I remember a time when dystopian was a crazy “new fad” in the YA world. People didn’t even know what the word meant. Now, it seems you can’t walk past a bookstore shelf without at least 10 books of the genre popping out at you. It’s what I like to call the “Twilight” or “Harry Potter syndrome.” A few books spawn a whole lot of copycats. Luckily, there are some unique reads in the bunch as well. The following three are worth reading, even if you only check them out from the library.
“FLASH POINT,” by Nancy Kress, Viking Juvenile, Nov. 8, 2012, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)
Before the Collapse, Amy had dreams. She had plans for a future. College. But the Collapse took that away from her. Now, all she can hope for is a job that will support her terminally ill grandmother and her unruly younger sister. That’s where TLN’s “Who Knows People, Baby—You?” comes in. The reality TV show’s premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. Amy joins the cast before really thinking things through, and as time goes by, it’s clear the network is manipulating situations. What’s worse, to keep ratings up, the network keeps amping up scenarios until they’re downright deadly.
“Flash Point” is fast-paced and addictive. Like the reality show portrayed, you know something bad is coming, but you can’t look away. Author Nancy Kress does a great job of creating tension and reality among “unreal” situations.
“THE LIVES WE LOST,” by Megan Crew, Hyperion, Feb. 12, 2013, Hardcover, $16.99 (young adult)
A deadly virus has destroyed Kaelyn’s small island community and spread beyond the quarantine. It appears no one is safe. Kaelyn won’t give up hope, though, and when she finds samples of a vaccine in her father’s lab, she knows there’s a chance. Surely someone will know how to replicate it. But that means leaving the island and entering a world changed by the killer flu. People are desperate for a vaccine, even if it means killing for it.
“The Lives We Lost” is the second book in Megan Crew’s Fallen World trilogy, but to be honest, you can read the second book without having read the first and not be lost. That, to me, is great! While I certainly want to go back and read the first book, I was immediately caught up in the second. “The Lives We Lost” is a character study. Against the stark backdrop of a blistering winter, people’s true personalities, rife with fears and regrets make for a compelling read.
“DOOMED,” by Tracy Deebs, Bloomsbury, Jan. 8, 2013, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)
Pandora spends her life like any other teenager — online. She’s always doing something on her cellphone or laptop, messing around on Facebook or emailing friends. But then one day, technology stops working. And it turns out Pandora may be behind it. Before everything went dark, Pandora was playing her favorite online game, “Zero Day.” But the game launches a global virus from Pandora’s computer and now the authorities think she’s behind everything. Pandora has “opened the box” and now she has to fix it before the world descends into complete anarchy.
“Doomed” is interesting because it takes readers to the point in time that begins society’s downfall. Instead of dropping readers into a world already created, readers get to experience the new world in its making. The pacing is fast and the characters likeable. The plot may feel a bit far-fetched at times, but the book is a fun read overall.
