Read Along: Freedom Fields

'Get on up here an lead the way.'

As Midsummer rolls around, and the group arrive at Freedom Fields, it's time for Saba and her friends to rescue Lugh, and possibly take down the Tonton and free they slaves whilst they do!

Raging Star

The name of the highly anticipated Book #3 of the 'Dustlands' trilogy has been revealed by author, Moira Young!

RAGING STAR!

We've compiled a list of reactions below as well as the opinions of our admins! If you'd like to tell us what you think, leave a comment or tweet us at @DustlandsFans!

Poll Results Are In: No place like home!

In last week's poll, the question was; "What biome would you prefer Saba's story to be set in?" The choices listed on the poll were forest, jungle, Arctic tundra, desert, grasslands, rainforest and mountains/ mountain range. What did you Free Hawks decide?

Desert! It seems that voters either can't see Saba outside of her element, or think that's simply just the place for her! Stay tuned for this week's poll Free Hawks.

~Jake

Book #3's Official Title!

Free Hawks, we no longer have to refer to Book #3 as...Book #3! Because as Moira Young has revealed today: it has a title!

RAGING STAR

Check back later on for thoughts from our admins on the title reveal, and share your own below, or tweet us your opinions @dustlandsfans !

Exciting news!

~Ella

Friday's Music: Let Me In - The Unseen Guest

I don’t know about you but, this song gives me strange chills. The images the lyrics give out with this sense of foreboding, and trying to keep something evil out. The music of course, compliments his voice, and the violin is simply delectable. The description underneath the video on youtube says a bit more about the instrumentation, and how they incorporated both western and Indian instruments.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of Tommy, and his unrequited love for Saba. I’m very curious as to how Saba and Jack being in love will affect Tommy in the third book, especially after that last scene in Rebel Heart, something I absolutely didn’t expect to pop up!

The days run together

They crowd at your front gate

-

And sometimes in the night

You answer the phone

And they breathe down the line

Just to see if you’re home

~Bushra

Read Along: The Black Mountains

'It's the anger that keeps me goin.'

Saba, Jack and Emmi are headed into the Black Mountains, on their way to Freedom Fields. Ahead lies old friends and new, and...quite a few revelations!

Try It Tuesday: Weeds

Weeds was Showtime's longest and most successful running television show they've had on their network. Weeds first season aired in 2005 and it's 8th and final season aired in 2012.

*Spoiler Alert!*

Weeds is about a mother who lives with her two sons in the fictional town of Agrestic, California, Nancy Botwin. Judah Botwin, Nancy's husband dies of a heart attack before the show starts. Judah made a good deal of money, and the whole family was living in a very nice house, in an even nicer suburban neighborhood. After Judah's death, with no other options to support their affluent lifestyle, Nancy begins to sell marijuana.

I cannot tell you how much I love this show. Or why, even. I love the fact that this show is simply about a very flawed woman who does everything in her power to support and protect her two sons (and eventually 3.)  A few episodes into the first season, Andy Botwin (Judah's brother) visits Nancy and the boys and stays with them for the rest of the show. The show is filled with Nancy's determination, drama, sex, comedy, and more that I just can't explain.

I find things in everything nowadays that remind me of Saba's determination and willpower in Blood Red Road. Nancy's determination to provide for her family, and be the best mother she can-under the circumstances- reminds me of Saba's to find her brother.

All eight seasons are currently available on DVD and Netflix! I recommend this show to anyone who loves a dramatic show that will make you laugh, cry, and think about your life! And although Weeds is one of my favorite shows on television, it still deals with topics such as drugs and sex, so be precautious!

Check out the clip from the show below! This clip takes place right after Nancy and her family go through just one of the MANY ordeals they endure during the show. Enjoy!

 

~Jake

Friday's Music: Ninth Ave Reverie - The Middle East

Choosing a song from this band was one of the hardest decisions I’ve EVER had to make when it’s come to music. I started listening to them only a couple months ago, but they’re already one of my absolute favourites, and I love almost all their songs equally. It was between this song, The Darkest Side, Lonely and Hunger Song.

Although this isn’t one of their most famous (they’re mostly renowned for Blood), it moves me a lot. I like how his voice is so honest and hopeful and melancholy, and I love how he says ‘you say a lot of things’, he just sounds really fond of whoever he’s singing about, and really sad. The lyrics in general are so quirky, and they paint lovely pictures in my head. I thought I heard a bit of Saba’s father in this song, with his star gazing, and the whole thing with Lugh not believing in the stars.

