If you're like me, you read a lot of dystopian novels. Probably too many. Alien invaders, plagues, corrupted governments, rebels--they seem to dominate the YA market. And of course, we can't forget the vampires, werewolves, and love triangles of YA fantasy. There sure seems to be a lot of that. But why?
Let's start with dystopia.
I think dystopia is a way of taking today's problems and thinking about how they might affect the future. Sure, I don't think we'll end up throwing a bunch of teenagers into a deadly arena and telling them to kill each other while everyone else sits at home and watches, but it seems just possible enough that it scares us. And many of us like to be scared. It's what pulls us into a novel. The feeling of "What if they all die? Oh, no--what if that happened to me? What would I do?" keeps us reading. Those are the kinds of dystopian novels that I like. I don't like it when dystopian novels--or really, novels in general--have unrealistic and unbelievable aspects. For example, Legend by Marie Lu. Overall, I enjoyed the novel. But there was something about the world that bothered me. When it was explained that the Earth had warmed up and the ice caps melted so that about half of the United States was submerged, I was confused. Why did the Earth warm up? And why did it cool back down again? I wanted the full explanation, but it wasn't there. Maybe that's just me being a picky science geek, but that's what bothered me about it.
Moving on to YA fantasy.
I love fantasy. I grew up on it, and it's my favorite genre to read and write. But once I grew out of middle grade fantasy and into YA fantasy, I was somewhat disappointed. I wanted a story with magic, an original plot, likeable characters, and maybe a touch of romance. Instead, I got bombarded with vampires, werewolves, and more romance than I had bargained for. And I haven't even read Twilight.
To be honest, it isn't always the vampires and werewolves that bother me. What really bothers me are the love triangles.
I don't like love triangles. They're annoying, and many times they get in the way of more important things in the plot. And many times they make me take sides. There's the first guy, introduced early in the novel or series, and I usually end up getting attached to him. Then the second guy comes around, usually with stunning good looks and a dashingly flirty personality. He's normally the guy who annoys me. I just want him to leave, so that the main character can get around to the bigger, more important things.
Then there are the love triangles that tear me in half. The ones in The Infernal Devices and The Frost Chronicles did this. I liked both the guys, and I wanted both of them to be happy. But of course, the main character could only choose one. These are the better love triangles, because you actually care what happens.
Let's start with dystopia.
I think dystopia is a way of taking today's problems and thinking about how they might affect the future. Sure, I don't think we'll end up throwing a bunch of teenagers into a deadly arena and telling them to kill each other while everyone else sits at home and watches, but it seems just possible enough that it scares us. And many of us like to be scared. It's what pulls us into a novel. The feeling of "What if they all die? Oh, no--what if that happened to me? What would I do?" keeps us reading. Those are the kinds of dystopian novels that I like. I don't like it when dystopian novels--or really, novels in general--have unrealistic and unbelievable aspects. For example, Legend by Marie Lu. Overall, I enjoyed the novel. But there was something about the world that bothered me. When it was explained that the Earth had warmed up and the ice caps melted so that about half of the United States was submerged, I was confused. Why did the Earth warm up? And why did it cool back down again? I wanted the full explanation, but it wasn't there. Maybe that's just me being a picky science geek, but that's what bothered me about it.
Moving on to YA fantasy.
I love fantasy. I grew up on it, and it's my favorite genre to read and write. But once I grew out of middle grade fantasy and into YA fantasy, I was somewhat disappointed. I wanted a story with magic, an original plot, likeable characters, and maybe a touch of romance. Instead, I got bombarded with vampires, werewolves, and more romance than I had bargained for. And I haven't even read Twilight.
To be honest, it isn't always the vampires and werewolves that bother me. What really bothers me are the love triangles.
I don't like love triangles. They're annoying, and many times they get in the way of more important things in the plot. And many times they make me take sides. There's the first guy, introduced early in the novel or series, and I usually end up getting attached to him. Then the second guy comes around, usually with stunning good looks and a dashingly flirty personality. He's normally the guy who annoys me. I just want him to leave, so that the main character can get around to the bigger, more important things.
Then there are the love triangles that tear me in half. The ones in The Infernal Devices and The Frost Chronicles did this. I liked both the guys, and I wanted both of them to be happy. But of course, the main character could only choose one. These are the better love triangles, because you actually care what happens.
