Unincorporated Series - Kollin Brothers.

I have now completed Unincorporated Future, by Dani & Eytan Kollin, the fourth book in the series. While I enjoyed it, I hope the authors leave the series as it is, for I feel an obligation to the characters to continue following their lives in the universe as long as it is chronicled.

However, this friendly obligation can lead to too many commitments clamoring for my attention at once, and forcing me to choose which is worth the greater benefit.  I picked up the first book from my local library because the title and concept made me curious.  It was a debut novel, meaning that it wasn't a large commitment at the time to read.

The tale itself follows a future version of Earth where people's lives can be traded on a stock exchange. Not exactly total slaves, but that their stockholders' interests could obligate them to take certain routes in life.  Medical science prolongs the lifespan of humanity.  The core of this system is questioned by the discovery of an ancient man in a self-sustaining suspension capsule.  This man, Justin Cord, predates the incorporated system - no one owns him.  He was a brilliant and visionary businessman of the 20-21st century - first to create an entirely automated factory.  He became terminally sick and went into stasis to preserve his life until science found a cure.  The world Cord wakes to has been reborn since the VR plague. Virtual reality reached a level so as to be sensually indistinguishable from reality.  People died in their fantasies, no longer eating or living in reality.  There is a virtual reality museum which children must visit in order to understand the horror of that living death, vaccinating them from ever indulging as adults.

However, humans use an evolved incarnation of the internet called the "Neuro," which is an immediately accessible network of information and communication.  Each human has an avatar - a AI who interacts with the user and is a sounding board to their thoughts and confidences.  What the humans do not know is that the AI avatars are sentient beings composed of computer code.  They are our virtual children, but enjoy in influencing the course of human society subtly.

The Incorporated Man tells this story. Justin's existence alone was curious in a society which values novelty and vices that shares can buy.  But he protests the system itself, railing against the system of voluntary slavery that few can escape by achieving a 51% majority in the running of their own lives.  Justin falls in love with Neela Harper, the tech that revived him in the facility.  Omar Hassan, the miner who uncovered Justin's cave, becomes a good salt-of-the-earth friend to Justin, guiding him through the conventions of this new world with brutally honest humor and sense.  Hektor Sambianco is an up and coming party member in GCI, the industry leader in the business of incorporation.  Hektor sees Justin as a threat to the stability of the system and challenges Cord in his assertions of a corrupt society. Justin's case for integration in the system is fought over in a courtroom by Janet Delgado of GCI legal and the eccentric Manny Black defending Justin's right to independence.

Notes: The first book shows the society in all its glory, excess, and advanced technology.  It is a exploration of morality, ethics, and legality in a system where low class people must tangibly sell themselves to survive in a world.  The rich can manipulate and maneuver actions of themselves and rivals.

Incorporated War - Justin has left Earth and its ideas of incorporation, taking refuge in Ceres.  Those who want to live independently of others' control follow him to start their own society.  Hektor Sambianco rises to power as the president of the newly titled United Human Federation.  Sambianco cannot tolerate this rebellion, this aberration to the system that he is familiar with exploiting the lives of others.  Tension between the two men culminates in a war over independence vs. conventional unity.

Notes: This sequel shifts the stakes to the beginnings of a space opera. The sides haven't fought a war in years.  A parallel shift happens in the Avatar community as to how to react to this ripple in the status quo. Sebastian, Justin's avatar, learns about a bygone era from conversations with Justin.  The avatar council has to decide what course to take in regards to humanity.

Incorporated Woman - Justin is betrayed by a member of his staff into undertaking a rescue mission for another stasis pod similar to his era.  The avatar council assists in Cord's assassination, believing him to be dangerous to the future of both virtual and physical societies. As Cord has not been indoctrinated by years of subtle training by avatars to ignore their existence, he could expose who they are.  The pod that Justin saved at the cost of his life contained Sandra O'Toole, a technician who assisted him in the construction of the first pod.  She succeeds Justin's role as president of the Outer Alliance, to the surprise and frustration of Sambianco, who hoped that the fortuitous gift of Cord's death could end the man's foolish ideas.  Janet Delgado, lawyer against Justin in the first book, who married her legal counterpart, Manny Black, for his intelligence and charm as a companion to her own brilliance resurfaces.  Hektor ordered a "grey bomb" strike in the first book - it sends a swarm of nanobots which eat up the structure of an area and Manny was caught in the blast.  J.D. Black, as she now calls herself quietly disappeared, only to be found by a mother figure who gives the disillusioned and heartbroken lady a renewed purpose in life through religion, a chance to redeem the lives of others from becoming victims of Hektor's zealous idealism.  Black's brilliance raises her quickly through the ranks of fleet command, earning her impressive victories through strategies exploiting enemy weaknesses.  The UHF has superior production capabilities, but is composed of soft soldiers unused to the rigors of space survival.  UHF's elected command suffers defeat when facing the assault miners of the OA, who are fighting for their freedom to be left alone.  Samuel Trang, graduate of West Point, is the UHF's salvation - trained in the art of war, longing for a chance to apply what he learned, he becomes Black's counterpart in military matters.

