Just read the review.
Everything seems to erupt at once. The earth explodes into showers of dirt and plant matter. Trees burst into flames. Even the sky fills with brightly colored blossoms of light I can’t think why the sky’s being bombed until I realize the Gamemakers are shooting off fireworks up there, while the real destruction occurs on the ground Just in case it’s not enough fun watching the obliteration of the arena and the remaining tributes. Or perhaps to illuminate our gory ends.
Will they let anyone survive? Will there be a victor of the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games?
So this is how it’s going to go out. The Games won’t continue into Mockingjay. Katniss found the weakness in the arena, thanks to Beetee and Wiress, and set into motion the destruction of the arena. Jeez, I didn’t even know this was possible and Katniss has done it.
Never prepared.
The hovercraft materializes above me without warning. If it was quiet, and a mockingjay perched close at hand, I would have heard the jungle go silent and then the bird’s call that precedes the appearance of the Capitol’s aircraft. But my ears could never make out anything so delicate in this bombardment.
Well, a sense of futility has finally washed over me. They’ve come to take them away and they’ll probably punish Katniss by killing Peeta or Gale or someone in he family for what she’s done. Were they able to cut away in time or did all of Panem watch Katniss destroy the arena, the first to ever do so?
The claws drop from the underside until it’s directly overhead. The metal talons slide under me. I want to scream, run, smash my way out of it but I’m frozen, helpless to do anything but fervently hope I’ll die before I reach the shadowy figures awaiting me above.
It’s actually really depressing to me to think that Katniss is being raised into the hovercraft, awaiting her fate, knowing that she failed to keep Peeta safe. It’s a damning, hopeless feeling, isn’t it?
My worst fears are confirmed when the face that greets me inside the hovercraft belongs to Plutarch Heavensbee, Head Gamemaker. What a mess I have made of his beautiful Games with the clever ticking clock and the field of victors. He will suffer for his failure, probably lose his life, but not before he sees me punished. His hand reaches for me, I think to strike me, but he does something worse. With his thumb and his forefinger, he slides my eyelids shut, sentencing me to the vulnerability of darkness. They can do anything to me now and I will not see it coming.
Oh god, Plutarch is there???? Oh this is not good at all. Maybe my hope that Katniss will be ahead of the Capitol is entirely pointless now.
Ugh, so this is how this is going to end. This is all I could think, that Collins would end this on an incredibly bleak note. We move through confusing scenes of Katniss awaking in a bed, apparently being kept alive and drugged. Why are they keeping her alive? I imagine (and Katniss does too) it’s so they can later publicly humiliate and damage her for what she did in the arena.
At one point she wakes up, tied to her bed so she doesn’t rip out the tubes in her arms, and gets a brief look at the room she is in:
I’m in a large room with low ceilings and a silvery light. There are two rows of beds facing each other. I can hear the breathing of what I assume are my fellow victors. Directly across from me I see Beetee with about ten different machines hooked up to him.
Ok, wait. Why are they keeping Beetee alive? Are they keeping everyone alive to torture them later? I don’t get this. I sort of expected them to separate the remaining tributes from everyone else. Hell, now I’m wondering…will there be a public victor declared? HOW IS THIS GOING TO WORK?
Finally, Katniss wakes up, not suffering from the effects of the drugs and unrestrained, she sees that she is alone in the room besides Beetee. There, she concocts the silliest plan ever:
Since I have failed to keep him safe in life, I must find him, kill him now before the Capitol gets to choose the agonizing means of his death. I slide my legs off the table and look around for a weapon. There are a few syringes sealed in sterile plastic on a table near Beetee’s bed. Perfect. All I’ll need is air and a clear shot at one of his veins.
OKAY, DR. KEVORKIAN. First of all, shouldn’t you figure out what is going on first? I understand that the Capitol is an evil, oppressive government, but you don’t even know where you are yet. Secondly, isn’t that just a myth that you can inject air into someone’s veins like that? Thirdly, WHAT ARE YOU DOING. Where’s Sassy Gay Friend to tell her to LOOK AT HER LIFE, LOOK AT HER CHOICES.
Ok. Enough shenanigans. Time for everything to be uprooted and for my face to get punched by Suzanne Collins.
I creep down a narrow hallway to a metal door that stands slightly ajar. Somone is behind it. I take out the syringe and grip it in my hand. Flattening myself against the wall, I listen to the voices inside.
“Communications are down in Seven, Ten, and Twelve. But Eleven has control of transportation now, so there’s at least a hope of them getting some food out.â€
It’s Plutarch. Clearly, he’s referring to the districts. What happened to them??? Why are communications out? Is this what the Capitol did or was it an uprising?
“No, I’m sorry. There’s no way I can get you to Four. But I’ve given special orders for her retrieval if possible. It’s the best I can do, Finnick.â€
WHAT THE FUCK. WHY IS HE TALKING TO FINNICK. He is talking about…Johanna? I Johanna back in District Four? HOW DOES THIS MAKE SENSE.
“Don’t be stupid. That’s the worst thing you could do. Get her killed for sure. As long as you’re alive, they’ll keep her alive for bait,†says Haymitch.
Haymitch. Haymitch is in on it. WHAT THE FUCK
And so Katniss bursts into the room, syringe in hand, ready to fight those who have betrayed her. Instead, Haymitch calmly gets her to drop the syringe, sits her down next to Finnick, and Plutarch gives her some food.
What happens next is amazing in content, but fucking awful in execution. There is absolutely no reason I can think of for Collins to suddenly revert away from first-person present to a segment of summary that is entirely in third person. It’s jarring and we just lost a moment to experience Katniss’s head exploding at the revelation that Haymitch provides. It feels so unbelievably rushed and I don’t like it.
