Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion
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What's your view on the dystopian bandwagon?
Well I for one am thrilled about it. I say bring them on!!!I've read alot of good dystopian / post-apocalyptic novels over the past year. Divergent, Birthmarked, Enclave, Aftertime series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, Dead Living just to name a few. And I'm not sure if these were started before or after The Hunger Games. Even if only a handful of the new novels coming out are good I'll take it. I would rather read a so-so dystopian than a so-so paranormal romance any day!!!
I think the thing about dystopian that sets it apart from say paranormal romance is that each story has to be completely unique from the ground up. Everyone knows the ins and outs of being a vampire or warewolf, and so it's easy to replicate that, but with dystopian, you have to look into the future and create an entirely unique world that is both compelling and prophetic.The Hunger Games absolutely did crack open the genre, and there are plenty of us trying to do what it did best: create a gripping story full of fascinating characters in an awe-inspiring landscape.
Like with everything, some will be successful and some won't, but there are more ways the future could turn out than any number of authors could predict.
--Jason
Author of YA Dystopian
Suspense, The Spencer Nye Trilogy #1
Could you post the upcoming list? Thanks
And. I think in YA. A book does well and then everyone jumps on the bandwagon. First we had harry potter,then twiglight and now hunger games. This too will run its course and someone will publish something orginal and the next bandwagon is born.
I agree with Jason - there is a ton of variation within the dystopian genre. For example, The Uglies and Hunger Games have very little in common except for oppressive strong governments and futuristic settings. There could be dystopians based around caste systems, reproduction, war, distribution of information, love, etc. I'm not to worried about reading the same book over-and-over again or a ton of Hunger Games rip-offs.
I love dystopian literature, but what is happening now is exactly that - bandwagon jumping. Dystopias are being published by authors who write them not because they have something important to say about out society, but because it's a popular trend. Just like teen paranormal romances that in majority are carbon copies of each other, the YA dystopias are becoming indistinguishable. The only thing they differ in is the horrible way people are treated in them, the rest - love stories, love triangles, "awakening" to the problems within societies, the fights to overturn the bad - all exactly the same.
There are still some gems of dystopian fiction buried in a pile of subpar books written by trend-jumping debut authors, but they are hard to find.
Deserunt Velit wrote: "I agree, Tatiana; unfortunately, it's like that with every trend. I've seen a lot of steampunk projects in the works with various authors, and it makes me cringe a little. I've read a couple really..."Speaking of steampunk, Deserunt, I just finished Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories and it's a good one. If you like short stories, this is a steampunk collection worth reading.
Tatiana wrote: "I love dystopian literature, but what is happening now is exactly that - bandwagon jumping. Dystopias are being published by authors who write them not because they have something important to say ..."Exactly. Many posters here say that dystopian novels are hard to replicate. However, I think otherwise. They all start out in a dystopian society where people are treated horribly, later comes the "awakening," after is the love triangle, then the protagonist becoming the "symbol for hope." T___T
Teresa in Ohio wrote: "Could you post the upcoming list? Thanks"http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/97...
A lot of these books have summaries of dystopian societies. Enjoy. :)
Yes, Kakari, so far quite a few of new dystopias I've read follow the same formula - Matched, Delirium, Wither, Birthmarked, Divergent.
Tatiana wrote: "Yes, Kakari, so far quite a few of new dystopias I've read follow the same formula - Matched, Delirium, Wither, Birthmarked, [book:Diver..."Sigh, this makes me wary in buying those mentioned titles now. =\
I have Delirium shelved. Hopefully, it will not disappoint me.
I didn't love any of these titles, but out of the 3 Divergent is the most readable. The other two were too slow and boring for my taste.
Mod
Kakari wrote: "Teresa in Ohio wrote: "Could you post the upcoming list? Thanks"http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/97...
A lot of these books have summaries of dystopian societies. Enjoy..."
Thanks. My. Son. Has enjoyed. Hunger games,divergent. But. Not maze runner. So. Looking for suggestions
I also loved Enclave (Razorland #1)
I read books as a teen I did not even know were dystopian. Until now.Those books were truly original and unique. A few in this genre now are ho hum. I thought they would be wonderful but they fell short. It happens in every genre,a great read comes out and everyone follows suit.
