Book Review: Tomorrow Girls - Behind the Gates by Eva Gray

War and natural disasters overshadow the US of 2020 and 13 year old Louisa’s parents decide to send her and her best friend Maddie to an expensive boarding school for their safety.  Louisa loves the survival skills she learns at CMS, but one of her new roommates is suspicious of the school’s leaders, especially when they effectively cut off the students from the outside world.  Does the school really have their best interests at heart?

BEHIND THE GATES makes an excellent dystopian "gateway" book for younger readers, though it may well be too simplistic for seasoned fans of the genre. We never find out much about the world of 2020, and the girls conversations tend to be fairly basic and full! of! exclamation! marks!

While it’s clear that something’s off about the school, there’s nothing really that creepy about it until the cool plot twist at the end when we finally find out the nefarious truth.  I’m definitely looking forward to the next books in the series.

Zombie chickens say: If they take all your electronics away, you know something fishy is going on ...

Book 1 BEHIND THE GATES – available in paperback now

Book 2 RUN FOR COVER – available in paperback now

Book 3 WITH THE ENEMY – available Sept 1, 2011

Book 4  SET ME FREE – available Nov 1, 2011

Find out more about the series at the publisher's website.

Song for the Ultimate Dystopian Playlist: The Lakes of Canada by The Innocence Mission. Sample lyric: "My little mouth, my winter lungs. Don't tell what cannot be done."

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Author Interview: Julianna Baggott previews Pure

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interviewed over 20 authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13.  These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works.  Enjoy!

Photo credit: Laura Ciociola

PURE is an adult novel that's already getting tons of buzz, and Author Julianna Baggott is here today to add to that buzz with her preview.  The book is due to drop on February 8, 2012 (Grand Central Publishing/Hachette) and film rights have been optioned.


Here's the summary:

A dystopian novel about a society of haves, who escaped an apocalypse in a futuristic dome-covered city, and have-nots, who survived the nearly destroyed outside world. The have-nots are almost entirely marked or mutated in some manner. 

PURE centers around the story of Pressia, a 16-year-old survivor with a doll’s head fused into her left hand, and Partridge, an unmarked Pure who has escaped the Dome to find his mother, certain that she has survived the cataclysm.

The cover is mighty pretty:

And now ... onto the interview.


Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?

People are drawn to compelling stories. We want conflict and resilience. We want to have hope. You can't get to hope without going through some hopelessness. There's no greater way to come to believe in resilience than knowing desperation. In other words, people want darkness because they want to truly appreciate light.  

If PURE had a theme song, what would it be and why? 

For me, while gearing up to write, I like the dark industrial sounds of The Smiths "How Soon is Now?" But a friend of ours saw the cover and sent me a few compositions from Yoko Shimomura from the video game "Kingdom Hearts," pieces like "Dive into the Heart," "Hollow Bastion," and, aptly, "End of the World," beautiful, moody, sweeping. 

What fictional character from another book would Pressia chose as her best friend and why?

I hadn't really thought of this really clearly and consciously, I don't think, until this moment -- and she isn't a fictional character, but we've read her words and the'vey moved us. She's made a huge impression on recent generations -- another girl from a book who had to hide. Anne Frank. (Of course, having Katniss as a bad ass on your side would always help.) 

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why? 

I haven't read as widely in this genre as you and your readers have. I wrote a novel about characters I loved and the writers I've loved for a long time helped me create this world -- from Aimee Bender to Gabriel Garcia Marquez to Margaret Atwood to Italo Calvino, Fred Chappell and Lewis Nordan. I recently did a YA summer reading round-up for NPR. Two of those titles deserve a much larger readership: Flip by Martyn Bedford and Karma by Cathy Ostlere. Neither are dystopic but both are dark and wild. 

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends? (you know, in case it ends next year)

Damn. That's a really brutal question. I suppose I'd like to be part of the resistance -- you know, the group that tries to stop the end of the world. That feels like a good cause. 

How does your novel stand out from other dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction out there?

Well, the world of PURE comes from the dark finery of my subconscious, the twisted parts of my own imagination, the things lodged in my memory, my take on the dystopic elements of our current world. It's mine, I guess, and so it is what it is. I hope it charges the imaginations of my readers -- contagiously. 

Visit the PURE preview website (includes excerpt of the first 7 pages)
Visit Julianna's website
Follow Julianna on Twitter
Add PURE to your GoodReads wishlist

Joint Book Review Discussion: The Predicteds by Christine Seifert

So Michelle of Galleysmith and I thought it would be fun to have a conversational review about a few of my dystopian reads this month. These will be more in-depth than my usual reviews and discuss plot points in a non-spoilery way.  We'll be posting about a different book every Thursday, and this week, THE PREDICTEDS is up.

