S&L Podcast - #66 - The Hunger Games Wrap-up

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

New episode is up!
http://www.swordandlaser.com/home/201...

Don't miss out on the contest for a t-shirt! And no new show until the 3rd, so get reading!

[Tamahome]

Maybe they can use Anansi Boys for the American Gods series? Isn't that the same universe? Also American Gods (10th anniversary edition) was just reprinted with 'the author's preferred words', whatever that means.

Btw half the Fuzzy Nation audiobook has the original Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. The original book has some more politically incorrect things. :)

[Anne]

Pretty sure I heard "A Song of Fice and Ire". Now I can't get it out of my head.

[Kris]

I vote for a side read while waiting for July 12th. I vote for Armor Good story very lasery before the sword that is GoT. Thanks for the podcast V and T!!

[Tamahome]

Those Dozois ("Dozwah" I believe) Best of SF anthologies look good, but the font is too small for me. Hope it's on ebook (it is). There's even a The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction one.

[toria (vikz writes)]

Kris wrote: "I vote for a side read while waiting for July 12th. I vote for Armor Good story very lasery before the sword that is GoT. Thanks for the podcast V and T!!"

I second the side read. And second the vote of thanks for TV

[Nick]

I have to agree with Tom. I liked Mockingjay the best of the series.
(view spoiler)[I also like the fact that everything wasn't super happy in the end. There was a lot going on and lot of heavy things that happen during war. It would feel wrong if everyone went home and was all okay afterwards. I thought I read somewhere that part of the authors purpose in writing the books was to teach children about war.
see the quote below in reference to the firebombing in which Prim dies at the end of the book, see article ..
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/mag...
“Oh, but it has to be,” Collins told her. Stimola, paraphrasing, recalled the explanation Collins offered her over the phone: “This is not a fairy tale; it’s a war, and in war, there are tragic losses that must be mourned.”

(hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

V, just skip the rest of the Heroes. The second half isn't going to get any better for you.

Also, I heard Fice and Ire too.

[terpkristin]

I too heard "A Song of Fice and Ire."

Interesting discussion of "bad books by good authors." I remember a similar conversation came up a few years ago on a podcast I listen to as they discussed I believe the Zelda Wii game. They opined that people gave it artificially high reviews for being a "Zelda" game and wondered if the game would have gotten the same review if it didn't have the Zelda moniker. I believe they called the episode "The Legend of Frank."

I agree with Veronica's assessment. I thought the original book, The Hunger Games, was also the most innovative. I thought Catching Fire and Mockingjay
were "more of the same," and definitely didn't have the same lure that drew me into the first book. I also agree that it came too far out of left field. It's easy to suspend disbelief about so much, but that the entire city was booby-trapped.. give me a break. Also, I don't mind if a story doesn't have a happy ending, but it has to be satisfying. This just felt pieced together.

[Nick]

How about The Dervish House for the next book? It was 2$ but looks like the kindle summer sale is over :-( . Glad I grabbed it at that price before the sale ended.

Or are we in a holding pattern to let everyone get caught back up on GoT for the fifth book? I've pretty much resigned myself to not reading all the GoT books in time for the fifth book but I'll keep reading and just have to abstain from reading its discussion board till I finish.

[Tamahome]

Dervish House is Io9's reading group book next month. This month is Quantum Thief.

[Alex]

I was enjoying the podcast until Tom dropped a Song of Ice and Fire spoiler in the middle of the Hunger Games wrap up. It wasn't so great for me, seeing as how I'm a decade and a half late to the Game of Thrones party. I guess the amount of time since release makes it an okay spoil, but still... Now I'm going to be constantly guessing when its going to happen.

[toria (vikz writes)]

More signs of Vampire discrimination, I really worry for this group. ;-)

[toria (vikz writes)]

Hooray, I caught up with the Ice and fire series. I read all four books in two and a half weeks. How about that for a binge. I am now ready for the group read.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Love the Jeff Vandermeer thing! At least it isn't Mord, a character who sometimes takes over his Facebook page.... Maybe we can read the online story in the lull before July!

[Boots]

Vikz wrote: "More signs of Vampire discrimination, I really worry for this group. ;-)"

Ummm... they drink human blood to survive. I'm pretty sure in prison hierarchy they would be somewhere in between the rapists and the pedophiles. Yeah that's right, I said it!

Oh and another great episode. I'm with Tom on this one, I liked Mockingjay. But when I read the trilogy it was all like one book to me, so I rated all three as if it were one.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Speaking of authors making good first books into unnecessary trilogies, I'm not planning on reading the books after The Passage. I just don't think there is that much more to tell, and I'd hate for the author's attempts to ruin the first book, which I thought was great.

[toria (vikz writes)]

Boots wrote: "Vikz wrote: "More signs of Vampire discrimination, I really worry for this group. ;-)"

Ummm... they drink human blood to survive. I'm pretty sure in prison hierarchy they would be somewhere in bet..."

I agree. I wouldn't like to meet one in a dark alley. (unless I was wearing garlic of course). But, they are pivotal to our shared mythology. This character contains everything that we humans most fear. Therefore, in their existence within fiction they allow us to deal with those fears. Of course, I am not talking twilight here. They're just shiny

[Boots]

Vikz wrote: "Boots wrote: "Vikz wrote: "More signs of Vampire discrimination, I really worry for this group. ;-)"

Ummm... they drink human blood to survive. I'm pretty sure in prison hierarchy they would be so..."

