In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Complain

Prometheus as a movie, is visually stunning. But as a story, it's heavily misunderstood. Hours before going to the theater for the last full show, I checked the current rating via IMDB and saw negative reviews complaining about how 'stupid' the Prometheus crew was, and how the viewers easily saw plot holes in the storyline and asking for explanation or perhaps an extended version or a director's cut for its upcoming DVD release.

Acknowledging the fact that at least they are hoping to understand the story, it becomes a different matter when at the same time they blame Ridley Scott for not meeting the general expectation. You can always blame the director and the scriptwriter but after seeing it myself, I don't consider the story as a failure. It was actually well-executed. Why? Let's see first the general complaints:

1 The crew has no idea nor plan about the scientific expedition to an undisclosed planet. They are sloppy.


2 Elizabeth Shaw doesn't act like a scientist at all in being religious and keeping the faith.


3 The science aspect here is kinda stupid because the characters gambled a lot.


4 It would only take one crew member to sacrifice and destroy the enemy and would have saved the others than taking a whole bunch of crew to do it.

My answer to these are simple:

1 It's true, the crew has no plan nor idea about the expedition because the real plan is actually hidden from them by Peter Weyland himself and his executor, the android David. That's the reason why the crew was sloppy in doing their fieldwork, they are just mere pawns of the game, a game controlled by the master manipulator Weyland.

2 All scientists believe in something. Whether that belief anchors on something material or unseen, verifiable or improbable, it's still a belief and no unbelieving moron can take it against them. There's such a thing in this world as a Christian Scientist as well as a Liberation Theologist, and so on and so forth. There's even a scientist who is supersitious and it happens. Elizabeth Shaw is exactly like that, she got the instinct that actually helped her survive the ordeal.

3 The science aspect looked stupid, but it's for a purpose and still, an important aspect of the story. All scientists know that sometimes they need to gamble or take some unmeasured risk. Looking at history of science, Benjamin Franklin would never have discovered electricity if he never risked his own life. He really looked stupid flying a kite in the middle of a thunderstorm but no one would think that he's stupid after what he accomplished. Madame Marie Curie would never have discovered the X Ray if she never gambled her health in repetitive experiments inside her highly radioactive laboratory. Those who are thinking that a scientist must never gamble or take risks are probably living inside a cave.

4 Yes, it would take only one crew to launch a destroyer or perhaps, a nuclear armed ship to destroy the enemy but first he needs to be certain about his enemy. You have to know who is your target first, and this is the reason why the expedition team is sent. The scientists were not thinking of any hostile motive based on the archeological findings from Earth that were originally interpreted as an 'invitation' from the 'creator.' But when the time came for an imminent danger that needs to be halted, it was also a majority decision to sacrifice three lives in exchange for mankind's safety. Is this a fair exchange? I believe so.

Noomi Rapace is a worthy actress to take the pedestal vacated by Sigourney Weaver as the ball-busting smart chick. Michael Fassbender fits exactly to the role of the manipulative android, and Charlize Theron is still a hot tamale. Prometheus is obviously made as a prequel to the Alien series but this movie can go on with a new series (as I envisioned), given the fact that Liz and David stole the Engineers ship to an unidentified planet (probably Earth) somewhere in space. In the end, Elizabeth's warning message here is the same message that Ripley intercepted and interpreted as a distress signal in Alien. And we all know what happened after that.

In space, nobody can hear you scream. This is a classic qoute from the first Alien movie. But for Prometheus, the qoute is preferably like this: In space, nobody can hear you complain. And it's better that way.

Genre: Sci Fi, Horror
Rating: 88%
images owned by Scott Free Productions

Bourne Legacy Jeepney Smash (But where are the Palawan scenes?)

Pessimistic Pinoys are at it again.
Endlessly complaining about how ugly Manila is being portrayed here not knowing that the "ugly" part of Manila is an integral part of the story. The Bourne Legacy crew took some shots not just in Manila but also in Palawan---specifically the Puerto Princesa Underground River (1 of 7 new wonders of the World). To tell you frankly, Manila as a city does not represent our country anymore and there are more worthy cities fit for that role.

Scenes starting from 1:58 showed the urban jungle called Manila but where are the Underground River scenes in Palawan? Maybe this one at 0:41? Better wait for the next trailers, quit whining and see the movie on premiere night!

p.s. the fun part here is seeing Rachel Weisz running around the streets of Manila with a Treadstone agent while at the same time married to the current James Bond--as the latest movie Skyfall will also be shown this year. 

