Alyse
Somehow both silly and boring. I wanted to like it, and I do think the premise is interesting (once you get past the initial “well that's ridiculous” reaction). And maybe if World War Z hadn't already brilliantly pulled off the fake history book premise I wouldn't have held it to such a high standard.
Personally I think it would have been better if it was just Abe's journal or just a dry history book instead of the mildly annoying narrator's summary/interpretation of Abe's journal. There was a fair amount of historical research, but to me it felt too segmented and not part of the fictional story. There'd be detailed exposition about Abe's ridiculously fake exploits and then all of sudden an extended summary of the Dred Scott Case or the lost colony of Roanoke. Real Abe and Vampire Hunter Abe never connected for me, and that's a shame because it would have been awesome to learn about how a man reacts to that extreme political turmoil when he is both leader of the country and a slayer of mythical beasts.
Obviously this is a very well written book. But it was certainly not written for me. I don't typically like young adult fiction or magical fantasy. I'm bored with the “chosen one” troupe (especially when he can do no wrong), the wise/all knowing leader, the gentle giant, the cartoonishly evil “normal” guardians, the male Nellie Olson, the loyal but obviously inferior best friend, the neurotic girl, and the evil/oh-maybe-not-so evil teacher. And I HATE schools for precocious, misunderstood youngsters with gifts they were magically born with but did nothing to actually deserve. For me, Rowling doesn't really come up with anything new, she just compiles it all together and makes it accessible and shiny for today's market. And that's fine if you like children's fantasy in the first place, but I personally don't.
Ender is a tool. And all the female characters (even the AI) are insanely neurotic, the sort who go off to weep whenever anything starts happening or who freaking plan some convoluted horrible fake marriage instead of actually doing research to solve the initial problem. And no one can get set right without the help of magic Ender, who is more or less Dr. House without the charm or intelligence. Also, it's weird reading a book that goes on endless, preachy rants about pro-tolerance and anti-Catholicism when it's written by a homophobic Mormon who seems to be kinda ok with spousal abuse.
This was definitely my favorite of the series. I'm no fan of young adult fiction, so a small part of me dies by admitting this, but this is one of the best representations of how unglamorous and brutal revolutions can be. There's no clear right and wrong and the war is won not in the streets, but through the media. The plot meanders at times and the end falls apart completely. But it's ok, cause the meat of this book is the first half when the never-quite-made-points in the first 2 books about media culture come to fruition.
Peeta is just as creepy as ever, but it's intentional this time and he's gone for long portions of the book, so it's ok.
Could have been interesting if not so long winded, and if all the interesting characters weren't dead or re-youth-ified before the story actually starts.
The 2nd half of the priest's story hooked me, but most of the rest of the book was just all the self-congratulatory, boring nonsense I hate in English lit set in space (and a version of space which isn't particularly interesting).
I prefer my Peacekeepers as Sebations with body heat regulation issues. And the teenage romance made me more uncomfortable than the teenagers killing each other, but that may be my own personal issue. Katniss, though a bit too perfect at times, is an interesting character and the story is greatly improved by learning what's going on inside her head. Peeta creeped me out a bit.
