Reading Fiction

This past month, I have been flying through some fiction.When it comes to fiction, especially when it is of an action/adventure nature, I read at a hurried pace, as if I was in the story, being chased and in danger.

Dune by Frank Herbert 
First published in 1965, this is the staple piece of sci-fi literature (and not a short piece - at 800 pages)  that all the other books look up to. (Like Lord of the Rings is to the fantasy genre). It is a complex tale of politics, religion, mystery, and environment. A duke's family is moved to a desert planet to rule/oversee that planet, but a dangerous plan is already in motion to kill the duke (and family) and take over. The planet is the source of a spice in the sand dunes, but it is dangerous to harvest because of huge sand worms that surround it. The son of the duke, Paul, and his mother, Jessica, are not going quietly. They escape into the dangerous desert, where Paul learns to use his skills and rise up to become a leader of the neglected desert tribe, and overcome the evil empire that is set to kill him.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
This is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. At the end of the first book, Katniss has survived the games, and saved Peeta as well. There is only supposed to be one victor, so that is not supposed to happen, and unintentionally, she has started a rebellious mindset in the people across all the districts. The President has his own plans to reverse this with more oppression and killings. He announces another hunger games to take place, with the previous victors as the participants, which means Katniss and Peeta are going into the games again.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
In the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy, District 13, that once was thought to be destroyed, rescues Katniss from death in the arena of the hunger games, and is setting the plan in motion to take down the capital.  Katniss suffers from injuries and deeper mental issues. She knows she is being used by both the capital and District 13, and must come to terms with how she is going to handle that. Is she going to allow herself to be used, for the greater good? With so much brutality all around, how can the world be set right? Even if they overtake the capital, how can peace and normalcy be restored? It is not without pain and sacrifice, as the story goes.