I wholly recommend the rest of their albums (they only have two, and one of them is really short). Their music is very inspirational and relaxing, and listening to their songs from start to finish is like going on a summer road trip.

You say you can't stop dreaming about your funeral day

Where all your long-time friends will be crying for you

I'd be up the back with a rose in my hand

And I'd give to you in death what I could not in life

~Bushra

Read Along: Darktrees

'I cain't stop till I find Lugh. I promised him.'

Upon arrival at the camp of the Free Hawks, Saba has to plan the journey she must take to find Lugh from her new starting point. Help comes from an unexpected source...

What if the Dustlands wasn't...the Dustlands?

In an exclusive Q&A we did with Moira Young a few weeks ago she said that in early ideas and versions of the story, Saba's journey didn't take place in the dry Dustlands that we all know today. In fact, it was originally quite the opposite! Moira says that originally she planned for it to be in an ice world! Crazy to think about, right? My question for you today is, what setting would you prefer?

Vote for the poll after the break! And don't forget to leave your comments! Poll ends 5/26/13

Saba and her Dog

Last week we asked you what pet Saba would have if she didn't have her crow companion, Nero. You guys voted for a dog!

The popular vote here corresponds with what originally was planned in the books! Moira Young revealed that before she decided Nero was a crow, he was going to be a wolf dog! What sort of dog do you think would live in the Dustlands? Leave your comments below! 

~Jake

Try It Tuesday: Hannibal - TV Series

Today I bring to you this new TV series called Hannibal, based on Thomas Harris’s book, Red Dragon. Only some elements and characters are taken from the story, as it’s not a direct adaptation, so if you’re a person that likes reading the thing before seeing it as a movie/tv series, this might be an exception! I cannot stress enough how much I’m enjoying this series, with its convincing character development and brilliant plot.

Hannibal Lecter, a cannibal and psychiatrist, is a VERY interesting character. Although I still haven’t gotten round to reading the four stories by Thomas Harris, I feel as if though the actor playing Hannibal, Mads Mikkelsen, does him a lot of justice, with his compelling looks, talents and accent. I find the chemistry between him and our second protagonist, Will Graham, very real, and I like how everything is progressing.

Another appealing thing about this show is that I felt myself sympathising with a serial killer! This, if nothing else, should be an indicator of how commendable it is. I urge you to try out at least an episode, and see how it goes.

~Bushra

Movie Madness #3: The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

    

    The Book:

     The Help is an extremely powerful book that I think everyone should read at least once in their life. I quickly devoured this book, despite the fact that it's not a book I would normally read. The Help is truly the modern equivalent of To Kill A Mockingbird and it's truly phenomenal. Kathryn Stockett is a superb writer and I would read anything Stockett would write. It's truly a shame how Stockett hasn't published any other books!

The Movie:

I was a bit skeptical about seeing The Help on DVD because I didn't think any movie could do it justice. In the beginning of the movie moved at a slower pace than the book but the pace quickly picked up. All of the actors in this movie are absolutely spectacular in portraying the characters from the novel, especially Viola Davis. This movie deserves all of the accolades and acclaim it received because The Help is truly a masterpiece. 

Bottom Line:

Both the movie and book are extremely powerful but I still prefer the novel. I would recommend reading the novel before seeing the movie. You don't want to miss out on The Help! 

                    

Friday's Music: Icarus - White Hinterland

Casey Dienel, performing as White Hinterland

I was just roaming YouTube a few days ago when I stumbled across this singer. Her voice, combined with the bass provides a strangely relaxing song that I feel like I can listen to over and over. Although some of the lyrics are quite intense, it makes me feel hazily happy. In this song I see some of Saba and Jack’s relationship, and perhaps Saba and Demalo’s encounter, lurking at the edges. 

-

Together going arm and arm, To meet our solitude, to meet it head on, I'll meet you where the water's warm, To meet my solitude, to meet it head on

 -

Though I can see clearly ahead of me, I cannot stop it once I'm set a-spinning, What can it mean? Why must I always see, the ending at the beginning?

~Bushra

Read Along: Hopetown - One Month Later

‘They call me the Angel of Death.’

