So, I've been having a dystopia fest (this is not rare for me--I am fascinated by dystopian literature). I read Margaret Atwood's "Madadam," another book in the series that began with "Oryx & Crake." If you haven't read "Oryx & Crake," I can't recommend it highly enough. It just blew my mind when I read it several years ago. It is both dystopian--pre-apocolyptic, and post-apocalyptic.
And watched "Metropolis," and "Things to Come."
Then I consumed "The Hunger Games"--all three books--in three days.
I had never read "The Hunger Games" before, and I found the writing hard to slog through. I understand that it was supposed to capture the simple, plain speech of Katniss, along with the present tense, but 1st person, present tense is a hard sell for a long book, let alone three.
That said, the story was intriguing. I will be curious to see how they handle the horrifying violence of the last book. And yet, the writing, and even Katniss' tone kept me at a distance. I flinched in places, but I did not cry.
Thoughts? Any dystopian books or movies to recommend?
Some Duran Duran with some songs that I believe prove their musical merit. eSnips gives me the power and I'm going to use it. ( Bwahaha ) Get this widget Share Track details This is one of my all time favorite songs. I have it on a B-Side Collection, although I can't find any mention of what it was B-Side of, just that it came out in 1988. The words are quite haunting, as is the melody. But, I can hear you say, this is not at all a standard D2 song. Well, no, but what is a standard song by any band? How do you average that? Thomas Dolby's singles were always abnormal compared to the rest of their respective albums. Same with Barenaked Ladies. I think the B-Sides are often truer to what the band wants to be without the pressure of the labels for commercial success. Get this widget Share Track details This is probably more like Duran Duran you're thinking of, right? It's from Pop Trash , released 2000. The words are based on the true story of a boy who was building ...
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Also: "Little Brother," by Cory Doctorow, about a group of adolescent computer hackers falsely accused of terrorism, and how they fight back against the powers that be. Would that I had ever been, or ever will be, as cool as the characters in this book.
And, of course, "Ready Player One," about an "Elysium"-like world in which the one hope lies in a virtual reality network: its creator, a recently deceased eccentric who has created a multipart treasure hunt...and the key to figuring it out lies in knowing everything about the 80s. It's all here, and to outline the 80s references would ruin the fun. I'm talking about this one with a group of kids as part of a building-wide initiative to get people reading in the high school (and I will be following suit this year.)
Will post more as I think about them.