hungryWithout further ado…books 3 and 4 for 2012:
Book 3: The Last Warrior by Susan Grant – 378 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
As a decorated soldier, the young General Tao knows only one kind of honor--to his people. But when his own king betrays him, he discovers that his sacrifices, his successes, may not have been for the good of the country at all. Fate--and his enemies--throw him together with Elsabeth, a red-haired beauty who has served as the royal tutor. Her loyalties, though, remain with her father's people, the rebellious Kurel, who worship the old ways, even harboring the forbidden arks that brought the Kurel to this planet ages ago. When a threat greater than their peoples' war looms, intent on destroying the world they both know, the fierce warrior and the sensitive scholar must unite. Together, they must fight for their planet, for their world and for their love.
Thoughts:
This is Susie’s latest book and the last one of her’s I had to read. It’s the first in a new trilogy about two races who inhabit the same planet. One is pacifist, the other fighting a war against a third species who is threatening to take over the whole planet. It’s definitely an idea I’ve seen pop up in Star Trek a number of times. Either way, it was a good read. A little duller than Susie’s other books, probably because I prefer space based dramas, and this one has no space elements (yet; there is clearly intention for this in future books in the same trilogy), but otherwise, it had the typical Susie elements – an attractive hero, a damsel who doesn’t quite meet the definition of a ‘in distress’ and a war no one wants to fight but has not choice but to be involved in. I’m still waiting for the sequel, nearly two years later, but if you’re of the patient sort, definitely a decent read.
Book 4: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – 454 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
Thoughts:
Given the latest in the teen trilogies had actually got decent reviews compared to its predecessor (I’m looking at you, Twilight), I decided I give it a shot. I was pleased to find it actually deserving of its fame. I’m not going to bother rehashing the plot as we all know it, but I will say that it’s a fast and engrossing read. The characterization is good (the female lead has a backbone, guts, and a brain – its like the total opposite of Twilight!), the pacing solid, and the story itself has that eerie quality that comes with a story that reflects back at you the flaws of our own society in a manner that is perverse but also frighteningly familiar. Few trilogies are engaging enough for me to continue going one after the other (I usually have to leave a gap). This was one of the few that I felt a strong desire to follow up quickly. Definitely deserving of its fame.
Currently reading:
- The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory – 437 pages
- Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore by Bettany Hughes – 412 pages
- The Authenticity Hoax: How we get lost finding ourselves by Andrew Potter – 283 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson – 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer – 324 pages
- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich – 290 pages
