The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, P. ( 2008). The Knife of Never Letting Go. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary

Todd lives in a town Prentisstown. You soon discover that life here is different. First eveyone can hear each other's thoughts even animals. Second,  there are no women. There was a germ that spread and got rid of the the females and gave men the ability to hear thoughts. Todd stumbles upon area that is quiet.  It is referred to as a hole since it is a hole in the noise that surrounds him constantly. When he tells his parents about the hole, they realize he is in danger and must leave. Since everyone can hear everyone's thoughts, the men in the town know that Todd has found a hole.  Once he leaves he finds the person responsible for the hole, Viola. She is an alien from another planet and needs help because her ship has crashed and her parents have died. The two need to get to a place called Haven. On the way they are attacked by a bully Aaron numerous times. Viola finally kills him in the end. They are chased by the Printesstown army and escape villages just before they are burned by the army. When they finally get to Haven, they see the mayor of Printisstown. he welcomes them to ta New Order setting the stage for a new chapter in a series.  

Commentary

For a novel in the realm of fantasy science fiction there was quite a bit of adventure to keep the readier entertained. Todd makes the observation that "There is no such thing as silence, not here,not no where." This is true our world too.  Even in a silent room, the voice in our head may be talking. The book make very good use of the feeling of being desperate and alone and then finding one person to cling to to make it through a tough time. Todd must come to terms with his ability and the truth about his town's history.  His turn as hero in the end refreshing. He learns to stand up for himself and others. 

Connections

Connections

This book falls into the genre of modern fantasy fiction.  The characters could easily be taken out of the book and would fit into our world.  This would be appropriate for upper age Young Adult audiences. Concrete topics are not the major focus. It is more concentrating on survival and equality and manipulation. Using this novel, teacher can begin a discussion on if having the ability to hear other's thoughts is a blessing or a curse.

The Island of Excess Love

Block F. L. (2014). The Island of Excess Love. New York, NY: Henry Holt Company.

Summary

Pen lives in a pink house with Hex, Ash, Venice, and Ez. The world around them has been destroyed but they have been spared.  The ship appears one day and they board it and end up traveling to a land that is different than the world they came from. It is ruled by a king. And soon it is discovered he sent the ship because he wants to marry Pen. There is plenty of magic in this book. The characters fall under a spell on the ship and on the island. While under a spell, Pen has sex with Dylan the king even though she is dating Hex.  They two characters must come to terms with this and also with Hex being transgender. They must decide if their relationship will last as they sail back to their homeland. 

Commentary

I was  confused while reading this book.  I discovered that it is a sequel to another book and that maybe I should have read that book first or instead. The author relies heavily on the element of magic and altered states as part of the story.  If you are not into magicians and spells, you may find the book enjoyable. It couldn't really give it the time it needs to be fully appreciated. The fact that Pen was actually raped by Dylan seems to be blown over as well. She was in a altered stated so that he could have sex with her to impregnate her. This is rape because she was not lucid enough to consent. I also didn't catch on initially that Hex was transgender. They may have been explained in the first book and since I didn't read it I didn't know.

Connections 

Other books by Francesca Lia Block

Love in the Time of Global Warming

The Elementals

Weetzie Bat

Connections to Text

This is a dystopian novel under the subgenre of science fiction. The setting is continuation from the prequel. It does require the reader to suspend belief and believe that magic ships appear and potions can put spells on people like what happened on the ship. There are some real current topics present as well. Hex's gender identification and how it affects Pen is addressed. That brings a sense of realism to the novel. 

Science Fiction Fantasy for YA

This seems to be one of the fastest growing sub genres for teens.  I'll be honest. It is not my favorite. This is a sub genre of fantasy. Readers are asked to suspend their beliefs. Magic, time travel, and super human powers, are common elements.  The societies present in these stories still have rules and sometimes class systems among characters. In these books, it is stressed that rules are followed. That is usually how the conflict or plot begins; someone is breaking the rules.

Science Fiction is divided even more. The first category is hard science fiction which are books that are stringent on being scientifically accurate. Soft science fiction is the other category. The themes in these books are more about humanity and social interactions in an alternate world.

The sub genres of science fiction are:

• Apocalyptic and post apocalyptic
• Steam punk, bio punk,and cyber punk
• Dystopia
• Extra sensory perception
• artificial intelligence
• robots, cyborgs,  and androids
• time travel and parallel universe
• virtual world
• gaming

How this will affect how I read and evaluate  Science Fiction

I must remember to not take it too seriously, to let go of what is naturally known and common to mankind.  There is an audience for this so it is important to understand why they enjoy it. Teens are looking for an escape from their reality; schoolwork, nagging parents, jobs, curfew, rules, etc... these books provide it.  I must look to see if the author includes characters who are going through normal issues such as love, relationships, friendships, and those listed above but in an alternate setting. Issues and problems do not change. The world around us and how they are conquered are. Giving teens a chance to escape and enjoy a new scene is the ultimate purpose of this genre. 

Do the books teach readers how to work with human race and how changes in  technology can improve or harm our society? Do they allow readers to escape but still have something they and identify with such as a character or theme? That's what should be looked for while reading science fiction.