Guest Megan from Po(sey) Sessions on more lesser-known dystopian gems

I still have one review (THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin) and my Dystopian February wrap-up, but those will come tomorrow - even though it'll be March already.

I have Megan once again to talk about some lesser known gems she's read recently in the genre. And if you'd like to read her previous post on the subject, here it is.

Here's Megan:

Today I am going to highlight three books that are each the first in a middle grade dystopian series. Middle grade is a great opportunity to introduce children to this subgenre. Even though at moments these books can be dark, they have substance and more themes running through them than Haddix’s Shadow Children series.

The Fire-Us trilogy starts with our introduction to several kids who have banded together in a family unit in the book entitled THE KINDLING. As far as they know a virus has killed off all adults and also made the children forget many aspects of their past. They forget their names and events from their childhood. These children find each other and bond. They survive through their mock family unit and mimicking a normal life. The older children have school and meals for the younger kids. The oldest male goes out and forages through the city for items they need. One day a strange visitor comes. The family cannot tell if he is good or bad, they don’t know what to make of him, but they are curious. Since meeting each other he is the only evidence that anyone else has ever survived.

The Virtual War series is by local Utah author Gloria Skurzynski. The first book in the series is called THE VIRTUAL WAR and we see the world through the eyes of Corgan. He was chosen from a very young age to be one of the ones who will fight a fake or virtual war with the opponents of other countries. In this future the governments have accepted the cruelties of war and have agreed to have them fought virtually through computer simulation. This simulation is then televised as a reminder of how bloody and violent the world used to be. As Corgan meets his two other team members, he begins to find out that his world is very different from what it had always seemed.

The Traces series by Malcolm Rose is probably the lightest of the three even though it directly deals with death. The series follows a teen trained in a futuristic crime scene investigation. The dystopian elements of this first book, FRAMED, are based on governmentally assigned mating matches and other uses of technology to determine one’s future. These dystopian elements are not the main focus of the book. This series is like a futuristic CSI for kids and is based on a murder mystery style. Even though the dystopian elements aren’t the main theme, they run consistently through the book making it an important element to the telling of the story.

Thanks Megan!

Guest Jen Robinson on Michael Grant's Gone Series

Michael Grant's Gone series is a currently ongoing dystopia series that seems to be pretty popular. I've stayed away from it until now, because from the summaries I've read, it just seemed like LORD OF THE FLIES redux. Also, the covers just don't do it for me. I mean how desperate can these kids be if they find time to iron their clothes?

So I asked Jen Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page to write a guest post about the series for me. You see, not only is Jen a fellow dystopia fan, she's also my book twin. Odds are if she loves a book, I'm going to love it. She also writes amazingly concise yet in-depth reviews that are a joy to read, which makes her one of my top go-to book bloggers when I want reading recommendations. And you know what? I think she may have finally made me excited about picking up this series!

Here's Jen:

Hunger and Gone are the first two books in a projected six-book series by Michael Grant (book 3, Lies, is scheduled for US publication May 4, 2010). The Gone series features an irresistible premise for dystopia junkies. One day, in the middle of the school day, an impenetrable dome appears around the town of Perdido Beach, CA. (For what it's worth - Gone was published nearly a year and a half before Stephen King's The Dome). The Gone dome has a 20 mile diameter, and also encompasses a nuclear power plant, a snooty boarding school, a national park, and a sweep of ocean.

What the dome doesn't encompass is adults. Everyone over the age of 14 vanishes when the dome arrives. Other teens disappear as they reach their 15th birthdays. The kids left in the dome have no idea what's going on in the outside world, or even if the outside world still exists. They're on their own. They name their territory The Fallout Alley Youth Zone, or FAYZ.

