YA (and YA-adjacent) SFF without Romance
Okay, so this is a post compiled from a recent post about books aimed at teens, but without romance, especially without angsty romance. I went through the comments and pulled out most of the titles suggested, leaving out just a few that I think are much more aimed at young MG readers. Actually, I think a few of these here are probably aimed pretty young as well, but I wasn’t sure because I haven’t read them. When in doubt, I left them in because children’s books can be so wonderful, why not? But most of these are YA.
So, here are mine:
And now, here are the ones by everyone else, starting with the few I suggested and going right on in no order at all except by order of comment.
The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst
I am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
E.C. suggests:
Diana Wynne Jones (and since EC did not pick out a title, I will: my personal favorite is Dogsbody.
Garth Nix (and I think the place to start is Sabriel)
Rosemary Sutcliff (and I think most people start with The Eagle of the Ninth)
Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn
Arthurian stories by Gerald Morris (seconded by Kathryn M) (Beginning with The Squire’s Tale)
The Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series by Brian Jacques. I’ve managed never to read anything by Brian Jacques, though I keep meaning to.
Wabi, Bearwalker, Wolf Mark, and Dark Pond all by Joseph Bruchac
Boys of Blur and 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (not SFF)
Alcatraz by Brandon Sanderson
The Secret Country trilogy by Pamela Dean
Alison contributes:
The Prodigy by John Feinstein (Not SFF — it’s a sports story.)
OtterB suggests:
Airborn series by Kenneth Oppel (I second that pick)
and OtterB adds
Another source of reading for teens are the Alex Awards, which are for books published for adults that the American Library Association committee thinks appeal to teens as well. Winners include All Systems Red by Martha Wells, The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, and Educated by Tara Westover.
As long as YA exists as a category, then this is a great type of award and we need more emphasis on it. I would pick The Cloud Roads over Murderbot for an award like this. Moon is very much a YA type of protagonist.
Moving on —
Lydia says:
The Year of the Reaper, by Makiia Lucier
Wow, great cover:
This reminds me of Michael Whelan, and I don’t say that lightly.
We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett. Not vampires! The description begins: Two girls use forbidden magic to fly and fight — for their country and for themselves — in this riveting debut that’s part Shadow and Bone, part Code Name Verity. My response, ! Wow, that’s quite a comparison to live up to, and also, Code Name Verity is another good one for this list.
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson. I’ve had a sample for a while.
The Wicked and the Just and Spindle and Dagger by J. Anderson Coats (warning about heavy themes)
The Silence of Bones by June Hur (historical fiction novel without romance, about a servant girl at a police station in 18th century Korea; I immediately picked up a sample because this sounds so interesting!)
From Elaine T:
A Darkening of Dragons and A Vanishing of Griffins by S. A. Patrick (a fantasy “using the Pied Piper of Hamelin, in a setting where Pipers are a trained, known thing and Hamelin’s had done what none of them ever should,” says Elaine, and that certainly sounds promising.)
Hanneke:
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (which has been on my TBR pile for AGES)
From Heather:
The End of the Alphabet by Fleur Beale (Heather says, “it’s about relationships, but it’s MUCH more family relationships than romance. There’s romance in there but it’s… not great AT ALL and seems to be an afterthought.”) (Not SFF)
Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant’s, (but Heather adds, “the sequel is more violent and put me right off reading further in the trilogy,” to which I respond, wait, there are sequels?)
The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan (Historical)
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl, and wow, that takes me back! I loved this book when I was a kid.
The Christmas Mystery and The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr. Heather says, The narrator has amnesia, which is Very Much a main point. She can’t remember *anything* that happens day-to-day… until she does. Just ONE thing. And she goes off looking for it. (Despite the thing she remembers being a kiss with a boy, this isn’t a romance story. And it’s not horrible, either – the strangers she encounters are kind. I don’t think there’s really even a villain to the piece – not one with nasty intent, anyway.
WHEW. There are a LOT here that I’ve never read and a lot I’ve never even heard of. Should someone be looking for books aimed at teens, with no romance or very restrained, non-angsty romance, this might be a good place to start.
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