Tag Archives: dystopia

Book Review: The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

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maze_runner_coverIn celebration of the upcoming movie adaption of this exciting novel, I thought I would review the first book in this trilogy.

This dsytopian adventure is full of mystery and suspense, set in a chilling sort of “captivity” where young boys (and boys only) live in the middle of a dangerous maze that no one’s escaped or survived. The protagonist, Thomas arrives one day in “The Box” with no memory of anything and is immediately puzzled and disturbed by this place.

The boys live a puzzling life of trying to survive and attempting to make it out of the maze, with no idea of anything at all or who they are. The maze, which several of the boys try to brave but never make it out alive, holds terrifying creatures called Grievers.

One day, the disturbing cycle of everyday life is interrupted by the shocking arrival of- a girl. She brings a strange cryptic message before passing out. With her arrival, everything is shaken up. What happens then… you’ll have to read the book to find out.

This novel, although a bit slow at times, was a generally thrilling book that will keep you on the edge of your seat with a thousand questions running through your mind. Unfortunately, these questions are barely or not even answered in the first book, but the second and third ones do address them, and let me tell you – they will shock and excite and are not to be missed.

If you are a fan of dystopian stories like The Hunger Games or Divergent, I highly recommend this book (as well as the rest of the trilogy) for an entertaining suspense-filled read. Plus, you’ll be prepared for the upcoming movie, in theaters everywhere this September!

-Rachel L.,10th grade

The Hunger Games vs. Divergent

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COMPARISON

Most people have read either Divergent or The Hunger Games before, since both were a sensation because of the movies that came out based on them. However, that’s not the only thing that these two book series have in common. In fact, there are many different ideas that could be compared to.

similarities

Number of books: they are both a trilogy, no matter how many short side stories there are.

Genre: They both are set in a future America where there is slightly more advanced technology and something has gone wrong, so all the laws were changed.

Main hero: Both have a girl as their hero and main character. For The Hunger Games, it’s Katniss Everdeen. For Divergent, it’s Tris (Beatrice) Prior.

The government’s thoughts: The main ruling government would later be after the heroine (as in most books).

Inciting incident: These two heroines start the route of their story by doing something that the government doesn’t expect.

Of course, if we are comparing these two books, we should know their differences, too.

differences

The heroine’s views of their society: Katniss doesn’t like the government and wishes that there were different rules, for she is of the poorest district, and has to feed herself, her four year younger sister, and her sort of there mom. Tris, on the other hand, while she does wish to be with a different caste, she is okay with her government’s rulings.

The love story: I felt that Katniss was forced to love the guy. Even though he loved her, it never seemed like she loved him in the same way. However, Tris and the guy she likes definitely loved each other. Whenever, one of them needed emotional help, the other was usually there to give it to them, and whenever they kissed, the detailed descriptions showed that they meant each and every kiss.

Hero’s development: Katniss doesn’t learn much; she keeps her traits throughout her story. Tris, however, does change her beliefs; by the end of book one, she has clearly not feel the same way as she had in the beginning of the book.

Endings: I want readers to firstly know that this is my opinion, and everyone is entitled to their personal opinions, whether or not they agree with me. I felt that while The Hunger Games trilogy had a somewhat short and boring ending, it resolved the plot in a good way. However, the Divergent trilogy ends in a long, detailed, but very disappointing and terrible resolution.

In the end, I can say that these two series are awesome, no matter what their pros and cons are. I’d advise you to try them both!
-Megan V., 8th grade

 

Book vs. Movie: Divergent

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divergent_bookvsmovieThe night Divergent was released, I was there, excited and anxious with anticipation.. I went in with high expectations, as I have been in love with the book series since it was first released in 2011.

So perhaps it was my unrealistically high expectations of a book that I am thoroughly devoted to and invested in that contributed to the fact that I thought the movie was a big disappointment. People who I have talked to that did not read the book first before watching the movie have told me that they thought it was great, and maybe if I’d never read the books before watching the movie, I would have felt the same way.

Let’s start with how startlingly different it was from the book. I know book to movie adaptions are difficult to accomplish, but in this case it was significantly different. First off, they left out very important scenes from the book- scenes that are pivotal and important for the rest of the series. They also changed scenes– and not little scenes. Major scenes that, too, would affect the whole series.

-Edward. He barely has a presence in the movie (I think his name shows up on the scoreboard for a second?) and there is no book scene where he gets stabbed in the eye by Peter.

