Revolutions are messy, being the symbol for one is worse.

This is the third and final Hunger Games novel .Book one is about to be filmed later this spring for a release March 23 2012 if we are lucky.

The Hunger Games take place in a dytropian future in the remains of northern America in the nation of Panem (from the roman ‘bread & circuses’ – Panem et Circenses). It is a dictatorship where Capitol the city oppresses the surrounding Districts and forces them to send a tribute each year of two young people to fight in the Hunger Games. Katniss foiled the games by threatening to kill herself and her partner Peeta and that stirred the unrest into action.

Each book has increased the framework from two handfuls of kids in the first one to a full blown civil war in this one. Katniss struggles with becoming the symbol of the rebellion – The Mockingjay at the same time she struggles with issues that most teenagers do, multiplied by all the death and violence she has seen.

We start out in District 13 with the refugees from District 12 and Peeta a prisoner in Capitol. We then follow the rebellion and take part in the final battles. It is a very emotional ride and we see how war changes people in a profound way.

The things I take with me from Mockinjay are the vivid description of the dreary life in District 13 – a lesson in poverty and deprivation, the all so human love story between Katniss and her beloved – a lesson in loyalty, the assault on Capitol, and the desperate actions there are lessons in extreme circumstances and moral ambiguity that threatens insanity.

Mockingjay really get you thinking about war, what is justified in war and what war really brings. That definitely has bearing on today. This is not a book against war but a book that shows that even a justified war is ugly. The Hunger Games portrays growing up under extreme circumstances and taking extreme responsibility. The love story helped humanize the story for me.

The whole series has been a pleasure to listen to listen to and I recommend it to adults and young adults alike.

Information

Title: Mockingjay
Series: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Science Fiction | Dystropia
Audiobook: 11h 10 min read by Carolyn McCormick
Publisher Scholastic Press 2010
Copy: Bought it myself from audible.com
Order from: Amazon US | UK | Audible US | UK

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

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I came across a new online story by one of my favorite authors Jaine Fenn on Facebook today. It’s an optimistic short story about AIs that supposedly know what’s best for us and a humanity that might disagree.

As Jaine says on her website: While I was away a somewhat atypical story of mine, ‘A Mirror to Life’ has been posted up at ‘DayBreak’ magazine, the online story website for the recently released and already much acclaimed ‘Shine’ anthology of near-future optimistic SF. Yes, I know, I don’t usually write near-future optimistic SF; like I say, a somewhat atypical story.

DayBreak Magazine is the online fiction part of the Shine anthology. It will features a story every second Friday until the print Shine anthology appears and a bit beyond (it is out now).

Please note that that the stories featured in DayBreak Magazine are not appearing in the print anthology: these are different stories. They were also submitted to Shine, and while the editor couldn’t include them in the print anthology, he liked them so much that he is featuring them on Daybreak.

I like “A Mirror of Life”, it got a good narration of a clone in gravity for the very first time and the benevolent dictatorship of the machines is an interesting theme. Guardians of Paradise the third book in Jaine’s Hidden Empire Series is coming out later this year. You can read my reviews of Principles of Angels and Consorts of Heaven-

Read the story

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Took me long enough to read, but I had a busy week traveling and dealing with life’s ods and ends.

Great book though. I have come to love Eric Flints stories, they are down to earth and written with warmth and humor. Here a stubborn crossbreed of a ram called Brillo first becomes an entertaining story in the Grantville paper and then he grows to become the symbol for the French Revolution, sorry German revolution.

I haven’t read anything by Virginia DeMarce before and that seems to be my loss. I have to look into something else she has written after I finish the ring of fire series.

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Miriam is back after the cliffhanger battle at the end of the last book. This book is even more of a cliffhanger I tell you.

We left after the crown prince assassinated the King, most of the Royal court and declared war on the Clan. Miriam was on the run after being impregnated. So now she carries the heir to the throne. The US has discovered the Clan and is now scouting out Gruinmarkt with captured clan couriers while they develop the technology of it.

Now it’s time for the revolution, well sort of. New Britannia has a real revolution going on, it will be interesting how that plays out. Miriam born and raised an American has to come to grip with the ways of the medieval Gruinmarkt and her fellow clansmen if she is to prevent the destruction of everyone she holds dear.

Charles Stross has a really annoying way to end his books in Cliffhangers. It doesn’t make him a bad writer though.

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I just finished Coyote and Coyote Rising by Allen Steele.The books tells the story of humanity’s first interstellar colony and its liberation from Earth. It starts off with dissidents of the Republic of America (The new Liberal party have taken over America and enforces a strict regime, is this the Bush era taken too far?) staging the intro to the American revolution 2.0 by stealing the first interstellar colony ship ever.

You get to follow the colonists struggle to survive, and in the second book a string of ships arrive from Earth with the Daughters and sons of the Second American revolution. Some kinds of Liberation catholic communism seems to have taken over most of the Americas. Of course the original Colonists won’t take it! Thus follows another revolution…

A really good read, i can recommend these two books, you won’t be disappointed.

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