Fall of Games

The movie adaptations for Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game comes out on Nov. 1 and Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire is Nov. 22.

Ender's Game was published in 1970s. The series is more military sci-fi than dystopic. I read it about 8 years ago in high school. I've also read Ender's Shadow, Speaker for the Dead, and half of Shadow of the Hegemon. There are more books for this universe, but I'm content with how much I read already.  I recommend Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.

Speaker for the Dead is the drama and biological science part of the series. I don't remember military in it. I liked most of it, but maybe I didn't understand a dark moment at the end. I didn't think I'd read it again, but now I think I might. As a heads-up, Speaker for the Dead has Portuguese dialogue that isn't translated. Because I know some Spanish, I was able to understand some lines.

Any movie ad for Ender's Game gets me excited. I am most excited to see the training room on the screen! :D A key element of the story though is compassion.  Here's the trailer:

This video states the similarities and differences between Ender's Game and The Hunger Games:

The trailer for Ender's Game left me with some goosebumps, but The Hunger Games' 2nd movie, Catching Fire, left me teary.

The first movie felt more like an introduction to the series so I expect more from Catching Fire for the social aspect of the world. The trailer covers it and also the question of how can a dystopic society have living idolized victors? : )

I thought Divergent was coming out next fall, but the release is March 2014. I'm still on the library's waitlist for the book, but now I know I can read Brave New World first.

For now, I'm interested in watching Guillermo Del Toro's movie Pacific Rim next month.

I'm hoping for a social/cultural aspect to the connected minds. Pacific Rim looks fun otherwise.

Half-way Through Insignia

I have been picky on sci-fi books this summer. Currently, I am half-way through Insignia by S. J. Kincaid, and I am already more trilled and satisfied than from I, Robot: To Protect and The Maze Runner. If you were in the same room as me as I read Insignia, then you would become intrigued and jealous from how much I laugh and gasp.

Insignia is a new Young Adult (YA) Sci-Fi book published this past July. I found about it from the Dark Days of Summer promotional event for YA dystopias such as Insurgent by Veronica Ruth. I did not attend the event, but it was successful if non-attendees read the books because of the promotion. The first half of Insignia has more military and cyber themes than a dystopic theme.

Reviewers on GoodReads.com described Insignia as "Ender's Game and Harry Potter." Kid recruits are divided into divisions according to talents, but the half point of the book is when it feels more like Hogwarts. The hacker attacks and divisions points reminded me of wizard duels and the houses. By the way, a hacker's target is more personal than your computer. I leave that aspect for you to find out because it is part of the main story for the series.

Still need to look good for the camera.

If those two book comparisons are not enough for you, then how about the need for a sponsor like in The Hunger Games? A sponsorship in Insignia involves more politics and businesses like the fictional war does. Teen soldiers are recruited to fight by controlling robots. The book has an interesting mix.

I recommend Insignia. The beginning may feel too young for older audiences, but hang in there until Tom Raines, the main character, is recruited. It has numerous fun moments and conflicts. The characters have more depth than in The Maze Runner.

Insignia is a series like all the other books I listed. I am not going to read the next installment of I, Robot: To Protect or The Maze Runner, but I am eager for Kincaid's book after Insignia.

Let me know if you read Insignia. =)

Sadly Stories Have Endings

I just finished the second season of the TV show Community. The two part episode was a thrill to watch; I laughed, ooohed, and awwwed. However, the departure of a character made the season finale sad to accept. Thankfully the show's not over yet, but will more characters leave? =( Abed got cooler in season 2. Character growth is an amazing thing to witness.

Community: A Fistful of Paintballs

Another show I'm currently into is Lie To Me. I got into it late, and sadly, the show is canceled.  So I have just one more season to watch. Once I am done with Community and Lie to Me, will I find a show to love as much?

As for comics, I have not read past issue 1 of The Unwritten.  The first issue had so much material, and I enjoyed it on its own. I am afraid to continue though perhaps because of expectations and maybe because then I will finish the series. I really should read issue 2  though. The series is around 27 issues now.

Issue #2

During one summer in high school, I read 3 books (2 of them were The Blue Sword by Robin McKinely and one from the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card) that were each around 300 pages. When I got towards the end of each one, I stopped and started the next book. Eventually I had 3 unfinished books so I read the endings to all three.  The stories were then complete but I still had wished that some of the books were 500 pages.

Have you felt the same way about a story? I am sure people do with series (shows and books).  I do not always finish series. What do you do to deal with the need for more? Do you re-watch the series with the knowledge of future events and character development? I will do the same for Community. Also, I hope to catch the show panel at the SD Comic Con. =)

For some shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, I get a full sense of completeness and cannot re-watch the series immediately. Years have to pass so that I remember less.