I wont take away from the gr8 reads in this genre now. There are a few true gems.
Can sum1 please tell me what "Steampunk" is?
Fran, you might want to check out the definition of "steampunk" on wiki:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk
Mostly it has to do with steam-operated gadgets in Victorian Britain setting. But there is a variety of interpretations.
The bandwagon that authors are now jumping on is the romance part of it, I think. There are your basic themes in the influx of heroine-based dystopian romance: an overbearing society slowly breaking down but trying to hide it, a girl who's happy to be a part of it until she isn't, two love interests (the one meant for her, the one she shouldn't love), a family who follows the rules but might have a secret rebellious past, and eventually the heroine strikes out on her own or against society. Matched is an example of the bandwagon, as is Divergent (but Divergent actually made it interesting by focusing on the different bubbles of society, and toned down the romance a little).What made The Hunger Games stand out was that it did everything a dystopian novel was supposed to: figure out how the political landscape of a futuristic society like Panem would work, then put the reader in the shoes of a heroine as she rips it all down. The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy is a great collection of essays on why The Hunger Games struck a chord. But all people ended up talking about was Gale vs Peeta, and that's what all the authors are jumping on. The romance is the focus, to the detriment of what truly makes dystopian fiction interesting.
...I have apparently been bottling this up for a while. XD
I liked your rant very much:) and agree with it whole-heartedly, especially the part about too many readers focusing on the romance aspect of HG. Because of it, I think, so many have ended up disappointed in Mockingjay, too wrapped-up in the love triangle, they missed what the whole story was all about.
Though I am easily scared and dystopian books do freak me out just a bit, I like them. I am afraid that in the near future they may become overrated.
There definitely have been some good and bad ones published lately. I see this as a potential good thing. Sure, it takes a bit of wading through the possiblities to see what is worth reading. I rely pretty heavily on the library to test out the ones that seem iffy.
I love dystopian, but I'm definitely worried that it's going to burn out into cliches and Hunger Games knock-offs soon in the same way that Paranormal Romance is burning out now. This stinks, because a lot of my book ideas lean dystopian, even though I've been working on them long before The Hunger Games. We'll see what happens. And for the record, I agree with all the above anti-Hunger-Games-love-triangle statements. The Gale vs. Peeta madness sucked the life out of that series.
Personally, I love this dystopian trend. It's 1000 times better than the paranormal romance era. It's possible that the dystopian theme will become over-used and burnt out, but as of right now, I'm enjoying it all.Books such as The Hunger Games, Divergent and Delirium are all my favorites, and they all lean heavily on dystopian futures.
Grace: I'd definitely agree, the dystopian trend is refreshing and some what more relative? More than Paranormal Romance, anyway. Hunger Games and Divergent for example, deal with wider issues that face us here and now, under the regime or democracy we live in - all is controlled by fear, all is manipulated by media and the hidden scars that come whilst standing against it.
It would be nice if authors invested more time in the background of such dystopia's so we can understand and delve into their world more willingly, the way we do whilst reading such books as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings etc.
Am I the only one who didn't see a love triangle in The Hunger Games? I felt like all the 'team' crap was pushed just to bring over reluctant readers from the typical paranormal genre. I agree with the person who said it's not necessarily that authors are jumping on the dystopian bandwagon, because most of the dystopians I've read that have been published recently managed to make the story their own on some level. It's the romance. Cliches, insta-love, love triangles, reluctant attraction, it's all been done before and it's all very tiresome. Dystopians are powerful, and by adding in the fore mentioned it cheapens the point that the author (should be) trying to make.
I am a dystopian junkie at heart though, so I can't say I'm not looking forward to the new additions.
