Inheritance Games V. Knives Out
Everywhere I go, I see “Inheritance Games, Knives Out as a novel … fan of Knives Out? Inheritance Games is the next book for you”. I mean, it is like everybody on the internet found the exact same comparison. Google inheritance games, and Google Books will pop up first with a “Perfect for fans of Knives Out”. Are they actually that similar though? Inheritance games in a new released teenage novel featuring Avery Grambs, a high school teenager with nothing, living in a car. Until multi-billionaire Tobias Hawthorn leaves her his entire inheritance. Just from the opening scene, you can see the ties back to the 2019 movie, Knives Out. In the first half hour of Knives Out, you watch Marta Cabrera go from nothing to multimillionaire, and becoming part of the disinheritance of all of the millionaire’s relatives. The foundation of both works is exactly the same, almost to the exact same age and gender of the main character (Marta Cabrera is a few years older). Both Marta and Avery are sent on a thrilling mystery, fighting for their fortune against the other erratic (and slightly crazy) family members. So the plot? Practically the same. The characters? In both of these narratives, there is the old rich grandfather who runs everybody else's life, raising his children and grandchildren in a way that has them constantly trying to outcompete each other. And all of these members of this guy's family’s lives are deep, tangled, nets of lies and secrets. All of them trying to appear like they are helping the main character, their fortune stealer…but with doubtable intentions.
However, Knives Out has a key character that Inheritance Games is missing, the detective. The characters of Knives Out are sent on a wild murder mystery, investigating the death of the grandfather that could send the whole will unraveling, while in Inherintance Games the death of Mr. Hawthorn was completely legitimate. Instead, it is a series of riddles and games Hawthorne has set up, motivating the characters to solve it with the threat or potential regaining of their inheritance. The only difference in setting is the lack of school in Knives Out, other than that the majority of events take place at the dead man's estate.
I mean it makes sense that everyone is comparing the same two stories, doesn’t it? The plot, character, and setting, practically sound like the same right? Is this getting close to plagiarism? However, having watched the movie and read the book, I would say no. For one, Inheritance Games did not get close to reaching the level of mind blowing plot twist in Knives Out, and did not end with one end all be all confrontation. Knives Out was a fight for justice, while Inheritance Games is a teenage drama. The first fourth of Knives Out and Inheritance Games are practically the same. However, they both took the same thing and spun off in different directions. This idea of a family fighting about inheritance isn’t exactly the most out of the box, one of the kind concept either. I personally found Knives Out to be much more interesting and entertaining, with plot twists that are practically impossible to catch beforehand. However, if interesting character dynamics are more your thing, Inheritance games is 100% the way to go. But if you’ve read the book and liked it, I would highly recommend the movie, and vice versa. If you are looking for a quick thrill, both are great options (but Knives Out is still better, sorry Inheritance Games fans).
- Eve Anderson
Eve, I loved this comparison! I always thought that The Inheritance Games and Knives Out are very similar, but never thought about this deeply. I really enjoyed the book and the movie, but I would definitely have to agree with you that Knives out is superior. Both have a great drama mystery plot, but the acting in Knives Out also has an advantage too. Have you read the sequel to The Inheritance Games yet?
ReplyDeleteI liked how you distinguished features of the book Knives Out to try and compare how Knives Out is better than The Inheritance Games from your perspective. I have never read any of these books before nor read books that were from the authors, but I can tell the difference between the two books.
ReplyDeleteHi Eve, would you say that the plot that both of the stories took were just generic because another book that has about the same plot is 39 clues. It is likely because people dying and leaving a large inheritance is just an interesting thing to write about. I will definitely have to look at both and them and look for similarities.
ReplyDeleteThis post is so good Eve! I haven't read The Inheritance Games or Knives Out, but the title just captivated me, because I loved the idea of comparing two books that seem similar but actually aren't. I think it's really interesting how both novels commence with the protagonists practically becoming rich overnight, but I also think that evens out because of the murder mystery element of Knives Out and The Inheritance Games' lack thereof. It's also so helpful how you identify the pros and cons of both The Inheritance Games and Knives Out! I agree where you said that the idea of a family fighting about inheritance isn't the most original, and that the two books might be similar to start with, but spin off in different directions as the plot thickens. However, I would be interested in knowing why you think Knives Out is more interesting and entertaining. While I haven't read either, I love how you pointed out that The Inheritance Games is more of a teenage drama, while Knives Out is a fight for justice. This post was so fun to read, and I can't wait to read both books :)
ReplyDeleteI've already read The Inheritance Games and I really enjoyed the book. I find it so interesting how similar the movie sounds to the book yet Knives Out is seen on a whole other level by you. I haven't seen the Knives out yet ,but I definitely plan to watch it. I have really high expectations of the movie now!
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