Has anyone read...?

[Roman Clodia]

Ha, I thought you might say that! Ok, I shall start with Sower. Did you like them?

[Roman Clodia]

Who's read N.K. Jemisin here? Mr RC is currently reading her The Fifth Season and is telling me every few pages I need to read it. It does sound intriguing so checking it out here first.

[Alwynne]

No, one of those authors I've been meaning to try. Reviews seem very mixed.

[Nigeyb]

Doesn't look like my sort of thing but who knows? Sometimes SciFi grabs me by the throat and I love it. Please let us know what you think if you get to one of her books RC

[Kathleen]

I haven't read her fantasy novels yet, but I loved her book of short stories, How Long 'til Black Future Month?. They were so varied and really showcased her imagination. I highly recommend trying that one. I have a tendency to shy away from fantasy, but I'd really like to overcome that and get to The Fifth Season.

[Roman Clodia]

I'm not a natural fantasy reader but there have been examples that I've loved. Ok, I'll be a pioneer, then, for The Fifth Season!

[Sam]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Who's read N.K. Jemisin here? Mr RC is currently reading her The Fifth Season and is telling me every few pages I need to read it. It does sound intriguing so check..."

I have read the Broken Earth Trilogy that starts with Fifth Season and liked it but if you read it, I would suggest you approach it as cultural speculative fiction rather the literary fiction which seemed the genre she was aiming for. So it is along the lines of Octavia E. Butler and Nnedi Okorafor that her work should be considered. IMO.
Despite my remarks seeming critical they aren't meant to be. I found it very entertaining like I did Harry Potter though I wouldn't dispute critics for the criticisms on the quality of the prose.

[Roman Clodia]

Hm, I wasn't a fan of Butler's Parable books so that's a bit disconcerting but I liked the style of Fifth Season from a dip in. Thanks for the suggested framing though.

[Roman Clodia]

Kathleen wrote: "I haven't read her fantasy novels yet, but I loved her book of short stories, How Long 'til Black Future Month?. They were so varied and really showcased her imagination."

Thanks for the recommendation, that sounds interesting.

[G]

I listened to the audiobook of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms during Covid. I don't remember much about it, other than that I really don't enjoy the world building parts of SF/fantasy. I know they're necessary, but I find them tedious. I see that I gave it 4 stars then. I focus on the literary aspects much more now than then, and I find that my ratings now are typically 1 to 1.5 stars lower for books I re-read. I remember the characters being rather flat, but the writing style was engaging enough to keep me going to the end, despite the tedious bits.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of Fifth Season!

[Roman Clodia]

Has anyone read the Hunger Games prequels?

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the recent Sunrise on the Reaping

I loved the original trilogy and feel in the mood for some page-turning dystopia.

[Alwynne]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Has anyone read the Hunger Games prequels?

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the recent Sunrise on the Reaping

I loved the original trilogy and feel in the ..."

No, been wondering about them, also devoured the trilogy.

[Roman Clodia]

I'm waitlisted at the library for Reaping - I wasn't the greatest fan of Haymich but sounds like he had a good backstory.

I liked the way Mockingjay undid the heroine aspect of Katniss and showed how young, manipulated and powerless a 17 year old was in the world.

[Alwynne]

Definitely, I rewatched the original film trilogy recently and still really enjoyed it. I've read some articles that claim that Katniss is a conservative figure but I thought the commentary in the novels on poverty, capitalism and authoritarianism contradicted that perspective.

[Roman Clodia]

Is that because of the ending where she chooses Peeta, marriage and motherhood as opposed to working for the new administration with Gale?

I thought her character development of trauma and PTSD was what gave her and the series depth - it's all too easy to have an authoritarian regime brought down by a teenager as in so many dystopias! Seeing Katniss floundering, and her being used as the figurehead in all those rebellion videos was far more telling.

[Alwynne]

It's more about her individualistic tendencies:

https://blog.independent.org/2012/03/...

https://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12945/

[Roman Clodia]

More Rand!

I can see that as Katniss was never motivated by bringing down the system as Gale was, just wanted to keep herself and the people she loved safe. That's what is so striking about Mockingjay, that she's used as a symbol but is barely a participant, certainly no revolutionary leader.