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Review of Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins has produced a high quality, well executed series based on speculative-modern gladiatorial games featuring who else, but children. As a child of the Harry Potter phenomena, I grew to expect series’ to instantly capture my attention and draw me into their whimsical worlds. But that was not so. A handful of disappointing first installments left me jaded as I took on Collins’ story. I was proven wrong as I hungered to read page-after-page and ultimately book-after-book. Focusing on the titular first book for this review, I found myself most intrigued by her style of writing. I’m a first-person-hater to begin with, but she convinced me that this unreliable and slightly narcissistic style can be written well and furthermore, enjoyable. I cherished the intimate understanding of Katniss Everdeen this point of view provided and it certainly helped to piecing together the sadistic world of Panem. From the reaping to the final play of the games, Collins succeeded in bringing Katniss’ emotions to life.
The flow from one chapter to another was impeccable; her cliffhangers are well placed and create a burning desire to read more. On the other hand, I would have enjoyed the exposition and resolution chapters of the story to be more than summary or an instant drop-off. Accordingly, the pacing of the novel left a sense of incompleteness as some seemingly important moments were all but glazed over. I don’t mind the passage of time cutting to the chase, but not over the chase (I’ll admit this applies more aptly to the sequels, but does show itself in this first book). The overall plot is generally predictable, at least for a seasoned reader, but that doesn’t detract from the pleasure it brings to each passing page.
An achievement of note from Hunger Games is displayed in Collins’ array of quirky characters. They reflect the bizarre circus The Capitol encourages while also demonstrating the struggles of the surrounding districts. Peeta, the boy with the bread, as she calls him, was one I quickly related to and found positively charming (it helped that he sparked most of the unexpected plot turns and reminds me of my own main character). His way with words was not lost on this writer. There are other characters, Gale and Prim, who one would assume deserved more page time by virtue of their relationship to Katniss, but were as fleeting and underdeveloped as shooting stars. And yet, Rue, a girl who crosses into Katniss’ world for a brief part of the games, drew me close to tears upon her exit.
The games themselves were brilliantly described, not only bringing the arena to life, but allowing the reader to feel the fear and paranoia of all the tributes. Not neglecting a single aspect of horror, Collins does not shy away from grotesque killings or descriptions of injuries. This does benefit the frankly deranged concept, but it also rises the reading age to above her intended target audience. Furthermore, while I understand a lovelorn Katniss caught between two suitors propelled the plot, it drew nearer to a cliché with every question about her feelings she left ignored. I can let it slide given her base of readers, but it was an aggrivating point worth mentioning. The spectacle of the games brings to light the absurdity of this world in an approachable manner that young readers can comprehend. Especially noteworthy is in the final play of the game. At this turning point, Collins’ creates a benchmark for young readers to understand that individual identity should always come out the victor.
Although a bit brainless, Katniss engages the reader throughout her heart wrenching journey as Collins’ capitalizes on delivering a story that holds nothing back.
Musings on Sequels and Prequels
I would like to clarify at the beginning of this post that I am not against prequels or sequels. A prime example would be the newest Batman trilogy. Batman Begins was more or less a prequel; introducing Bruce and his road to becoming the caped crusader. The Dark Knight is a sequel to the first installment; in my opinion, arguably the best superhero film ever made (Thank you, Heath Ledger/Joker). So there you have it, I can find happiness in the before and after of a clever concept.
With that said, I also have to wonder sometimes about the importance of sequels. If the tale has been told, I would generally prefer it not to be soiled by a shoddy follow-up. Disney has long been a culprit of expanding a successful story into multiple incarnations. Many of them not worth viewing. Nevertheless, there are notable mentions that should be sought after: The Lion King 2 (Shakespeare really does improve on the African savannah), Toy Story 2/3 (No other franchise could have made me cry in the theatre and proceed to return home, an adult, to play with my childhood toys).
The reason these (and other sequels) were successful was the planning. Taking time to expand the story with dignity. A haphazard mishmash of ideas cannot be stabilized by even the cleverest foundation. CoughMatrix2/3Cough. Sequels generally suffer from (what I’ll call) longevititis. The longer they run the worst they become.
Then, there are the prequels. Their likelihood of achieving greatness is the same as the sequels; dependent on character development, a strong plot and the carefully planned introduction of ideas. Unlike the sequels, these lead-in tales are often admired as an original manner of expanding the franchise. And it can be. But it can’t work for everyone. One such pair occurs in the same universe; the Wolverine prequel paled in comparison to X-Men First Class. The establishment of the x-men was more compelling than the angsty rampages of Wolverine. Another wildly inventive prequel came from a powerhouse conglomerate that I had previously paid no attention to: Star Trek. Nearly everything about its patchwork of stories and characters meshed together seamlessly to introduce the young Enterprise crew.
The biggest drawback of prequels lies in the fact that the audience already knows the characters and has envisioned their beginnings. Sequels remain mysterious, but prequels can be left to the devices of the fans. Due to these expectations, some prior stories can never hold up.
