Unwind by Neal Shusterman
My book reviews are targeted towards novelists (my prior book review can be found here).
Neal Shusterman’s Unwind is a near-future science fiction horror tale that can be summed up in one word: delicious. Quite simply, Shusterman goes where few dare to tread. If you have a love of edgy Young Adult fiction, then look no further. This book belongs on your shelf for several reasons, one of which is the intense questions that get asked, each one more thought-provoking then the last.
For an older gentleman like me, Neal Shuterman’s Unwind can be compared to a John Christopher novel written by Steven King.
The plot goes like this: abortion is illegal… on unborn children. During their teen years, parents can decide to send their child away to be “unwound” where 99.44% of their body is harvested.
The book centers on three teens that are now “unwinds”:
- Connor, chosen to be unwound because he is a rebellious teen
- Lev, who was born to be unwound based on his parents religious beliefs of tithing
- Risa, chosen by the state to be unwound simply because they decided that they could not afford to keep her alive
These three escape their fates in a fortuitous freeway pile-up. Now all they need to do is survive until they are eighteen, when they no longer can be unwound. Capture means not death (so they say), because all the parts are reused, the unwind is divided into parts for a cheerfully waiting populous where the art of doctoring is rare but surgeons rule the health scene.
Sound positively hellish? Well it is. The undercurrent of unstated horror is relentless in Unwind and then BAM! It goes from the unstated to the all too real like a punch in the gut. Literally, I felt vaguely ill at the end of the novel. The subtleness of the cruelties with smiles suffered on these children builds to an epic crescendo that cumulates in one of the most terrible bits of sheer creep that I have ever read.
If you care to write edgy fiction, then look to this horror novel because that is what it is. There is little gore in Unwind worth mentioning, oh no. Like a Japanese horror movie, there is a sense of malevolence running through this sick and twisted society that looks so much like our own—yet is so different.
Or is it?
Consider if you will, the teens that were dumped at Nebraska’s hospitals. The mirrored reflection is not a dark twin of our light. Far from it, the parallels in this dystopia are sometimes all too familiar, and all too normal. And that is what makes it a chilling read for teens and adults.
For the Young Adult novelist, this study of unrelenting intensity warrants your attention. There is more here to scrutinize, than just pacing, atmosphere and plotting.
Unwind asks tough questions rarely found in a book targeted for teens. What is the beginning of life? When exactly does life end? What is the nature of consciousness? What are the consequences of anarchy when the law is so very flawed? In a world of villains, who is the true villain?
What are the ethics of compromise?
This, my friends, is a book that never talks down to the audience it was designed for, as the questions posed above compose a heady literary wine. You will be hard-pressed to find an action-packed book filled with such teen reflective goodness.
Another important part of this book is the voicing. Written in the third-person present tense, the word-smiting lends a flare not often encountered. The way the book is crafted lends itself to a sense of urgency; I was dubious going into it, but Shusterman pulls it off with his screenwriting experience shinning through.
If it seems like I am gushing, I guess I am. I do have some minor faults and quibbles with the novel, none really I feel necessary to drag out for the sake of being fair and balanced. If you write Young Adult fiction, it’s a must read simply because it does something rare: For the reluctant teen reader, it is a novel that will draw him in and leave him wanting to read more—because the type of entertainment given by Unwind can be found nowhere else. For the already fan of outstanding Young Adult fiction, it is euphoric lifeblood for the mind. There is not a bit of fluff betwixt its pages.
That’s a win-win combination of awesomeness that deserves your purchase and study. For what better result could there be for an author of Young Adult speculative fiction?
Answer me these questions three
Mighty Kiersten asks:
What’s the recipe for Awesomesauce?
Answer:
Awesomesauce is subjective, and how it is used depends on the context. The answer, of course, is simply found via Google.
Kiersten the Great asks:
My husband was commenting on my comments the other day, and said, “And who’s that guy, the one who relates everything to girls and dating?”
To which I laughed and told him you’re a married father of two in your late thirties.
So, my question is, what does The Wife Unit think of stuff like that? I’d like to think I’d be cool with it, but in all honesty, it’d probably hurt my feelings if Hot Stuff was posting on the Barista girls.
(And this isn’t critical–I’m genuinely curious what The Wife Unit thinks, because obviously she has to be cool to be married to you in the first place.)
