reading comprehension and general fear of being exposed to new ideas.

As for comics... I haven't read one in a very long time. They are generally generic trash that have long outlived their own mythologies. Of course, there are some that are written at a higher level. They explore deeper issues and also offer up incredible artwork. The genres vary greatly and I would imagine that most people here stay away from the kiddie comics... in fact, they probably only hang onto the DC/Marvel stories because of nostalgia or because they feel obligated due to their geekdom.

[Oblivion]

@Morari: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch


Needless to say, the books are just good fun. The author's writing style is made for the action, and since the author is a screen writer, that's pretty much perfect for her.

[Dan Laser]

So how about that Hunger Games? I've read the first book and it was pretty good. I admit I was hesitant at first but it turned out to be well written and had believable characters, which immediately sets it apart from Twilight, amiright? It was great having a female main character who wasn't emotional and retarded! Yes this is a youth fiction book, but it is entertaining enough. I kind of want a mocking jay pin…

Im sure I'll see the movie, though I haven't been keeping up with it.

I've read Battle Royale and seen the movies years ago so the Hunger Games definitely reminded me of it. It's another take on the human games/dystopian society story. I didn't realize the author is a screen writer

[UncleBob]

Note that I didn't necessarily mean that Battle Royale was any battle, only that Hunger Games appears to be a pretty straight forward (and not entirely unique) interpretation of that kind of scenario.

A scenario that's been played out many times before Battle Royale and many times after.

There are some major differences, however, between Hunger Games and the original source of Battle Royale (i.e.: not the manga, films, etc.)

To compare the two is about like comparing Annie and Oliver Twist.

I'm really not sure why you're defending the books if you also propose that they are written at a very low level. I'm not saying that the books don't have their place. Kids can read them, and perhaps even should. Of course, there will come a point when they should move up to bigger and better things. I don't adults as having much of an excuse, outside of a lack of reading comprehension and general fear of being exposed to new ideas.

Or, perhaps, adults who spend all day dealing with the real world and just want to kick back and relax with something.

I'm defending the books because they're a fun read.  On the other hand, I'm not sure why you're attacking the books when you've obviously never made much of an effort to learn anything about them other than "lol Battle Royale".

[Morari]

Or, perhaps, adults who spend all day dealing with the real world and just want to kick back and relax with something.

I'm sorry that most adults don't find intellectual stimulation to be relaxing. Perhaps they should leave behind the economic slavery of their 9-5 routine and actually get out in the real world. Unless of course you think that reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom well into your 30's will produce well rounded individuals. There is a wealth of great science and philosophy titles out there to digest. Hell, there's even meaningful themes highlighted throughout tons of real science fiction. But then why do people read dumbed down trash like The Giver when they should be reading Brave New World? Because intelligence isn't popular, nor does society value it. Society likes ill informed people, and pushing simpler and simpler ideas into their minds keeps them that way.

[Ian Sane]

Literature aimed at pre-teens is easier to read.  Someone who rarely reads is going to naturally be drawn to them.  It's like how someone who rarely plays games is drawn to something like Wii Sports.

The negative stereotype is that books are boring.  If people who rarely read were interested in "good" literature they would probably read a lot.  It makes sense that something a little more broad and juvenile would attract an audience of adults that normally are turned off by books.

[BranDonk Kong]

I can't read, but Hunger Games looks like a cross between The Lottery and The Running Man.

[UncleBob]

I'm sorry that most adults don't find intellectual stimulation to be relaxing.

...

I'm sorry that most adults don't find intellectual stimulation to be relaxing.

...

I'm sorry that most adults don't find intellectual stimulation to be relaxing.

...

stimulation to be relaxing.

...

stimulation to be relaxing.

Seriously... maybe it's my preference for reading at a third grade level, but "Stimulate" is virtually an antonym for "relax".
 

[Dasmos]

Because intelligence isn't popular, nor does society value it. Society likes ill informed people, and pushing simpler and simpler ideas into their minds keeps them that way.

This reminded me of this quote from Asimov: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."�

[Lithium]

Anyone else see the irony of this taking place on a video game forum? I could see this exact thing happening on a movie or book forum when someone mentions video games.

[Oblivion]

I don't see the irony.

[Kairon]

Anyone else see the irony of this taking place on a video game forum? I could see this exact thing happening on a movie or book forum when someone mentions video games.