Certainly vampires play a major role in human mythology and there are mythology books that discuss them in detail. But when you're talking about science fiction and fantasy genres there's virtually no limit to what type of antagonist an author can create. I can understand that there could be authors out there that genuinely like reading and writing about vampires, but it seems more likely to me that they are just being lazy or are just trying to cash in on the seemingly never ending fad that is vampires.

Also in The Hunger Games trilogy (view spoiler)[there were several mentions of the president smelling like blood, and having the smell of blood on his breath, I have to admit I was worried he was going to turn out to be a vampire. (hide spoiler)] If that had happened it would have negatively affected my opinion of the series.

I don't mind vampires if they are well written and well within the horror genre. Or maybe just keep them in the romance novels so I don't have to read about them.

[Andrew]

I'm glad there isn't going to be another book until DWD. It will give me a chance to finish The Name of The Wind. And if there's anything that should dictate what books are chosen and when, it's what is most convenient for ME.

[Patrick]

Our next pick should be the Eight book of the Wheel of Time series!

[Boots]

Patrick wrote: "Our next pick should be the Eight book of the Wheel of Time series!"

And after that the eighth book of the Shannara series should be out.

[Tamahome]

Then we can read the 20th Anita Blake book!

[Boots]

And then the fourth Twilight book!

[Nick]

Boots wrote: "And then the fourth Twilight book!"
Noooo!!!! Kill it!!! Kill it with fire!!!!

[Dennis]

Veronica also says "A Sword of Storms" at 9:47, though it took me a second to realize that it she meant "Storm of Swords".

[Boots]

Nick wrote: "Boots wrote: "And then the fourth Twilight book!"
Noooo!!!! Kill it!!! Kill it with fire!!!!"

Did I go too far? After I pressed 'Post' I thought to myself, Was that too far? Of course now I realize it's best not to joke about reading Twilight just in case the unthinkable happens.

[AndrewP]

Tamahome wrote: "Then we can read the 20th Anita Blake book!"

We might have a bit of catching up to do, but I believe Perry Rhodan #2600 is out this month in Germany.

[aldenoneil]

Dennis wrote: "Veronica also says "A Sword of Storms" at 9:47, though it took me a second to realize that it she meant "Storm of Swords"."

Sword of Storms is better. George R.R. Martin, RPG style.

[Tamahome]

Dennis wrote: "Veronica also says "A Sword of Storms" at 9:47, though it took me a second to realize that it she meant "Storm of Swords"."

At least she didn't say "A Swarm of Stords".

[Anne]

Andrew wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "Then we can read the 20th Anita Blake book!"

We might have a bit of catching up to do, but I believe Perry Rhodan #2600 is out this month in Germany."

Well, we're closing in on episode 150 of The Three Investigators, so anything is possible.

[Skip]

Anne wrote: "Well, we're closing in on episode 150 of The Three Investigators, so anything is possible. "

Jumping Jupiter Jones! I wasn't aware that my childhood reading was still around. I wish I still had those first dozen or so for my kids.

Tamahome wrote: "At least she didn't say "A Swarm of Stords"."

Spoonerisms rule!

[Don]

Ala wrote: "V, just skip the rest of the Heroes. The second half isn't going to get any better for you.

Also, I heard Fice and Ire too."

I stopped reading Heroes and read Hunger Games and picked back with Heroes and its better now, still not great but I think was burned out reading the First Law Trilogy then BSC followed by Heroes. I'll finish it just because I don't like to leave a book half done.

[Anne]

Skip wrote: "Jumping Jupiter Jones! I wasn't aware that my childhood reading was still around. I wish I still had those first dozen or so for my kids."

Well, that's in Germany. Pretty sure the series has been discontinued everywhere else, but there are still lots of die-hard fans here.

[[deleted user]]

Don wrote: "I stopped reading Heroes and read Hunger Games and picked back with Heroes and its better now, still not great but I think was burned out reading the First Law Trilogy then BSC followed by Heroes. I'll finish it just because I don't like to leave a book half done. "

I think her problem with it, like many others I've seen, is that it's almost a different style from the other First Law books. And it's one they just don't enjoy.

I could be wrong, though.

[Andrew]

I must say that I have been avoiding listening to this latest podcast as I'm yet to read book 2 & 3 (of The Hunger Games Trilogy) which I was only able to pick up today. Is the podcast well segmented such that I can avoid any spoilers or am I better to wait until I finish the next two books?

@Andrew - I feel like I have my own doppelganger as I'm also reading The Name of The Wind atm.

[Micah]

Andrew wrote: "I must say that I have been avoiding listening to this latest podcast as I'm yet to read book 2 & 3 (of The Hunger Games Trilogy) which I was only able to pick up today. Is the podcast well segment..."

dont listen to the podcast until you have read all 3 books

[Andrew]

Micah wrote: "Andrew wrote: "I must say that I have been avoiding listening to this latest podcast as I'm yet to read book 2 & 3 (of The Hunger Games Trilogy) which I was only able to pick up today. Is the podca..."

Thanks, I'll hold off then till I've finished the last two books. Not a big issue as we seem to have a gap till the next book.

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

I no talk good.

[Andrew]

Veronica wrote: "I no talk good."

?

[Edit]

Ah.. a "A Song of Fice and Ire" Hehe :)

[Tamahome]

A Song of Fica and Ire would be a scary book.

[aldenoneil]

Tamahome wrote: "A Song of Fica and Ire would be a scary book."

Scarier still, A Song of FICA and IRA.

To paraphrase: "I don't need to read it, Dottie. I lived it."