Here's the official summary:

Daphne is the new girl in town and is having trouble fitting in. At least she has Jesse... sort of. He wants to be more than "just friends," but there's something he's not telling her about his past. Something dangerous. When a female student is brutally attacked, police turn to PROFILE, a new program that can predict a student's capacity for drug use, pregnancy, and violent behavior, to solve the case. As the witch hunt ensues, Daphne is forced to question her feelings for Jesse-and what she will do if her first love turns out to be a killer.

Michelle and I decided to discuss four topics: Genre classification, Believability, Discrimination and Predictability.  The first two we discuss below, the second two we discuss over at Galleysmith.

Genre classification 

LENORE:

Based on the premise, I expected this to be a sort of MINORITY REPORT for teens.  I guess that’s why I thought the prologue was Daphne being arrested by PROFILE police for either aiding and abetting Jesse (her Predicted love interest) or rebellion or something of that nature.  But my expectations were way off.  I don’t think readers should go into this expecting a classic dystopia – if anything this is a very, very limited dystopia.  In fact, I was surprised to discover while reading that PROFILE was available at only one Oklahoma school and was very peripheral to the plot for most of the book.

MICHELLE:

I wouldn't classify this book as dystopian at all.  PROFILE wasn't a government-based initiative and it didn't oppress an entire population.  At first I was thinking it was veering into science fiction but the more I thought on it I'd say this book falls more into the psychological thriller or contemporary genre than anything else.  As you mentioned, the bulk of the plot centralizes around personal relationships and there is quite a bit of attention paid to more ethical issues like bigotry and free-will.    I could see where your thought that it was a limited dystopia based on Daphne's rebellion against PROFILE rings true but that still wasn't enough for me to put it firmly in that classification.

LENORE:

Yeah, I don't think readers should go into this expecting a dystopia, though the potential was definitely there.  It was actually set-up like a typical mystery/thriller, except that it wasn't particularly mysterious.

MICHELLE:  True that on the un-mysterious mystery.

Believability

LENORE:

I really liked that the stakes were upped for Daphne by making her mother the designer of PROFILE  (Predictive Readout of Forseen and Illustrative Life Effects: a computer program that examines a range of psychological data to predict how likely someone is to commit a violent act, become an addict or have social problems).  However, what I don’t understand is why, if Daphne’s mother had moral objections to the program that made her quit the project, she moved many states away to enroll her daughter in the one and only test school. That makes her kind of a pyscho if you ask me …

MICHELLE:

I know right!?  And more than that, if her mother had ethical objections strong enough to quit her job, continue research on her own and move to the place where alpha tests were occurring why wasn't she publicly screaming from the rooftops about PROFILE being bad?  I'd be working the whistle-blower angle all over the place!  I felt like she should have been less focused on being in her office and continuing research as opposed to being some sort of active deterrent to it all.  It made the fact that she finally tried to take limited action later feel hollow and pointless.  I also didn't get why she was so intimidated by the school administration.  These people had no influence on her.

LENORE:

But otherwise, I liked the mother.  She's a kooky scientist type, but there was some nice growth in her relationship with Daphne in the narrative.  

MICHELLE: I liked the mother but it seemed out of place for me.  But I agree the development of their relationship was a high point in the book.  Frankly, I actually found Daphne to be most believable character in the book.  She was relatively reserved and quite self-aware.  She wanted to facilitate change but given her position in the HS hierarchy wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of rocking the boat too far.  It was interesting to see her take the steps she did given the fact that she was on a bit of a roller-coaster ride between the popular crowd and outcasts.

Continue reading our discussion at Galleysmith.

Zombie chickens say: We predict mean girls in your future.

THE PREDICTEDS comes out at the end of this month on August 31, 2011.  Find out more about it at the publisher's website.

Song for the Ultimate Dystopian Playlist: The Killer Inside by Better than Ezra.  Sample lyric: "And I hope that she believes. Yes I wonder if she sees the killer inside me."

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Author Interview: Kate Messner previews Eye of the Storm

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interviewed over 20 authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13.  These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works.  Enjoy!

Today we have Kate Messner (author of THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z among others) previewing her upper middle grade thriller EYE OF THE STORM due out March 2012 from Walker.


Here's the summary:

In the not-too-distant future, huge tornadoes and monster storms are a part of everyday life. Sent to spend the summer in the heart of storm country with her father in the special StormSafe community his company has developed, Jaden Meggs is excited to reconnect with her dad after he spent years researching storm technology in Russia. She’ll also be attending the exclusive summer science camp, Eye On Tomorrow, that her dad founded. There, Jaden meets Alex, a boy whose passion for science matches hers, and together they discover a horrible truth about her dad’s research that is putting countless lives at risk. As a massive tornado approaches, threatening to destroy everything in its path, Jaden is torn between loyalty to her dad and revealing his secret. Can she find the courage to confront her dad and save everyone from the biggest storm yet?

And it even has a cover already!

Now, onto the interview.

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?