As if the struggle to survive (finding food, taking care of the younger children) weren't enough, the kids from Perdido Beach soon discover that the boarding school kids are dangerous rivals. Also, some of the kids start to develop unusual abilities (superpowers like invisibility and hyper-speed). These are sometimes helpful, and sometimes harmful, but always make things more complex. As do some developing romances between the main characters. And, oh yes, there's an evil force hidden in the depths of an old mine shaft, that (mostly in Hunger) creeps into the minds and influences the behavior of some of the kids.

I've reviewed both books on my blog (Gone here and Hunger here). Here's what I said about Gone:

"This is an irresistible premise and setting. The plot is fast-faced and compelling. The characterization is excellent, too. The kids have talents and insecurities and relationship conflicts. The primary hero, Sam, is a natural-born leader who resists taking charge. He's joined by other strong, interesting characters.

Although Gone is a long book, it moves quickly, and I read the whole thing in a single day. Each chapter has, instead of a title, a countdown to how long it will be until Sam turns 15. This device ratchets up the suspense."

and about Hunger:

"So what we have, in summary, is a battle between kids with superpowers and a mysterious evil force, set against a backdrop of social unrest after a natural disaster. Dystopia fans will find this series hard to resist. Fair warning, though. Hunger is very bleak. In some ways, I found it more bleak than Life As We Knew It and the Dead and the Gone (two of my favorites, by Susan Beth Pfeffer)... But I found the social dynamics of the book fascinating. There's a whole sub-plot centered around Albert, the boy in charge of the food, who is pushing for the re-introduction of money. He feels strongly that the only way to get kids to work is to give them some individual incentive. I found that whole thread well-done, without being at all message-y. I also liked the bits about kids adjusting to a dystopia set in a modern society - they miss Facebook and MySpace, and they want to keep their GameBoys charged, and so on."

I was a bit less enthusiastic about the characterization in Hunger (I couldn't quite internalize the struggles of the characters), but thought that the tension and issues were ratcheted up compared to the first book, and that it was a better book overall.

I think that the Gone series is an excellent addition to the genre, and will appeal to teen and adult dystopia fans. I think that the books would make great movies (or mini-series). And I'm looking forward to the next book.

Thank you so much Jen!

Guest Megan from Po(sey) Sessions on lesser-known dystopian gems

Naturally it's not possible for me to read or feature every dystopian novel ever written in one month (nor would I try), but thanks to a few dystopian fiction junkies like myself around the blogosphere, I can introduce you to some titles I haven't read during Dystopian February.

My first guest is Megan from Po(sey) Sessions. Megan has been book blogging just as long as I have, and she's gung-ho about dystopian fiction, reading pretty much every title she can get her hands on. Today, she's here to tell us about a few lesser-known gems she's discovered lately.

Stead, Rebecca: FIRST LIGHT (Middle Grade, Standalone, Political Dystopia)
Newberry winning Author Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me)’s debut novel was 2007’s FIRST LIGHT. It skates the line between utopia and dystopia. Teah lives in a society underground. It is beautiful and mostly peaceful. Her people were forced underground retreating from persecution in England. Now the ancestors live in Gracehope, without fear of the outside world. But as in most seemingly happy places, the people in power abuse their knowledge and hide things from the community.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Peter is arrives in Greenland with his scientist parents. Peter's father is searching for something, but no one really knows what. Peter is not really sure why he was brought along, nor why his mother was there writing a book.

The story is told in an alternating narrative between Peter and Teah. Peter explores further and further from their camp but he never really knows what he is searching for. Teah is searching for something too, following clues in Gracehope to the truth. Teah is the stronger of the two. She doesn't expect to be rescued by others. Peter's passivity towards his situation touches on making him boring. He doesn't ask questions, he doesn't involve himself into the world and into the narrative. I enjoyed the story and writing but it may be too light for other dystopian junkies.

FIRST LIGHT is available in paperback now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

Davidson, Ellen Dee: STOLEN VOICES (Middle Grade, Standalone, Political Dystopia)
As children come into their teenage years, they are masked to keep them from using their voice as weapons. Each teen is encouraged to find their unique talent and cultivate it. But Miri cannot find her talent. She is now at risk of being masked later than her friends. The masking ceremony is a great honor and a symbol of maturity and loyalty.