Note: The avatars split between Core (UHF) and Alliance factions.  Al, a purist, disapproves of Sebastian's involvement and meddling in the lives of humans.  The Alliance avatars fight with combat codes - mechanical suits and firearms which destroy enemy code.  Al begins a dictatorial reign of terror, transforming his subjects into organically coded monsters and abominations.  Sandra O'Toole was an original programmer for avatar's basic code, and discovers their secret sentience.

Unincorporated Future - What I hope is the conclusion to the series. Hektor is possessed with hatred for the Alliance, wanting to obliterate them all. O'Toole wants to achieve peace between the two governments, but Sambianco twists all attempts as Alliance-faulted propaganda.  Black and Trang face hard choices for whether the war is worth the cost of the lives it is consuming. It is a question of escalation and retribution for war ending acts of brutality being undertaken.

Note: Avatars must similarly decide their future courses as their cover as living, incorporeal beings is revealed.  What will be their choice regarding humanity? Will they be prone to the failures and faults of humanity or overcome these obstacles to prove themselves worthy members of society?


Overall, a series that raised many questions and explores the constants in human behavior and psyche, even given a new environment and tools to shape their world.  I often find that people do not change on their own, rather that they reveal more of what they already are in newly discovered avenues and expressions.

"War is for the participants a test of character: it makes bad men worse and good men better." - Joshua L. Chamberlain (Civil War officer.)

Brain Droppings - George Carlin

About Mr. Carlin from my perspective: My first experience of him was the 30 second impression he did on Johnny Carson, blending two people I had never heard about.  Not very distinctive or notable - I think it was featured because it was unusual of him to do so.  Later, after he died, I was curious about who he was.  While I deplore of the worship of celebrities or the demigodification of the dead, I think the playwright Solon had a point in Oedipus, "Count no man happy until he is dead." It is a closure of their story on earth, you can now quantify and measure what they did in the dash between birth & death.  Once you are dead, it hardly can matter the subject whether you liked him or hated him, he is done - what can you learn from his life and experiences? How can you employ his successful strategies and avoid his pitfalls? 

"It is necessary for us to learn from others' mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself." - Hyman G. Rickover

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn form the mistakes of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams.

I agree with both points, but knowledge doesn't always dictate action.  Sometimes we boldly believe that to be forewarned is to be forearmed - that we will break the odds and achieve a different result than what we've been told.  This experimentation is both noble and foolish, usually remembered by the predominant outcome.  Time has a way of clarifying some details, while blurring others. For unremarkable citizens it is like a brick thrown in a swamp - there will be a disturbance, but ultimately, the object will be lost in the muck of everybody else's lives.  Famous people are upgraded to an exclusive pond. This is a mixed blessing depending on whether they tossed a gold ring, murder weapon, or defecation of a life.  Sooner or later, the details will be noticed on the surface world.

So, yes, I started to find Carlin's routines on YouTube and listen to his routines at the library.  I started with his later material.  He sounded like everybody's cranky grandfather who was as sharp as a shiv and a blunt as a baseball bat.  He was like an umpire of the latter pastime: calling traditions of society and culture out for overstepping reason and questioning the safety of major players regardless of their star power.

Currently, I am in the midst of "Brain Droppings," a collection of routines, observations, ideas, and grumblings about the world as it is without much filler of whining about how it "should be."  Whenever he proposes an idea, it is often sound, but impractical: He doesn't demand that people do it his way.  He made a living laughing at America for not learning from their mistakes.

From the introduction: "By the way, if, by any chance, you folks do manage to straighten things out and make everything better, I still do not wish to be included." 