Well, for starters, dystopian novels are often really exciting, well-paced reads, and I think the suspense is one of the main draws for readers when it comes to this genre.

As far as the darkness, I’m not sure it’s the actual darkness that readers crave so much as the ability of dystopian fiction to ask the question, “What might our world be like, if…?” What might it be like if we let reality television spiral out of control? If we try to make everyone the same? If we don’t pay attention to our environment and our climate? I think some of the most effective dystopian novels challenge readers to think about our world’s modern-day issues by shining a light on worst-case-scenarios.

If EYE OF THE STORM had a theme song, what would it be and why? 

I’d choose “Storm” from Lifehouse’s “Who We Are” album for a couple reasons. First, because it fits the weather theme of EYE OF THE STORM, but more than that, it’s a song about love and about believing. That’s really what’s at the heart of EYE OF THE STORM…how the people who love us can help us find hope and courage even in the darkest times.

What fictional character from another book would Jaden chose as her best friend and why?

Jaden would love Meg Murry from A WRINKLE IN TIME because they’re both scientists and thinkers. And as long as we’re talking about books, I’ve always thought that Jaden would love reading BORROWED NAMES: POEMS ABOUT LAURA INGALLS WILDER, MADAME C.J. WALKER, MARIE CURIE, AND THEIR DAUGHTERS by Jeannine Atkins. Jaden loves poetry, and this book explores the relationships between these moms and daughters in verse. (I think Jaden would love the part about Marie Curie and her daughter most of all!)

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why? 

Well, the HUNGER GAMES trilogy is a huge favorite, but that’s not exactly an unsung hero in the world of dystopian literature. As far as lesser known books, I think GENESIS by Bernard Beckett is brilliant for YA readers, and for younger dystopia fans, I loved Leslie Connor’s CRUNCH. I blogged about both of those books (and other dystopian favorites) a while back – check it out!

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends? (you know, in case it ends next year)

I want to finish my next book! And if the world is ending next year, I’m also going to eat a whole lot of chocolate.

How does your novel stand out from other dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction out there?

EYE OF THE STORM is different in a few ways. First, it’s walking the line between upper middle grade and YA, so it’s great for middle school kids as well as high school. Second, it has a strong focus on meteorology and climate shifts, which is different from the usual oppressive government fare. And third, there’s more of a focus on science as a means to solve problems than I’ve seen in other books, which is something I really loved when I was writing, and I hope it’s an element of the book that readers enjoy, too.

Thank you Kate - sounds fab!

Visit Kate's website

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Add EYE OF THE STORM to your GoodReads wishlist

Book Review and Giveaway: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

In 2083, chocolate and caffeine are illegal and Anya’s family has grown rich and powerful due to their criminal chocolate dealings.  Orphaned due to mob violence, Anya has her hands full taking care of her siblings and bedridden grandmother.  But things get even more complicated when poisoned chocolate enters the supply chain and Anya begins a forbidden relationship with the new District Attorney’s son Win.

I liked Anya immediately. She feels very responsible for her family, and has promised God that she’ll be a good girl if nothing bad happens to them. Even though is narrative is first person, the way the story is told, it’s almost like a much older Anya is reminiscing about her misspent youth to her own grandchildren in a distant future.  (Here and there she weaves in some meta-fiction techniques like mentioning when she is foreshadowing, etc.)

I should say that it’s not necessarily dystopian to live in a society where chocolate is outlawed, but Zevin does a really great job of showing us a crumbling future New York City which is on the brink of total collapse.  Museums are long gone, replaced by underground nightclubs.  People pay high fees for every liter of water they run out of their taps.  And juvenile detention is rife with torture and corruption.

Many early reviews have stated that this installment of the trilogy seems to be all set-up and no action – and I assume they mean in regards to Anya’s crime family and the fact that she’s not yet at the helm of it.  I was quite satisfied by the plot that pitted Anya against both Win’s father (who makes a deal with her regarding dating his son) and enemies within her own family who may or may not be trying to bring the whole chocolate empire down so that foreign concerns can get more market share.

That said, how well you like it may depend on how enchanted you are with Anya’s voice.  And oh how I was …

Zombie chickens say: Don’t miss this one, but be careful what you eat.

ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE will be published in just one month on September 6, 2011. It’s the first book of the Birthright Trilogy. Find out more about it, read a 30 page excerpt and see a behind the scenes video at the publisher's website.  Add it to your GoodReads wishlist.

Song for the Ultimate Dystopian Playlist: Chocolate by Snow Patrol. Sample lyric: “What have I done? It's too late for that. What have I become? Truth is nothing yet. A simple mistake starts the hardest time. I promise I'll do anything you ask...this time.”

Macmillan is sponsoring a giveaway of a prize pack that includes an ARC of the book as well as a package of chocolate-covered espresso beans. For a chance to win, fill out this form by August 13^th at 11:59 pm CST.  US and Canada only.  

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore