Welcome back to Spellbinders with a warm greeting to those of you who signed up to join us at IRA in Chicago.
I
was recently preparing to give a writing workshop entitled, "What's Hot
in Teen Fiction." As I sat down to write my definitions for topics such
as Steampunk and Dystopian, I realized I wasn't altogether sure about
how to describe these fantasy sub-genres myself.
That's when I
decided to interview Elizabeth Anker, the owner of Alamosa Books, our
local independent children's books store. I figured teachers and
librarians would also be interested in exploring these different
categories and hearing what a book seller thinks of their appeal to
young readers. A large part of being able to recommend a book to a young
person is knowing what these different genres contain. Below are
Elizabeth's thoughts on the subject.
She says Steampunk
started with good writers, mainly in Britain, writing on the edge of
science fiction. Then editors saw the trend and began looking for other
books with similar themes. These stories tend to be more about a similar
look and an idea rather than a similar story line. The look is
basically Victorian with Victorian type costumes, gadgets, inventions,
and creative weaponry. Goggles of some kind are almost always involved.
Plots involve adventurers out to seek their fortunes or defeat bad guys
in creative and technological ways. Although drawing on elements of
Victorian England, these stories are not so much set in the past as they
are set in parallel worlds with Victorianesque influences.
Elizabeth says
Sherlock Holmes stories, which actually take place in Victorian times,
are a strong influence. Holmes's nemesis Moriarty is the perfect model
for the archetypical steampunk bad guy is often based upon reliance on
high tech (for the times) weaponry used by a villain who is trying to
take over the world. Moriarty is not influenced by morality at all and
many steam punk villains are equally as capitalistic.
Steam is often the
primary energy source of the times, but something magical is usually
involved as well. There is a lot of true science and pseudo science
woven through these stories. In the better cases it's real science with
pseudo science on the edge, but based in a true science like physics. In
books trying for the trend but not so concerned with research it's
purely magical in many cases.
Elizabeth says Philip Pullman is the godfather of combining fantasy and science. His Golden Compass series and Phillip Reeve's Hungry Cities Chronicles have inspired many other writers.
Paolo Bacigalupi has expanded on the steampunk trend by creating a world in the
future where oil has dried up, forcing people to go back to steam and other power sources. His first novel, Shipbreaker,
won the Printz Award and was also a National Book Award finalist. It
did not take place in a parallel world, but rather in a world slightly
in the future describing a world without oil. He heavily researched what
a world without oil would be like and looks at not only the
environmental, but also the social ramifications.
Cherie Priest, author of Boneshaker and Hellbent,
also writes about our current world in the future. She focuses more on
the adventure than the science, but Elizabeth describes her books as a
fun read. She gives you things to think about with a lot of android type
creatures.
Rod Rees wrote the Demi-Monde
Series where the army has created a virtual training world with all of
history's vilest dictators and tyrants as villains. Things go haywire
when the virtual world starts to develop on its own. The story starts
out in the real world but the virtual world is very much based on
steampunk.
Elizabeth says it's
hard to figure out where to place steampunk. If a bookstore does not
divide up fantasy and science fiction it would be easier but Elizabeth
believes they are two different genres with two distinct audiences.
Science fiction appeals more to male audience with roots in reality with
guns, action, adventure, and not a lot of romance. Examples are the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.
Fantasy audiences
tend to have more female readers. The males who read fantasy tend to be
"gamer" type kids. Girls don't care so much about what makes the ship go
as long as there is a hot guy (preferably immortal) on board. Fantasy
favors swords and swashbuckling over guns. History is often a factor.
Stories are not necessarily set in history but contain historical
elements.
Elizabeth says that
for her, the main dividing line is that fantasy tends to look at
culture, the roles of women, and all kinds of social institutions while
science fiction is more concerned with science and the rational
explanation of what is going on independent of human interference or
influence.
Of course many
books contain elements of both fantasy and science fiction. Elizabeth
tries to determine if a book leans more toward one or the other.
On November 4 our feature
article will explore additional fantasy sub-genres. In the meantime,
Spellbinder's own Kimberley Griffiths Little gave a wonderful
presentation exploring fantasy sub-genres at the International Reading
Association last April. Check out her handout at her
website.
Caroline
Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New
Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other.
She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and
middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana.
Back in New
as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013. 
workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. 
I
asked Elizabeth about her definition of dystopian fantasy and she said
she believes dystopian looks at the future as an examination of
political structures. In utopia life is perfect. Dystopia turns
everything on its head. Usually a totalitarian and authoritarian
government is involved and the story is set in a future that is often
post apocalyptic. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the most popular example of dystopian fiction.
Scott Westerfeld, author of the Leviathan
series, explores zombies, vampires, and classic fantasy creatures by
explaining their biology and origin in scientific terms. He tends to
fall in her science fiction shelves. For an interesting discussion of
the difference between fantasy and science fiction, see our October 1
feature article.
Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, combines zombies and vampires with historical elements and extensive research.
In
regard to urban fantasy, Elizabeth says it's just what it sounds like.
These stories take classic elements of myth and place them in urban
centers like New York and London. The author then weaves in the history
of those places with the current story. There is a lot of romance and
often humor and whimsy. Examples are Cassandra Clare and her Mortal Instruments Series, Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift Series and Cynthia Leitich Smith's Tantalize Series. A lot of these writers are aiming for a clever feel, working in modern trends and using word play.
