Let's Play....er Read The Hunger Games (an experiment in literary criticism).

[Foggle]

Then again, considering all the anime I've watched I've heard worse.

Most anime characters just have Japanese names, though. Katniss is like some unholy incantation from the Necronomicon.

Ever watch Pilot Candidate?

Never even heard of it.

[Daxdiv]

Then again, considering all the anime I've watched I've heard worse.

Most anime characters just have Japanese names, though. Katniss is like some unholy incantation from the Necronomicon.

Ever watch Pilot Candidate?

Never even heard of it.

Let's keep it that way!

[Lord Dalek]

CHAPTER TWO: Eat-a-Peeta

So Katniss' head is still spinning from the absurd notion that her sister (who is NOT in the Tesserae system and only has one name in the fishbowl) has been picked to participate in the Hunger Games when she does something reaaaaaaaaaaaaaly stuuuuuuuuuuuupid.






Seriously who the fuck volunteers to be thrown to the wolves? Especially considering you're going to have one less shot at the annual pittyance of grain/oil ANYWAY. Yeah, yeah Katniss clearly has to win because the whole narative goes into Sunset Boulevard mode if not, but that's still dumb. Your sister is useless, Everdeen, I say... let her die.

Oh well, after Effie finds her self in a rare off-script moment and Haymitch falls off the stage (seriously where the hell was he in the movie?), we're back to finding a male shitriperbune-thing. Katniss can't pray for Gale's safety because she's too busy wondering what the fuck has she just done or just pondering the possibility of mass quantities of  . So instead she's forced to take the blow when the name is read of...





...aw fuck its Peeta Mellark.

No seriously that's Katniss' reaction. I mean it. That is literally what she says more or less. Yes at last, a CREDIBLE BEGINNING TO A LOVE STORY. None of that Stephanie Meyer love at first sight crap, this girl despises this guy. They don't talk, they don't get along, they rather not have anything to do with each other. And really very little of this came across in the movie so I'm like WOW, this is a major surprise.

Well anyway, the rest of the chapter is a flashback to the one incident where Peeta's true feelings for Katniss may or may not have be revealed. This involves a starving Katniss right after the death of her father in a mine explosion but before the first reaping and she entered into the tesserae system for the first time. This family is about to die, they have no money, no jobs (because Mrs. Everdeen is too depressed to get out of bed), and they're basically resorted to eating old mint leaves. Its that one moment of kindness from Peeta giving the burned bread to Katniss that may have said their asses and Katniss is grateful but doesn't really know how to show it.

The only way really is to hope somebody kills Peeta before she has to. Considering how useless he is, that shouldn't be tough.

[Rynnec]

And doesn't said useless as fuck sister have no personality whatsoever?

[Lord Dalek]

Yeah pretty much.

[Avaitor]

Yeah, all she has as characteristics is her maternal instincts for Prim, just like all Peeta has is his obsessive love for Katniss.

[Lord Dalek]

CHAPTER THREE: "Crying is not an option."

Katniss is brought in to the townhall to have what is supposed to be and probably will be the last moment of facetime with her loved ones. I've used the quote here because its really what best explains the conflicted state Katniss is in at the moment. Gale appears and tries to give Katniss tips, most of which she tries to disagree with because of past experiences watching previous Hunger Games. Like, for instance, not having any wood because of that one ratings disaster where the Capitol dumped the tribunes all into the Alaskan tundra and they mostly all froze to death. Gotta love that Capital, always two steps ahead.

Then we meet Prim and Mother, and wouldn't you know it... Katniss' mom is even more useless than Prim is. No really, Katniss has to slap some sense into her since we all know who's really been running this family since the incident with the burnt bread and the tesserae.

Next its actually somebody she sorta knows, but not really. Its Peeta's father, the town baker. Peeta's dad is even more of an emotional wreck than mom was, he gives Katniss some cookies for the trip but that's about it. Finally its Madge, the mayor's daughter. Now in the movie its Prim who gives Katniss the now-famous Mockingjay pendant, but in the book its this character Madge. What this means is we're not getting any of the meaning and symbolism of the Mockingjay right now as it was so clearly explained in the film, giving it a bit of mystery.

Katniss finally boards the maglev with Peeta who, unlike her, has been crying his eyes out. Initially Katniss considers this a form of weakness but then she remembers a similar sniviling brat from District 7, who cried her eyes out only to turn into a killing machine in the final rounds and win the whole thing. There's a lack of trust between Katniss and Peeta and recalling the past like this only widens it.

We have an awkward dinner scene between the two and Effie Trinket. Peeta's a bit more urbane about the whole thing, while Katniss just gorges on it mainly to give Effie the middle. Haymitch is out with a hangover for most of this but does eventually appear...only to vomit all over the floor.

Oh that Haymitch. 

[Lord Dalek]

CHAPTER FOUR: Don't Resist.