I went to hear Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy) speak a few years ago and she said the reason she wrote VA was because her publishers really pressured her to enter the YA market. I have a feeling that this is what is happening with Dystopias too. Publishers have realized that young adults (Esp. females) will spend money on romances. Personally, I enjoyed a lot of the paranormal romances more than the dystopian ones, but I can't wait to see what the next great book will be. I just read Demon King (Cinda Chima) and really enjoyed that world. I think I'm ready for kings, princesses, knights, fantasy creatures, and magic. I love all of that stuff. The Giver, the first dystopian novel I read, really concentrated on the examination of the dystopia and left out romance altogether. I liked the exploration. City of Ember was also interesting that way. Now, I feel as if it is just a backdrop for the same story. I enjoy learning the author's thoughts and explorations of the ideas more than when it's just thrown in there. Unwind (Schusterman) was another book where ideas were fully explored.
What about: -Fahrenheit 451 or Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 The Authorized Adaptation a graphic novel based on the same, with Bradbury's blessing.
-The Handmaid's Tale is one of the scariest books out there that isn't horror.
-Little Brother is a teen version of 1984.
-The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a grown up version of The Giver. (But suitable for teens.)
- A Canticle for Leibowitz
- Parable of the Sower this book needs to be better known...
All are way older than the current crop of dystopian novels and well worth reading.
Dystiopian novels aren't new, just like paranormal novels before Twilight weren't new. Maybe we're more aware of books that can be compared to novels like Twilight or Hunger Games because they became so big, but I was really into Anne Rice before Stephanie Meyer, and loved 1984 and A Clockwork Angel, etc. before HG.
True, Zola. HG Wells was writing dystopian lit more than 100 years ago.
Kelly wrote: "I think you meant Clockwork Orange?"You know you read too much YA when...
I've begun to read more dystopians lately as my world is suddenly becoming crowded with them. Some I love as much as any other books I read, others I kind of love, but sort of hate, others I secretly like, but have no idea why when it disturbs me so.
Marie wrote: "I've begun to read more dystopians lately as my world is suddenly becoming crowded with them. Some I love as much as any other books I read, others I kind of love, but sort of hate, others I secret..."I am the same way about books disturbing me and it ends up that is the reason I really like reading them! It's so foreign to me that it is almost confusing but I can't stop telling people about them. Make sense?
Some of my favorite/ most frightening dystopian novels (I'm looking at you Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents,Little Brotherand The Handmaid's Tale) are ones that with very few subtle changes are on their way now/ happening/ I can see thyem happening in the very near and terribly frightening future. These are not at all foreign.
Brittany wrote: "Marie wrote: "I've begun to read more dystopians lately as my world is suddenly becoming crowded with them. Some I love as much as any other books I read, others I kind of love, but sort of hate, o..."Yes it does.
I personally *love* the dystopian genre & have ever since I came across it (although at the time, I didn't know that's what it was); Lord of the Flies, but more specifically The Lottery and Other Stories come to mind.I think some of the current dystopian fiction loses its umph b/c many of the basic storylines have been told already. Then again, I'm pretty good at blocking out other books while reading a new one, so that I don't let comparison b/w the two get in the way. When it comes down to it, the dystopians that have deeper layers of meaning & not just a love story set in a messed up world are the ones that speak to me. I personally devour a good love story, but that can't be the only thing going on in a dystopian novel. It's the effects of the government (or lack thereof) on the society; all illusions of a balanced, perfect life are brought into question, by the characters &/or reader. I personally think a good dystopian makes us reflect on our own society & shows us that we may have more in common with this fictitious world than we realize. I say bring on more dystopians, but I realize that as more & more come out, many of the ideas may get stale. I think there will still be many standouts in the line of already told, poorly developed stories that "bandwagon" writing creates.
I find that I am slowly being dragged into dystoian by the fact that those are the books you see when you go to the store. They're the new vampire books; and everyone's reading them. They're pretty good and some of them are turning out to be favs of mine. For instance, Divergent and The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset. I'm also looking into reading Delirium andMatched. I'm excited to see what more i can discover within this hot genre.
I absolutely love dystopian books and have been reading them for many years, im glad they are getting more popular now because it means there are more for me to read. I like the fact that all dystopians are different as each author creates their own world so no two dystopian books are the same.