Skyworld Vol. 2

In the first day, I look into a story and I declared it good. The next day the story swallowed me whole, and it was better.

The flow of this second volume in connection with the first is mesmerizing as a fresh breathe of summer. Downplaying the shitty poetry here, I never imagined that this current cliche of resurrecting the dead old mythologies will take a new breathe of life in this electronic age of FB and Barack Obama.

The creators worked their part in story and art seamlessly and telling it from the Big Bang to the Big Crunch (with apologies to Dr Stephen Hawking) along with historical figures like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio is a work just close to perfection. This graphic novel is not for the young readers though, especially when you encounter [SPOILER WARNING] that scene with the Asuang grabbing Rizal's baby boy straight from Josephine Bracken's womb. If you havent read this, better expect "graphic" scenes in this well-paced graphic novel. The artist just simply loves to decapitate both monsters and men here. The only flaw I see is Makabo's declaration of a fleshless and bloodless God only to be contradicted later about the belief that drinking the blood of the same God would give one powers terrible and unimagined.

As Joseph Campbell states in the chapter opener of his book The Power of Myth (The Journey Inward chapter); "One thing that comes out in myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light." The Skyworld story is a testament to that old idea. You may see it as a story somewhere from a parallel universe, or an imaginary Philippines but the bottom line here is still that ultimate quest for redemption that everyone is tasked to undergo.

Since the first volume, the Skyworld universe is connected with the world of Alexandra Trese and that's the reason why I highly recommend this for Trese fans out there. But apart from Trese, there are more characters joining the fight here. The story flies between history and the present, and this narrative flow is what I seriously like about it. I'm almost tempted to call this Skyworld story an Asuang Apocalypse given the sci fi elements but I better give it to more informed and mature readers to hand that verdict.

My only duty as a reader is to find out if the story is good or bad (from the original collection of 4 chapters or serialized issues in 2009) and my assessment so far is this---it's better.


Genre: Dark Fantasy, Urban Horror, Philippine Mythology
Rating 4.5 bags of rock salt out of 5

Skyworld Vol. 1

If it took 9 years for the creators Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria to finish this book, then it's definitely worth it to wait that long. Even if Philippine Mythology as a theme is the current trend and cliche in the world of Komiks, reading this book still gives the reader a chill like a reunion with a childhood crush. There's a familiar feeling even if the old face has changed into something better or worse.

I scored the two-volume collection in the just concluded Summer Komikon in Bayanihan Center-Pasig City. The book design is good, there's a series of dynamic pages that perfectly blended well with the slightly unorthodox narrative (I'm defining traditional narrative here as purely linear like connecting the dots from point A to point B), and it's all action from early pages to the final scene without sacrificing the flow of the story. The art is superbly Pinoy and heads literally rolled from countless beheadings and decapitations. The scene with the Asuang skewering an ancient God is unforgettable, it's even more brutal than what the Hulk did to Loki in that Avengers movie. Puny God indeed.

As a Filipino reader who knows at heart a rural legend or two, should I expect a certain period in literature in the future when we're all fed up with Aswang, Tikbalang, Engkanto, Duwende, and Bathala? My answer is no. As much as our grandparents never get tired of telling these fantastic stories, we will never get tired of hearing, reinventing, and retelling these mythologies to the next generation according to our own biases and understanding. These are all part of a neverending ritual, a passage of history and culture that will define our race as distinctively Filipino.

Now, on to the next volume!

Genre: Philippine Mythology, Dark Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Urban Horror
Rating: 4 amulets out of 5

A Stone of All Ages

Last night I dreamt of my late grandfather. It was not the first time that he made a visit in my dreams but just as usual, I asked him what's new and what's up. Nothing, he said, he just wanted to give me something since this is the best time to do it as I saw him juggle something with his hand hidden in his right pocket, smiling.

I can not remember exactly if he's wearing his sweat shirt--the long-sleeved shirt he always wore while working in the 'pilapil' (rice paddies), or his white long sleeves he wore on Sundays and special occasions but all I'm sure about is what's inside his hand. As he lifted and opened his right palm in a gesture of giving, I saw a white, smooth looking stone (or perhaps seed) the size slightly bigger than a naphthalene mothball or a common marble stone that I used to play with when I was a kid. He told me it was a gift from across the generation of our ancestors and someday, I'm going to pass it to a chosen son, or grandson, or heir.