So we're still on the train. Katniss and Peeta help Heymitch up to his feet while trying to hold their lunch. Peeta volunteers to give Heymitch a bath while Katniss goes off to sulk and try to figure out a good strategy on how to kill Peeta. She thinks his kindness is a manipulation, an act to get sponsers or distract his enemies into thinking he's on the level. That's how much Katniss doesn't trust Peeta, nothing he does comes without accusation of subterfuge.

The next morning, Heymitch is finally sober enough to give our tributes some actual advice. Its pretty simple: stay alive. Say whatever you need to say to get sponsorship. The tougher you are, the more likely people are going to throw money and items your way. He illustrates this by punching Peeta in the face. Actually, this is beneficial, Peeta can now lie about it claiming he got into a fight with another tribune and got away with it, showing how tough he is.

The two try to prod Haymitch for some advice as to what's actually going to happen at the games but he's not ready for that yet. Its all about the pageant right now, and when it comes to the Pageant, don't resist. Do exactly what they tell you to do, eat what they want you to eat, wear what they want you to wear, etc. That makes people like you. That makes people want to spend money on you.

The train finally arrives at the Capitol which is somewhere in Idaho, I think. The best way to describe the Capitol is like comparing it to France at the end of the 18th Century, insular, obsessed with fashion, money, wigs, etc. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly considering he's not from the seam, its Peeta who takes to this better than Katniss, showing more emotion as they get off the train then she does. Suspicion builds with Katniss, now she thinks he really is in it for the money and will kill her if he has the chance.

We're about half way through Part I of the book and basically what we've learned is Katniss is strong because she is alone. She has been raised alone, she has to provide for others alone, and she feels the only way she can survive is to be alone. That's why she can't trust anyone or anything that does anything for her. Especially not Peeta Mellark. How this will change is something we will discover fairly soon.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I really want to see the part where we're apparently made to believe that Katniss doing nothing is more interesting than seeing how Peeta managed to trick Cato and his lackeys into joining their group without being gutted.

That's why the story suffers from only centering on her.

[Lord Dalek]

CHAPTER FIVE: Setting a Girl on Fire. 

This chapter's pretty short so I'm not going to say whole lot. Katniss is given a through (And I mean THOROUGH) scrub down by some clowns in white coats. We're then introduced to first time "stylist" Cinna (who was played by the dude who sang I Wanna Fly Away for some reason in the movie) a pretty normal guy who doesn't wear a wig, doesn't talk like his head has been stuck in a tank of helium, and doesn't make like a splicer from Bioshock. He discusses the possible costumes for the pair to wear at the annual tribune parade. With miner's helmets dubbed passe by the new guy, Katniss the perennial uberprude dreads the second option...

...she'll be nude and covered with coal dust!   

Nah, the plan is for Katniss and Peeta to wear goofy black leotards with a kind of synthetic fire. It will either be awesome or kill them. The plan goes without a hitch as the tribunes enter the city center on goofy themed chariots. The synthetic fire makes a huge impression and Katniss starts to think that she has a shot to score some big time sponsors. She also manages to piss off just everybody else in the competition (except maybe Roo but we don't know or care about her yet).

Oh and Peeta is still a jackass and Katniss is just itching to stick an arrow in his gut at the cornucopia. AIN'T LOVE GRAND?!?!?!

[Foggle]

Katniss is given a through (And I mean THOROUGH) scrub down by some clowns in white coats.

You know, for kids!

[Spark Of Spirit]

Katniss is given a through (And I mean THOROUGH) scrub down by some clowns in white coats.

You know, for kids!

Just wait...

[Rosalinas Spare Wand]

CHAPTER FIVE: Setting a Girl on Fire. 

I fucking knew it was gonna be that song. Not that I'm whining or anything.

Also, this book seems to have abysmally slow pacing. They haven't even begun the games and they've spent like 2 chapters just preparing these kids to die.

[Avaitor]

CHAPTER FIVE: Setting a Girl on Fire. 

I fucking knew it was gonna be that song. Not that I'm whining or anything.

Could be worse- he could have gone with Adele.

But yeah, that's one of the biggest problems with both the book and movie. They spend far too much time on exposition and fleshing out the characters as opposed to the actual Hunger Games. Which would be fine if the prose and characters weren't so weak.

[Lord Dalek]

CHAPTER SIX: See No Evil, Speak No More

This chapter in a nutshell =   

Yeah its more filler, but surprisingly nearly all of this was left on the cutting room floor in the movie (mainly because I suspect this may be more of a teaser for Catching Fire) so its kinda interesting nonetheless. Basically the gist of it is Katniss makes the fauxpas of the century when she recognizes one of the serving wenches at her training center penthouse. This mystery girl is an Avox, a traitor to the state who has been rendered mute through tongue slashing...



Yeah this book has earned this.

Katniss relates the story of how she saw this girl and another boy try to flee into the wilderness only to get netted by the Peacekeepers. Its not a pleasant sight, with Katniss powerless to help this girl due to the iron grip of fear the Capitol has used to tighten around most of the districts. The chapter ends with Katniss pondering whether this girl will enjoy watching her die on tv.

Cutting room floor folks.... cutting room floor.