Star Wars. I have few complaints about its prequel trilogy. Beautifully presented, fresh new faces, hints at the original trilogy- what else could I ask for? Unfortunately, I believe the most glaring problem reared its sith head in Anakin’s transition to the dark side. Pitiful. Unbelievable. Laughable, even. I’ll end my grievance there.
Although many times, prequels and sequels have gone wrong, it can be done right. I stand by saying that it is all in the planning. I would rather the preceding installments of a story take years to debut and be inspiring than rush to premiere with a resounding thud.
Writing Tips: The Dirty Dozen
Any writer worth their salt (hey, there’s one!) will instantly recognize this list as the dirtiest collection of overused phrases and concepts known as a clichés. Without a doubt, clichés emerge in all genres and styles of writing by accident, an unfortunate happenstance of the written word sometimes offers no other turn of phrase. I suppose, that is excusable. If done intentionally, I would hope the insertion was meant to be ironic; otherwise their very passing suggests a serious reconsideration of the source material. At least in this writer’s opinion (whose opinion is often snarky…You have been warned). Take careful note of their use so you can avoid the same pitfalls:
1. Mary / Gary Sue. I had to put this at the top because a flawless person can only be found in bad writing. Humans have flaws, so characters should too. I wish everyone would just accept that.
2. Everybody Dies / Lives. The culmination of a great story, no matter what medium, needs to have an original ending. The collective deaths or happily-ever-afters are just plain embarrassing.
3. Villain Monologue’ing or Giving Hero Time to Escape. It’s ironic and comical in James Bond. It shouldn’t be used anywhere else. A well written villain does not allow for an easy escape nor do they detail their plans to the hero. It’s just bad for business.
4. It’s Been Done Before. This is something writers say. They fear the attempt of a story because the concept has been done before. Everything has been done before in some fashion. Take a chance and make it yours.
5. Friends Marrying Each Other. Two friends from a group getting together stretches this cliché enough. But when everyone marries each other…ugh…if you can’t tell…I’m shaking my head.
6. Bad Boy Can be Turned Good. For some reason this attracts all the ladies. But it’s not realistic. It makes for great emotional scenes, but take it as a red flag. People who are damaged need to work themselves out of the hole. The “bad boy” should too.
7. Damsel in Distress. Women are not all helpless flowers in need of saving. Period.
8. Calm Before the Storm. I’m not sure what storms these people have witnessed. Storms can take a while to build, but they can also be abrupt and violent. Avoid phrases like this that generalize.
9. It’s Quiet. A Little Too Quiet. I wonder what will happen next. Will someone jump out and startle me? I would have never guessed.
10. The Orphan Hero. If you need to emotionally abuse or seclude your hero at their introduction in order to gain sympathy from readers, perhaps this isn’t your biggest problem.
11. Characters are Either Good or Evil. In life there is a gray area. There should be in writing. Characters can be loyal to a team, yes, but they can also play both sides, or switch sides. These alterations can make this age-old battle interesting.
12. Black as Night / Bright as Day. Redundant much? Description of places, people or things should be done in a manner that avoids obvious or worn-out ideas like this.
Some of these clichéd ideas can be executed well, but typically they just stink of a lack of creativity. Although this lists the twelve most shameful clichés a writer can use in my opinion, I’m sure each and every one of you has several of their own to add. Feel free to comment if you have a particularly irksome cliché you would like to share!
Conundrums of a Pre-Teen Writer
Age ten is a tumultuous transitional period between elementary fundamentals and middle school regimented work across the spectrum of classes. Pre-teen me was none too happy to discover the workload increasing and my enjoyment in school decreasing. Everything revolved around homework and projects in addition to being introduced to the semi-real world of teenagehood.
One ordinary day in the pastel classroom, wallpapered with artwork and timetables, my teacher assigned to us a short story that would be read in front of the kindergartners. At first this mundane event did not remotely catch my attention. Little did I know, this landmark day gave my creative, proverbial ball another great kick.
While other children were still thinking up ideas, I had started my first outline. While the others fashioned a single sentence, I was three pages in. While my class went to recess, I stayed to write. I had found my calling! Not long into the project, I was instructed that the story only needed a few sentences per page. Ten of them in total. I had ten pages, all right. Ten full pages.
What was I to do? I had barely begun to know my story’s lion family (The Lion King was my favorite movie…ok, it still is), and now I was being asked to cut apart their tale? This not only expanded my experience in writing, but it introduced me to editing. The final sprint to the “finished” line. More like sprinting on a treadmill. I sat in my cozy desk learning the fine art of being concise. I had to choose what was most important. And I thought it was difficult then, ha. I was none too pleased with reducing my wonderful story to a few meager statements, but this lesson played a decent part in preparing me for the continuous road of editing to come. Finally, I presented my story to the kindergartners as planned, but what was not planned was me going off script. My lion tale was written and all I needed to do was read. But I was a budding story teller and my story needed to be told! I recited the story, from memory, to the bright faces of the young students. And although to this day I couldn’t tell you what my narrative was about (beyond lions), I do remember how happy the kids were to hear a good story.
Pitch Wars Mentee 2014
Awards