I was a bit surprised and skeptic. Lolo Jose never joked nor bluffed like this when he was still alive. In the first place, I wasn't so sure if his "gift" would be relevant in these current times. Apparently, there are more powerful things in this materialistic world than this stone like an iPad or Kindle and I am not a kid anymore to play 'jolens.'

He said "Keep it. Don't worry a thing, my grandson. Let the bastards keep blinded by their own delusions because you are still on the right track. You don't need to prove anything. Just stay simple, maintain that low profile, be patient and do what you always loved doing since you were young."

As I examined the cool smooth stone, scratching it in wonderment that it could be a mutant bean seed or a turtle's egg, I asked him in return "But what am I gonna do with this? I hope it wont turn me into a crappy superhero or some lout if I swallow this stone. I'd rather throw this away right now."

"Haha no," he laughed. "Far from it. It's important that you keep it and listen closely since all I can tell you is this: don't forget what David did to Goliath..."

"What? I'm going to slay a giant with this stone?"

Lolo Jose just answered with his usual tired but sincere smile, and I woke up sweating, like a fish that just escaped from an aquarium.

image source

Cyber Wars 101

Anonymous Philippines finally fights back. Expect the unexpected if the Chinese government continues to bully smaller countries, disrespect United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, hoard tons of endangered species and destroy coral reefs in the Scarborough Shoal.

The spelling may be wrong but the message is clear. 

Read the story here.

David Gemmell's LEGEND

Heroic fantasy has never been this good. This novel currently earns the 4.5/5 (132 reviewers) rating of approval from Amazon and Shelfari readers and 4.18/5 (3580 reviewers) from folks at Goodreads. Originally published in 1984, this first published book of the Drenai series is actually the final story for Druss the Legend. Just like the lead character Paul Atreides in Frank Herbert's DUNE, Druss owns a lot of monicker to his friends and enemies.  In Ventria he is known as Druss the Sender and in Vagria he is known as the Axman. To the Nadir he is Deathwalker while in Lentria he is the Silver Slayer. As a living hero of his land, his reputation as Captain of the Ax precedes him to any place or territory of operation. He is the thinking man's version of Conan and King Leonidas. It is important to know that this hero already accomplished a lot in his adventures and this book---the final story will also be his final adventure.

There is complexity and realism with the story, and the main plot here about defending a fortress from a military siege can easily compete against any memorable siege story like Battle for Helm's Deep or Battle for Minas Tirith from Tolkien's ultra popular Lord of the Rings trilogy. The forces of Dros Delnoch will recieve reinforcements but still the enemies greatly outnumber the defensive ranks. Druss the Legend will need everything to lift the morale of the defense by inspiration and strategy. The Battle for Dros Delnoch lasted for months (3 months at least) and if you're a military historian, this novel might remind you of the 13-day Battle of the Alamo, or more recently World War II's Siege of Leningrad that lasted 872 days.

It is a fantasy given the magical elements of dream visions, mind reading, mystic skirmishes and rituals, the resurrection, but it has also some scientific and real life elements like cancer, poisons, gangrene, military strategy, spies, and war casualties. David Gemmell never overused the fantastic elements and like Tao or the "force" for Jedi Knights, the mystic group of Serbitar believed in the eternal Source. I already stated about Conan and King Leonidas before and additionally I also saw characters resembling King Arthur, Robin Hood, Lady Marian, and King Xerxes including their background stories. The notoriety of Druss' equally legendary ax--the Snaga is also one of the highlights in the novel. The gritty realism of war is the novel's rallying point, you will feel the chill of unexpected decapitations and the anticipation of when will they happen next. Just like GRR Martin's Song of Ice & Fire series, look out for betrayals, assassinations, and coup. A lot of characters and people were involved but its good to see that most of the characters grew up with the story. One of the main characters dying from a disease before the great siege also adds up to realism and shock value.

Gemmell's multi-perspective narrative is also helpful in this novel. There is no black & white in this book. As a common reader who encounters any heroic fantasy or epic fantasy, I assumed that this novel would be all about Druss and what makes him a Legend. But I was completely wrong. The legend here does not belong to one man. The legend belongs to all men and women who served, fought, and died defending the six walls of Dros Delnoch. David Gemmell admits of growing up hearing idealized stories of heroes that never lied, evil never triumphed, and love as always true and it's here in this novel that we would see these undying themes without boredom.