-Will and Cristina?!! It hardly shows their relationship, they’re pretty much portrayed just as friends, which is problematic, because in the books, it affects the plot and characters (especially Tris and Christina) in major way.

-There’s no Visiting Day in the movie, and some important information is found out from that scene. In the book, Tris never meets her mom in the shipping yard.

-Rachel L., 10th grade

Book Review: The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann

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unwanteds_coverThe Unwanteds is a unique dystopian novel by Lisa McMann depicting the fantasy world called Quill. Each year in Quill, all the thirteen-year-olds are categorized into different classifications: the capable, intellectual Wanteds go to university, and the imaginative Unwanteds are sent to die. Thirteen-year-old twins Alex and Aaron Stowe are awaitng to see what their futures look like. Aaron is hopeful of becoming a Wanted; Alex knows that he would not be with his brother because he had been discovered drawing in the dirt. In the desolate region of Quill, being creative is a wrongdoing, punishable by death.

After becoming an Unwanted, Alex must be confronted by the dreaded Eliminators. There he discovers the mage Mr. Today and the secret world called Artimé, where the Unwanted children from Quill have been hiding. Over in Artimé, Alex discovers talking statues, uncommon creatures, and magic. After taking some surprising twists and turns, the ending will be a surprise for anybody.

This is the perfect dystopian novel for any age. I enjoyed it very much because of the element of magic. Even though the book was thick, I could not put it down. I think that Kirkus Review described the book the best when they said that: “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.” After reading The Unwanteds, you may enjoy the second book in the series, Island of Silence. I have not read it yet, but if you have please tell me about it! If you are looking for another anti-utopia book, then The Unwanteds is for you.

-Anmol K., 7th grade

Book Review: The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

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handmaids_tale_coverThe world keeps changing. And it changed.

“Last week they shot a woman, right about here. She was a Martha. She was fumbling in her robe, for her pass, and they thought she was hunting for a bomb. They thought she was a man in disguise. There have been such incidents. Nothing safer than dead, said Rita, angrily.”

When belief was twisted into something that only fulfilled the physical need, there is a group of people that was labeled with the lost of self.

 “They can’t help it, she said, God made them that way but He did not make you that way. He made you different. It’s up to you to set the boundaries. Later you will be thanked.”

Holy, holy, the Ceremony stated.

            “ ‘And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband,’ says the commander.

Serena has begun to cry. I can hear her, behind my back. It isn’t the first time. She always does this, the night of the Ceremony. She’s trying not to make a noise. The smell of her crying spreads over us and we pretend to ignore it.”

Women who have the ability to reproduce—They are the handmaids.

“ ‘He asks, are you happy.’ Says the interpreter. I can imagine it, their curiosity: Are they happy? How can they be happy?

Ofglen says nothing. There is a silence. But sometimes it’s as dangerous not to speak. ‘Yes, we are very happy,’ I murmur.”

Under His Eye, this is how the world should be.

            “But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one plump finger.

Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison.

Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us.

She did. She did. She did.

Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen?

Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.

Crybaby. Crybaby. Crybaby.

We meant it, which is the bad part.

I used to think well of myself. I didn’t then.

What did they do to her? We whispered, from bed to bed.

I don’t know.

Not knowing makes it worse.”

—

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian novel that shows the reader a world in the future that is constantly at war. Most of the women lose the ability to reproduce, therefore people capture women who can and send them to train and become handmaids. According to the Bible, the man, the woman, and the handmaid go through the Ceremony to make babies. The author illustrates a world of extreme religious and uncontrolled chemical pollution through the life of a handmaid, Offred.

I recommend this book for students of 8th grade and above, and I want to give this book an 8 out of 10. The main topic of this book is very special, and the language and word choice were used in a way that perfectly set up the mood. Don’t miss it if you are a dystopia fan like me!

-Wenqing Z., 11th grade

Book Review: Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

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brave_new_worldDystopian novels are my favorite kinds of novels. The author usually creates a “what-if” world that follows a certain idea and looks like a utopia, which is a perfect world. However as readers, we can clearly see how negative and horrible the situation is.

