Looking Into the Future

Dystopia would appear to be the new go-to genre for young adult literature. There’s the standing classic, now present in film form, The Hunger Games, and some similar, moderately popular novels that came afterwards, such as Ally Condie’s Matched and Divergent by Veronica Roth, which I have yet to read. Across the Universe by Beth Revis is a less well-known gem of the genre, and one of my favorite books. Like any literary craze, there’s the good and the great, the bad and the worse.

Thanks to my required summer reading, I’ve started delving into pre-Hunger Games YA dystopia. I’m currently reading Feed by M.T. Anderson, and, while I’m only about halfway through, I think it’s safe to say that it’s an excellent contribution to the body of futuristic literature. It manages to be an entertaining satire as well as a chilling commentary on our society and where it could be headed. Out of all the other YA dystopias I’ve read, Feed reminds me most of Across the Universe–or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Across the Universe reminds me of Feed, since Feed came first. Both volumes center of fairly ordinary teenagers, feature a good deal of futuristic slang for  the reader to pick up on, and seem to have a focus on fighting societal expectations and norms.

Actually, the rebellion against society theme is a common trait among most of the dystopias I’ve read. This combined with the general fixation on the future shows that, as a people, we’re afraid of turning into a homogenized society. We’re expressing our fears and ideas through our literature, and also using it as a warning. If we spread a spirit of individualism now, such a future could be avoided.

What are some of your favorite dystopian novels? Do you think that we should be paying attention to the lessons they teach?

 

I Judge Books By Their Covers

A huge part of what makes me decided whether or not to read a book is its cover. Sure– if a book has a gorgeous cover, but the inside-flap summary doesn’t appeal to me, I’ll put it down. But, the point is, I wouldn’t have picked up the book in the first place if the cover hadn’t caught my eye, right? Covers have the power to attract or turn off potential readers; I’d say that, most of the time, publishers do a pretty darn good job. Yes, sometimes covers aren’t so great. Today, though, I’ll be spotlighting the best and brightest book covers (in my humble opinion) in different categories. Yes, folks: I’m judging books by their covers.  This will probably be the first in a series of posts on book covers. The awards I’ve selected for this session are as follows:

Overall Best Book Design

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley (and its sequels)

Just looking at the cover, this book may not seem worthy of the top award. But take a peek on the inside: the start of each chapter has a simple yet compelling silhouette illustration, an elegant border, and a quote from a song or poem. Every detail of this black-and-pink glory fits the story perfectly.

Most Intriguing Cover

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

When I first saw this cover image, I didn’t care what the book was about. I had to read it, period. The stars, the colors, the impending kiss…every element screams, “This book is a must-read!”

Best Depiction of Main Character

Beka Cooper: Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Every detail of Beka Cooper is straight off the pages, from the white stripes on the Puppy uniform to the circling pigeons.

Most Haunting Book Cover

I Am Morgan La Fay by Nancy Springer

This oldie-but-goodie cover is complete with  leaves, lace, swirling colors, a scary castle in the background, and a pretty girl who looks like she could destroy you in an instant. You can tell it’s a fantasy, and you can tell it’s going to be a little creepy. Look at those mismatched eyes…

Bonus: Look-Alike Covers

Heaven Eyes by David Almond and Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

These covers share the same colors and a “blue eyes gazing intently from over an old brown city scene” theme. I think– just think, mind you– that Heaven Eyes came first, but either could be the copycat. I like the Heaven Eyes cover better, too. I’ve never seen anyone wear as much eye makeup (with the possible exception of Taylor Swift) as the lady on the Stravaganza cover.

Beth Revis’s soaring debut

Title: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Pub. Date: January 2011

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Genre: Science Fiction

Age Range: Young Adult

Synopsis/Teaser: 17-year-old Amy Martin has been cryogenically frozen and is to remain in a state of limbo for 300 years. She is a passenger on the spaceship Godspeed, heading toward a new planet fit for human population. 16-year-old Elder is the heir to the position of Eldest, or leader, of the Godspeed. His rebellious and forward-thinking nature vexes his mentor, the current Eldest, who keeps the majority of crew under a constant state of delusion in order to maintain absolute power. Amy’s and Elder’s lives collide when Amy is disconnected from her cryo chamber 50 years too early and almost dies in the misconducted reanimation process. Other frozen passengers are being killed, and Amy and Elder have their suspicions, but it’s impossible to know for sure. It’s a race against time to stop the murderer, and all the while the thick veil of lies surrounding the Godspeed is finally starting to dissolve.

Review: Across the Universe deserves nothing less than an A+.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. This book has been at the top of my To-Be-Read list for a while before it was officially released. Nothing but good reviews were popping up everywhere: in the Bookpage, on The Story Siren, on Icey Books. I was practically drooling when I snatched up my copy at the friendly neighborhood bookstore. I devoured it in a few days, and I absolutely adored it.

The characters are awesome, and the alternating narrator gives us a chance to enjoy both. Amy is perfectly believable, and her emotions come through clearly in her thoughts and actions. Elder is probably more fun to listen to, though. His offhand attitude will be relatable for many teenagers. I loved his frequent use of “frex,” a made-up cuss word– a trademark of sci-fi novels.

Across the Universe has many unexpected over- and undertones. Its layers of murder mystery, traditional science fiction, budding romance, and social commentary make it rich, complex, and absorbing– a gold mine of discussion-worthy material. It contains many wonderful elements that I was not expecting going in and left me pleasantly surprised.

This book also gets bonus points for a gorgeous cover and handy map of the Godspeed.

Beth Revis is a promising new talent in the world of books. I’m grateful that the Penguin Group picked her up, because otherwise we readers would be missing out on a lot. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more books by Beth Revis, and I’ll be buying them hot off the press.

Recommended for: Pretty much everyone.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 possible stars