All in all, it was a frikkin good trip. Listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, it is highly recommended for lovers of epic and heroic fantasy before they die.


Category: Genre, Epic, Fantasy, Mature Reading
Rating: 4.5 bronze armors out of 5

Booktripper Detours: Balangiga

The navigation device reported less than 2 kilometers remaining in road distance to the nearest town and instinctively, I searched for the church tower. As we descended to 30 kph just before entering the short bridge from the boundary of Lawaan, I spotted it. It was adjacent to the Balangiga River. The church looked just like any Christian church judging by the yellowish paint probably applied not more than a year ago. It is so common and any traveler who passed this church will never think of anything that happened in this site almost 111 years passed.

Balangiga Church

My companions followed my suggestion to stop for a while and look around the church and the nearby plaza. It was almost noon at Sunday of July 17, 2011 and the church was closed but the people never bothered about a group of local travelers taking some photo of the place. The local folks were probably got used to it. I can sense the wonder of my companions why must we bother about stopping by the place since the town never looked so special. The main trade here is apparently fishing (as an old woman offered us her trade of dried fish and native delicacies), and you can economically categorize the town from 3rd to 2nd class. I told my companions that we just came to a very historical site but I explained no further and just gestured that it's up to them to find it all out.

 What's so special about the place? Anyone who came in that church can spot the clues by walking around.

church marker

Balangiga Church is the spot where Filipino men garrisoned before attacking the American troops at the height of Philippine-American war in the morning of September 28, 1901. In return, the American troops killed all people capable of holding a gun that resulted to at least 2000 Filipinos dead in what is  known today as the Balangiga Massacre.

If you think already that you see the picture here, you better think again. Why would the townsfolk attack the visiting American troops for the first place? Nobody attacks in group without a reason. And this reason is unfortunately, a subject of debate between the local and the western historians.  Some say the cause was a miscommunication between the two parties (just like any stupid war of history) while others say that it was a legitimate action by the local folk being sanctioned economically by the Americans after the blockage of three key trading ports in the south of Samar namely Guiuan, Basey, and Balangiga ports.

The Balangiga Massacre consequentially, was an act of retaliation by the American forces from a very humiliating defeat in the hands of the natives. It was a direct obedience from an order by General Jacob Smith to "kill everyone over ten." Today, they are still keeping the Bells of Balangiga Church as war trophies and the Philippine government is pursuing the peaceful means to reclaim the bells.

Balangiga Shrine (Plaza)

September 28, 1901 Death Toll

We came in the town 5 minutes past eleven in the morning and we were almost  stepping on our shadows that day, obviously it was  a better time to take shelter from the scorching sun and humidity. For local folks, it was an ideal time for lunch but we just came from a 'merienda' and we were accustomed to a late lunch, given the target area for our lunch was the next town of Giporlos. 

It was our fist time to come in that town but strangely I already felt the nostalgia. It felt like I've been in that place before. In my head I recalled the memories of actual stories, photographs, and newspaper reportage from that sad and eventful day of September 28, 1901.

After seeing the shrine markers and taking photographs, the faces of my companions transformed from confusion to enlightenment and probably, skeptical reverence.

They understood why we have to stop over. Our forefathers genuinely fought for freedom in that town.

New York Journal - May 5,1902

road tracks - July 17, 2011

A Worthy Sequel Fit for the Gods

A big improvement from the first, this sequel is more fun and more thrilling and in my opinion, shares the same magnitude of notching the standard bar higher from its original film like what The Dark Knight Returns did to The Dark Knight. The filmmakers made a gamble and earned a lot from it by concealing the real enemy in the trailers and official previews, unlike most of the amateurish films of late that you can already see the whole story by just watching the previews.

Compared to Clash of the Titans(spoiler alert!), Medusa and the Kraken are just iguana pets for Ares and Kronos here. The enemies are nastier, deadlier, and I like how the CGI effects purposively blended a seamless digital integration for a monstrous and ancient God to realistically spew magma, breathe fire, and belch sulphur. That scene with the Minotaur in the Labyrinth is also great. It helps when you've got the copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology for background check of the Greek Gods and their respective peculiarities. For a short period, there's a feel of deja vu (i.e. Lord of the Rings) when a family of cyclops accompany our heroes in their journey in the mountains. The bird's eye view shot is simply breathtaking.