This novel presents the readers a world of total “happiness.” People take soma, a kind of drug, to forget the uneasiness in life and to feel pure happiness. There is no family and children are artificially made, and during this process, people intentionally damage some children’s brain to make them stupid. Therefore the people in this society are divided into five different level based on their IQs, which Alphas do the intellectual jobs while Epsilons do the simple and dirty jobs because they can’t understand anything more. A young boy John comes from his “wild” hometown with knowledge about the Bible and Shakespeare to this New World, which has no religion, no high art, and no intellectual world; technology’s good, but creativity is bad; soma and sex define happiness and meaning of living—so how will John react to this “perfect” world?

Brave New World is a very heavy piece of reading that I would recommend for high school students; personally, I was introduced to this book at a book club with a teacher during my 8th grade. The story involves GREAT numbers of allusion and symbolism that refer to many different literature works and scientific knowledge, so if you want to really understand things beside the main story line, research is necessary. Well, at least based on personal experience, this book basically can be used on ANY SAT essay. Yes, I know you may want to know this.

This book is definitely a 10 out of 10. The great structure and the complex ideals that expressed in the book are very profound, and the story line is also interesting and unexpected.  You can read it hundreds of times and still get new understanding from it every time you read it. This is a treasure chest you have to open during your lifetime, so do it now and put it on your shelf right now!

-Wenqing Z., 11th grade

Book Review: Divergent, by Veronica Roth

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divergent_coverThe thrilling novel Divergent by Veronica Roth is both spectacular and engrossing and I found it almost impossible to put down.

I chose to read it for my literature circle in my English class, and nobody in my group could stick to the assigned reading because we all kept reading ahead! The story starts off slowly, letting the reader understand the futuristic “utopian” society in which the setting takes place. In the book, the government has sectioned off its citizens into five factions that are best fitting to the individual’s personality and traits. There are the Dauntless, who are the brave, Abnegation, who are the selfless, Candor, for honesty, Amity, for peace and kindness, and last but not least there’s Erudite, who are the most intelligent in the society. The main character of the book is Beatrice Prior, who is originally Abnegation but is struck with the life-changing decision of staying with her family in a faction where she feels an outsider, or going with her heart and never seeing her family again.

Through government secrets and sparks of rebellion, Divergent is a perfect fit for anyone who is a fan of The Hunger Games or the Mortal Instruments series.

-Sara S., 10th grade

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

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fahrenheit451_coverIn Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Guy Montag, is a firefighter. However, he is not a firefighter in the traditional sense of the word.  Instead of putting out fires, his job is to set them.

In the future that this novel is set in, millions of books are banned and the only way people are allowed to learn is through television and radio programs, comics, and other forms of entertainment that make people “happy.” In this society, making people happy and equal to one another intellectually is the main goal. It is believed that higher forms of learning, such as the knowledge gained from most books, would be detrimental to this objective. In order to keep this objective, books are banned and burned when found in people’s possessions.  That is where Guy Montag’s job comes in. However, when he meets a curious girl named Clarisse, who, unlike the rest of society, likes asking questions, he begins to ask some questions of his own.

The tone of this novel is a dark one. It deals with the main character discovering a new, not necessarily good outlook on the world he accepted before. It also features many issues that could occur if society could not advance due to lack of knowledge. The idea of censorship that is addressed in this novel is a difficult one, and that is proven when the main character himself goes against his societal rules, his job, and his family values to experience what it is like to read books.

Ray Bradbury seems to want the reader to feel like a world without books would be unexceptional and monotonous. Without the knowledge and expertise that can be gained from reading, society could never advance and people would be stuck in the same rut that Guy Montag realizes he is in when he talks to Clarisse.  At one point in the book, Clarisse says to Guy “It’s a lot of funnels and a lot of water poured down the spout and out the bottom, and them telling us it’s wine when it’s not” (33).  This quote shows how their society is full of dreariness and lies in order for them to feel “happy” and “equal”. In reading this book, I have fully realized that I never want to experience a life without books. Overall, I think that Ray Bradbury was successful in making his readers feel a connection to Fahrenheit 451’s world that is lacking knowledge and advancement.

While this book was a bit tedious to read due to the author’s style of writing, which is so unlike current writing styles, I still am walking away from this novel with a new understanding of how important books are to society. Readers definitely need to read between the lines in order to fully understand both the underlying meaning and what is occurring. It reads more like rambling thoughts, which in a way tells the story better than any structured writing style would. Bradbury started and completed this novel in nine days on a rented typewriter that he payed for per half hour, which I personally find extremely impressive. While I was not the biggest fan of this book, I still feel like I have learned a lot from Fahrenheit 451 and I recommend it to both teens and adults alike.

-Kaelyn L., 10th grade