Answer:
Ah ah ah, just because you cherry pick which posts to reply to does not equate to me relating everything to girls and dating!
This definitely is the wrong place to go for topics about dating. I’ve been married longer than I have dated. Way longer. I can just see the Hack Writer Dating Advice post:
Hey Anthony, can I get some dating advice?
Sure. Is she nice?
Yes, but what I want to know is…
Do you think she is pretty?
Well ya she’s hot but…
Do you think she would make a good mother to your children?
Of course but that isn’t…
WELL THEN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You don’t need dating advice you need to get your HEAD out of your ASS and marry the woman!
Okay that’s pretty funny. Sorry, that whole dating comment had me laughing.
Now it is true I talk about girls and women. That’s because this is a blog about writing and the discovery process through writing. Since I deplore political correctness, if some 17 year-old bra-less nubile tart is flirting with me at the coffee shop (true story), I am going to so blog about that because that is so going in a book. A whimsical book scene for $1.90 (plus tip). I win!
The Wife Unit on the other hand, keeps me in line. She likes romantic fiction with the occasional juicy, sensual scene, and lo, I can write that. To be able to write that I have to be able to explore human sensuality. That she lets me do this is a testament to her confidence in me. I am thoroughly smitten with her even after all these years; I adore the woman.
Without her support and encouragement, my writing is nothing.
Kiersten, the Only Blog Reader Who Loves Me, asks:
[...] what is your first memory? And is it *actually* your first memory, or have you fabricated it based on pictures, video, or stories from your parents/relatives?
How can you be sure?
Answer:
I have researched the subject of memory and keep current with the latest findings, studies and theories. This was necessary to write Bunny Trouble but also in part because I have an extraordinarily gifted long-term memory. I can remember as far back as when I was a toddler.
“Memory fabrication” is a simplification of recall and emotional states. We all have a memory filter that can be unconsciously modified or, in some circumstances, intentionally set aside to get at the raw data. In times of stress, our perception of events can (and almost always will) narrow, and then when we attempt to recall those events our mind fills in the blanks. It is an extraordinary complex system and utterly fascinating.
Is that a fabrication when that happens? I do not believe so. It’s just how the mind works. There are ways one can examine a memory to see if it is something true or something you wish to be true. One way to do this is to think about the other senses rather than sight. What is your recollection of the sounds you are hearing? A key focus is what you smell. If you can remember something with an associated smell, that is a powerful memory. It’s probably about as true as you can get.
With all that said, I am not going to answer your question—unless you really want me to. I am very sure of my first memories, and I am very sure they are not fabricated. They are unpleasant and raw and it has been my experience talking about it makes people sad and depressed. On the other hand I am perfectly willing to talk about what I can recall. When all is said and done, I saw much worse later. Much worse.
There ya go. Now Kiersten can go to the other 7.3 readers and go “Ptththththtt! Your NaNoWriting made you miss the Hack Writer Q&A. No “A” for you. You come back in 300 posts!”
Max Leone: My Hero!
Max writes in a letter dripping in awesomesauce:
“I am of that population segment that is constantly derided as “not reading anymore,” and is therefore treated by publishing companies as a vast, mysterious demographic that’s seemingly impossible to please. Kind of like the way teenage boys think of girls. The reason we read so little in our free time is partially because of the literary choices available to teenagers these days. The selection of teen literature is even more barren now that the two great dynasties, Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl, have released their final installments. Those two massive successes blended great characters, humor and action in a way that few other books manage. When they went for laughs, they were genuinely funny, and their dramatic scenes were still heart-poundingly tense, even after I’d read them dozens of times.”
Let’s review shall we:
The reason we read so little in our free time is partially because of the literary choices available to teenagers these days.
Sound familiar? It should.
Max goes on further to state:
Finally, here is what I consider the cardinal rule of writing for young adults: Do Not Underestimate Your Audience.
Oh man, Max’s letter just goes from great to, well spectacular as Max hits a lot of people with a clue-by-four.
And the best thing about his post it ties directly into what Courtney was saying. DIRECTLY. See, I told you Courtney was smart. And here is proof! PROOF I SAY!
Max, this is my plege to you: My YA Fantasy novel will be as you say. I call it the Max Leone YA Novel – Winter Pledge 2008. Who’s with me?