That being said, let us now experience this all over again.
Haymitch sits directly in front of me. “Katniss, I’m going to explain what happened. I don’t want you to ask any questions until I’m through. Do you understand?â€
I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING HAYMITCH.
There was a plan to break us out of the arena from the moment the Quell was announced.
The victor tributes from 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11 had varying degrees of knowledge about it.
Plutarch Heavensbee has been, for several years, part of an undercover group aiming to overthrow the Capitol. He made sure the wire was among the weapons.
Beetee was in charge of blowing a hole in the force field.
The bread we received in the arena was code for the time of the rescue. The district where the bread originated indicated the day. Three. The number of rolls the hour. Twenty-four.
The hovercraft belongs to District 13.
Bonnie and Twill, the women I met in the woods from 8, were right about its existence and its defense capabilities. We are currently on a very roundabout journey to District 13.
Meanwhile, most of the districts in Panem are in full-scale rebellion.
I can’t. I just can’t. I was so wrong. I was so, so, so wrong.
It is strange that all of this was acted out without Katniss’s consent and it sort of rubs me the wrong way, especially since she could have easily been killed. Right? That’s kind of weird and fucked up, but I also understand the context that she was in: had she known, would she have been tempted to say or do something and expose Plutarch and Haymitch’s plan? Plutarch confirms that he showed Katniss his watch only to tip her off to the shape/function of the arena, which suggests the arena was built without the knowledge of what the Quarter Quell would be. Does that mean Snow didn’t actually design the Quell itself?
I’m still shocked at how much everyone was involved: Johanna did not try to harm Katniss. She was merely removing the tracker out of her arm. Finnick was protecting her and Peeta out of genuine desire the entire time, not to eventually betray them.
“We had to save you because you’re the mockingjay, Katniss,†says Plutarch. “While you live, the revolution lives.â€
Ah, the reluctant and unaware hero. It’s a trope we’ve seen before and I’m not entirely stoked that it appears here, but given what’s happened to Katniss for the last two books, I at least understand it’s motivation for being here. In a way, Collins has written her to be someone who isn’t always sure what she wants or what she’s fighting for and I feel that’s a lot more realistic than if she was a SUPER BADASS HERO WITH NO FLAWS.
Which leads us to heartbreak, because Katniss has experienced a whole lot of it so far:
“Where is Peeta?†I hiss at him.
“He was picked up by the Capitol along with Johanna and Enobaria,†says Haymitch. And finally he has the decency to drop his gaze.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!1 what the hell WHAT THE HELL. Collins YOU PLANNED THIS CLIFFHANGER ALL ALONG FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUU
I get Katniss’s anger at Haymitch for keeping the plan a secret, since Peeta got nabbed because of it. I don’t get this:
…I know it’s all Haymitch can do not to rip me apart, but I’m the mockingjay. I’m the mockingjay and it’s too hard keeping me alive as it is.
You’ve been the mockingjay for less than a page. Calm down.
Then they drug her (YAY DRUGGING WITHOUT CONSENT) and off she goes into a wonderful bout of depression, panic, and terror, all of which I understand. I mean…jesus, this is so horrible. Could there be anything worse than this, with Peeta in the hands of a government who would kill him at the first chance that Katniss might get him back? Her despondency is so real and frightening here and I love the urgency with which Collins conveys it.
Never prepared. I was never prepared.
“Gale,†I whisper.
“Hey, Catnip.†He reaches down and pushes a strand of hair out of my eyes. One side of his face has been burned fairly recently. His arm is in a sling, and I can see bandages under his miner’s shirt. What has happened to him? How is he even here? Something very bad has happened back home.
Man, I kind of miss Gale, at least as a character. It’s nice to see him back, but what the hell happened?
“Prim?†I gasp.
“She’s alive. So is your mother. I got them out in time,†he says.
WHAT?????? Got them out in time from what?
“After the Games, they sent in planes. Dropped firebombs.†He hesitates. “Well, you know what happened to the Hob.â€
I can’t. I can’t even. What the fuck is going on.
“They’re not in District Twelve?†I repeat. As if saying it will somehow fend off the truth.
“Katniss,†Gale says softly.
I recognize that voice. It’s the same one he uses to approach wounded animals before he delivers a deathblow.
OH MY GOD. WHAT. WHAT. WHAT WHAT WHAT HAPPENED
“Don’t,†I whisper.
But Gale is not one to keep secrets from me. “Katniss, there is no District Twelve.â€
FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
NEVER. FUCKING. PREPARED.
And because I’ve now reached the end of the second book:
Catching Fire is a flawed but much more entertaining and satisfying book than The Hunger Games and F U COLLINS for that cliffhanger.
good god.
CORRECTION: The air gets trapped in the LUNGS and it can't get blood through to the HEART, my bad.
I finished this at some ungodly hour the other night and even though I knew I should sleep, I immediately picked up Mockingjay and began to read. I have no idea how you do this chapter by chapter. I haven't finished Mockingjay yet b/c classes have begun so I only read for fun before bed. I'm almost done, though, and I can't wait to read your opinions on those chapters.
Mark,
Everyone is saying YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR MOCKINGJAY so I'm going to balance that out.
Mockingjay is unsurprising. No one dies. We learn about cats. Some versions have a surprise penny hidden inside. It is a very mellow read. All conflicts are resolved peacefullly. Four chapters are full of Peeta's baking recipes. Prim writes a short story about fish. Gale finds a bale… of hay. Katniss reorganizes her closet. Haymitch helps an elderly lady across the street and learns something about the meaning of life. Beetee writes and explains the mathmatical formula for finding the number of jelly beans in a jar. Wacky hijinks insue at a furniture store.