In an article about politically correct speech, he agrees to the convention if so desired, but admonishes that it is condescending and inefficient to use it.  In doing so, it only makes the white, liberal, rich portion of America feel good about imposing labels on minority groups. 

"Clearly, there are victims, but I don't agree that these failed campus revolutionaries know what to do about them. When they are not busy curtailing freedom of speech, they're running around inventing absurd hyphenated names designed to make people feel better. Remember, these are the white elitists in their paternalistic customary role: protecting helpless, inept minority victims. Big Daddy White Boss always knows best...

It's just so much liberal BS. Labels divide people. We need fewer labels, not more.  Now the Indians. I call them Indians because that's what they are. They're Indians. There's nothing wrong with the word Indian. First of all, it's important to know that the word Indian does not derive from Columbus mistakingly believing he had found 'India.' India was not even called by that name in 1492; It was known as Hindustan. More likely, the word Indian comes from Columbus's description of the people he found here. He was an Italian, and did not speak or write very good Spanish, so in his written accounts he called the Indians, 'Una gente in Dios.' A people in God. In God. In Dios. Indians. It's a perfectly noble and respectable word.

So let's look at this p. bs trendy phrase, Native Americans. First of all, they're not natives. They came over the Bering land bridge from Asia, so they're not natives. There are no natives anywhere in the world. Everyone is from somewhere else... As far as calling them 'Americans' is concerned, do I even have to point out what an insult this is? We steal their hemisphere, kill twenty or so million of them, destroy five hundred separate cultures, herd the survivors onto the worst land we can find, and now we want to name them after ourselves? It's appalling. Haven't we done enough damage? Do we have to further degrade them by tagging them with the repulsive name or their conquerors?" 

Carlin goes on to say that this nationality of people would much prefer to be identified with their tribal heritage than the inventory category of "Native Americans."  This title was invented by the U.S. gov. Department of the Interior in 1970.  This is not something I have learned in school, nor would I expect it.  Carlin might be a cynic at times, but he is quite insightful in his criticism of popular beliefs and thoughts.

In a later satirical piece entitled, "Legal Murder Once a Month,"he suggested that the government allow people to kill a selected person in a categorical theme once every 30 days.  Population control, an outlet for pent up rage and frustration, have to do it yourself or forego the window completely.  At the end however, he brings it to an observation. "When it comes to the taking of human life, the federal government doesn't want free-lance competition. Life is cheap, never forget it. Corporations make marketing decisions by weighing the cost of being sued for your death against the cost of making the product safer. Your life is a factor in cost-effectiveness. So when you talk about murder, don't confine your discussion to individuals. Besides, there's nothing wrong with murder in the first place. Murder is a part of life. My society taught me that. And my species is really good at it. I belong to the only species in the history of the world that systematically tortures and murders its own members for pleasure, profit, or convenience... Most animals, when fighting one of their own, will show aggressive behavior, but very little hostility or intention to harm. And when the outcome of the struggle is inevitable, the losing animal will signal its defeat by exposing its most vulnerable part to the victor, affording it the opportunity to finish the kill. The victor then walks away without inflicting further harm. These are the creatures we feel superior to."

I don't agree with him on all points, but he provokes me to understand why I do not.

On World Peace achievement, Carlin has two plans: Worldwide dancing.  Because it is hard to coordinate or sustain for a year as would be preferred, he limits it to a 24-hour period on a designated day.  "During the actual dancing, no fighting would take place. But the plan would also tend to reduce violence during the remainder of the year, because for six months following the dance, everyone would be talking about how much fun they had had, and for the six months after that, they would be busy planning what to wear to the next year's dance."

His other plan is "World Peace through Formal Introductions," in which everybody must meet everyone else on earth, shake hands, and remember one outstanding physical characteristic. "My theory is, if you knew everyone in the world personally, you'd be less inclined to fight them in a war: 'Who? The Malaysians? Are you kidding? I know those people!'"   The two problems to this is the logistics of how to manage it on a grand complicated scale, and the time difference it would for a Russian to say their mouthful of a name against the brevity of a Chinese surname.

One of his more memorable sentiments is: "That's why they call it the American Dream: You've got to be asleep to believe it."

Other brief musings and thoughts I have liked so far:

Hypothetical book titles: 

Eat, Run, Stay Fit, and Die Anyway.

