Today I defer you to Strange Horizons to look at Karen Healy’s article on the rise of speculative fiction via YA literature.
Here’s a short sampling:
So is YA taking over the grown-ups’ table? It’s a revealing question, steeped in the kind of condescension that assumes books aimed at young people are intrinsically of less cultural value than the real books, speculative or otherwise, that are ostensibly for adult readers. It’s also drenched in fear because, oh my lord, the young people are invading! With their depressing music and tight jeans!
Let me know what you think!
Linda Joy Singleton
Parker Peevyhouse
P. J. Hoover
Jo Whittemore
lindajoysingleton
Joni Sensel
kaholt
5 Comments
September 16, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Good one. She makes some excellent points.
September 16, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I enjoyed this article and agree with its very well-crafted points.
We’re in a golden era for YA books. Ten-Fifteen years ago, the YA genre was dying. Librarians and booksellers debated where to shelf these books that didn’t quite fit any category. They would often point out that teens aren’t reading YA but instead jumping straight to adult novels — and most teens were.
But not anymore. And I think the reason is that the YA novels being published today are rich with creativity, wonderful characters and amazing plots. Science fiction like HUNGER GAMES, THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX and LIFE AS WE KNEW IT are exciting, fascinating and popular. Yes, POPULAR! And isn’t it great? Being popular doesn’t equate being simplistic; being popular can simply mean being beloved.
Booksellers and librarians are explanding shelves to make room for more YA–and largely because it’s not only teens reading these ground-breaking novels, it’s adults, too. I often get emails from fans who will start off with something like, “I’m an adult but I really love to read your teen books…” And I personally love to reply, “Kid books are for readers who are young at heart no matter what their age.”
Of course the cool thing (IMO) about YA books is that they are NOT just one genre. For instance my own DEAD GIRL series is set in high school, has romance, intrigue, humor and the plot twist of a teen’s soul slipping into someone else’s body by a cosmic accident. I don’t classify it as science fiction or horror even though there’s body-swapping and soul-stealing villains. It’s not romance because that’s not the focus on the plot. It’s closer to a girl coming of age novel, but I wouldn’t call it an issue book either. So mostly I say it’s paranormal YA.
So the absolutely coolest thing about YA “speculative fiction” is that it defies being defined.
It is what it is — usually a fascinating page-turning, thought-provoking and FUN read.
Linda Joy Singleton (sharing a bad sense of direction like my DEAD GIRL heroine but unable to body-swap or calculate math).
http://www.LindaJoySingleton.com
September 16, 2009 at 4:32 pm
This was a great article and touched on many things I’ve thought a lot about.
At a science fiction and fantasy symposium where Orson Scott Card was the keynote speaker he said something to the effect that YA authors don’t write down to their audience. If you want to write for YA, you write better. “Some of our best authors write for young adults.” I heartily agree and I’m glad that they’re getting some attention.
On the other hand, as an aspiring YA fantasy author I have mixed feelings about the crowding of the market. It’s seems to be a popular choice for writers just starting out and long established adult authors are writing for YA. It makes not only the publishing competition fierce, but it’s easy for a good book to get lost in the shuffle.
So while I think it’s awesome that YA is getting a shout out sometimes I wish we could keep it the secret corner in the bookstores. I’m trying to block out the daunting feeling of how hard it will be to get not only published, but read! But I’ve always had a passion for young-adult fantasy so I guess I won’t give up.
September 17, 2009 at 3:06 am
Thank you so much for the heads-up on this article; I have a bad habit of reading Strange Horizons only for the stories.
This really resonated with me:
“Young adult fiction and speculative fiction, to me, tend to ask the same eternally fascinating questions about identity and ethics, and often present their researches into those central questions in entertaining packages.”
And THAT’S why I read so much of both. As long as we none of us feel that we’re the end-all be-all of who we are and who we could be, these questions are riveting, and the fiction which explores them is must-read.
September 17, 2009 at 10:11 am
Thanks for the link. I look forward to reading this tonight.