Dystopian Archive - Teen Blog

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Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow

by Cory Doctorow

Set in a near future dystopian Britain, Pirate Cinema centers on Trent McCauley. Trent is an average teenage guy, with an obsession for creating movies. Not the regular “point the camera and action!” movies, though. Trent takes footage from old movies (his favorite are old films starring the popular actor, Scot Colford) and splices them together to create a new movie. What Trent does is technically illegal under copyright law. But Trent just can’t stop making his movies, and he knows what he creates are really good. Trent just assumes that since everyone illegally downloads movies, music, and whatever else, as long as he is careful he will be fine. However, Trent is not careful and he gets caught. As punishment, his entire family cannot access the Internet for an entire year. This means his sister can’t do her homework and continue to be an A student, his mom can’t get her medical prescriptions, and worst of all his dad cannot work. Trent is ashamed and feels so guilty that he runs away from home to the streets of London.

One his first day on the streets he meets Jem, a street kid that helps him survive. Jem and Trent actually do pretty well for themselves. They find food for free from the dumpsters of grocery stores and restaurants and they find an abandoned pub that they refurbish and are able to live in (illegally). They are so comfortable, in fact, that Trent is able to start making his movies again and soon he finds himself being recognized in the underground pirating culture of London. Trent’s underground fame, however, gets him involved with a political movement that wants to legalize downloading and copying licensed works for creative use. Is Trent in over his head, or is he just the right person to take this movement all the way to Parliament?

The main focus of this Pirate Cinema is technology, piracy, fair use, and the right to creative expression. However, this novel is packed with a ton of interesting issues. There’s the drama of Trent living on the streets and learning how to survive, the family issues that Trent has to deal with, and there is even a love interest for Trent. You should definitely pick this book up if you are interested in technology, especially when it comes to fair use and creative expression.

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on November 16, 2012 Categories: Dystopian, Fiction, Guys Reads, Staff Pics

Book Trailer of the Week– What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

This week’s book trailer of the week is for the book What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang. Set in an alternate America, in a dystopian society, people are born with two souls in one body. As they age, one soul settles allowing for there to be one dominant and one dormant soul. Narrated by fifteen year old Eva, she was pronounced “settled” and her sister Addie was determined to be the dominant soul. But Addie and Eva know that this is not true. Both of their souls exist in one body. Eva and Addie are hybrids and must keep their secret, even from their family, or they will be sent to an institution. But how long can they keep this secret? Click here to find What’s Left of Me in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on September 28, 2012 Categories: Book Trailer, Dystopian, Fantasy, Fiction

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse

Safekeeping

by Karen Hesse

Safekeeping is a new dystopia novel that is so realistic, you will feel like it is something that could happen tomorrow. Set in the near future, the world is much like our world today. However, the President of the United States is assassinated at the beginning of the novel. This prompts the American People’s Party to take control of the government and institute martial law. The narrator, Radley, is in Haiti volunteering at an orphanage when the President is assassinated. She sets out to return home to her parents, because she is so worried about them, despite the warnings that it would be safer to stay in Haiti. When Radley returns to her home in Vermont, she finds the house abandoned and does not know what to do. Her home is not safe, and Radley is not safe since she has none of the new official documents or adults to take care of her. Radley does the only thing she can think to do: she sets off on foot to walk to Canada with the hope that she will find her parents there.

Along the way Radley has to survive on discarded food that she often finds in dumpsters, steal to survive, and get out of more than one threatening situation with dangerous people. The roads are not safe, so Radley sticks to the wilderness. It is there that she meets Celia and her dog. Though Radley is being cautious, she can’t help but stick to Celia. Eventually they begin to survive together. Will they make it to Canada? Will they both survive in the wilderness? Will Radley ever see her parents again? Pick up Safekeeping for a dystopian that is unlike many of the ones being published today. It is quiet but exciting, poetic and cerebral. Safekeeping is a novel that will keep you thinking about it long after you have put it down. Also included are photos taken by the author that make the story even that much more moving.

