Dystopian Young Adult fiction wouldn’t seem like a hot commodity with the target audience mostly obsessed with the Twilight and Harry Potter series. Yet Suzanne Collins seems to have captured lightening in a bottle with her The Hunger Games Trilogy. North American has suffered an apocalyptic event that has reduced cities and populations to 12 Districts who service the rulers in the Capitol district. The series is narrated by sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister in District 12 (a mining district). The elites in the Capitol hold a yearly televised gladiatorial event called “The Hunger Games.” A girl and a boy from each of the 12 districts are chosen at random to compete in the Games. Only one contestant will survive. I was surprised at the level of violence in these books. But Suzanne Collins knows how to tell a very compelling story. Once you start these books, you’ll find them hard to put down. The movie version of The Hunger Games will be released in March 2012. Check out the trailer to the movie below.

Back in the 1960s, Lancer Books brought out a series of books that I instantly recognized were homages to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars novels. Blades of Mars, Warriors of Mars, and Barbarians of Mars (published under the Edward P. Bradbury pseudonym) told the adventures of Michael Kane, gifted swordsman and physicist, who finds himself transported to Mars in time and in space when an experiment in matter transmission goes awry. Kane finds himself on Mars, but a Mars thousands of years in the past. Of course, there’s plenty of action as Kane battles the invading Blue Giants and falls in love with the beautiful Princess Shizala. In all three books, Kane confronts man-sized spiders, ancient mutant races, and a genetically engineered plague. If you’re a fan of the Burroughs Mars books, you’ll enjoy these worthy pastiches. The Planet Stories editions of these entertaining books with Moorcock’s more colorful titles are still available.

My sister Paula, a huge Tim Tebow fan, sent me Through My Eyes last summer. I was supposed to read it while convalescing from my knee replacement surgery. But, as things around here are wont to happen, Tim Tebow’s book fell to the middle of the Real Real Soon stack of books. Now, with the incredible exploits of the Denver Broncos and their QB, Tim Tebow, I felt motivated to read Tebow’s book. Yes, it’s full of religious quotes. But I was impressed with Tebow’s work ethic and his earnestness. He is a born leader. Reading his words, especially after a loss, shows you how determined Tebow is to overcome problems and win. The hapless Buffalo Bills finish their last home game of the season today against Tebow and the Broncos. My money is on Tebow. GRADE: B+