Enjoy Mockingjay! 😛
DUDE. SPOILER WARNING.
Dude. It is obvious Julia is just making things up and this has no bearing on the actual plot. >_>
That was the joke.
YOUR JOKE IS A SPOILER.
wait
Sorry for ruining that for you!
Prim really does write a short story about fish, though. That's chapters 11 through 13.
Lmao Flameraven… XD
You forgot the part about Effie and Katniss knitting tea cozies and discussing how much they adore babies giggling.
And yet
I would read that book.
Oh, man, the furniture store! That was so epic, can't wait to see the movie version! 🙂
I hope it goes by in a delightful montage with Eye of the Tiger or some other epically wonderful 80s music playing in the background
We learn SO MUCH about cats, dude.
'cause dudes already know about chickens!
This last chapter is just a whole chapter of OMG WHAT WHAT WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN I HAVE NO WORDS TO CONVEY HOW AMAZINGLY FUCKED THIS ALL IS. I'm pretty sure I heard my own head exploding by the end of it.
So naturally I devoured Mockingjay within a few days.
Btw… YOU ARE STILL NOWHERE NEAR PREPARED
Oh, and I forgot to mention this, but I applaud you on your Sassy Gay Friend reference… lord knows Katpee could use one…
Most of her "acting" in those cases were to let others take the lead or demonstrate physically. She hid in Peeta's shirt and let him talk for her after the games. she didn't really talk much to Peeta to convince anyone of her love, she just kissed and cuddled him and hoped it looked real. She didn't really look at the peecekeepers when she came back, and just ranted about her physical pain (which was real). She is good for "in the moment" responses that are physical, but if she has to plan ahead or open her mouth with anything that is not an immediate reaction, oh boy. As far as acting in the games, I don't really think that was the problem. I think it was more of the fact that the conspirators couldn't trust her to stay on board with a group plan that might put Peeta in danger.
i was WARNED to have book 3 ready before reading book 2 but i ignored that. to my peril.
unbelievable cliffhanger ending.
Soooooo… if there IS a District 13 and there IS NO District 12, then there are still 12 districts, right? So is District 13 now called district 12 b/c it is actually the 12th one now?
….no. 😉
OMG Sassy Gay Friend killed me. Killed me.
<img src="http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d61/lostluck_personal/FunnyGIFs/whatwhatwhat.gif">
Yeah, the ending of this one was head-explodey. Nothing more to say.
Hahahahah you were never prepared.
<img src="http://i895.photobucket.com/albums/ac156/cetati/GIF/Donnayayy.gif">
Sweet holy lord, we have reached the end of Book 2. I have to say, though, that in its own twisted way, that is the very best, most OMG WHAT ending/cliffhanger, EVER.
I could not imagine the painfulness of having to wait months on end for the next book. I am so, so glad I was able to buy all three in one stretch.
Also: Peeta. Extreme sadness. My heart. As always. She shouldn't have left him, but what choice did she have, really? Argh.
I'm with you. I had already guessed about the victor conspiracy, and like the quick short explanation which just confirmed my thoughts. It also did a good job showing Katniss's feelings of shock and numbness to the whole thing.
Best pre-titles sequence (THIS IS WHAT I CALL YOUR INTROS, SHUSH) ever, y/y?
Oh god, eveyrhting is so awful and rushed and supremely fucked up in this chapter. I glared at it and immediately picked up Mockingjay. DEMANDING TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO PEETA IMMEDIATELY (yes, I care more about Peeta than the entireity of District 12, apparently).
Aaaand now you know why I immediately started reading MJ after finishing Catching Fire. So glad I got into these books by the time the trilogy had been completed.
I was pretty stoked to see Gale back, too. Whenever he calls Katniss, Catnip, I just… get all fluttery. I wasn't ever on any "team" (besides Team fucking Cinna), but even I couldn't deny how adorable that was.
ya, imagine having to wait THREE MONTHS before being able to read Mockingjay!!!!
Several thoughts:
1. I actually really liked that Collins revealed all the secrets in a paragraph. The reveal explosion paragraph accomplished two key things. One: it conveys Katniss's utter sense of shock, and almost removal from her body/the situation. She is so very, very overwhelmed by life at this moment, and the info dump really helps the reader feel the same way. Two: dumping it all into one paragraph shows that even these big secrets and big reveals aren't important to Katniss. She simply DOESN'T CARE. She's all like, "okay victor conspiracy, uh-huh, this is how you did it with all the details, good for you I guess, district 13, which is someplace I've never been to and don't know anything about, was in on it, whatever, oh there is a rebellion going on, yeah go figure." Such information is summed up in a paragraph because to Katniss it consists of trivial details that aren't directly important to her. What IS important: 1) Why did you use and betray me, and 2) Where the hell is Peeta? These are the parts that get flushed out in Katniss's narration.
2. This actually brings me to point two: "See, this is why no one lets you make the plans", or more aptly, lets you in on the plans. Although I am personally inclined toward giving Katniss a bit more information because there is too much that could go wrong (and almost did), there are SEVERAL reasons why keeping her in the dark is a good idea.
