young adult sci-fi giveaway

Young adult science fiction is hot right now, and I’ve heard rumblings that the rise in interest (and number of books published) will continue for the next while.  Add in the fact that I keep saying that it’s a favorite genre of mine, and there’s the recipe for a giveaway and reading focus for the next few months.  Wait… did I say giveaway? Indeed!

Katya’s World by Jonathan L. Howard

The distant and unloved colony world of Russalka has no land, only the raging sea. No clear skies, only the endless storm clouds. Beneath the waves, the people live in pressurised environments and take what they need from the boundless ocean. It is a hard life, but it is theirs and they fought a war against Earth to protect it. But wars leave wounds that never quite heal, and secrets that never quite lie silent. 

Katya Kuriakova doesn’t care much about ancient history like that, though. She is making her first submarine voyage as crew; the first nice, simple journey of what she expects to be a nice, simple career. 

There is nothing nice and simple about the deep black waters of Russalka, however; soon she will encounter pirates and war criminals, see death and tragedy at first hand, and realise that her world’s future lies on the narrowest of knife edges. For in the crushing depths lies a sleeping monster, an abomination of unknown origin, and when it wakes, it will seek out and kill every single person on the planet.

After: Nineteen Tales of Apocalypse and Dystopia edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

If the melt-down, flood, plague, the third World War, new Ice Age, Rapture, alien invasion, clamp-down, meteor, or something else entirely hit today, what would tomorrow look like? Some of the biggest names in YA and adult literature answer that very question in this short story anthology, each story exploring the lives of teen protagonists raised in catastrophe’s wake—whether set in the days after the change, or decades far in the future. 

New York Times bestselling authors Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis, and Jane Yolen are among the many popular and award-winning storytellers lending their talents to this original and spellbinding anthology.

Rootless by Chris Howard

17-year-old Banyan is a tree builder. Using scrap metal and salvaged junk, he creates forests for rich patrons who seek a reprieve from the desolate landscape. Although Banyan's never seen a real tree—they were destroyed more than a century ago—his father used to tell him stories about the Old World. But that was before his father was taken . . .

Everything changes when Banyan meets a woman with a strange tattoo—a clue to the whereabouts of the last living trees on earth, and he sets off across a wasteland from which few return. Those who make it past the pirates and poachers can't escape the locusts—the locusts that now feed on human flesh.

But Banyan isn't the only one looking for the trees, and he's running out of time. Unsure of whom to trust, he's forced to make an uneasy alliance with Alpha, an alluring, dangerous pirate with an agenda of her own. As they race towards a promised land that might only be a myth, Banyan makes shocking discoveries about his family, his past, and how far people will go to bring back the trees.

In this dazzling debut, Howard presents a disturbing world with uncanny similarities to our own. Like the forests Banyan seeks to rebuild, this visionary novel is both beautiful and haunting—full of images that will take permanent root in your mind...and forever change the way you think about nature.

Renegade by J.A. Souders

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

All of the selections are newly-released YA sci-fi, and they each have their own attractions (underwater worlds! no trees! end of life as we know it!).  Two winners will each receive two of the books from the choices above.  To enter, simply fill out the FORM.  Giveaway open internationally, will end November 17, 2012 at 11:59pm EST.  Winners will be selected randomly and notified via email.  Good luck!

the beastly bride

I am a fan of short stories. Don’t run away! I felt the need to place that command right there because I know many of you (my dear readers) are NOT into short stories. Well, I have a solution. Or correction, or whatever. It has two steps, and is guaranteed to create a love for short stories. Want to know what it is?

Okay, since you asked nicely, I offer the Official Cecelia Bedelia Recipe for Inspiring Short Story Love. Step 1 – read an Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling anthology. Step 2 – if you haven’t already, lose your attention span. It’s easy to do, really. Just surf the web, click from channel to channel on the television, and try not to focus very hard on any one thing. If you find yourself slipping, I recommend drinking coffee, perusing magazines half-heartedly and people-watching in crowded public places. THEN, when you’ve whittled it down (your concentration level), short stories will be the perfect length. You’ll be able to pick up an anthology, read one entry, and put it back down, all with the satisfaction of having finished an entire story. Genius, eh?

So obviously step 2 is hogwash, but I do recommend step 1 for creating a love for the short story form. Datlow and Windling draw from the best authors, and their collections are always top notch.

What do werewolves, vampires, and the Little Mermaid have in common? They are all shapechangers. In The Beastly Bride, acclaimed editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling bring together original stories and poems from a stellar lineup of authors including Peter S. Beagle, Ellen Kushner, Jane Yolen, Lucius Shepard, and Tanith Lee, as well as many new, diverse voices. Terri Windling provides a scholarly, yet accessible introduction, and Charles Vess’s decorations open each story. From Finland to India, the Pacific Northwest to the Hamptons, shapechangers are part of our magical landscape—and The Beastly Bride is sure to be one of the most acclaimed anthologies of the year.

I felt that all of the stories in this anthology were strong, and many were stunning. Amazing quality across the board. BUT. Several entries created such evocative images that they will stay with me for a long time, perhaps forever. I can’t review each story, but I can say a little bit about a couple of them in the hopes that you’ll pick up this book too. It is certainly worthy.

“The Puma’s Daughter” by Tanith Lee – It was beautiful for its characterization of the wild nature of a girl and an animal. Also eloquently described one young man’s distrust of that wildness. Set in a fascinating fantasy world.