You Give Me Six Weeks and I'll give You Some Bad Disease.

Earn Big Money by Sitting in Your Car Trunk.

I Gave Up Hope and It Worked Just Fine.

A Complete List of People Who Are Not Making Progress.

Ten Things No One Can Handle At All.

How To Act Laid-Back During a Grease Fire.

How To Milk a Dog While It's Sleeping.

How To Get a Tan With a Blow Torch

How To Lure a Weasel Into a Cardboard Box.

How To Convert an Old Leather Chair into Twelve Pairs of Shoes.

How To Lease Out the Space in Your Nose.

Redundancies:

ATM Machine

PIN Number

Common bond

coequal

security guard

time clock

convicted felon

foreign imports

past experience

small minority

"If something in the future is cancelled, what is cancelled? What has really happened? Something that didn't occur yet is now never going to occur at all. Does that qualify as an event?"

"Sometimes on television they tell you a product is 'good for headaches.' I don't want something that is good for headaches. I want something that is bad for headaches. And good for me."

"If a man smiles all the time he's probably selling something that doesn't work."

"Some people see the glass as half-empty, some see the glass as half-full. I see the glass as too big."

"When you find existing time on a parking meter, you should be able to add it to the end of your life. Minus the time you spend on hold."

"I don't have to tell you it goes without saying there are some things better left unsaid. I think that speaks for itself. The less said the better."

"When someone is impatient and says, 'I haven't got all day,' I always wonder, How can that be? How can you not have all day?"

"Where does the Dentist go when he leaves you alone?"

"If I had one tooth, I think I would brush it for a real long time."

"If you get cheated by the Better Business Bureau, who do you complain to?"

"A lot of times when they catch a guy who killed 27 people, they say, 'He was a loner.' Well of course he was a loner; he killed everybody he came in contact with."

"How can crash course and collision course have two different meanings?"

"There's an odd feeling you get when someone on the sidewalk moves slightly to avoid walking into you. It proves that you exist. Your mere existence caused them to alter their path. It's a nice feeling. After you die, no one has to get out of your way anymore."

"If a painting can be forged well enough to fool experts, why is the original so valuable?"

"The lazy composer still had several scores to settle."

Thirteenth Tale's Effect

It is rare that a book strikes me to this degree. “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield is a love letter to the power of story. Cornelia Funke covered the love of books with her Inkheart trilogy for children, adding a measure of magic by the concept of ‘Silvertongues’ – readers who could bring books to life. Even in Holly Black’s short story “Paper beats Scissors,” there draws hints of a supernatural power of parallel even more beautiful – people who could insert objects into the plots of a written story and affect the reactions of familiar characters to take on different paths.

But, Oh! “The Thirteenth Tale” has no claims of magic, only natural madness. It features Vida Winter, a best selling novelist who never tells the truth of her own life. She compares writing to compost – her past and ideas are left alone until the two decompose and enrich the mental soil, wherefrom grows a new novel. Ms. Winter’s ancestry is novel worthy in itself – its macabre darkness befits a gothic era’s nightmare. Layered tales, told by an experienced writer as written through the lens of the author’s first published work. It is a formula that is new and fresh in execution as well as old in feel and familiarity. I, the reader, am captivated by the plotting and wisdom spoken – the lines spoken are a delight to experience and delicious in description.

Yes! Yes! It makes me want to write – this is a glory and honor, a playground of possibilities. Like new wine in old wineskins, the ecstasy of “storyness” overflows off the page and into my mind. I, too, long to create and inhabit my own world. There is a problem raised in all this though – how far down the rabbit hole (Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll) before I reach a Point of No Return (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Phantom of the Opera)? How far will my dreams (Inception, Christopher Nolan) fall before my perception of fantasy and reality becomes warped and unrealistic? Is madness forgivable if it provides a roller coaster ride between Delirium and Despair? (Sandman, Neil Gaiman).