1) Like I said, Katniss is all about the personal impact on HER. Not to say that she is a selfish uncaring bitch, but she is very much focused on what she personally experiences/knows. She is so focused on personal survival in HG that she doesn't really get Peeta's "I don't want them to own/control me" speech until the end. She hears about rebellion and drama, and she is immediately focused on getting her loved ones out of there that she is surprised Gale actually wants her to join the rebellion. In fact, she only joins the rebellion in spirit when she realizes that everyone she knows and loves can't run away with her, and when Gale is hurt by the peecekeepers. She misses the almost literal TON of clues dumped on her that there is a victor conspiracy that includes the head gamemaker because she only is focused on making sure Peeta, her personal teddy bear, lives. She literally cannot think outside of herself, let alone the box. This is not a person that you want involved in a flexible, highly volatile conspiracy that could go wrong SO VERY EASILY. If they could have cut her out of the plan entirely, they probably would have. Unfortunately, she is the symbol of the rebellion.
2) Because she can't think outside of her personal feelings / experiences, she isn't as invested in the rebellion. All the other victors were willing to put their lives (and in the case of Finnick and Mags, or Beetree and Wiress, the lives of the people they love) on the line for the rebellion. They were willing to sacrifice everything for Katniss as the symbol of the rebellion. Katniss is not willing to do that, she said as much to Haymich: kill me so Peeta can live. Katniss would never give up someone she loved for the sake of "the greater good." That is exactly what had to happen: Katniss had to get out so she could be a symbol of the rebellion, even at the expense of Peeta. If Katniss knew this part of the plan, she would deliberately mess it up. Haymitch knew this, and it looks like Haymitch is calling the shots of this little coup. I thought this part was really clear on page 387 when Haymitch said: "The others kept Peeta alive because if he died, we knew there'd be no keeping you in an alliance."
3)She could have easily been captured, as Haymitch said. in that case, the more you know, the more your life will suck and the more you could betray the rebellion. Which Katniss would totally do if it meant saving the lives of her loved ones. I'm sorry, she is just NOT secret conspiracy material. Which isn't necessarily a put down. Honestly, it takes a twisted person to dedicate yourself so thoroughly to a cause that you can betray your loved ones, or let them suffer or die, or throw away your personal code of ethics and morals. Unfortunately, that is often the only way people can overthrow an oppressive nearly all powerful government.
3. Final thought: This is why I love these books so much. As a history major, it really highlights the reality of the random, human nature of a rebellion. You never know what small innocuous thing will capture the hearts and minds of the people, but you use it if it appears. Katniss became the symbol of the rebellion not through the conspirators choice, and CERTAINLY not through HER choice. District 13 / the covert rebellion leaders did not choose Katniss deliberately, because (as you can see above), she is a terrible choice for a resistance leader. Gale, Peeta, or Haymitch are much better suited skill wise and personality wise. However, through the random chance of her wearing a mockingjay pin, which linked her to the monkingjays from they last war and the mockingjay that was in the video footage of District 13, here she is. Add that into her ability to inspire people through her actions (not her thoughts, her plans, or her words, but her completely natural reactions to the world around her) and you have a perfect symbol to rally the people around.
However, just because someone is an inspiring SYMBOL does NOT mean they have the cahonjas to plan, lead, or really be any actual part of the rebellion. I really like that Katniss is inspiring, but she is terrible at execution. You don't see that very often in books. Usually the main character is the planner, executor, and speechmaker all rolled up in one. Katniss is being used because in all honesty she CAN'T be an active participant so far: that is not her skill set. It still sucks for her and is morally ambiguous, but I'm sorry, when overthrowing an oppressive regime, morally ambiguous things happen. Just look at the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, Oliver Cromwell, all the crazy rebellions and revolutions that have happened in Africa or the middle East in the past century, the revolutions in South America. There is not a single instance in history where a totalitarian government has been overthrown by people who were completely decent in all their actions and plans. Reality doesn't work that way, which is one thing that has always pissed me off about fiction. Whenever we have a main character who is working to overthrow an oppressive regime, all the people in the rebellion are "good guys" and all the people working for the regime are "bad guys." Just look at Star Wars. The rebels are BLOWING SHIT UP ALL OVER THE PLACE, and yet we have no collateral damage? Every bomb was a bomb of "justice"? I'm sorry, good guys who stay good don't get the job done. To channel Haymitch here, "Suck it up sweetheart, your stuck just like the rest of us." Props to you Collins for forcing us to face the sucktastic reality of war in young adult science fiction.
Heh heh heh. Hawk gif.
I've used it before and I'll use it again:
<img src="http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee301/magic_is_might/gifs/cookemonster.gif">
I love this gif so much.
Sorry! I didn't mean to rant that much! I guess you can all see that I love analyzing the ink out of books. I guess that is why I teach "Reading" to middle school students. In any case, glad you're enjoying the books Mark, and I look forward to seeing what you think of MJ, which you are only unprepared for if you don't accept the realities of war and if you don't catch Collin's literary skill of subtle foreshadowing and making things tragically poetic. Frankly, I called most of the twists in CF, and many of the plot points in MJ. I was still completely invested in the books, but if you know literary themes and historical examples, and if you think really hard about the trends and themes revealed in the first two books, you will be able to make fairly accurate predictions. Not that I'm trying to get you to use your "Prediction" reading strategy… 😉 Make sure you have evidence for your predictions and can back your claims up. I expect a paper by Friday, with page numbers cited and sources listed.
First off, YAY SASSY GAY FRIEND! 😀 I'm incredibly proud that I've seen that.
Second….Collins continually ruined my life. It's just…what. Wait what. WHY?!?!? Why would she make a cliffhanger like that? That's just…cruelty. Beyond all belief. 🙁
MIND. BLOWN.
(Also, yay! I can start Mockingjay now, and hopefully keep pace for more than 5 chapters.)
Oh dear I am SO LATE to this party but I read the review & many of the comments at work today and couldn't comment! It made me lol and squee though (inside my mind)!!!