“The Selkie Speaks” by Delia Sherman – There were a couple of poetry pieces included in this anthology. This one poem was a simple paean to the mythical selkie and the different ways in which humans interact with nature.

“The Hikikomori” by Hiromi Goto – A haunting tale of human-to-animal transformation, and a commentary on acute social anxiety and withdrawal. It also addressed the continuing trend of forgetting and abandoning the rituals of the past, and how small actions can mend a larger world.

“The Comeuppance of Creegus Maxin” by Gregory Frost – A much-needed humorous piece, that added both light and dark tale flavors to the anthology. Witty, clever, odd and wonderful, set in 19^th century America.

“Pishaach” by Shweta Narayan – A sinuous tale of a snake-shifter and an isolated girl who can only communicate through silence music, set in India.

“The Flock” by Lucius Shepard – A mysterious, atmospheric tale reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. About life in and moving past small-towns, and growing up to realize that not all friends and friendships are created equal.

Recommended for: those interested in myth, story-telling, fantasy and fairy tales from every corner of the world, and the ways in which each tale is told over in different ways in different places. Beautiful, sinister, strange, breathtaking, and altogether awesome.

I borrowed (well, rented at this point…I owe them so much in fines!) this book at my local library, and it counts for the Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge.

teaser tuesday (50)

It's Teaser Tuesday, a bookish blog meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here's how it works:

Grab your current read and let it fall open to a random page. Post two (or more) sentences from that page, along with the title and author. Don’t give anything vital away!

“That night, Valorosa snuck out her bedroom window, saddled her horse, and rode away across the desert toward the Indian village that her father had fled so quickly. She told herself that she was such a good daughter, so dutiful, so loving! But she knew that really, she was a bit bored of making tamales, and wanted an escape.”

-53% [on Kindle] of Terra L. Gearhart-Serna’s “Coyote and Valorosa” in The Beastly Bride by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (eds.)

once upon a week (+ flash giveway)

It is Wednesday, so obviously I am behind. I feel like that is the story of my life, every day. But! There are wonderful things afoot. NotNessie at Today’s Adventure is currently hosting an event called Once Upon a Week. She’s sharing content each day this week about fairy tales and retellings, and encouraging other bloggers to get involved. Today she posted a little blurb about me (and some other fantastic people!).

In honor of Once Upon a Week, I’m hosting a flash giveaway. One winner will receive three books: a hardcover of Troll’s-Eye View by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (eds.), a paperback of Beauty by Robin McKinley, and a paperback of East by Edith Pattou. All are favorite fairy tale retellings of mine.

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To win, please comment by 11:59pm EST tonight (August 4) with a way for me to contact you. Open internationally. I’ll email the randomly selected winner.

UPDATE: Congrats to the winner - EKTA!

troll’s-eye view: keeping it evil every day

Everyone thinks they know the real story behind the villains in fairy tales--evil, no two ways about it. But the villains themselves beg to differ. In Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's new anthology for younger readers, you'll hear from the Giant's wife ("Jack and the Beanstalk"), Rumplestiltskin, the oldest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and many more. A stellar lineup of authors, including Garth Nix, Holly Black, Neil Gaiman and Nancy Farmer, makes sure that these old stories do new tricks!

There are times when I think the marketing and product descriptions of books do them a disservice. Troll’s-Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales, is a perfect example. The Booklist review lists the intended audience as grades 5-8. However, editors Datlow and Windling are best known for their yearly anthologies of science fiction and horror for adults.

I’m not saying that the book is inappropriate for younger readers: anything but! As we know, though, children have a pretty high tolerance for the sinister (just see the popularity of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and The Graveyard Book!). This book will appeal to anyone and everyone. I argue that it should be put in both the children’s AND adult sections at the bookstore and library. There are definitely enough dark themes and balancing humorous incidents to make any child or adult shiver and scream with laughter.

The credit goes to the editors for rounding up such a stellar list of contributors and to the über-talented authors included in the line-up. The author list is what drew me to the book initially: I’d heard no buzz, but any text that unites my favorites (Neil Gaiman! Garth Nix! Delia Sherman! Kelly Link! Jane Yolen! Too many others to name!) can’t be bad. And it was the complete opposite of bad. It was so awesome I’m still buzzing a little bit. So go, find it, read it to your child(ren), read it for yourself, buy it for friends. It has a gorgeous and creepy cover, and there are gorgeous and creepy stories inside to match.

My favorite bit: Ellen Kushner dedicated her story, “The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces” (based on The Twelve Dancing Princesses tale) “to all oldest children everywhere, who are responsible whether they want to be or not.” As an oldest child in a large family, I can definitely appreciate that!

Complete list of contributors: Peter S. Beagle, Holly Black,
Michael Cadnum,
Nancy Farmer,
Wendy Froud,
Neil Gaiman,
Nina Kiriki Hoffman,
Ellen Kushner,
Kelly Link,
Garth Nix,
Delia Sherman,
Midori Snyder,
Joseph Stanton, Catherynne M. Valente,
and Jane Yolen.

Datlow and Windling also have a couple of other anthologies for young readers: A Wolf at the Door and Swan Sister. I read Swan Sister last year and wasn’t nearly as enchanted by it, though that’s perhaps due to the fact that the Troll’s-Eye stories are unbeatably and wondrously dark, original and humorous. Villains have so much natural potential!