The Science Fiction Novel - Young Adults (Part 2)
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| Philip Pullman |
I have read and enjoyed the first two books in the Dark Materials trilogy (don't know why I never completed it because it's a fantastic trilogy) and haven't yet explored his other books. (Too many books, not enough time). The Golden Compass, itself, was turned into a wonderful movie, but I think somewhat eclipsed by the success of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. The Dark Materials has recently been turned into a TV series and I have yet to try it. But the books, as I remember, was peopled with wonderful characters (I particularly liked Serafina Pekkala, the witch.
Below are synopses of the three books -
"Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.
Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want--but what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other."
"Lost in a new world, Lyra finds Will—a boy on the run, a murderer—a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.
Each is searching—Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power. And neither Lyra nor Will suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, and their destinies are bound together... until they are split apart."
"Lyra and Will, the two ordinary children whose extraordinary adventures began in The Golden Compass and continued in The Subtle Knife, are in unspeakable danger. With help from the armored bear Iorek Byrnison and two tiny Gallivespian spies, they must journey to a gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone. All the while, Dr. Mary Malone builds a magnificent amber spyglass. An assassin hunts her down. And Lord Asriel, with troops of shining angels, fights his mighty rebellion, a battle of strange allies—and shocking sacrifices.
As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living—and the dead—finally comes to depend on two children and the simple truth of one simple story. The Amber Spyglass reveals that story, bringing Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials to an astonishing conclusion."
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| Suzanne Collins |
2. Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games). Suzanne Collins is an American author born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1962, well known for her dystopic trilogy, The Hunger Games, amongst other books. So popular it also became a successful movie series starring Jennifer Lawrence as the book's heroine, Katniss Everdeen. It seems that Collins is now writing a prequel that will feature the failed rebellion highlighted in the books. It is supposed to be released sometime in 2020. I've read and enjoyed the three books. They are a dark look at the world but present interesting ideas.
a. The Hunger Games (#1 / 2008).
"Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love." (4 stars)
b. Catching Fire (#2 / 2009).
"Catching Fire was an entertaining, well-paced sequel in the Hunger Games trilogy. It has that problem of being the 2nd book in a trilogy, continuing the thread from Book 1 and setting up the grand finale. It was a bit of more of the same from the first book, Katniss and Peeta once again, surprisingly though, sent to another Hunger Games competition, the 75th anniversary, as because they were previous winners, they were supposed to be exempt. This competition involves previous winners from each district and is an attempt by President Snow to end the popularity of Katniss and to quell outbreaks in the various districts. New challenges, new friends and enemies. It was interesting and exciting. I've now got to find out how the whole thing ends so I guess it achieved its aim. (3 stars)"
c. Mockingjay (#3 / 2010).
"Mockingjay is the third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It was definitely an excellent ending to the story. I thought of giving it a rating of 5 but it wasn't quite perfect. It took a bit to get going but once it did, it held my attention, almost breathless, until the end. There were nice twists and turns as well; the effect of imprisonment on Peeta, the surprising ending.
I still found Katniss a bit irritating but then again, she was a young woman still with tremendous pressure placed on her shoulders (If you call having the weight of the world's survival on your shoulders as tremendous pressure 😉). I liked so many of the characters, especially her support cast; Gale, Haymitch. Prim, Finnick, etc.
The story developed slowly but once the revolution gets going, it's a constant flow of intense action. But the final ending left me feeling hope for the future of the world of Panem. (4 stars)"
The prequel is supposed to be called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Check it out if you want to see how it all began.
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| Maggie Stiefvater |
3. Maggie Stiefvater (The Scorpio Races). Maggie Stiefvater is an American author of young adult fantasy series. She was born in Harrisonburg, VA in 1981. (Yup, these authors keep getting younger and younger, which is no bad thing. Someone has to take up the torch and keep pumping out great novels. Stiefvater is best known for her series books, The Wolves of Mercy Falls and The Raven Cycle. I've not tried these yet but I was introduced to her writing by her standalone novel, The Scorpio Races, which I thought was unique and fascinating.
a. The Scorpio Races (2011).
"This was such an excellent story, well-written, a page turner, thoughtful and even emotional. It's a YA fantasy, so I was thinking it was more of The Hunger Games, but it was quite different in some ways.
Each year on an island off America, Thisby, the Scorpio Races take place. The difference between a normal horse race and the Scorpio races is that the horses used come from the sea, and they are meat eaters. They wash ashore during storms and some are captured and kept on land. In November, the races take place.
People and horses will die. Sean Kendricks, a young man who works for the wealthiest landowner on the island, has won 4 of the last 6 races, on a horse named Corr. He competes with the landowner's son and others; there is ill-feeling between him and Mutt Malvern, partly because Mutt's father seems to prefer Sean. Kate (Puck) Connolly needs to enter this year's race, to try and keep her family together and to keep her family home.
However, there has never been a girl in the Scorpio Races before and Kate will be riding her land horse, Dove, not a water horse. This is the premise of this fantastic story. The book is peopled with wonderful characters, Kate and her brothers, Sean, George Holly (the horse trader from the mainland), Peg Gratton, Dory Maud and her sisters and the story draws you in more and more until you can't put the book down. I want to go the bakery on the island and have November Cakes, they sound delicious. Excellent book and I have to give it. (5 stars)"
The other day when I was wandering through a new local bookstore (YAY!) that specializes in young adult fiction, I noticed that she has a new series out, Dreamers. The first book, Call Down the Hawk, sounded very interesting. I may have to check it out.
So there you go. Do any of these series interest you?
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