Book Review, Giveaway & Apoc Love Interview: Starters by Lissa Price

STARTERS is one of the most purely entertaining novels I’ve read in a long while. It clips along at a brisk pace, with satisfying reveals and twists throughout. Callie is a engaging character, and I rooted for her wholeheartedly.

The premise – that everyone between 20-60 was killed off in bioterror attacks leaving only Starters and Enders - is definitely more “commercial dystopia” than “philosophical dystopia” in that it doesn’t seem overly concerned about confronting and exploring our own society’s ills and is rather implausible in the context of real life (i.e. there’d be plenty of people in the 20-60 age range who’d get the vaccine against a killer biotoxin before children and the elderly would – though a flashback does reveal why Callie’s father, an important scientist with government connections, did not). In that sense (and for other reasons), I’d classify this more as a futuristic thriller than a sci-fi dystopia.

I’m super excited to see where Lissa Price takes us in the sequel, especially after that killer cryptic ending!

Because Lissa is an Apocalypsie, we also get an Apocalypsies Love interview today! Lissa tells us what she especially loves about her book.

What is your favorite scene in the book? 

I have several but it’s easiest to talk about the ones that are not in the second half of the book, so I don’t give anything away. I’ve always liked the club scene that Callie wakes up in. Suddenly she’s thrown into a world she’s never experienced, with teens who are not who they seem and who don’t know that Callie is really a donor. I love playing with levels of reality.

It was quite a contrast, indeed. What is your favorite line in the book? 

Here are two:

He had the face of a floating astronaut who had lost his tether and had only one chance to grab a lifeline or forever drift away into endless black.

And:

I was dying to know where my body had been.

What setting was the most fun to write? 

The body bank – Prime Destinations.

Who is your favorite supporting character – one you could see getting a spin-off book – and why? Easily The Old Man. He has many layers that get to come out in book two. And in one of the ‘Unhidden’ short stories, I’ll focus on him.

The Old Man is creeptastic! What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?

The people I get to meet, especially writers I’ve admired. I love meeting readers who come up to me with excitement in their eyes, thanking me for writing this book. I didn’t know that would happen. It makes the long hours at the computer worth it.

Thanks Lissa!


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STARTERS comes out March 13, 2012 from Random House. ENDERS, the sequel, is set for December 12, 2012. Find out more about the series and see the trailer at the author's website and the official book website.  Also, check out Lissa's preview interview from last Dystopian August.

Lissa has donated one ARC of STARTERS that she'll ship to a reader with an address in the US or Canada.  To enter to win, fill out this form by Feb 24, 2012 at 11:59 pm CST.

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

FTC disclosure: I read an eGalley provided by the publisher on NetGalley.