The choice of quality British actors were also an added bonus. Rosamund Pike as Warrior Queen Andromeda made a good action comeback from Die Another Day years ago. She is still pretty and a damn fine actress. Bill Nighy as Hephaestus is just funny and amazing and hearing him utter his lines still reminds me of his role as the nasty and slimy Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Wrath of the Titans is highly recommended for every father, son, and brother who still believes in honor and knows how and when to fight for it. Seriously, you will enjoy this one without the excessive sugarcoating or nut hugging for some high profile Hollywood feature films this 2012.

'Coz this is simply an action adventure movie fit for the Gods.



memorable quote from the movie:
"Your boy gave you strength, and so did mine..."  Zeus talking to his son Perseus

Rating: 80%
Genre: Fantasy

Prometheus: Sharing the same DNA with the Alien Franchise

In the distant future, two superpowers control Earth and fight each other for all the solar system's natural resources. When one side dispatches a team to a distant planet to "terraform" it for human colonization, the team discovers an indigenous race of bio-mechanical predators.

Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. 


Genre: Science Fiction
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace
Release Date: June 8, 2012

 

An Alien prequel to be told in another new and complete series for years to come? Just wait and see. 

With the upcoming batch of high profile and high budgeted movies to be shown this year, I have a gut feeling that this one by Ridley Scott is going to be the Dark Horse to stun them all. I am a huge Ridley Scott fan and I love collecting and studying his films. I bet my archive that this is going to give The Avengers, Hunger Games, Amazing Spiderman, Dark Knight Rises, MiB3, The Hobbit, Bourne Legacy, Skyfall, Battleship, Wrath of the Titans, and even the Expendables 2 a pretty good and impressive fight in the box office and in the chalk board of film critics. I give it a good chance at the second spot head-to-head against the Dark Knight Rises in the overall ranking next only to the sureball and clear winner this year; The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey. 

We've simply got another reason to return to the cinema this year.

Wrath of the Titans Official Trailer

Marilyn Manson's version of Sweet Dreams worked perfectly in this trailer. And Rosamund Pike cast as warrior Queen Andromeda is a bonus.

Deadly Beauty

It's official.
I induct Hanna to my list of Beautiful Assassins in the world of film and fiction. This list includes Le Femme Nikita, Aeon Flux, "Charly" Baltimore, Evelyn Salt, and Beatrix Kiddo.

Just saw this movie last night and what else can I say about it? Hanna blew my mind away and I want a sequel!

image source:
hanna

Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Titled in Japanese as Kozure Okami, Lone Wolf and Cub is a manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima originally published in 1970. Republished in the west by Dark Horse comics, Frank Miller and Lynn Varley paired for the cover art. The series that culminates in the 28th volume  became an influential read as it tells the story of a timeless and epic samurai adventure. This first volume The Assassin's Road gives us a glimpse of the classically themed father-and-son tandem carving a road of revenge in the Japanese Era of the Shogunate while serving as assassins for hire to earn a living.

This first volume is composed of 9 parts. The first part begins in the middle of the story until reaching the final part where it all began. You will see why the two chose to walk the most dangerous and treacherous path to clear the name of an executioner and avenge the demise of a clan. The era of the Tokugawa Shogunate was one of the momentous period in the history of Japanese Monarchy since it was during these times when majority of the order of samurai (Bushi) became renegades (Ronin) due to their lord's eventual demise (Daimyo). The Shogun controled the Daimyo lords with an iron fist, but not for long when some of them resisted. When an executioner failed to perform his duty to kill a Daimyo for the Shogun, he was ordered to sacrifice his life, or be killed. The samurai executioner chose to live, and swore to clear his name and avenge the extinction of his Ogami Clan. His name is Ogami Itto.

