Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

WARNING: SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS!!!!1!1!

Don't say I didn't warn you. Since this is book two in the Hunger Games trilogy, and there were some plot twists at the end of book one that will be unavoidable when talking about book two, there will be some spoilers following. So stop reading now if you are or are planning to read book one. I'll give you a minute to leave...

OK, now that those losers are gone, we'll get down to talking about Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Feel free to refresh your memory on book one by rereading my blog entry here.

We pick up with Katniss back in District 12 a few months after the unprecedented declaration of her and Peeta as duel winners of their Hunger Games. Both have settled into their beautiful new homes in the Victor's Village next door to their friend and mentor (and drunk) Haymitch. And both are preparing for the customary victor's tour of the other districts when Katniss is visited by President Snow, the president of Panem. President Snow is not happy with Katniss. Not one bit. The Capitol, it seems, interpreted Katniss' attempt to commit duel suicide in the arena during the games as a public disregard of the Capitol's authority. And the other districts, it seems, interpreted the same action as a rally cry for revolution. President Snow warns Katniss that she had better be on her best behavior during the victor's tour or bad things could happen to her and those she loves.

So, the next Hunger Games is fast approaching and it seems that the next game is a "Quarter Quell" meaning it's the 75th games. Each 25th game is called a Quarter Quell and a new twist in the tribute selection process is thrown into the mix just to spice things up. For instance, for one of the prior Quarter Quells, four tributes were sent to the games rather than the customary two. Anywho, everyone is gathered around their TVs to hear what special twist will happen this Quarter Quell when it is announced that for the next games the tributes will be selected from each district's current pool of victors. District 12 only has three victors - Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch. It seems that Katniss failed to impress President Snow and she's going back in the arena.

I had wondered how Collins was going to get Katniss back in the arena again for a second book and although this plot devise seemed a bit contrived to me, I'll let it pass. It works fine enough, I guess. And truthfully, the games and the actual time in the arena are a much smaller part of this book. Much more time is spent on the rumors of revolution and unrest in the districts.

Even though the games is a much smaller part of this book, the game twists and arena that Collins dreams up for this book are crazy! How much fun she must have had coming up with some of the stuff that appears in that arena this time around. Burning rain! Tidal waves! Attack monkeys! It was freakin' awesome! I wish I could think up crazy shit like that. If I could, I would be the best selling author, I guess rather than sitting on my couch in my jammies describing the book to all you nerds.

What was particularly intriguing with this book was the way Collins expertly and deftly draws Katniss as the reluctant revolutionary leader. She didn't ask to be the spearhead of a revolution. She didn't plan it and tries to avoid it to protect those she loves. But she also craves freedom and security. Every so often, a leader and revolutionary emerges in Katniss regardless of how hard she tries to suppress it. I have to imagine that many revolutionaries begin this way. You don't just one day decide to risk your safety, reputation and loved ones on a whim. And Collins does an excellent job of showing this inner turmoil in Katniss.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed this book as much, if not more, than the first book (despite the cliffhanger). I burned through it in about two days. It's the kind of book that gets under your skin and you just can't put it down. So, once again, I'm going to give Catching Fire five bows. Everyone just go read these books this instant so I have someone to talk with them about.

The third book in the trilogy, Mockingjay, has a lot to live up to. Hopefully it delivers. I just picked it up at the Scholastic Book sale last weekend and plan to read it after I finish my current book.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May there be many good books under all your Christmas trees this year!

Animal Farm by George Orwell

I can't quite remember if I ever read this book or just studied it in various literature and history classes. I knew the themes and general plot points but couldn't remember the details which leads me to think I just studied it. Regardless, Rusty the Hubby has been bugging me to read it lately and it seemed like a logical next book after reading The Hunger Games.

Largely considered Orwell's masterpiece (along with 1984 which is also on my to-read list), Animal Farm was published in 1945 as a criticism of Soviet Socialism. Orwell, being the genius that he was, used farm animal characters instead of humans to illustrate his criticism. By doing this, I believe, he was warning that any society could fall prey to totalitarianism unless they were careful.