I see some of you feel differently, but I personally love that there are a bunch of dystopian type books coming out. It seems like that genre just has more of the darkness and life threatening situations that many books are lacking. The extreme situations in dystopian books capture my attention and keep it like many fluffy vampire books etc don't even come close to doing. I'm sure, like after the Twilight craze, many authors will be jumping at the bit to write dystopian after The Hunger Games. Probably many of them will suck, but amid the quickly put together bangwagoners there will be the gems I am sure.
P.S. Completely agree with you Liz, I love that dystopians have so much more to them than just a love story, as is the case with most YA books anymore even though they claim to focus on the paranormal, fantasy, etc.
I think there is a misconception on how long it takes to write a book. Experienced authors can write a book in about 6 months, but a new writer goes through more rounds of editing. First books can take 2 or 3 years to write and edit until their worthy of a publisher.Then once the book is complete and you've spent a year or two searching for an agent / publisher, the publisher will plan the book release for at least a year from when they pick up the book. Most of these debut authors had to have started their stories long before Hunger Games. My guess is that publishers are pulling more dystopians out of the slush pile than they used to.
So I don't think the authors could be blamed for jumping on the bandwagon.
I partially agree with you, Rita. Undoubtedly it is publishers who are seeking out the dystopian books specifically and in a rush, this is why so many of them are of a very poor quality. But I have also read quite a few stories where you learn that many authors are encouraged to jump the wagon by their agents and they do so to earn quick money, even if they do not have any particular interest in the genre.
Chantaal wrote: "But all people ended up talking about was Gale vs Peeta, and that's what all the authors are jumping on. The romance is the focus, to the detriment of what truly makes dystopian fiction interesting."I think Suzanne Collins felt the same way. When Katniss ranted at a council meeting about everybody being more concerned about who she would pick while there is a war to worry about, I think Katniss was echoing Collins' own opinion.
And I think the plot in Mockingjay was amazing because it's about something I believe in. However, if you sliced out the romance from the book, you'd lose a very powerful element of the story. You'd be taking away the human aspect. There wasn't just romance in HG; there was conversation, friendship, love, caring, sacrifice, comfort, and understanding.
Though people got all hung up on the love triangle and the romance, that isn't really what drew them in. It was the depth of the connection between Peeta and Katniss: their friendship.
Tatiana wrote: "But I have also read quite a few stories where you learn that many authors are encouraged to jump the wagon by their agents and they do so to earn quick money, even if they do not have any particular interest in the genre."I hadn't heard that before. Thx for sharing.
I still don't blame the authors on that but rather the publishers. It's considered professional to listen to the advice of your publisher.
Very true. I can't blame writers for trying to earn their living, it's just, you can always tell if they don't have their hearts in it. I can't even blame publishers, they run business and they are simply trying to give readers what they want. It's a vicious circle, really. Or not that vicious. It is harder to dig good books out of all the blatantly commercial fair though.
I agree with that 100%. And that goes for both dystopian and paranormal books. The good ones no longer seem so special, and after a while, it seems like if you've read one synopsis, you've read them all. Paranormal: another girl with strange powers.
Dystopian: another world with odd names for their technologies, factions, and whatever.
I'm ashamed to say I often find myself rolling my eyes at some of the new books coming out, and I hate feeling that way.
I so very much hate that feeling of oh, another one of those, here it goes again. Every book seems to have exactly the same synopsis and premise.
That's what I thought of vampires, and now that's what I think of the angel books. And I'm starting to feel that way about dystopians. But I push that aside. I won't know how unique a book is until I open it up and read it.
Oh dear, all this discussion has made me feel like reading a good dystopian. Particularly Mockingjay or Delirium.
I love a good dystopian story, although sometimes they are a little gritty for me. I think the challenge is for authors to introduce some unique elements into the society. Veronica Roth did an excellent job with this in Divergent.
Young Adult Book Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Parable of the Sower (other topics)Kindred (other topics)
Parable of the Talents (other topics)
Brave New World (other topics)
1984 (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles de Lint (other topics)Emma Bull (other topics)
Terri Windling (other topics)
Jane Yolen (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
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I hope no one brought this up yet on another thread and that I did not offend anyone with this post. >.<