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on September 19, 2012 Categories: Dystopian, Fiction, Staff Pics

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Enclave

by Ann Aguirre

War and a plague have destroyed New York City. Many generations ago, people went underground in order to survive and escape the Freaks (flesh eating monsters). However, the Freaks have been growing down below and the people underground are in trouble. Deuce lives in one of the last safe enclaves. At the beginning of the novel, we meet Deuce as she gets her new name and is given her role as one of the huntresses in her enclave. Unfortunately, Deuce’s hunting partner turns out to be Fade, a guy who came from topside but who has proven to be valuable to the enclave as a hunter. Since he was not born in the enclave, not many people trust Fade. When Deuce first hunts with Fade she learns why. Fade doesn’t like to follow the rules.

Deuce, however, has trained and worked hard all her life to be a huntress and always follows the rules. As Deuce continues to hunt with Fade outside the enclave she soon learns how desperate their situation is. Freaks are everywhere and they are getting smarter. After Deuce and Fade disobey direct orders, they are sentenced to a mission to travel to the nearest enclave. When they arrive and find it decimated and overrun by Freaks, they return with warnings to their leaders. But they are ignored and Deuce begins to see the flaw in her enclave’s leadership. As Deuce begins to challenge authority, her home in the enclave is threatened. When she and Fade are both accused of hoarding (an illegal practice) they are banished to the topside.

Without giving away too much more, the plot of Enclave really starts to unfold as Deuce and Fade go topside. Their fight to survive in the post apocalyptic New York City is a hard one. They encounter Freaks, gangs of savages who call themselves wolves, the sun (which Deuce has never seen before), injury, and finding safe food and water. This is a survival story as much as it is an action and adventure read. Be sure to check out Enclave if you want a fast paced, exciting read!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on September 6, 2012 Categories: Action/Adventure, Dystopian, Fiction, Science Fiction, Staff Pics

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Little Brother

by Cory Doctorow

Marcus is an expert with a computer, and he has to be. In his school computers rule. They are not only for doing schoolwork, but technology is being used to keep track of and spy on the students. In Marcus’ near-future world, technology is slightly more advanced than it is today. In order to have some sort of freedom and control while being online, Marcus has figured out how to maintain his privacy online while staying under the radar, mostly through hacking.

This all changes one afternoon when Marcus and his friends skip class to join in a scavenger hunt as part of one of their favorite online games. San Francisco comes under attack from terrorists and Marcus and his friends finds themselves close to the attack. So close, in fact, the he and his friends are taken in by the Department of Homeland Security as possible threats. Even though they had nothing to do with the attacks on San Francisco, Marcus and his friends are interrogated for days in an unknown prison about their involvement. When they are finally set free, their lives are changed forever. Marcus is scarred by the interrogation and to make matters worse his best friend Darryl was never released.

Marcus takes to the net determined to fight against all the new restrictions, curfews, and increased DHS presence in San Francisco as a result of the terrorist attacks. Marcus feels that his story must be told and that people must fight back against Big Brother. However, by fighting back, he risks everything… even his life.

Little Brother is a great book for any reader. There is a lot of action in this book and a good mystery. Little Brother also makes you question if this could really be our future. It is really believable that this world could one day be ours, and if it is, we all need to be better informed about how to maintain our privacy online. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and also give you a lot to think about.

Click here to find Little Brother in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on July 30, 2012 Categories: Dystopian, Fiction, Guys Reads, Mystery, Science Fiction, Staff Pics

Book Trailer of the Week– Partials by Dan Wells

This week’s book trailer is for Partials by Dan Wells. Partials is set in a post-apocalyptic Long Island, New York, in 2076. Genetically engineered humans (Partials) were being used as weapons in warfare. They turned on their human creators and set loose a virus that decimated the population. Kira is a medic in training who desperately wants to solve the mystery as to why now newborns contact the virus and die shortly after birth. Of course, trying to solve this medical mystery brings Kira into danger and adventure. Click here to find Partials in the Library today!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on July 13, 2012 Categories: Book Trailer, Dystopian, Fiction, Science Fiction

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

Dearly Departed

by Lia Habel

If you are a fan of steampunk and zombies then Dearly Departed is the book for you! Set in a future South America in 2195, this world has been rebuilt after a series of catastrophes. There are two different classes in this new society. One is the high society that has been rebuilt heavily influenced by the Victorian era in England and also has access to all the latest technology. The lower class has been nicknamed the Punks, and are viewed as hostile and violent people who want to take down the upper class.

