Dystopian August 2011 Kick-off

It's here: the 4th in a row of dystopian theme months that began in Feb 2010 to spotlight dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction.  If you plan to participate with me this month, grab the Dystopian August button from my sidebar and put it on your blog, linking to this kick-off post.

Now I'm pretty inclusive in my definition of dystopia/post-apocalyptic lit, so you'll find a wide range of books, including some occasional books with very limited dystopias.  Thanks to the explosion in popularity of the genre, publishers often market books as dystopias which really aren't - in which case I will alert you to that fact in my review.

UPDATE:
Click for a recap of week one!
Click for a recap of week two!
Click for a recap of week three!
Click for a recap of week four!
Click for a recap of week five + final wrap-up.

So what's in store this month?

Reviews of over 20 dystopian novels, past, present and future. (Refer to my index of dystopian reviews for latest updates and past reads)  Every Thursday, I'll do an in-depth joint review of a book with Michelle from Galleysmith.  NOTE: In a policy change, I will only be giving Zombie Chicken Ratings of 4 and 5 this month.  Read why here: What's up with the Zombie Chickens?


Interviews with over 25 authors releasing a dystopian in 2012 which give you an exclusive preview of these upcoming books.  Each author answered the same six questions and shared a song that we'll add to the Ultimate Dystopian Playlist I will premiere at the end of the month.  I'll also answer my own interview questions about my forthcoming book LEVEL TWO.


Plus - book giveaways, lists of dystopian resources, guest posts and weekend round-up posts to catch you up on anything you might have missed.


Speaking of giveaways, Simon & Schuster US has generously donated two  prize packs of dystopian YA books. All you have to do to enter to win is read and review at least one dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel during the month of August and then link to your review via a google form below (if you review it on your blog) or via the comments (if you review it on a review site such as GoodReads because you don't have a blog). Challenge and contest is open worldwide, so get reading!


Here are the books you could win:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young (hardcover) (add on GoodReads)
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (ARC) (add on GoodReads)
Wither by Lauren DeStefano (*signed* hardcover) (add on GoodReads) (read my review)
Fever by Lauren DeStefano (ARC) (add on GoodReads)
Possession by Elana Johnson (hardcover) (add on GoodReads)
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (ARC) (add on GoodReads)


+ special non-dystopian bonus: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (ARC) (add on GoodReads)

Enter links to your dystopian reviews in August here.

The above link takes you to a google form.

See links to other dystopian reviews here.

The above link takes you to a google spreadsheet.

With all this content this month, I'll be posting twice a day, once at midnight (Central European Time) and once at noon (CET).  If you don't want to miss anything, consider following my blog or subscribing via a feedreader.  Thanks!  I hope you enjoy this month as much as I am enjoying putting it together!


Tweet me! The official twitter hashtag is:  #dystopianaugust  Let's talk dystopian :)