Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Praise for the Mockingjay


It is seldom that I find a book or series of books that affects me at the core of myself and lives with me forever after. 'The Hunger Games' Trilogy is such a series. I finished 'Mockingjay', the final book in the trilogy, this morning. I would like to thank my friend, Bill Bayer, for recommending the series and sending them on to me after he had finished them.

They are described as 'Young Adult' books but like any book that promises to become a classic, they are books for every age. When compared to the extraordinarily popular Twilight series, the latter dims to the point where one realises it is irrelevant, trivial... The Hunger Games Trilogy embraces all the eternal questions for humanity as well as dealing with the 'coming-of-age' of a young girl. It is brilliant, forceful, unforgettable. There is a little too much death and destruction in the books for me, but not gratuituous by any means. It is a series about the lengths to which governments will go to preserve and maintain their power and the ability of humanity to live with 'bread and circuses' even when their own children are culled for entertainment. Yet, above all, it is about the ability of humanity to make sacrifices to end injustice. The thread that is interwoven into the enormous tapestry of revolution and humanity's survival is a young girl's tortuous path to adulthood and love.

There are many heroes in the Hunger Games trilogy and most of them are ordinary people who, when called upon to choose survival at any price or sacrifice for a higher cause or another, find the courage to embrace a higher purpose. The characters are real people with real flaws and weaknesses, and some are obnoxious or unpleasant, and yet, in accompanying them on their journey, we become emotionally involved with each and every one of them.

I would recommend this series to every one. It will rock your world.

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