Saba has been fighting in the Cage for a month. Very successfully. Whilst she is separated from Emmi, she maintains her fighting spirit in order to hatch a plan with new allies to escape from Hopetown and head for Lugh. There are some...unexpected twists along the way in the Hopetown we encounter One Month Later.

Poll: What if Saba didn't have Nero?

We all know and love Saba's 'pet' crow, Nero. We talk about him a lot in fact! But what if Saba didn't have a crow? What other animal companion do you think would suit Saba? Cast your vote in this weeks poll! Fun fact: Moira Young originally had a wolf-dog set to play Saba's animal friend! 

Try It Tuesday: John Green

Yes, this week it’s a person! I’ll warn you all from the beginning that this post won’t do him justice. John Green is a most inspirational, accomplished man. He’s an author of several bestselling books, has a youtube channel (Vlogbrothers, with his brother, Hank Green) that has over a million subscribers, and on top of that, a father and husband. I’m quite sure you’ve heard his name around, since his newest novel, The Fault In Our Stars, has been the New York Times best seller for a while now!

I first discovered John’s and Hank’s youtube channel when a friend linked me to a video of theirs from 2009, about how to be a ‘’Nerdfighter’’. This roped me into the Vlogbrothers world. ‘’Raising nerdy to the power of awesome.’’

Along with this channel, they do another: crash course. They've done past courses in World History, Ecology, Literature and Biology, and now John is doing US History and Hank chemistry. After checking out the youtube channels, you must must must start give John's books a read!

The first book I read was called Paper Towns. The realness of the story, the characters and the ideas was something that made me fall in love with this book and John Green’s writing. I felt I could relate to most of his characters, and I found he has a particular, quirky way of channelling emotions and thoughts, that I previously couldn't form into words, into elaborate characters and plot twists.

I will stop here, and let you discover the world of John Green and Nerdfighteria. I truly hope the experience for you is as great as it was for me. DFTBA (don't forget to be awesome).

 “Did you know that for pretty much the entire history of the human species, the average life span was less than thirty years? You could count on ten years or so of real adulthood, right? There was no planning for retirement. There was no planning for a career. There was no planning. No time for planning. No time for a future. But then the life spans started getting longer, and people started having more and more future. And now life has become the future. Every moment of your life is lived for the future--you go to high school so you can go to college so you can get a good job so you can get a nice house so you can afford to send your kids to college so they can get a good job so they can get a nice house so they can afford to send their kids to college.”

― John Green, Paper Towns

~Bushra

Poll Results Are In: Fans Aren't Destined to Believe in Fate!

It seems that most us over here at Dustlands are skeptics when it comes to fate and destiny!

Almost 50% of you, Free Hawks, voted that you didn't believe in fate! Check out the analysis after the jump...

Movie Madness #2: The Hobbit

The Hobbit: Or There And Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Book:

 The Hobbit is a light, fun adventure that I really enjoyed. It's certainly not as dark and complicated as Lord Of The Rings but it's still extremely entertaining. The Hobbit is one of the best fantasy books ever and I can't recommend it enough! I definitely think most people will enjoy The Hobbit and it's easy to see why it's a Classic. 

The Movie:

How do you adapt such a slim novel into 3 movies? I'll tell you how! You add tons of filler scenes that are pretty unnecessary to make these films substantially longer.  There were so many unnecessary scenes in The Hobbit that weren't present in the novel. The Hobbit is an extremely slow-paced movie and I think Peter Jackson basically mutilated the novel. It wasn't a terrible movie but I had way too high expectations. Peter Jackson tried to make The Hobbit a dark film like Lord Of The Rings but the problem is a light, fun novel.

I still will be seeing the sequel but I don't know why I'm going to bother.

Consensus: The Book

Final Opinion:

The Hobbit is a excellent fast paced novel but the movie is ultimately too slow-paced and watered down. I feel like Peter Jackson made the wrong decision turning The Hobbit into 3 films. If you're a Tolkien fan, you'll most likely be disappointed by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!

Friday's Music: The Lion's Roar - First Aid Kit

Folk isn't a genre I’d normally opt for, but First Aid Kit have whisked me away with their music and voices and lyrics. I got caught up in their passion, and the wistful melancholia which is especially evident in this song. The song actually first reminded me of Molly Pratt and Ike’s relationship. Her devastation at his death haunted me quite a bit in the beginning of Rebel Heart, and I started to fear for Jack and Saba’s relationship, hoping Moira would spare us any affliction that’d surely come to us if either of them was hurt!

