Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games Trilogy - Book #3)

     Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy and completes the story for those of us who need endings. In my opinion the second and third books in this trilogy are not as good as the first, but they are enjoyable to read nonetheless and quench the thirst of readers who can’t get enough of this dystopian series.

     Katniss, the main character in the series, has now survived the Hunger Games twice.  In Catching Fire (Book #2) she not only survived her second imprisonment in the games, but sparks (hence the title) a revolution of the districts of Panem (the dominant nation where the story takes place) against the Capitol. Mockingjay (Book #3) is the story of the final war of the districts against the Capitol.

     In Mockingjay we see what many of the characters are really capable of and we get resolutions to the pressing questions that have developed over the course of the series. THE most important question for most readers being the choice Katniss must make between Gale and Peeta.

     ** SPOILER ALERT** Like in the conclusions of many book series’, in Mockingjay the reader is faced with the deaths of some major characters; the most jarring being the death of Prim (Katniss’ little sister). What makes this worse is that she is killed by an explosive created by Gale. In the end this is what makes the decision for Katniss between Gale and Peeta. Up until this point it is very difficult (in my opinion) for the reader to pick a side completely.

     This series is meant to be read in order without skipping any books; otherwise you will no doubt be extremely confused. It is easy to read and can satisfy a variety of reading tastes. I highly recommend it to anyone.

     A movie for the first book is due out in 2012. While it is understandably not going to be an R rated movie (the main readers and those mostly responsible for the book’s success are young adults), a small part of me hopes that a violent adult version will be made in the coming years. I realized the irony of this just recently…

     This book hinges on the idea that a society that thoroughly enjoys violence and blood sport will self-destruct. What makes this scary is, how many of you (like me) wanted that R rating as well?


Book Information
Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Year of publication: 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Pages: 400 pages
Rating: 4/5

Hunger Games Book 3 Title: Mockingjay

I'm sooooooooooo excited!  If you haven't already heard, the third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy is due out this summer and it's called Mockingjay.

Here is a brief description of what is to come:
"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year. "

The book releases August 24th, 2010!!!

Review: The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

It's two for two ladies and gentlemen.  The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist was another exceptional read.  I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.  I found myself really looking forward to reading it every chance I got.

This book was originally written in Swedish, titled Enhet. It is a very disturbing prediction of the possible future for any society focused primarily on procreation and population augmentation above all else.  While it is mostly set in what seems to be Sweden, it could easily apply to North American society as well.  Especially to Canada where there are many who fear that not enough canadians are having children.

The Unit is a dystopian novel set in the not too distant future.  It is a democratic society with no flying cars, no freaky foods, and nothing terribly unfirmiliar except the existance of a horrible place called the Unit.  If you are are a woman who turns 50 (or a man who turns 60) and have no children, then you are labelled "dispensable" and are permanently sent to the Unit on that milestone birthday.  The Unit is a term used to describe facilities scattered throughout the country where "dispensables" are sent to be used as guinea pigs in various human experiments and where they are also used as organ donors.  "Dispensables" live in the Unit until their "final donation" is given; a donation where an organ is taken that the donor cannot possibly survive without (liver, pancreas, heart, etc.) and the rest of the body is bagged and banked for future need.  The terror that would normally be caused by a place like the Unit is smoothed over with every freedom and luxury that a person could ever ask for.  There is unlimited free shopping, unlimited entertainment, free gyms, beautiful gardens, delicious food, private quarters with no rent, and everything else a person could desire aside from freedom and the right to live.  The Unit is a superficial no-stress zone designed to brainwash these people into submitting to death.  Ultimately, these people have no power over their fate. Suicide is impossible with the top notch Big Brother style security system and all these people can do is wait for their turn to die, when their organs are more valueble than they are.  The book looms with sadness all the way through to its tragic ending.

In the book they also show the consequences of making people feel that procreation is the ultimate societal goal.  By making procreation mostly about self-preservation, the book shows some interesting cause and effect scenarios because people become so over-burdened by the thought of being sent to the Unit.  The number of kidnappings and teen pregnancies rapidly rise, the rate of STDs soars due to abnormally high levels of sexual encounters and multiple partners, and family values decrease because people who don't want kids are having them just to save their own skin.

What's funny is that the society in the book is very much focused on the idea of democracy as a shield; since the majority decided in favour of the Unit through democratic politics then it's okay.  There is also an emphasis on morality and human rights when it comes to the treatment of those in the Unit, even though all dispensables are really there as objects for the abuse of society.  The book also mixes up what humans value most.  For example, healthy and highly intelligent people are being physically used for unhealthy folks with lots of children because the latter is considered to be more valueble to society.  What is also interesting is that the most commonly donated organs in the book are kidneys and livers, and it doesn't take a doctor to know that those are organs commonly destroyed by human habits.  I don't think the author did this by accident.

I think it was also interesting that during Dorrit's escape, she is using the North Star to find her way to freedom, drawing a direct parallel to the slaves on the underground railroad.  What was also interesting is that this book is supposed to be a book written and left behind by the main character after her final donation, similar to the manuscript found in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

This book also shows the power of relationships.  This book shows the bond between partners, the bond between friends, the bond between mother and child, and the bond between man and dog (strange I know, but this part really reached out to me). It also shows how powerful human support really is when you read about the interaction between all the inhabitants of the Unit.

All in all, The Unit is a very powerful book.

This book is a great add to any dystopian lit list.  It's a must read for anyone who loves Orwell, Atwood, and the many other authors who remind us of the fragile balance between freedom and security.


Book Information
Title: The Unit
Author: Ninni Holmqvist
Year of publication: 2006
Year of translation: 2008 by Marlaine Delargy
Publisher: Other Press
Pages: 268
Purchased at: Chapters-Indigo
E-Book or Real Book (that's right, real book): Real Book
Rating: 5/5

The City of Ember (First Book of Ember) by Jeanne DuPrau

The idea of a place like Ember is frightening. From the beginning of the book, the reader is aware of the physical seclusion and isolation of the city of Ember and its citizens. Seclusion from what, however, the reader does not know. The “Builders” of Ember manufactured the city a long time ago, but the reader doesn’t learn why until the end of the book by reading a journal left by one of the first citizens of Ember. The reader also learns immediately about the important instructions the “Builders” have left for when the city expires, that is, the calculated amount of time when Ember’s citizens are supposed to exit the city. This is because of the calculation of when supplies will run out and also how long it will take for the “new world” to be safe. Through the adventures of the books two main characters, Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet, “The City of Ember” is a prelude to something more. It details the discovery of the accidentally lost instructions and how two 12 year olds put the pieces back together to find out how to exit the city and hopefully save the people they know and love, as planned out by their ancestors. This book also addresses issues of conservation, minimalistic living, and is very much about appreciating the abundance that the world we live in has to offer. This book also ended on a great note, leaving the reader wanting answers but not feeling unsatisfied. While the writing and dialogue is simple, it doesn’t lack good storytelling. This book may have been better if written for an older audience, but is entertaining nonetheless.

Rating 4/5

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I loved the first book so much I managed to get my hands on an ARC for Catching Fire. I finished the book in one sitting and it is just as extraordinary as the first. It picks up almost right where the first book leaves off with Katniss and Peeta's return home to District 12. This book focuses less on the Games and more on the unrest that Peeta and Katniss' defiance of the Capitol has created throughout most of the Districts. It is just as gut wrenching and heart breaking as the first. The story is chilling and draws the reader into the harsh yet frighteningly realistic dystopian society of Panem. Collins is a magnificent writer and I can't wait to read the third and final book!

Rating 5/5