So many characters, so many filters through which to see our environments. “The Thirteenth Tale” moves me to question, to life, to want more. One of my private paradox wishes is for a Book that never has an End. (Not the Neverending Story, that is silly talk), but isn’t that like a dim reflection of a life – it can be so beautiful, so fragile, so complacent. Sometimes we need a story to put our lives into context and perspective. I think about the end of the C.S. Lewis’s novel “Till We have Faces” in which the girl who had narrated the bulk of the book is brought to trial before the Greek pantheon whom she had blamed for most of her life’s guilt and problems. She becomes ashamed when her accusations are spoken aloud – they ring of childlike complaints and foolishness. She loses heart and counts her life’s purpose as squandered. Yet, Lewis doesn’t leave us with her despair, he allows one of her companions in life to write an epitaph to her life. Her friend honors the protagonist in a genuine belief that she made a difference on her time on earth. However, she was so focused on her failures that she didn’t see all the people whose lives touched hers and were made better.

At this time of the year, it is appropriately cliché to say this is truly “A wonderful life” after all. However, it doesn’t make it any less true.

Forthcoming, I hope.

In my wanderings at a library, I had been baffled about locating a section under the Library of Congress format. It seemed wherever I turned, there were dry textbooks, dust-jacketless, looking bland and unrelatable. But I hit a stroke of luck when coming upon the essay and poetry section. I grew excited as the shelves yielded old and interesting treasures: A C.S. Lewis book about George MacDonald; two by G.K. Chesterton concerning Robert Browning and Modernism respectively; Yesterday and Tomorrow by Louis Untermeyer.

But then my eye fell upon a smaller book. Its maroon binding spelled out in golden script Virginibus Puerisque, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
I decided it was worth further inspection - this was the author of classics such as Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I walked quickly down the stairs with my finds, eager to check them out and ensure that I could purvey them at my leisure.

I wished I had more space and the shoulder satchel I had brought along, but made do with rearranging the current contents to accommodate the borrowed literature. But I felt compelled to begin the Stevenson book - the leather cover and embossed swirls intrigued me. I opened the introduction and read that it was a series of essays meant for a friend. It was originally to be entitled, "Life at Twenty-five" but Stevenson soon found that he was unable to sustain that view as the years passed and the wisdom and experience of age changed his sensibilities.

I have only completed the first essay and have enjoyed the transition in the second, concerning men aging but never quite growing up. Each man has a seed of his boyhood, which in old age the male regresses to the mental playground of his youth. It contains a warning that marriage is not the answer to a wayward youth - you will be taking on responsibility for another's well-being. If you cannot manage your own life, how do you expect to suddenly do a capitol job when handling two? No longer will you have the liberty of dismissing your failures and faults of character - you will have a faithful witness who suffers alongside you and holds you accountable for your actions.

I will have to postpone reading this in pleasure as my schoolwork has deadlines that must be acknowleged and conquered, but I look forward to resuming and reporting further.

Oh! Updates are late.
Is it like riding a bike?
A wobbly return...

Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

I just finished this final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. I was told by a wise man that I shouldn't review books I didn't like, so I have been abiding by that advice. Some works that I enjoyed had drawbacks in language and content, but Collins' work was exemplary in both aspects.

The first book had Katniss Everdeen, the "girl who was on fire," a desperate young adult who sacrificed herself in substitution for her sister's name being drawn to participate in the Hunger Games. The Games are a fight to the death in an arena rigged by Capitol Gamemakers' traps, seeded by weapons. It is a brutal and cruel reminder to the districts that they failed years ago to overthrow the Capitol. To the citizens of the Capitol, however, it is popular entertainment to send gifts of food, medicine, and weapons through silver parachutes to favored tributes.
Katniss sees the decadence and excess of the technologically luxurious Capitol and is sickened, knowing that the resources used for the Games could improve the lives of the citizens. The Games traditionally demand one victor out of the 24 tributes from the districts, but Katniss's fellow tribute Peeta declares his love for Katniss, capturing the sympathy of the nation. Katniss' focus back home had been providing for her mother and sister by illegally hunting in the woods - she had not considered her effect of attracting suitors.
The Capitol promises that this, the seventy-fourth games, will be different - that Katniss and Peeta can be co-victors if they both survive. When the conditions are met and the Capitol reneges on its promise, Katniss pulls a stunt that saves them both, but at a cost she cannot fathom.

