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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Retribution Falls Goes YA

Chris Wooding's popular Tales of the Ketty Jay series is going Young Adult. With that in mind it receives a new cover to play on the cowboy theme. Sadly there is nothing to show it is also a steampunk genre novel. No flying airships or daring escapes featured on the cover. While I like its minimalism, I think the original covers are much better.



Retribution Falls will debut in the YA section the first week of 2012.
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11 comments:

  1. RyanOctober 13, 2011 at 8:55 AM

    Are they changing the content as well to make it YA? Or are they just repackaging it for the YA market?

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  2. UnknownOctober 13, 2011 at 1:40 PM

    Not sure on the content. My guess is that they will water it down a bit for the YA market. However, your guess is as good as mine.

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  3. RyanOctober 13, 2011 at 8:36 PM

    Yeah, they must water it down at least a bit, it wasn't overly violent or filled with sex and profanity, but it never struck me as YA material either.

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  4. VictoriaOctober 14, 2011 at 5:08 AM

    I don't see any reason to water it down. YA is for young teenagers. There is nothing in Retribution Falls that's in teen television (Gossip Girl, etc, etc.). It's perfect for the YA market the way it is. I've read far racier/violent/darker stuff that was intended as YA from the get go than this book.

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  5. anjaliOctober 14, 2011 at 7:49 AM

    Good point Victoria. I guess I have an inaccurate view of what YA is. Either way, it's good to see Wooding get marketed to a wider audience...Retribution Falls is an awesome book.

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  6. VictoriaOctober 15, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    The only way to gain an accurate view, is to read more of it. ;) I do end up reading quite a bit of YA, and even children's literature. A story is a story is a story. If it's a good one, I don't care who the intended/marketed audience is, I'm going to read it, and enjoy it. YA isn't all rainbows and fairy wands, y'know.

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  7. RyanOctober 15, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    Victoria-

    Oops, I see my most recent response was with my GF's profile...sorry!

    What would you recommend as essential works of YA?

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  8. VictoriaOctober 17, 2011 at 6:29 AM

    Not in any particular order:

    1. The Earthsea Cycle - Ursula K. Le Guin
    - These are classic fantasy, and a must for any fantasy reader.

    2. The Abhorsen Trilogy - Garth Nix
    - A very interesting and new look at necromancy. The protagonist is a necromancer.

    3. Riddlemaster Trilogy - Patricia A. McKillip
    - Another classic.

    4. His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman
    - Don't go by the movie. Ugh. These books are quite dark, and deal with theology, in what I think is a very mature manner. It doesn't water the ideas of oppression for young readers, at all.

    5. The Damar books (The Bluesword, and the prequel, The Hero and the Crown) - Robin McKinley
    - The Blue Sword is my all time favourite book. I re-read it frequently. Originally read it at around the age of nine, and it still gets me excited. PeterWilliam reviewed it here. It's a great book for a girl, because it's empowering. The girl doesn't wait to be saved, she goes off and does the saving. I did an interview with Robin McKinley here for SBR. You can search it.

    6. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
    - It's a classic.

    7. The Giver - Lois Lowry
    - This is a poignant classic. It's set in an apocalyptic future.

    8. Lord of the Flies
    - While not genre, it does have a speculative feel. And it's a classic.

    9. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradybury
    - Classic SF. It's must for any genre reader.

    10. Slaughter-house Five, Cat's Cradle or Welcome to the Monkey House - Kurt Vonnegut
    - SF. He's a classic author.

    11. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
    - If you have not read this, you probably should.

    12. The Pit Dragon Trilogy - Jane Yolen
    - Jane Yolen is a classic author. She's up there with people like Le Guin and McKillip.

    13. A Wrinkle in Time, A Ring of Endless Light and The Arm of the Starfish - Madeliene L'Engle
    - Classic. A Wrinkle in Time has nothing to do with the last two mention, but I honestly think every fantasy/SF fan needs to read it at some point in their lives.

    I could name more, but that's quite a bit, so there you go. :)

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  9. VictoriaOctober 17, 2011 at 6:31 AM

    And pardon the typos. I didn't read that post over before I submitted it.

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  10. RyanOctober 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    Victoria- Wow! Thanks for that list. I might not be as YA under-read as I thought...I've read 8 of the 13 you mentioned, but some I read way back when I was a YA myself, so my memory of them is foggy to say the least. I definitely want to check the Bluesword out. Thanks!

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  11. VictoriaOctober 17, 2011 at 9:30 AM

    That's the point. Many books you find on bookstores' YA shelves are books that weren't intended to be YA, but the business side of things (the publishers and bookstore execs/owners) decided that they can sell there too. Think of the books you read in high school, or the books found in school libraries, even Shakespeare. Just because something might end up on YA shelves doesn't mean that it's any less mature than books you find on adult shelves.

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