This verse reminds me of how Saba changes when she’s around Jack, how much softer she gets around him, and how forlorn she is when he’s not there.

Sometimes I wish I could find my Rosemary Hill

I'd sit there and look at the deserted lakes and I'd sing

And every once in a while I'd sing a song for you

That would rise above the mountains and the stars and the sea

And if I wanted it to it would lead you back to me

I urge you to check out the rest of their music, it won't disappoint.

~Bushra

Read Along: Hopetown

‘Don’t ever let ‘em hear you cry’

Arguably this is the chapter where it all kicks off for Saba and Emmi. Arriving at Hopetown under the watchful eye of the Pinches, Saba is introduced to a life that she likely scarcely knew existed, let alone planned to live. It’s time for Saba to show what she’s made of in the Cage.

‘Commotion all around us’

Upon arrival in Hopetown, and departure of the Desert Swan, Saba sees the infamous Hopetown. It is described as ‘squatting’ under the Black Mountains, which instantly brings to mind a place of dirt and roughness. The only thing able to restore some kind of faith to our leading lady is the ‘fierce hug’ she receives from her sister, and the return of her loyal crow, Nero. But the ‘red hot’ is still flowing through Saba’s veins, and it’s clear that she isn’t about to lie-down and take whatever the Pinches give her.

‘Take us to the Cage Master’

Miz Pinch can tell Saba is exactly the kind of girl she’s been looking for when she watches as Saba fights off a beggar, ‘a little smile on her face’; she recognises in Saba a fighting spirit that’s going to earn her a lot of money. Once again, we see Miz Pinch holds all the power, even over the Cage Master himself, ‘You better hope that my- that...certain people don’t find out’, ‘I got influence’. It leaves the reader questioning just what this woman’s story is, yet again. At the Cage Master’s they are also met by the Tonton, a formidable, ‘merciless’ group of men who are responsible for Lugh’s abduction.

‘Time shrieks to a halt’

Among them is one quite unlike any other: DeMalo. He’s special. Where the other Tonton where ‘leather body armour’ he’s seen in ‘metal’; he’s ‘beautiful’, even for a man; and above all ‘they’re all afeared of him’. Saba’s own connection to him is one that will likely be developed later in the story, ‘his eyes meet mine...I know you, a voice whispers...him an me locked inside a heartbeat’. It would be a good time for Saba to put her heartstone to good use if she was in possession of it. Miz Pinch introduces Saba as ‘very rare. Very fine’, and she proves herself to be just this, although not in the way Miz Pinch quite meant, as she flaunts her devil-may-care attitude by eating the ‘platters’ of the Cage Master’s food. The reader feels a surge of pride for her as she looks evil in the eye and mocks him.

‘Welcome to the Colosseum’

Her defiance isn’t long-standing however as she is made to watch two men, like gladiators, battle it out in a metal cage surrounded by a ‘crowd going crazy...their eyes wild’. The scene is almost unimaginable to any reader; such ferocity and violence is so medieval that we blindly assumed it was never to return. Alas in Young’s chilling vision of the future, the old ways of humans have returned. ‘They’re worse than animals. That’s what too much chaal does to you.’ Indeed the people watching for entertainment appear worse than the actual fight itself. Perhaps one of the most shocking aspects of this part of the book is the concept of the ‘gauntlet’; a run for a fighter who’s lost three fights where they can be torn apart be the wild crowds.

‘The end fer her. The beginning fer me.’

And then it’s Saba’s turn in the Cage. The ‘red hot’ comes blurring to life and the survival instinct within her awakens and peaks. ‘I learn fast...i sure as hell ain’t gonna be me [that faces the gauntlet]’. She has a refusal to lose because she knows what’s coming. Whilst she shows a pity to the girl she’s up against, who has already lost two fights, she also reveals a determination that we’re not unfamiliar with from her. Nevertheless, the fight affects her and we see a role reversal as Emmi tends to Saba instead of the other way around, which we are more used to. We also witness Saba crying, almost broken by the harsh reality of her new life, when all she wanted was to find her brother. An empathy and fear begins to grow inside the reader.

~Ella

Is it all written in the stars?

Saba lives in a world where fate and destiny and the writing in the stars, is believed in. At least by some. 

The question this week is: do you believe in fate?