Generally, I really liked Catching Fire. Yeah it has flaws, but it's so fast and crazy that I hardly care. I first picked up The Hunger Games a few days after Mockingjay was published, so I was juuuuuust under the wire and didn't have to wait at all between books. I can't imagine having to wait a YEAR for Mockingjay after that cliffhanger!
On that note, sometimes I imagine what it will be like if I ever have kids and introduce them to Harry Potter… and I admit that I will probably be SO TEMPTED to like, lie to them or something and tell them there's a rule that says they HAVE to wait a certain amount of time between books, just so I can watch them squirm and theorize LIKE I HAD TO DO. Just a thought. 😛 Same sort of thing with THG trilogy, right?! I don't know what it's like to have to wait between THG books, and it's interesting to think about what sort of difference that makes in one's reading experience. I don't think one or the other is better or worse; but I do think it's kind of a distinct privilege to be part of that original wave of readers who get the real-time experience. </off topic rambling>
Courtesy of me buying the DVDs the second they came out, my best friend has now finally seen the most recent season of Doctor Who. We did a lot of it in marathon sessions, but I made it clear to her from the beginning that she had to wait a week between the two halves of the series finale just like the rest of us did. The agony is part of the experience.
Heh. I watch the Doctor Who episodes as they come out, usually, but I decided to wait after the first half of the finale because I wanted to be able to watch the two parts together because I knew it would be terrible. And it was.
Although not as ridiculous as the previous season finale, where there was wild flailing and speculation from everyone on the various discussion groups. Which was pretty fun to watch.
I'm just doing this with my niece. She got "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" for her eleventh birthday, she will get "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" for her twelth birthday and I hope I can continue this for the next years (of course I can't stop her if she tries to find out what will happen in future books). It's not so much that I want to make her squirm, but I feel that not the whole series is written for little children (plus my brother told me that she is easily scared), so she better has to wait.
"I do think it's kind of a distinct privilege to be part of that original wave of readers who get the real-time experience"
I totally agree with this statement! I just think back to Harry Potter and all the theories and hype about what would happen in the next book set to release and I feel really greatful that I was a part of frenzy!
Phew! I can finally tell my awful story because you've finished the second book!
Basically I bought the first one for my Kindle, read it, and immediately bought the Catching Fire and Mockingjay. For whatever reason on the Mockingjay page, I scrolled down a bit and began absentmindedly reading the "back of the book" type summary… which began something like, "Having survived another Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen…" and I screamed and stopped reading because I hadn't yet read Catching Fire. I spoiled myself… I am such a dum dum.
Also, I would like to take this opportunity to brag that I picked up on the fact that Johanna was removing Katniss's tracker when she mutilated her arm. I think it's because I read this pretty much immediately after the first book and during the first book when they put the tracker in I immediately connected it with the collars from Battle Royale. I stored that away so I could complain about a Battle Royale ripoff in case they figured out how to deactivate the trackers. Then when Katniss says there's a ripping sensation as Johanna is digging around in her arm, it clicked. I will freely admit that I thought it was a desperate measure so that after everything was over and done Katniss might have a chance to escape… Silly me. Of course Plutarch Heavensbee and District 13 were gonna rescue them. How did I not see that coming? 😛
Did anyone else think "There is no spoon" when they read "There is no District 12"?
I personally like Catching Fire a lot better than Mockingjay, but I seem to be in the minority. It'll be interesting to read along with you nonetheless!
I agree with you. Even though I was not prepared for Mockingjay, there was no way I'd ever be as unprepared for anything ever as I was for Catching Fire. And the best part of this series is the ASKNDKLHJKJL;;LKJDSKH moments.
It's definitely the book I would re-read most often out of the trilogy.
I've read through the comments and I've noticed that lots of people are (extremely) upset with Katniss not being given a choice. Perhaps I'm reading tone wrong (I'm awful with tone), but I don't think Collins is necessarily making a statement. We don't know if she wants us to accept Haymitch and the other victors and Plutarch and D13 as the good guys. It's almost like people are assuming that Collins wants us to think Haymitch was allowed to manipulate Katniss, to force her into the Mockingjay role, or to not tell her about the rescue. I just think we should consider the possibility that Collins is making a bigger point about how there are no truly "good guys" in any type of war.
I just think there's a difference between recognizing that Katniss's lack of choice is infuriating and calling Collins out on her promotion of social injustice. Because I don't think Collins is saying that what Haymitch/Plutarch did is good, she's just saying that both sides manipulated Katniss.
Mark, I am confused about something you said. When Katniss is told about the secret plan, you say Collins steers away from first person present to third person summary. With respect, I’m not seeing what you’re seeing. I re-read that passage and it sure looks like third person. Katniss even uses the pronoun “I” which is not what you do in third person unless it’s in dialogue. I’m willing to hear why I’m wrong about this.
AAARRRRRGGHHH! I meant to say "and it sure looks like FIRST person." I need to read what I write before I post it. Is there a way I can erase a post?
Because I'm totally morbid, I've been keeping track of each death in the first two books of this series. I got the idea from your lists in the last books, and also that website that keeps a body count for just about every episode of Buffy.
The fun fact/scary thing that I have discovered is that the body count for the first 2 books of the Hunger Games trilogy (45) is three more than that for the entire Harry Potter series (41, humans only).
(This is excluding deaths that took place before the books, such as Gale's and Katniss' dads in HG, or Harry's parents and Moaning Myrtle in HP. These numbers only account for characters whose deaths were specifically mentioned, ie: the scores of deaths in the District uprisings and at the HP Battle of Hogwarts don't count, nor do the Flamels as their fates were left ambiguous. I figured that was the best way to make the cleanest comparison.) [HP body count here: http://citegeist.com/?p=350 and I mentioned my deviations from it above].
