I finished The Hunger Games on Thursday, and after a few days to let
it settle in my head, it's time to start something else. There's a
paperback copy of Stephen King's 'Cell' in my overnight bag, along
with Terry Pratchett's 'Darwin's Watch.' Of course, it's been a
while since I've re-read The Shining, or Salem's Lot. The latter
might help me hash through some difficulties with Roja, come to think
of it.
About The Hunger Games, it's good. Damn good. Worth every bit of
your time and money. That concern that I had about the same type of
group dynamic that was used in Battle Royale turned out to be
unfounded. My wife and I discussed the book, and as usual we each
had our own take on the story, and they were miles apart. Her
primary focus was on the government, and how they use the games as
both punishment and control. My biggest impression was how much the
other people in the book, the regular citizens who would never set
foot in the arena, were involved in the game. It's a huge production
that seems to touch just about everyone. I hope the next couple of
books develop that aspect in more detail.
To me, that's one of the characteristics of good writing. When two
or more people can arrive at separate conclusions about a story, and
each can pull facts from it to support their views, and the views
don't necessarily contradict each other, that's a good story there.
Watched the first episode of SyFy's 'Tin Man' last night. It wasn't
what I expected, as I had gotten the impression (and was hoping) that
it was a bit darker. Then again, that reminds me that I haven't read
the book itself yet.
Still rewriting Roja, and writing 'A room.' The Stephen King bio
that I read, Haunted Heart, described how he can churn out a short
story 'in a few hours.' My reaction? Envy, disbelief, and more envy. I want to build up where I can do that.
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