Dearly Departed centers on Nora, part of the upper class and who has just lost her father who was a famed scientist. Nora is in danger but she doesn’t know it, and so she is kidnapped and taken to a military base for her own protection. Bram, her captor, is not a normal soldier. He is infected with the Lazarus virus, a new virus that turns the average person into a zombie. Bram and his fellow soldiers, however, react differently to the Lazarus virus. They still turn into zombies, but they also keep their human nature. The Lazarus virus is sweeping the nation and Nora’s father held the key to its containment.

This novel is action packed, and the world building in Dearly Departed is really well done. Also, this novel is narrated by different characters in alternating chapters. So, you get to read from the point of view of Nora, Bram, Pamela (Nora’s best friend), Victor Dearly (Nora’s father who may not be dead after all), and Wolfe (the commander of Bram’s unit). This is a cool way to read a book. Each character’s story lines come together, and it is interesting to read from the different points of view. Dearly Departed is long read, at 470 pages, but if you like action-packed adventures with zombies and steampunk themes, then this is the book for you! Click here to find Dearly Departed in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on June 25, 2012 Categories: Dystopian, Fantasy, Fiction, Staff Pics, Supernatural/Paranormal

Starters by Lissa Price

Starters

by Lissa Price

Callie lives in a world where a plague has left most middle aged people dead, but the young (the Starters) and the old (the Enders) have survived thanks to a vaccine. There is a side effect of using the vaccine, though: everyone’s life spans have been extended well into the hundreds. In this world only the rich young kids can live a normal life. The average teen has parents who are dead and are either sent to labor camps or forced to live on the streets. The senior citizens are the ruling class and the majority.

Callie is a street kid whose parents were killed by the plague. Callie also has a younger brother who she has to support. When Callie finds out about the body bank it seems like the answer to her prayers. All she has to do is let the body bank, also known as Prime Destinations, implant a chip in her head and give her an extreme makeover. Then she agrees to let a thrill-seeking senior citizen inhabit her body, via the chip, three different times and she will be paid handsomely. The first time Callie is occupied it is easy and she just feels like she went to sleep. Her second time goes just as smoothly. During her third occupation, however, Callie unexpectedly wakes up and is thrust into the middle of a life that she does not know how to live–that of a young, rich teen. To make matters worse the Ender who was occupying her is still in her head and warning her that she is in danger…

Starters is a really cool story! This is definitely not your typical dystopia. There are no average adults in this world–only senior citizens and young people! The way that the author, Lissa Price, describes the body bank and how seniors inhabit young people is so interesting. This book also reminded me of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, because Callie goes through a complete makeover with future technologies that we cannot even imagine. This novel is definitely action-packed, since Callie is not only trying to figure out why she is in danger but she also has to make sure that no one realizes that she is not being occupied while she is still pretending to be a young, rich teen. There is a great mystery in this story and at the end of the book you see the evil plan of some of the Enders unfold. Starters is definitely a great read for any age, guy or girl, and if you want a cool spin on a dystopian world.

Click here to find Starters in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on June 13, 2012 Categories: Action/Adventure, Dystopian, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Staff Pics

Book Trailer of the Week– The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

This week’s book trailer is for The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi. It is a companion novel to Bacigalupi’s 2010 novel, Ship Breaker. If you’re a fan of dystopians, be sure to check these books out! Click here to find The Drowned Cities at the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on May 4, 2012 Categories: Book Trailer, Dystopian, Fiction