What other fantasy books do YOU read?

[Galadriel]

Anyone around here read 'The Hunger Games'? I'm not sure if it's fantasy, but I've been hearing a lot about it, and to be truthful I'm a little sceptical. I mean, girl and boy chosen to kill other children in a dystopian world where adults rule? Let me guess: the girl and the guy will be prolific, and the girl will end up being some kind of 'leader', and she'll never do anything wrong with intent, because she's only ever forced to do bad things, and she and the guy will have some kind of forced romance...

I think I'd better stop. The number of flat protagonists these days are kind of getting to my head.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Anyone around here read 'The Hunger Games'? I'm not sure if it's fantasy, but I've been hearing a lot about it, and to be truthful I'm a little sceptical. I mean, girl and boy chosen to kill other children in a dystopian world where adults rule? Let me guess: the girl and the guy will be prolific, and the girl will end up being some kind of 'leader', and she'll never do anything wrong with intent, because she's only ever forced to do bad things, and she and the guy will have some kind of forced romance...

I think I'd better stop. The number of flat protagonists these days are kind of getting to my head.

I finished Weirdstone yesterday and still being in the frame of mind to devour a book, I picked up a copy of The Hunger Games today. My interest was piqued because it's dystopian SF and I'm always interested in that, so I wanted to see what a 'young adult' novel would make of what sounded like a lift from the plot of Battle Royale.

I've read three-quarters of it since this afternoon, and it's pretty good. There's vivid scene-setting, the characters aren't flat and predictable at all, and the narrator isn't a 'Mary Sue' but has some definite failings and flaws. The whole concept of people forced to fight to the death has now been done a few times, but it still works. It also makes you feel a bit angry/disgusted, which is always a plus point with dystopian stories. Not finished it yet though, and I've read more than enough novels with poor endings lately, so I shall see....

I wonder - could you call dystopian SF 'fantasy'? Where does one stop and another begin?


EDIT - finished it now, and even though it was basically Battle Royale for younger readers, it was a decent book. Not sure I want to read the sequels, as I thought it was well rounded off, but I'm sure there would be plenty of things to discuss about it, and I can easily see this one creeping into school reading lists at some point.

[Mrs. Boffin]

I feel rather daring and frisky replying to this post, but sci fi and fantasy are two of my three favorite fictional genres.

I got through A Feast of Crows or whatever the title was of Martin's 4th book before I finally gave up on the series. While he's created an in-depth, original universe, it just wasn't enough for me. I personally look for characters I can cheer for when I read, and the ones left by the end of the 4th book were either rotten or Too Stupid To Live and I really didn't care about any of them any more.

I do understand the appeal of such an epic work, and the heraldry and family history is fascinating. I guess I just prefer a less sprawling, more focused style.

On to a cheerier subject -- writers I like, lol! Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon and the Sword and Sorceress anthologies she edited are enjoyable. I also like Orson Scott Card, both his sci fi and his fantasy. Cherryh's Fortress series is on my TBR list, and after reading some of this thread, so is Patrick Rothfuss.

I also enjoyed my daughter's Percy Jackson books.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I finished Weirdstone yesterday and still being in the frame of mind to devour a book, I picked up a copy of The Hunger Games today. My interest was piqued because it's dystopian SF and I'm always interested in that, so I wanted to see what a 'young adult' novel would make of what sounded like a lift from the plot of Battle Royale.

I've read three-quarters of it since this afternoon, and it's pretty good. There's vivid scene-setting, the characters aren't flat and predictable at all, and the narrator isn't a 'Mary Sue' but has some definite failings and flaws. The whole concept of people forced to fight to the death has now been done a few times, but it still works. It also makes you feel a bit angry/disgusted, which is always a plus point with dystopian stories. Not finished it yet though, and I've read more than enough novels with poor endings lately, so I shall see....

I wonder - could you call dystopian SF 'fantasy'? Where does one stop and another begin?


EDIT - finished it now, and even though it was basically Battle Royale for younger readers, it was a decent book. Not sure I want to read the sequels, as I thought it was well rounded off, but I'm sure there would be plenty of things to discuss about it, and I can easily see this one creeping into school reading lists at some point.

Still not sure I want to pick it up. There are not any local libraries where I live, so I shall have to buy it - but it will be at the end of a long, long list of books I want to finish first.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Still not sure I want to pick it up. There are not any local libraries where I live, so I shall have to buy it - but it will be at the end of a long, long list of books I want to finish first.

A cheap second hand copy should be easy to find on teh internets. It's been a very popular book for a long time and on lots of school reading lists too, so I should think there are lots of them in circulation! It's a quick read too

That was Weirdstone...but then I realised you're talking Hunger Games!

Well I got mine at the supermarket for £3! Brand new! So try there while it's still a bestseller. It's also a quick read.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

A cheap second hand copy should be easy to find on teh internets. It's been a very popular book for a long time and on lots of school reading lists too, so I should think there are lots of them in circulation! It's a quick read too

That was Weirdstone...but then I realised you're talking Hunger Games!

Well I got mine at the supermarket for £3! Brand new! So try there while it's still a bestseller. It's also a quick read.

Decided to get it off Amazon. Luckily I will be able to get it delivered to the UK since I will be going there in some days - if I were to order it here, I would be charged over eight pounds just for delivery!

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Decided to get it off Amazon. Luckily I will be able to get it delivered to the UK since I will be going there in some days - if I were to order it here, I would be charged over eight pounds just for delivery!

Eight pounds?! Do you live out in the wilds like Faroe or Hull or somewhere?

I decided to get the others in the series because I was curious to see what happened, and I've just the final one to finish now. I've been quite pleased with the series really. Too often dystopian novels have no sense of humanity or are so bleak you feel depressed for months afterwards, but not so with these.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Eight pounds?! Do you live out in the wilds like Faroe or Hull or somewhere?

I decided to get the others in the series because I was curious to see what happened, and I've just the final one to finish now. I've been quite pleased with the series really. Too often dystopian novels have no sense of humanity or are so bleak you feel depressed for months afterwards, but not so with these.

No, but you could say I live far, far away.

I was looking at some reviews on Amazon, and they said that the series actually lacked humanity, and that the characters appeared somewhat flat and inconsistent with their own personalities. That itself was enough to turn me off again, though the book is lying in my basket...