I think Collins could take huge lessons in dystopian world-building from Westerfeld. The Hunger Games books were compelling, but the world-building was lousy. She needed a good beta.
You all gonna be here when I wake up?
Mal ,'Out Of Gas'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Steph L. - Jun 27, 2011 3:13:09 pm PDT #15449 of 28293
I look more rad than Lutheranism
Polter-Cow - Jun 27, 2011 3:16:29 pm PDT #15450 of 28293
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
I thought the worldbuilding in Hunger Games was great, so I look forward to better in Uglies !
I just have to say, though, that "littlies" is the most adorable term ever.
Gris - Jun 27, 2011 3:58:19 pm PDT #15451 of 28293
Hey. New board.
I agree - Uglies was a much more consistent and believable world. It just didn't have the same drive for me. I never read the last one.
Consuela - Jun 27, 2011 5:21:08 pm PDT #15452 of 28293
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix
Extras explores more of the world.
Westerfeld's scope is a little narrower, but I think it works for him, and it makes any holes in the world-building less obvious. And, frankly, I think he's just generally better with narrative, although he doesn't have that ability Collins has, to make you absolutely desperate to find out what happens next.
If she could bottle and sell it, I would be first in line.
beth b - Jun 27, 2011 7:29:46 pm PDT #15453 of 28293
oh joy! Oh Rapture ! I have a brain!
I liked the Uglies, but I really loved the Pretties even more. Watching the beige people of the world wake is is very interesting. In the end I liked the Extras , best because it did explore more of the world.
Of all the westerfeld books I never finished Leviathan. I didn't hate it , but it didn't grab me enough to keep me from the other 20 books I had to read
Strix - Jun 27, 2011 8:22:31 pm PDT #15454 of 28293
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
My response to Meghan Cox Gurdon's latest rebuttal of criticism of her article on Dark YA in the WSJ: [link]
Laga - Jun 28, 2011 6:53:37 am PDT #15455 of 28293
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.
Great essay, Erin. I posted a comment about how wrong Gurdon is about what constitutes a normal adolescence. I also think she's way off base about why drug education does not keep kids off drugs.
Strix - Jun 28, 2011 7:06:34 am PDT #15456 of 28293
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
Thanks, Laga!
I gotta stop reading Twitter right before I go to bed. The last couple of nights, I've been all prepped to pop into bed, and then I see something and my fingers take off, and it's two hours later and I'm hoping I'm making sense.
Her first article pissed me off enough, and that that ridic rebuttal...GRR.
Laga - Jun 28, 2011 7:09:43 am PDT #15457 of 28293
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.
I hate her a little bit and her too-easy adolscence too.
sumi - Jun 28, 2011 7:11:07 am PDT #15458 of 28293
Art Crawl!!!
Yeah, that was an excellent piece not just on where that woman is wrong but on what we should look for in good YA fiction.
ION - ADWD was released early (by mistake) by Amazon.DE. I believe that is German amazon - so 'ware spoilers.