The book begins with Old Major, a champion boar on Manor Farm, calling all the farm animals to a clandestine meeting in the barn. Old Major had a dream of a farm owned and operated by the farm animals. All work is shared equally to each animal's ability and all harvests are shared equally to each animal's needs. As Old Major sees it, the animals are slaves to the farmers. The animals do all the work while the humans reap all the benefits. Some animals agree wholeheartedly while some are simply happy with the status quo.

Manor Farm is owned and run by Mr. Jones, a somewhat lazy yet comfortable farmer given to bouts of drinking. One evening, after a particularly long afternoon at the local pub, Mr. Jones falls asleep on the couch without feeding the animals. The hungry animals take it upon themselves to raid the feed stores only to be fell upon by Jones and his men with whips. The animals rise up as one and chase Jones and his men off the farm. The animals are now in control of the farm. They rename it "Animal Farm" and create a list of governing rules for the farm, calling the new governing philosophy "Animalism". The rules mostly detail how humans are evil and that animals should never try to emulate them. The overarching theme is "four legs good, two legs bad". The animals take to calling each other "comrade", singing patriotic songs and having regular meetings and parades to celebrate their new freedom.

The pigs, being the smartest animals on the farm, naturally fall into leadership roles. Two main pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, become the driving force behind Animal Farm. However, they can never agree on anything and a power struggle ensues. For a time, things on Animal Farm go smoothly and as planned. The animals all work hard but are happy to do so knowing they are contributing to the good of the community as whole rather than lining Jones' pockets. Soon, though, the power struggle between Snowball and Napoleon comes to a head over the building of a windmill and Snowball is driven off the farm. Exiled.

Here Orwell shows us just how easy it is for a society to slip from communist utopia to totalitarianism. Napoleon takes over sole leadership of Animal Farm. He begins commandeering additional food and resources for he and the other pigs. He takes a new litter of puppies and trains them to be his ferocious guard dogs. And he moves out of the barn and into Mr. Jones' old farmhouse. All the while, the other animals on the farm are kept in submission by a constant stream of propaganda from Napoleon's main mouthpiece, a particularly persuasive pig (say that three time fast!) by the name of Squealer. In essence, Napoleon establishes a cult of fear in the other animals on the farm - fear of Mr. Jones returning to enslave them again, fear of humans unethical influences and mostly fear of Napoleon himself.

Orwell's comparisons to Stalin era Soviet Russia are not subtle. He's basically hitting the reader over the head with his criticism. It's clear Mr. Jones is the Russian royal family. Human society in general is capitalism and Western society. And Napoleon is Stalin himself. As most totalitarianism societies are formed, a charismatic leader overthrows an old and corrupt governing body by promising the citizens wonderful things only to renege on those promises immediately. Such as it was with Stalin. Such as it was with Napoleon the pig.

I believe Animal Farm is timeless in it's warnings against corrupt government. Society as a whole must be ever diligent lest they be lulled into complacency and vulnerability. This is not meant as a criticism of any particular current government official. Much the opposite. American society has the wonderful ability to oust any official we deem not representing the good of the nation as a whole. Not every country has that privilege. Look at Cuba. Look at China. Most notably, look at North Korea. Their leaders are clearly only interested in power and wealth and not the good of the people. Much like Stalin. Much like Napoleon the pig.

Although the book was engaging and adept at getting it's points across, I sometimes felt I was reading a children's book rather than political satire. This may very well have been Orwell's aim - to get his points across in the least threatening and easily to understand way possible and thus get his message out to more people. But at times I almost forgot what I was reading and half expected the spider from Charlotte's Web to pop up exclaiming "salutations!" However, it's a small criticism and didn't really detract from the overall message of the book. Therefore, I give Animal Farm four bows. It was educational and as timely today as I'm sure it was during the Cold War.

Let me know what you thought of Animal Farm or this review in the comments section below. And as always, happy reading everyone!