So yeah. I thought the HP books were the bloodiest kid/teen series ever…I don't think that anymore.
Wow. That's just… wow. You're just not prepared.
I think for this, it's more about quality over quantity. Each death in Harry Potter hit me a lot harder and made me unbearably sad/mad/distraught/a slew of other emotions, while each death in The Hunger Games series didn't have nearly the same effect. I assume you're counting all the HG contestants in your death count, including the nameless ones that we never got to know. I can't think of a single confirmed death in HG/CF that I was distraught over .. except perhaps Rue. So HG might have had a higher number, but to me, each HP death mattered more (as we connected with each character more) so the emotional impact was much greater.
At least you don't have to wait for the next book to come out. I was in Irig, Serbia when Mockingjay was released and I could not find a hard copy and where I was staying did not have internet. I bought it in the airport in Huston on my way home and didn't want to be bothered with getting off the plane when I got there. Your predictions for Catching Fire brought amusement to me, though.
So Mark, Mockingjay.
Will there be people?
If there are people, do you think someone will… speak?
Look, I don't know.
STOP PRESSURING ME
Before I say anything, I love that your "intro" was just… Just read the review. Haha. Last night I was thinking about what you were gonna write for this last one, and I just laughed when I saw it.
It's weird that now that you're here.. I don't really know what to say. Welcome to the unpreparedness that was sitting down and reading Catching Fire and having NO FRAKKING CLUE it was gonna go this way.
Now you know why hardly anyone had anything to say in the comments during these last few chapters. IT WAS SO HARD NOT SPOIL YOU! I mean, not on purpose, but just to find the words to share without revealing so much. When you thought Johanna had turned on Katniss, I just wanted to yell out "NOOOOOO SHE WAS HELPING KATNISS!" When you were wondering about how could they possibly end this Hunger Games with only 50 pages left, I wanted to say "THEY'RE GONNA GET RESCUED BY D13!!" When you wondered what Finnick's agenda was, I wanted to say "HE'S PART OF THE REBELLION!!" When you were kinda sure where this book was going, I wanted to say "YOU FOOL!! YOU ARE UNPREPARED!! MUAHAHAHA!!" (Ok, maybe no maniacal laugh but you get what I mean).
I got into HG pretty late, so I was able to read HG and CF back to back, and only had to wait about a month for Mockingjay. I don't know how I would have done it, waiting that long. I commend everyone who had to.
Still don't know what to say, really. These last few chapters were all a blur to me since my mind pretty much exploded during the last chapter. The reveal about District 13 and the rebellion, the fact that pretty much everyone was in on the plan to get them out, and finding out that Peeta *cries* and Johanna were taken by the Capitol. And I literally yelled out "WHAT?!?!" when I read that last sentence. SO.MUCH.TO.PROCESS.
I want to tell you that it'll be better for Mockingjay, that everything will be clear and without WTF-ery.. but you all know what we're all gonna say….
YOU ARE STILL NOT PREPARED.
I'm just going to tough on one thing here. So Plutarch tells us tht the arena had been designed for over a year but I think that President Snow designed the Quarter Quell card. Think about this: 75 years ago how could the original game makers be positive that there would be a male and female victor left alive from each district on the 75 anniversary?
Therefore I believe that Snow created that Quell rule just to get back at Katpee knowing they would be the ones in the arena from D12 (Katniss because she is the only female victor and Peeta because well he is Peeta, where Katniss goes he goes).
I was under the impression that D12 had just been an extremely poorly performing district when it came to the HG.
It's mentioned that Johanna is also the only remaining female victor from District Seven. I wonder if they would have just done a regular reaping, or just left those slots blank. Hmm.
I'll just leave this here… 🙂 http://xkcd.com/285/
Watching you read Catching Fire, and reading along with you myself (okay, I didn't do chapter a day, I re-read the whole trilogy quite quickly) reminded me why I love it so much because of how good Collins is at plot-twists. And I had to re-read this chapter so many times the first time I read Catching Fire because I simply couldn't process that cliffhanger for a while.
“Katniss, there is no District Twelve.”
OH GOD GALE! what a f*cking line to finish with!
Mockingjay on we go 🙂
Honestly? Meh. I was much more surprised with Book 1, whereas I called most of what's gonna happen here. Maybe TVTropes did ruin my life. Eh.
Nice review, though, Mark, as always! Looking forward to Mockingjay!
Wow, I don't think you should be downvoted for expressing a contrary opinion!
I agree with you, I think. I feel kind of underwhelmed by this ending, much as I enjoyed it. I didn't really call any of the twists (I love TV Tropes but have yet to assimilate its plot-destroying powers) but yeah… meh. I think it's the idea that Katniss has been effectively used without her consent. It's a great twist but something's putting me off.
Which is silly because I didn't react this way at all when Dumbledore did the EXACT SAME THING. Perhaps it's me more than the book.
But anyway, I agree. I preferred book one, I think, and have an upvote.
Thank you for support! Haha, when I first read that article about TVTropes ruining your life, I was like 'lol srsly no way'. Look at me now! Listen to me people, it's TRUE! xD
I don't know, I wasn't put off by the idea that Katniss was used when I read it, but now that you (and Mark) mentioned it, I'm starting to think maybe it did influence my opinion. Katniss is a different protagonist than Harry, I think. It's just that the last chapter kind of threw everything she did in this book in a different light; it's like it all didn't matter since they had this awesome plan all along anyway. I'm also really worried about this whole 'reluctant hero' thing going on with her; I so don't want a big portion of Mockingjay to be about Katniss's angst.