But Miri begins to see the world around her in new ways. She begins to understand the ways that music has power and also why it is kept muted. I enjoyed the world in the story and so many of the details the author used to build it. Though there are many things about Miri's world that are unsettling, there are things about it that do seem truly pleasant. But to live in a world without music, to have no voice, and little control would be heartbreaking for me.

STOLEN VOICES is availble in paperback now. Find out more about it at the publisher's website.

Adlington, L. J.: THE DIARY OF PELLY D (YA, Companion Novel CHERRY HEAVEN, Political Dystopia)
A young boy named Toni V comes across a notebook while he’s cleaning. The notebook is a diary by a girl named Pelly D, and we experience her story through Toni’s eyes. Toni sees how her world was different from his. How her world would become his. As the story continues, he becomes more engrossed in thinking about Pelly D and what will happen to her. And if the diary will even be able to tell him what happened to her. The world and politics in this story are interesting, but it is the creative narration that makes this book really compelling.

THE DIARY OF PELLY D is available in paperback now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

Thanks Megan! I know my wishlist just got longer. Anyone else have some lesser known dystopian gems they want to recommend? Let us know in the comments.

Guest Book Review: Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

My guest reviewer Jen is back! I'm really excited to read this one too, especially because it was shortlisted for the 2008 Booker Prize and since I enjoyed Ghosh's THE GLASS PALACE so much.

Here's Jen:

The first in a trilogy of novels, SEA OF POPPIES is an epic tale that revolves around a ship, the Ibis, which makes an unforgettable journey from India to the Mauritius Islands. The historical adventures touch upon colonial upheaval, the Opium Wars and a slave-free America. After all, which other span of time could allow a bankrupt Raja, widowed village woman, mulatto American freeman and a European orphan to all cross paths?

Rarely have I read a book where I could relate to so many characters. I continue to ask myself how Amitav Ghosh made this kaleidoscope of individuals so sympathetic in such a despicable time (in terms of humanitarian relevance), such as the mid-nineteenth century. It’s a history lesson that reaches around the world, yet eerily parallels social issues of today. It is also a story which makes me grateful to be a woman today instead of back then. Sea of Poppies is destined for the silver screen, but I pity the day in which a single paragraph would be scrapped. (Subtitles would bring some clarity to the extremely difficult sailor lingo though.) The storytelling is masterful, allowing me to actually feel the rise and fall of the waves, feel the warmth of fires and blood and see the brilliant colours of life.

SEA OF POPPIES is available in hardcover now, but comes out in paperback in the US on September 29th. I anxiously await the next saga of the trilogy.

Find out more about the book at www.amitavghosh.com

Guest Book Review: Who by Fire by Diana Spechler

Reviewed by Presenting Lenore guest reviewer Jen Reichert

Ash and Bits have been irreversibly changed in childhood by the kidnapping of their little sister, Alena. Thirteen years later, Ash still blames himself for Alena’s abduction and looks for a new life as an Orthodox Jew in Isreal. Bits took a much different direction, and has become a real wild child. Until one day when their mother phones to say that Alena’s remains are finally discovered. Trying to reach Ash to no avail, Bits jumps on a plane to travel half way across the world in attempt to bring her brother home, to ensure that the family is together one last time.

After reading the back cover, I thought I would only be captivated by the somewhat mysterious lifestyles of Orthodox Judaism. Parallel to learning about the Orthodox Yeshivas, I was delighted to see the author give the female characters in the book a raw, disturbing and truthful portrayal of women seeking relationships to numb their pain. It was also refreshing to have enough information about Alena’s disappearance, yet spared of any gory details.

The book made me think about not being swift to judge other’s behaviors. Sometimes what motivates us is too deep and hurtful to explain, we just try to start anew. I would recommend this book, for not only did I read something about a fascinating culture, but also about genuine human behavior.