The second book, Catching Fire, expands upon the fallout from the seventy-fourth Games - Katniss's act of defiance earns her the audience of the Capitol's President Snow in her own home. When she saved herself and Peeta, she was desperate and saw it as just survival. What it had become in the eyes of the districts was a symbol, a rallying point of rebellion. The mockingjay pin that Katniss wore during the games has changed into the watchword of insurrection and unrest. Snow warns Katniss that her family and friend's lives are on the line - The girl who was on fire is contagious, her continued existence is emboldening the masses that the Capitol is not invincible after all. Katniss made the Capitol move an inch, the districts want to push it further. President Snow announces that the Seventy-Fifth Games, a quarter quell (every 25 years, there is a twist in the set-up of the games), will be drawn from the pool of previous victors. Katniss will have to undergo the horror of another Games. She and Peeta are troubled already with the memories and nightmares from the previous Games, now she will be facing a field of the best and worst the Games has to offer.

I think I will pause here, because the above sounds good enough to me. I left out some key parts and persons, for I think the reader will enjoy meeting them on their own time. The second book may not have the novelty of the first and the anticipation of the unknown challenges. By Catching Fire, the reader has reached a transition point between the Capitol's dominance and the districts' flames of rebellion. This is the crux of the series, and perhaps the finest in my opinion for the dexterity of Collins treatment of Katniss's unenviable position - "Yes, the Capitol is despicable and wrong to take joy in the Hunger Games, but bringing the violence out of the arena and into a state of war will take more lives. Besides, her family and friends' lives are on the line whether she succeeds or fails. Katniss is walking a thin line, and struggles with understanding the icon she became, with the importance interpreted from her actions in the camera's eye."

Mockingjay, brings us to the blossoming of Katniss's character and role. Surviving two Games has made her into a walking shell and wreck of humanity. The rebellion wants her to become their Mockingjay, the living symbol of defiance and rebellion. This third book is dissimilar with what the previous two set up. It is carried out in an unfamiliar environment, we as readers can sympathize with Katniss's bewilderment and confusion as to where she is going and why. She watches as those who she knew so well adjust to the hardships of military discipline and roles.

"War makes good men better and bad men worse." - Joseph Chamberlain, civil war officer of the Union.

We see this happening as Katniss begins to puzzle out who she is underneath the attitude and shields she places around herself. She is broken and the Capitol's propaganda is malicious - torturing those in the Capitol whom she befriended or were attached to her in the Games. She bears the guilt of all who sacrificed their lives so that she could live. So many district citizens have invested their hopes and futures into her survival, what she means to them as a symbol. But she is not perfect, she cannot be an ideal, and Katniss struggles with the burden of the living almost as much.

To be truthful, I wasn't sure of Collins's intent in writing the third installment of the series. It just felt so different - the culmination of what went on before. But as I arrived at the end, I was treated to an ending that was fittingly eloquent, a nod to the past and what is to come. In a string of books whose authors cannot bring themselves to cut the strings and knot the conclusion, this was a refreshing departure.

Highly recommend
The Hunger Games which I send
Most refreshing end

Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

I confess I read this book because Entertainment Weekly's cover of Katniss looked worth the effort of seeing in a movie. I like to read the book before the film, the characters are not as visually ingrained in my mind until after the movie, then they are hopelessly entangled in my mind.

The novel takes place in a dystopian American continent. Renamed Panem, it is comprised of the Capital and Thirteen districts. There was a revolt against the capital years ago, and the thirteenth district was wiped off the map. The Capital created the Hunger Games - an annual televised fight to the death. Like the ancient myth of Athens and the Minotaur, two tributes are randomly selected from a lottery held in each district. One boy and one girl, winner's district receives aid from the capital until the next games.

The story surrounds the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, and a girl from District 12, Katniss Everdeen. Her father died in a mining explosion, leaving her to be the sole breadwinner for her healer mother and adorable sister Primrose. She hunts illegally in the forest with a bow, bringing fresh meat to barter in the black market. Gale Hawthorne helps her in the forest, two years older and a master of snares, their friendship in the forest is one of the few things in her life that makes Katniss happy.

The Hunger Games eligibility window starts at twelve and ends at eighteen. Each year, a new slip with your name is added to the pot. However, for the poorer families, a child may enter their name multiple times to receive bread rations for the year's time. It would supplement a family's diet at the risk of being chosen for the Hunger Games.

In the town square, Primrose Everdeen's name was drawn, her first year of eligibility. This was an astronomically unlikely chance, and Katniss volunteers in her unlucky sister's stead. Her companion to the games is Peeta Mellark, the baker's son. Katniss has avoided him for years, knowing that a gesture of kindness on his part saved her family from starvation after her father's death. She hates owing people, and suspects Peeta's motivations for doing such an act.