Tropes Are Not Bad, though! I mean, badly-done tropes are bad, but I don't consider a book bad just because I could see plot twists coming.
Oh, I didn't mean to say Tropes are bad! Of course they're not bad, tropes are tools 🙂 TvTropes Will Ruin Your Life basically says that reading too much TvTropes will make you overanalyse everything, thus I was meaning that because I'm noticing all these things now, it's easier for me to predict the direction in which a film/book/tv series/etc. is going. In other words, it's hard for me to be surprised anymore => TvTropes ruined my life. :'(
At last, time to start the best book in the series!
Between Catching Fire and Mockingjay, I passed the time by making up absurd theories about what was going to happen in Mockingjay. I shan't post them at the moment, as a couple of them actually turned out to be correct-ish. But that was how I survived the wait.
Really? I did the same, but the only theories of mine that came true were about something as pointless as looks.
Is it possible we haven't had a new review today because Mark is working on a HARRY POTTER review?!?
Oh please say yes.
*sigh* and I had just gotten Granger Danger out of my head
I, and maybe others did this as well, hated Gale after that last sentence, and then thought, "Oh, wait, Collins wrote that. DARN YOU COLLINS!!!"
Peeta 🙁
I really enjoyed this one though felt at times it was a bit heavy on romance. I liked how the romance was used by the government
Where’s Sassy Gay Friend to tell her to LOOK AT HER LIFE, LOOK AT HER CHOICES.
Cinna is gone, Mark. Cinna is gone.
*sob*
SADNESS FOREVER.
I'll just join in with what everyone else has said:
~You get to read Mockingjay right away….just imagine, for a moment, waiting for its release….
~YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT PREPARED FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD!!
“I mean…jesus, this is so horrible. Could there be anything worse than this, with Peeta in the hands of a government who would kill him at the first chance that Katniss might get him back? ” After that comment, I couldn’t wait until you got to the end. 😉
My reactions immediately after I finished CF, before I got my hands on Mockingjay a week later:
I wonder how many people got out of District 12, and when they got out. I assume Gale would have gotten his own family out too, and I’m sure the Undersees would have known something was up. I wonder when they decided to leave. Somehow I don’t think anyone could have snuck out after the Games ended, so the full scale rebellion must have already been in place. Perhaps Thread had already been overthrown? Would they have dropped firebombs on Thread and the hundreds of Peacekeepers if they were still in control of the town?
Katniss’ reaction to finding out about the conspiracy is completely irrational. There are perfectly valid reasons for keeping Katniss and Peeta out of the loop. The ones Haymitch mentioned, of course. But also the fact that as 17-year-old kids who won just last year, they have far less maturity than the others, and little understanding of how the Capitol and the Games worked. They’ve never even mentored. Her fury at her unwitting role as the mockingjay in the rebellion is ridiculous; she daydreamed about martyrdom and having her face on banners, for goodness sake!
Right during the exposition I wanted to throw the book away in rage. When Katniss got angry I was with her, but I kept reading. At the last sentence I cracked and threw the book against a wall.
Jesus fucking christ.
So much in one chapter. Such a cliffhanger.
Maybe it is because my own personal fears, but I'm behind Katniss here, 100%. It is upsetting to be used, not to be told the truth. Then being denied your right to be upset is worse, and then they drug her, put her away, and I bet still insist on her support later. Fuck this. I'd "choose" katatonic depression as well rather than deal with this. They brought it up themselves, they used her. They have no right to expect anything from her.
Remember who the enemy is. The enemy is the one who betrays, to me. The capitol was always hostile. Her friends betrayed her. I'd need some good convincing to lift one finger for them now, moral obligations be damned. If Katniss isn't a stroppy bitch towards them at the beginning I'm gonna be disappointed.
Enough ranting…
Boy that was a ride. I'm finally catching up with you, Mark!
We are so not prepared…
Yeah, this was an intense chapter! xD
Mark, reading your reviews is like reading this book ALL OVER AGAIN. I'm constantly on tenterhooks as you discover new things and ~HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN/FUCKED UP and when you think completely wrong things (like when you were all "OMG JOHANNA AND FINNICK U BITCHES") it's all I can do to curl into a ball because it's just so painful for you not to know and AGH I AM INCOHERENT.
CANNOT WAIT FOR MOCKINGJAY. I have tons of spoiler-y feelings which I shall keep to myself until I explode out of frustration.
WAS. NOT. PREPARED.
Poor Hazel and kids. I hope to heaven they aren't gone too. 🙁
Love this author. Methinks I need to read more of her books, much?
This is simultaneously the best and worst ending a book could have. Never prepared.
Oh, and Mark? Never prepared for Mockingjay either.
Okay, feel the need to share my story for the end of this one, even though this is SO LATE. Like, SO LATE.
I was sitting at work (selling tickets at a movie theater) reading and I stopped to help a couple of kids by their tickets. One of these kids sees my book and goes, “Ohmygosh, I just finished that. You’ll never believe what happens at the end!” And I was like, “That’s awesome, please do not tell me.” And then he says, “They FIREBOMB District Twelve! :DDDD” and I was like, “No. No. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. /spoiled” And then I convinced myself there was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT COULD HAPPEN since I was in the last ten pages and there was no hint.
Oh yeah, then it happened.
And I head-desked.
REALLY HARD.
And was not surprised.
