Young Adult science fiction and fantasy

  • Furnace: Death Sentence
  • Furnace: Lockdown
  • Architects of Destiny
  • Power Surge
  • Blood and Chocolate
  • The Complete Alcatraz
  • Skink No Surrender
  • Moon Crossing
  • The Enemy
  • Poison
  • Eragon
  • Flamecaster
  • Little Brother
  • Pirate Cinema
  • Diary of a Teenage Superhero
  • Zom-B
  • Demon Road
  • Dillon's Dream: Water and Earth
  • Beautiful Dead: Arizona
  • Beautiful Dead: Jonas
  • The Night Circus
  • Magic Parcel: The Awakening
  • A Taste of Blood Wine
  • Abhorsen
  • Lirael
  • Sabriel
  • Dead by Dawn
  • From a Watery Grave
  • Terrorlord
  • The Blood Witch
  • The Heir of Night
  • Red Glove
  • The Iron Trial
  • Tithe
  • The Chamber of Secrets
  • The Goblet of Fire
  • The Half Blood Prince
  • The Order of the Phoenix
  • The Philosophers Stone
  • The Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Power Trip
  • The Scientific Method
  • Spooks: A New Darkness
  • The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition
  • Spirit's Destiny
  • Bitterblue
  • Starborn
  • The Sons of Thestian
  • Dreadnought
  • Apocalypse: Diary of a Survivor
  • Wicked Lovely
  • The Legion of Shadow
  • Terra
  • Quest of the Demon
  • Earth invaded
  • The Liberators
  • The Graveyard Book
  • The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain
  • The Warrior Sage
  • Lightstorm
  • Landfall – The Tales of Albion
  • Picus the Thief
  • Guy Erma and the Son of Empire
  • Nation
  • Fake Chronicles: Fakrilias
  • Allegiant
  • Divergent
  • Insurgent
  • Wizard of Wisdom
  • Witchfinder Dawn of the Demontide
 

The Young Adult category of science fiction and fantasy novels has seen a boom thanks to a number of highly skilled authors including JK Rowling, Garth Nix and many others.

So what exactly is Young Adult fiction (YA for short)? Essentially YA is fiction written for or marketed towards the young adult market, roughly the ages between 14 and 21.

There are usually distinct attributes that distinguish YA from adult fiction and the primary of these is the age of the protagonist, which in the vast majority of cases is of adolescent age. This is usually then reinforced with the story and subject matter consistent with that age group.

Another popular attribute focuses on the challenges that growing up, or being adolescent bring, sometimes even referred to as problem novels or coming of age novels.

There is of course a vast and varied history of young adult novels, dating as far back as 1812 with "The Swiss Family Robinson"

The popularisation of the young adult market didn't really take off though until the late 1950's and early 1960's, with 2 precursors paving the way in the shape of "The Catcher in the rye" and "Lord of the flies". These books were written with an adult audience in mind but featured the young adult distinctions of young protagonists and this appealed to the younger market.

As publishers began to focus on this emerging market, the distinction began to gain clarity and during the 1970's up to the mid 1980's the market matured with challenging novels that spoke directly to the adolescent psyche.

Since the release of popular series like Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl, Young Adult novels have seen a growth in the genres of both science fiction and fantasy.

Books Reviewed

The Rise of the Arch Illager
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Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses
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Rory Hobble and the Voyage to Haligogen
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The Principle Moments
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