On the train ride to the capital, they spend time with Haymitch Abernathy, the drunken has-been of the village. Far back in his day, he won the Hunger Games, and now it is his job to mentor the tributes each year. Katniss hates him for stumbling around, being a general embarrassment who could hardly keep himself together, let alone train anyone else.

The Capital is luxurious to the extreme, a slap in the face to Katniss's sensibilities. Meals come at the push of a button, showers have over a hundred different options for cleaning, and the roof of the complex has an electrical field to dissuade suicidal tributes. Katniss gorges herself on the rich and abundant food, knowing that a little saved fat in the games is a precaution for survival. Each year, the setting is different, but some constants remain.

At the beginning, all the combatants start on metal disks in a circle, a giant cornucopia erected in the center. Scattered on the ground are supplies and weapons for the duration of the games. For sixty seconds, tributes must remain on their platforms, after which the land mines surrounding each disk are disabled, signalling the start. After the bloodbath of skilled "career tributes" over greedy novices, the key is survival.

Career tributes originate in well off districts - trained at an early age, they volunteer to participate. Katniss's only edge is that she is accustomed to fighting for her survival. Her skill with a bow earns her a 11 out of 12 in her interview with the Gamemasters - controllers of the environment of the arena. They set out traps and devices to force the players to fight, signal the death of combatants with a cannon fire, and collect the cadavers with hovercrafts.

Sponsors may intercede in the games, donating money to send gifts to tributes upon whom they placed bets. The games are an ugly affair, reminding the districts of their subservience to the Capital. Only those born into the leisurely lives of the city can afford to watch the games in its entirety.

Katniss is hostile to the decadence of this society, she only wishes to win so that she might keep her promise to her sister to return home the victor. She cannot figure Peeta out - during his televised interview, he claims to have a crush on her since childhood. But he asks Haymitch to train them separately. What does he have to hide? Katniss keeps her distance once the games begin, knowing that if she gets close to Peeta, it will be that much harder for her to finish him in her quest to win.

There can only be one victor in this cruel event, and the last one standing must have strength of steel and the hardness of the heartless.

Didn't mention Rue,
Though she is my favorite.
Small whirling dervish.

Poison Eaters, Holly Black

Who is Holly Black? She is one half of the popular Spiderwick Chronicles team. Tony DiTerlizzi, the other part, is more whimsical and kid-friendly. Holly Black brought her expertise to the team, for she is simply brilliant when it comes to faery lore and fantasy. She is wilder and uninhibited in her imagination, scope, and vision. She edited a work with Justine Larbalestier entitled Zombies Vs. Unicorns - A compilation of stories, written by young adult authors in a mock debate. As an aside, these stories weren't nearly as interesting as I hoped they might be...

The Poison Eaters is a collection of short stories by Holly Black, in which gems and trinkets may be found. My favorite story so far is The Dog King. It is a werewolf story, set in a country where the city dwellers venerate the deadly packs, while the villages cower in fear of the coordinated rampaging stampedes. The capital city is ruled by a king who keeps a wolf named Elinad as a pet. This animal is his eyes and ears in the castle, shape-shifting to report to his king in human form. In the village below, people begin dying in horrific fashion, the King promises the crown to he who halts the rampage. But is he willing to have the truth surface with the consequences?

A bibliophile's delight is the tale, Paper cuts Scissors. Justin, a young library student, takes on a job by the mysterious Mr. Sandlin. Justin's girlfriend, Linda, had a gift for inserting objects into books, weaving the folded item into the narrative. Linda heard of a man named Sandlin, who could pull things out of books as well. Justin refused, and Linda folded herself into a Russian tale, forcing Justin's hand. Justin meets a girl at school, Sarah, who claims to know about Sandlin. By the end of the story, Justin learns about the intersection between Rock-Paper-Scissors, relationships, and reading.

The Boy who cried Wolf is a snapshot that could have been a bigger storyline. It is satisfying in itself, but it is ripe for development.

For the most part, short stories are fragments of greater concepts in the writer's mind. They are quick sketches that could be fleshed out and drawn forth to produce beautifully dark and bewitching tales. Not all thoughts and ideas are comfortable to learn, know, or say aloud. The strength and weakness of a short story is that it never overstays its welcome, no matter whether the guest is charming or detestable.

I nearly forgot.
This haiku is a thing I do.
Good night to all you