And was really, really sad. D:
Oh well, at least Mockingjay wasn’t ruined for me. :DDDD
Mark, I just want to say: I truly, truly love you. Thank you for your awesomeness and your reviews.
Again, love the gifs!! Kramer XD he never fails to amuse me, no matter what the situation
"Where’s Sassy Gay Friend to tell her to LOOK AT HER LIFE, LOOK AT HER CHOICES."
How many people will be angry if I tell them my first thought to this was, "Yeah, where is Cinna?" *fails forever*
Ok, my issue with the whole plot is that if she really wanted to keep Peeta alive, Haymitch going in the game as the district 12 male, solves the problem. So I get that he’s rebellion master and ‘can’t’ go — but she never even questions that he may have some reason – that Peeta should enter the arena in the first place if he intends to keep his word to her. If they are both in agreement that Peeta lives – slip him some freaking sleep syrup for the reaping and A) Haymitch is reaped B) Peeta is reaped, while napping, and Haymitch steps up and doesn’t fall off the stage this year.
So Peeta wakes up on the train — and Katniss’ great goal is accomplished. (that ought to save a few pages )
Haymitch in the arena even makes sense because Heavensbee is there to push all the save the victor buttons while Haymitch — herds Kats and keeps all his buddies alive…already Knowing the arena and who’s who on the good guy list — because Gamemaker who designed the dang thing on your side should have been a freaking advantage!
No — blow up the arena at once — save the victors and Mags is not marching into the fog — and now you have no enemies In the games –only people who would love to catch a ride on your short-bus hovercraft.
Haymitch doesn’t have to take a chance of lost Muckingbirds and Then cliffy that they are burning district 12 — and OMG a whole Gale of Prim angst for everyone’s family — who should have been retrieved prior to D-day anyway — have they never met Mr. Snow? Is he not a predictable evil dude who likes to give the good guys a heads up to his plans? Ok — he killed Jo’s family 20 years after Hay’s — kind of a one trick pony show…lets tell the future with our magical 8 ball indicator — Will Snow attack Katniss’ Family and friends —- Yes.
So lets Get Gale in on this — rather than never raptured and always left behind — Whip him for something worth being Whipped for (you did catch that Peeta was Frosting and Gale was Whipped right — lol) like starting a rebellion/riot in 12 and if they get bombed (even though it was much more important to hurt Katniss by killing a whole district — then stop actual rebellion currently going ON in other districts) Bomb them for Doing something — not because the unlucky suckers had to go to school with Katniss.
And capitol to district 12 is a little over a day by train — how freaking slow are these hovercrafts? Beings we know that From the capital city of Capitol, district 12 is on the way to 13 — why randomly fly around for a few days?
and…nitpicky but…
My daughter just rescued me with her drunken buddy — I think I will send her UNboyfriend to check on her health –because I don’t really care. Mom and Sissy are in 13? Then how did Gale Get on the slow hovercraft—maybe if the hovercraft flew just a little faster than, and a little less randomly than –dandelion fluff and hot air ballons — they could have snagged Peeta too while they were in the neighborhood.
OOPs Katniss, sweetheart, that wasn’t a star. It was a meteor about to make a huge Plot Crater.
Okay so I'm going to piece together my own version of events leading up to the force field being destroyed just in case Collins never decides to fill us in on what happened. Right, so after knocking Katniss out, Johanna runs away like a bat out of hell with Brutus and Enobaria chasing. Now either she continued to run and Brutobaria got ambushed by Chaff–WHO FINALLY DECIDES TO TAKE OFF HIS INVISIBILITY CLOAK– or Johanna gets injured and is about to get the death blow from Brutus when suddenly, Chaff swoops in and destroys him but is ultimately taken out by a knife in the back by Enobaria. That's when Finnick shows up but then they hear Katniss yelling for Peeta. Enobaria runs back to finish her off and Finnick gives chase. Peeta, on the otherhand, was probably instructed to go to the tree Katniss and Johanna were going to meet at. That would explain why he was so far away and would keep him unaware of the plan. Shoot, that would also explain why Chaff showed up at the last minute. He knew the plan was probably getting put into action and was on a hunt to find the rest of the party so they could all be together in a neat little pack to be rescued. You gotta wonder what would have happened if Katniss hadn't managed to put two and two together and shoot the arrow through the force field.
Phew! So I get that Katniss is unhinged and in a RAEG, but when I read about how she clawed Haymitch and threw Annie in Finnick's face, I just thought 'Damn. That. Is. Cold. Sorry, Katniss, you may be forgiven but your behavior is not excused. I guess I'm more forgiving than she is to being used. It would be nice to be idealistic and to think you can save everyone and succeed at a rebellion doing everything honorably, but you just can't. Once you're in a leadership position and pulling the strings, you realize that sometimes people have to be used or sacrificed. Intricate plans will fall apart. Shit will get real, and the only thing you can do is cut your losses and protect your secrets. War is a very gray area and Collins shows this well. You have to do things that are despicable, and you have to live with that knowledge. The ends justify the means. (This is why I would be sorted into Slytherin.) Katniss was inadvertently made the figurehead by President Snow who chose to focus his wrath on her, giving the best cover that could be given to rebels formulating the plans. He'll be so focused on Katniss' actions, he won't even notice all the suspicious activity happening behind his back. I don't think it was wrong to keep her in the dark. She had a huge target on her. If she knew of any plan, Snow would've tortured the hell out of her loved ones until she talked. It wasn't as though they abandoned her either. They gave her as much protection as they could manage. Once the plan worked THEN they could let her in on everything as the uprising will be in full scale and she would be out of harm's way.
Long comment is long.
Catching Fire is a flawed
No no no. . . It's perfect