Mockingjay Chapters 19 – 21

Before I get into Mockingjay for today, I have to be really excited about something.  I got an ARC of Tigerman, which is Nick Harkaway’s next novel!  It comes out in July in the US and it’s brilliant.  I finished it Friday night and I can’t wait to tell you all about it a little closer to publication.  For a man with only three novels, Nick Harkaway is almost chameleon-like in his ability to immerse his reader in different stories.  Gone Away World was about a post-apocalyptic future as well as a biography of a soldier who grew up Before and survived into the After.  Angelmaker is part London gangster movie, and part steampunk, Cold War, spy movie.  And now, Tigerman is about a sergeant in the British army who is supposed to shepherd the island of Mancreu to its final destruction.  Some rather dodgy business practices on the part of a chemical plant have made the island a potential danger to the world ecosystem.  The best suggestion anyone has is to crack it open and rain fire down on the remains in the form of some very, very large bombs.
However, none of that is going to happen in the next few days, or weeks, or months.  And in the meantime, the people of Mancreu slowly contemplate leaving, and numerous shady business interests from around the world move into Mancreu’s extra-legal harbor to make deals, preform illegal surgeries, interrogate prisoners – anything you can’t do in the rest of the world because someone would notice and object.  Until the Fleet goes too far and someone on the island does object.
It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and I’ll tell you lots and lots more about it closer to when you can get your own hands on a copy!

Mockingjay – Part III
Chapter 19
I find it very interesting that Katniss is being so frank with Boggs.  But he seems to be on her side, or at least to be a decent person, unlike Coin.
Hmm, Coin wanted Peeta.  And theoretically, is worried that Katniss won’t support her.  Wouldn’t it make slightly more sense to suck up to Katniss rather than try to get her killed?
Oh Gale, death before… well, anything really.  You’re not Buffy, dude.  Death is not your gift.  So stop trying to give it to everyone!
Haymitch being to voice of reason again.  I like Haymitch.  I hope he comes out of this.  I also hope we find out about Effie, but it’s probably bad news.
I don’t enjoy Katniss being so hard on herself.  I don’t like her that much, but it’s like she’s got to beat herself up to prove she’s not a Mary Sue.  Just let the girl be strong if she needs to or weak if she needs to.  She doesn’t have to hate herself to be real.
I wonder if the midnight conversation will help Peeta at all.
So, the Avoxes from the Capitol apartments are dead.  And all to torture Peeta.  The Capitol just gets worse and worse.
Katniss takes the deaths on herself, Gale just wants to kill something even though he probably didn’t like the Peacekeeper who became and Avox and never actually knew the girl who got picked up in the woods.
Damnit!  Boggs!

Chapter 20
Boggs makes Katniss the new commander.  Because she’s closest or because he wants to give her the best chance to survive?
So, the Holo isn’t as helpful as it was supposed to be.  Mitchell is dead.  Peeta is having another incident.  Boggs knew what Katniss came to do and he told her not to trust anyone.  That’s… comforting.
Jackson is with Coin or with Boggs?
Katniss actually pulls off a lie and the squad is split between her and Jackson.  This could get interesting.
Cressida is lying to help Katniss.  Now isn’t that interesting?
Very smart, Katniss.  Going out in the wake of the wave. You’ve got no tracks and the goo set off most of the traps ahead of you.
It’s nice that the Capitol thinks they’re all dead.  But Katniss is right, everyone back in Thirteen must be going nuts.  Except Coin, of course.

Chapter 21
Peeta seeing himself have an incident seems to have broken some of the conditioning.
Why is Katniss not in her Mockingjay suit?  Especially if they were shooting a propo (which is a terrible name).
Why are people hoarding food in the Capitol?  Were they afraid of a rebellion happening?
Coin and Snow, both trying to use Katniss and her death.  Both hoping that she really is dead.
Peeta wants out so desperately.  Poor lad.  I care about him more now that he has flaws than I did in Catching Fire where he seemed too good to be true.  I think I don’t trust perfect seeming things.  Or people.
The tube into the maintenance areas gives another insight into the Capitol.  If you live in and apartment with tunnel access you just deal with the workers coming and going at need.  There’s no asking.  It just happens.  Also, people in the Capitol pay rent.  That’s something I don’t remember being mentioned in District Twelve.  And certainly not in Thirteen.
Pollux worked in the tunnels.  That’s handy.
There are still cargo trains running?  That seems odd.  Why haven’t the rebels disrupted them?
I would not do well in those tunnels.  I’m just claustrophobic enough to start freaking right out.
Katniss is thinking about Peeta’s memories.  The fake ones seem ‘shiny’ and, presumably, the real ones don’t.  I wonder why the doctors never picked up on it.  Maybe because they didn’t play Real/Not Real with him.
Who or what is in the tunnels with them?  Find out next time.  Same Bat-Time!  Same Bat-Channel!