If it gets published or not is something else entirely. I promise to give you and your friends what you are looking for. I promise to play my part, it remains seen if others will step up to the plate and deliver.
Chris Isaac – Wicked Game
The world was on fire
No one could save me but you.
Strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I’d meet somebody like you
And I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you
No, I don’t want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
No, I don’t want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
With you
With you
What a wicked game you play
To make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do
To let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say
You never felt this way
What a wicked thing to do
To make me dream of you
And I don’t wanna fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
And I don’t want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
World was on fire
No one could save me but you
Strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I’d love somebody like you
I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you
No I don’t wanna fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart
No I don't wanna fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
With you
With you
Nobody loves no one
Dave Matthews Band – Crash Into Me
You’ve got your ball
you’ve got your chain
tied to me tight tie me up again
who’s got their claws
in you my friend
Into your heart I’ll beat again
Sweet like candy to my soul
Sweet you rock
and sweet you roll
Lost for you I’m so lost for you
You come crash into me
And I come into you
I come into you
In a boys dream
In a boys dream
Touch your lips just so I know
In your eyes, love, it glows so
I’m bare boned and crazy for you
When you come crash
into me, baby
And I come into you
In a boys dream
In a boys dream
If I’ve gone overboard
Then I’m begging you
to forgive me
in my haste
When I’m holding you so girl
close to me
Oh and you come crash
into me, baby
And I come into you
Hike up your skirt a little more
and show the world to me
Hike up your skirt a little more
and show your world to me
In a boys dream… In a boys dream
Oh I watch you there
through the window
And I stare at you
You wear nothing but you
wear it so well
tied up and twisted
the way I’d like to be
For you, for me, come crash
into me
A reminder
The Young Adult Science Fiction blog is updated every Friday, with today being no exception.
Anybody who writes Young Adult speculative fiction should put this on their read list. It’s like a free box of bon-bons every Friday!
You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!
Over half of my Beta Readers wanted more of the alien.
Are you sure? Are you really sure that is what you want? Okay. I give you MORE ALIEN:
The local cops called them meth maggots; the populace called them tweakers. She chose to think of them as low-hanging fruit.
How awesome is that sentence? Huh? Let me answer that question for you. It is dipped in awesomesauce that is what! That sentence is so awesome, when I wrote it I caused all fertile women within three miles of me to ovulate spontaneously.
I printed out the new scene and rubbed the paper all over my body, singing, “Who’s the man! Who’s the man!” It is that good.
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Louise Engdahl
This book review is for novelists. If you simply have love a reading, John Grant does an excellent review on Infinity Plus.
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Louise Engdahl is an extraordinary Young Adult novel—an entertaining, thought-provoking story and a fine technical achievement. The novel itself encompasses not one or two genres—but three, one for each point of view. From the forward by Lois Lowry:
“How rich a literary landscape is the one that enables the reader to enter several worlds and make a home in each.”
Reviewers throughout the decades have attempted to define this gem as a blend of science fiction and fantasy. This, perhaps, is an incorrect interpretation of the novel. Enchantress from the Stars is a book that deftly switches between three points of view: Elana, the daughter of a field agent from an advanced galactic civilization, Jarel, a medical officer from a space faring race and Georyn, the youngest son of a woodcutter whose life is turned upside-down when the Dragon invades the Enchanted Forest.
The plot is thus: A space-faring race has invaded a planet where the inhabitants are in a primitive, medieval state. They go about clearing their landing site of their future colony with little thought to the impact of the people already there. The Dragon is a mechanical demolition machine, but to the natives it is a fearsome beast. Above both these two peoples, Elana, her fiancé and her father must try to save the primitive civilization, but they must do so in a way as to not interfere with the cultural advancement of the colonists. Simply, without a doubt, a marvelous bit of plotting.
One point of view in the book comes from Georyn, and as such is “fantasy.” The other point of view is from Jarel, and could be classified as “science fiction.” The third point of view, and the most important, comes from Elana, and is, in my humble opinion, visionary fiction. The three genres come together in a rapturous conclusion that is both harrowing, contemplative and finally, bittersweet. If you do not become misty-eyed, or at the least wistful at the conclusion of the book, then you heart is hardened to the likes of love gained and love lost in sacrifice for a noble purpose.