This exactly. As entertainment, I'm not surprised if people read Dan Brown books, or the Hunger Games. There's a lot of good reads out there for a lot of different tastes and needs and wants and places where people might be in their lives.

I don't criticize 30 year old men for playing Harvest Moon. I don't expect to be criticized for reading Anne of Green Gables or its sequels.

And who knows? Maybe people seek their intellectual stimulation in other ways, like watching documentaries on netflix or ingesting the morning paper.

It's good to hear that the Hunger Games is well written. I haven't read the Twilight series either but a coworker used to regularly disparage its literary style. Heh. Didn't stop me from buying the first movie on DVD come a really sweet Black Friday deal!

P.S. I have to admit that the reason I'm curious about the movie is that I'm a Jennifer Lawrence fan after watching Winter's Bone. That indie film was definitely more stimulating than a lot of the popcorn-worthy flicks that come out of the industry.

P.S.S. Labeling something the "new Twilight" seems a little simplistic, and also sounds a little mean-spirited to boot, not giving Hunger Games a chance to prove it can stand on its own two feet.

[UncleBob]

My guess is that my co-worker had heard the "new Twilight" thing in reference to how it's being turned into a tween/teen marketing machine.  As far as the marketing goes, there seems to be a lot of similarities between the two.  From what little I know about Twilight, the marketing aspect is about all they have in common.

[Kairon]

I don't know... from the marketing I've seen for The Hunger Games there is practically ZERO romantic plot. It's almost being sold like a sort of sci-fi combination of two short stories I was forced to read in middle school: "The Lottery" and "The Most Dangerous Game".

I can't read, but Hunger Games looks like a cross between The Lottery and The Running Man.

Hah! It looks like we had the same idea!

[UncleBob]

I don't know... from the marketing I've seen for The Hunger Games there is practically ZERO romantic plot. It's almost being sold like a sort of sci-fi combination of two short stories I was forced to read in middle school: "The Lottery" and "The Most Dangerous Game".

I can't read, but Hunger Games looks like a cross between The Lottery and The Running Man.

Hah! It looks like we had the same idea!

Oh, there's a bit of a romantic sub-plot... but it doesn't play into the story as much as what Twilight appeared to.

What I'm referring to by merchandising, I mean shirts, action figures, trinkets (including pins, bracelets, dog tags, etc.), along with the massive social media push (there are, I believe, 14 different official Facebook pages), the blasting of the marketing... the only thing I think is missing is a fast food tie-in... which, you'd think would be a given...

As for the plot of the books, the first one starts off with an interesting twist on the survival "Dangerous Game" theme by tying it into the "reality TV show".  Unlike previous stories that have done the "death show" idea, this one does it a bit differently by A) The use of the games as government propaganda and B) instead of the idea of just being on TV, the *FACT* that it's on TV plays a big role in how everything plays out.  It's not "Oh, hey, this'll be on TV" and occasionally talk about a camera or something.  The whole idea that the tributes (in particular, the one we follow) have to play for the camera while trying to survive.  This takes a bit of a back seat in the second story, as it sets up more of an anti-government theme, while the third book ties the two together, not only showing the extremes of propaganda, but giving an anti-government theme while also questioning the anti-anti-government.

If you think the books are simply Smash TV: The Novelization, I assure you, they're not.

[Kairon]

This takes a bit of a back seat in the second story, as it sets up more of an anti-government theme, while the third book ties the two together, not only showing the extremes of propaganda, but giving an anti-government theme while also questioning the anti-anti-government.

My head is spinning. @_@

[UncleBob]

This takes a bit of a back seat in the second story, as it sets up more of an anti-government theme, while the third book ties the two together, not only showing the extremes of propaganda, but giving an anti-government theme while also questioning the anti-anti-government.

My head is spinning. @_@

tee hee.

I'd say more, but I'd hate to spoil anything for those who might be interested.  Long story short there's a rebellion against "The Capitol" and the main character is set up as a figurehead for the rebellion, but she tends to be used simply as a figurehead, drawing similarities between how the government used her in the games as propaganda vs. how the rebellion is using her in the war as propaganda.  There's a pretty good payoff at the end.

[Kairon]

Now I'm even more confused, lol. Someone else who'd read the books said that a very important issue was who she would end up marrying, which I never would've guessed knowing absolutely ZERO about the series, I guess I'll have to see how it all plays out to start making any sense of all this, lol.