Dune by Frank Herbert

Reviewed by Lucas

From behind the headboard slipped a tiny hunter-seeker no more than five centimeters long.  Paul recognized it at once-a common assassination weapon that every child of royal blood learned about at an early age.  

In Dune by Frank Herbert, Paul, the protagonist, has to flee into the wild desert of Arrakis after his father, Duke Leto, is killed, and the capital of Arrakis is captured by a rival family.  For better or for worse, once Paul is forced into the desert, he begins to acquire strange powers of prescience and mental capacity.  After being rescued by the indigenous Fremen of Arrakis, Paul must learn the ways of the Fremen and how to survive the desert.  Uniting the Fremen under his powers, he becomes one of the most powerful men on Arrakis, but what shall he do with that power?  You’ll have to read the book to find out.

One of the reasons I like this book is because it has so much action. There’s one event after another, all in quick succession.  For example, when the rival family attacks the capital of Arrakis, it is very fast-paced, starting with the Duke walking outside of his quarters, only to see the attack, then quickly being seized and bound up by the traitor.  Quickly, the point-of-view switches to the Duke’s wife, who also wakes up captured.  

A different interesting trait of Dune is that it is realistic, in some ways.  As the book progresses, economics and politics are intertwined in the plot, making it feel compelling and similar to real life.  An example of this is the Spacing Guild, a galaxy-wide organization that has great influence and regulates space travel.  In the real world, you can’t just travel willy-nilly; there are laws and regulations about where and how you can travel.  The Guild is representative of that, lending Dune a sense of realism that is not often seen in other science fiction novels.

I would give this book a 8.5/10.  There are a few reasons why I didn’t rate it higher, one of them being that in some places, there is a lot of talking, and the plot is rather slow-moving in some places. However overall, it’s a great book for people who like adventure, science fiction, with a nice dose of realism.  Dune is the first book in the series of the same name, making it a good preparation for the books to come.  You should go get it now! 

ACE, 672 pages

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Reviewed by Juliana

“Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there's nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.”

In the book The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, a 16 year old girl named Katniss Everdeen sits down at the Capitol with her sister, Prim, and her best friend, Gale, at the day of the reaping, or the day where the Capitol chooses a boy and a girl to be tributes in the gory Hunger Games. Katniss nearly faints when her sister is called up to the stage to be a tribute, so she volunteers in Prim’s place. Before Katniss goes into the Hunger Games arena, the mayor’s daughter, Madge, gifts Katniss a round, golden pin displaying a mockingjay, her dead father’s favorite bird. Once she gets into the arena, Katniss needs to constantly remind herself that only one out of the 24 tributes in the Hunger Games survives, and she has nearly no chance of winning. Her only hope is that she can get a set of bow and arrows and use her incredible never-missing aim to help her. A dilemma comes along when she falls in love with a handsome boy named Peeta, who is also a tribute in the Hunger Games. Only one of them can live.

I liked The Hunger Games because it is a dystopian novel, where there are futuristic things to make the story more interesting as well as chaotic. One example is when the Capitol forces 24 children into an arena to be the last one to live.

Another reason I like this book because the climax is very dramatic; after days of battling, the star-crossed lovers refuse to kill each other. This makes me anxious to know if one of the protagonists are going to die. One thing that causes the dramatic climax is that Suzanne Collins does a good job to let the reader feel whatever Katniss is feeling. For example, when a young tribute who helps Katniss dies, Collins makes the reader feel just as sad as Katniss.

I would rate this book a ten out of ten because it demonstrates courage and includes nonstop action. I would recommend this to people who enjoy dystopian novels full of savage, spine-chilling, violent adventure. I hope you read The Hunger Games series and enjoy it as much as I did!

Scholastic , 374 pages

Son by Lois Lowry

Son by Lois Lowry
Reviewed by Nina 

Claire is hiding her love for her son from everyone around her. Her son has no idea anything is wrong. But when they get separated, Claire travels on a journey away from everything she ever known to find him again. She meets several people on her journey, and by the end of the book, she is strengthened both physically and mentally. Both mother and son overcome evil as the book ends, finishing off the series with a flourish. Son by Lois Lowry is the amazing finale to the Giver Quartet, telling a tale of a parent’s love for a son.

I enjoyed how Lowry incorporated a powerful message into the spiraling storyline of Son. Claire, fourteen years old, is giving birth to her son. She finds that she has an abnormal amount of yearning and affection for him, which is unheard of in the dystopian society that she lives in. She visits her son as often as she can, disguising them as tours or volunteering. Lois Lowry emphasized how a parent’s love for a child can help them both find the strength that they need inside themselves. Claire becomes stronger as she works towards her son, while his part comes near the end of the book.

Another reason I liked the book is the setting, starting with a dystopian society where everyone’s lives are planned out for them. I liked this setting because Lowry went back in time to the same time of the Giver, colliding the two stories until they separate again. The setting changes during the course of the book because Claire travels to many different locations to achieve her goal.  I really liked the inhabitants and environment of all of them, as those residents helped Claire, and the environment fascinated her as well.

Son was a thrilling conclusion to the Giver Quartet, and I would rate it a ten out of ten for its suspenseful plot, mysterious characters, and unique message. I think both boys and girls can read this, although I would recommend that everyone read the first three books in the series, The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger, before Son.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 393 pages.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Reviewed by BB 

        Cold. Afraid. No, terrified.  Thomas is stuck in a rather small, metal box, rocketing upwards to whatever misery and terror awaits. With a jolt, the box stops to a halt, while the two mechanical lid doors open. The light shining down is blinding, making it impossible to see. Then, to his surprise, he hears, ”Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the glade.”

        The Maze Runner by James Dashner is definitely a story jam-packed with action, adventure, spooks, and more. Thomas ends up in the glade, memories lost, and only his name and many other boys to count on. He learns that the glade is in the center of the biggest maze to maybe ever exist, and there is no way out. The curiosity inside Thomas rages to burst out, rages to find out what is in the maze. Then one day, a girl appears in the box, and she seems to be lifeless, pale, but beautiful to Thomas, although the note she carries isn’t. The note is terrifying, and it says: “She’s the last one, ever.” Thomas and the mysterious girl realize that things are starting to change, and they will try anything in their power to make it out of the maze alive.

        This book is like one I have never read before. One reason why I was really immersed in this book was because I could feel every single emotion Thomas feels, and I could relate to what he was feeling. I was able to understand that Thomas was confused and frightened, and Dashner was able to make me feel these emotions, too.

        Another reason why I was sunk into The Maze Runner was because it is part of an incredible series of disasters, adventure, and more. The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and The Kill Order, the other books in The Maze Runner Series in my opinion are each better than the last, and each kept me eager to read the next book in the series.

            This was the best book I have ever read so far in my life. I would rate this book a 10/10 because it put me on the edge of my seat, making me want answers to Thomas’s questions and wonders. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventures/mysteries, and not anyone who is afraid of ravaging, bloodthirsty creatures. Sure enough, this read could not have made me more eager and filled with ambition.

Delacorte Press, 375 pgs.