As a writer this technical achievement deserves your study, for Engdahl carries it with finesse and a unique style that has stood the test of time and is without peer. That is only the half of the reason I recommend this novel.
You will never find me disparaging the Young Adult novels that have reached a resounding success yet never come near the thoughtfulness offered by Engdahl. How many new-writer doors have opened because of Rowling and Meyer? Not just from a commercial perspective, but simply from an audience-building standpoint. This week, there is agent calling her client with a book deal that never would have seen the light of day without the expansion of the teen market. No matter how much the protagonist personally grates on one’s nerves, we owe that literary vampiric mouse of a girl a debt. Would the reprints of Enchantress from the Stars be possible if Harry Potter only existed in an Edinburgh coffee shop? It is not for me to say, but the influence of Rowling’s speculative work on publishers is as obvious as the sun rising each morning.
This is the heart of my review. There is, in my mind, the achievement of this novel from 1970 and the commercial success of the contemporary mega author. Like a greedy child, I want both. I demand both. I want novels that meet the standards presented by Engdahl, while commercially fulfilling the dreams of agents and publishers because their audience is legion.
Enchantress from the Stars explores personal ethics and morality and presents a cosmos that demands personal sacrifice not just for the good of who we know, but also for a greater purpose beyond our immediate universe. The personal growth of Elana through her great efforts, sacrifice and loss was awe-inspiring as it was a heartbreaking journey to behold. I could go on and on about the little gems inside this book, such as the psychological insights offered to the reader on human nature and matters of the heart. Nevertheless, I will not for that is not my purpose in writing this review. What I will do is toss down a literary gauntlet.
Dear writers, this is my challenge to you. If you are a fantasy author, there is much to learn from Enchantress from the Stars in the creation of legend and myth and the personal trials of the human spirit filled with curiosity. As science fiction, it is a wondrous universe filled with more questions than answers. As a Young Adult novel, it is, simply, without equal. Read this novel and then read your work in progress, and attempt to rise to a higher measure.
Firebird reprinted Enchantress from the Stars in paperback. I encourage you, however, to order the signed hardcover edition published by Walker, and send the author a note thanking her for her efforts. If you already have a copy, blow the dust off it. Enter once more a universe that does not talk down to you, assumes you can handle characters that grow and wonder despite hardship and love lost, and, ultimately, expands your mind to new horizons.
Awesomesauce!
New Blog Tradition: Media Wednesday!
Edit: Slow loading video moved behind the lines for speedy blog loading purposes. No need to thank me, that’s just the kind of guy I am.
I win YA Sci-Fi
Susan Cooper was entertaining, but for raw, expand-the-horizons thinking, much of my Young Adult fancy belongs to Sylvia Engdahl (her blog is here). Her Children of the Star trilogy really hit home with me, and I can even recall dreaming of the last book. This Star Shall Abide is the first book in Children of the Star. Such wonderful, wonderful reading.
Much to my amazement and joy, some of her works are now back in print and she has published a new adult novel. My copy of her latest work, Stewards of the Flame is on order from Amazon.
Her books are wondrous. I adore her visionary writing, and can’t wait for my delivery of the signed YA novels I just bought. Haven’t read Ms. Engdahl? Just do it. Please.
I am a happy man. That my children will also some day read Sylvia Engdahl makes me smile, while I think of traveling beyond our our star…
Frozen Kisses
The Wife Unit whipped up some homemade chocolate this evening. A bitter frozen kiss, doing naughty things to my mouth uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh.
For you men, bi-fems and lesbians that love a good cook: back off. I saw her first!
Mmmmmm nom nom nom nom oooooohhhh!
You ain’t killed nobody until you’ve killed them like this
The best murder mystery I have ever feasted upon appears in Vernor Vinge’s Across Realtime in the last story of the book: Marooned in Realtime. Now reprinted, be warned it is easier to follow if you have the Across Omnibus which contains The Peace War and The Ungoverned.
Let me just quote the Amazon reader review and be done with it:
Finally, and in my opinion the crown jewel of the book, comes Marooned in Realtime, a masterfully plotted mystery story spanning 50 million years into the future. Marooned in Realtime is centered around Wil Brierson and a small band of friends trying to restart the human race in a post-post-apocalyptic world of decaying high-technology. Marooned is so excellent that it alone is worth the price of admission.