But Ogami Itto cannot leave his son alone, given that his wife was already killed with his clan. The young Daigoro must choose to be with his mother's side, or be with his father taking the road to "hell." Daigoro chooses to be with his father. How Ogami Itto allow his son to choose between a sword and a ball is a very memorable scene of the whole book.

page 186, bottom panel

I give the story 4 stars and the illustration 3.5 stars to earn the overall (rounded off) rating of 4 stars out of five. This whole series is actually an inspiration of various forms of visual storytelling since a film adaptation was already made (and remade) in Japan years ago including the Hollywood film Road To Perdition starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig. It was arguably Tom Hank's darkest role to date.

page 66

One of the early Japanese film adaptations

Hollywood version starring Tom Hanks & Paul Newman

Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 packs of wolves out of 5

Immortals: Gods & Heroes

Last September 28 was the release date of a movie tie-in graphic novel that showcased a Filipino-born talent in comic book illustration. His name is Rafael Kayanan. Though he's now an American citizen, insiders know there's more to his name than being just a master illustrator using pen and pencils. A master of the Philippine martial art Sayoc Kali, Kayanan was a fight instructor for the movie The Hunted  starring Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro.

This graphic novel by the way spins from the upcoming epic 3D film Immortals by Tarsem Singh to be shown in November 11 this year.

The Lineup:
Writers: Brian Clevinger, F.J. DeSanto, David Gallaher, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Jock, Ron Marz, Jim McCann, Ben McCool, Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin
Illustrators: Dennis Calero, Kevin Colden, Steve Ellis, Trevor Hairsine, Scott Hampton, Phil Hester, Jock, Rafael Kayanan, Patrick Scherberger and Ben Templesmith
Cover Artist: David Mack

Sample page © Rafael Kayanan

"Spinning from the upcoming epic 3-D film Immortals from visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, The Cell) and starring Mickey Rourke and Henry Cavill comes Immortals: Gods and Heroes, a stunning hardcover featuring ALL-NEW tales of Greek myths as you’ve never seen them before! Featuring incredible untold tales by Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo), Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir), Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex), Jock (Detective Comics, The Losers), Ben McCool (Captain America, Memoir), Ron Marz (Witchblade, Green Lantern), Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) and more!"

Educate your heart

Photo courtesy of Gang Badoy & rockedphilippines.org

Unplug the Signal Now

Because the Truth will not be televised.

My friend, you must dig deeper or read a book instead.

The Reader's Manifesto # 8

"I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading opened to me. I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke in me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive."

Malcolm X

Hungry for more?

Ridley Scott's Gladiator, Golding's Lord of the Flies, and Miss Universe wrapped into one. Such is the first book in the series for young adults by Suzanne Collins.

The novel is an easy read and I must admit that it's a good respite from the current hype of Vampires, Werewolves, Wizards, Witches, and Conspiracy Theories --all in the realm of the fantastic. Though I think this book is also turning into a hype on its own, it's still a good story to keep you awake in this rainy season, even while in your work trips.

There are hints of irony in the story, evident in the founding of the Games itself that aims to remind everyone in a fictional place named Panem about their survival from a brutal history. This reminder can only be done by the spectacle and glamour of sacrificing 24 lives of children every year, so that the rest will continue living while entertained by this sadistic game at the same time. What a perfect show.

I like the part when the mockingjays are serenading (or perhaps mourning) at a child's death, providing the background music in one of the better part of the story. It was fun with the tracker jacks stinging the players' a$$es to death, and the resulting hallucinations from their venom. I was horrified and at the same time thrilled by the Napalm-like attack, and I enjoyed the kids shooting, slicing, and cutting while trying to kill and outfox each other. I enjoyed Thresh smashing Clove's head with a piece of rock, and the mangled Cato begging Katniss for an instant death. I laughed at that part when the frantic Claudius finally announced the winners of the Game due to an apparent act of double suicide that symbolically slapped the Gamemakers' faces, and would have threatened to render the Game's outcome moot.

After reading the book, you realize that you're slightly hungry too. Hungry for more. If only a silvery parachute will fall from heaven carrying the next book of the series for me to devour, the same way the players cheat death by instant aids from their capitalistic sponsors.

I look forward to Katniss fulfilling her revenge to the Gamemakers and the Capitol. As things will never be the same again at the return of Katniss to District 12 by the end of the book, I can say that she's hungry for revenge. In the final book of the series, we might see an arrow puncturing the skull of President Snow. Violent? Nothing is more brutal in this book, and probably for the whole series too.


some hungry passages:

Rue's death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us. But here, even more strongly than at home, I feel my impotence. There's no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there?

----------------

Katniss Everdeen. A girl who lives in the Seam. Hunts in the woods. Trades in the Hob. I stare in the mirror as I try to remember who I am and who I am not. By the time I join the others, the pressure of Peeta's arm around my shoulders feels alien.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 tracker jacks
Genre: YA, Dystopia