The League of Extraordinary Writers: Enders

Showing posts with label Enders. Show all posts

The First One is Free (On Chapter Samplers and More)

The concept of a sample is simple: give the potential customer a small taste of the product. The idea is that you trust the product is delicious enough (food sample) or good enough (beauty product) that samplers will become purchasing customers. And it works! (At least it does on me.) There is many a food item at Trader Joe's that I have bought on the spot and tons of beauty products at Sephora that have hooked me into wanting more (Boscia's Luminizing Black Mask, I'm looking esp. at you).

Publishers often create chapter samplers and give them away. It's a great way for readers see if the story is one they want to get invested in. If I'm on the fence about buying a book, or have heard great things but want to see if the book gels with me personally, chapter samplers are a godsend. I've read chapter samplers on Facebook (where there is, in fact, a sampler of the first 50 pages of my novel The Memory of After) as well as downloaded them from Netgalley and ebookstores to read on my Nook. If I yell in frustration when the sampler ends and I want more immediately, then it's time to buy the book.

I'll give you a recent example. I happened upon fellow league member Lissa Price's ENDERS sample (the first two chapters) and after reading that, I am itching to get my hands on the hardcover I preordered. But maybe I need to order the eBook too?! What are you doing to me, publishers?

Just a word of warning on that last link - if you haven't read STARTERS yet, you should start there, and until Feb. 1, you can get the whole STARTERS novel for just $2.99.

Which samples have you wanting more?

The release of ENDERS-- the best SF gets in your head

The best SF books get in your head and won't get out. Since I read Starters back in the galley stages, it's been one of those books. As the mother of two young children, I spend a lot of time updating their vaccinations, and every time they get a shot I think of Starters. And that's what makes this duology so fantastic: the captivating premise. Lissa Price took a mundane fact of life—something we've all been faced with—and created an entire world from it. If the goal of science fiction is to raise questions about our lives then the best science fiction books fully explore the implications of the here and now.

So you can imagine my distress at having to wait soooo long for the sequel Enders, but my friends, the wait is over, and I for one am not disappointed. Starters was one of the most twisted and exciting books I've read in recent memory, and I've been dying to get my hands on Enders, especially after the gorgeous new covers were revealed. (Side note: seriously, how amazing are these covers? I saw them at Comic Con and squealed.)

Enders is perhaps even more cinematic than Starters, and I hardly thought that was possible. In fact, I really hope a film adaptation is on the horizon because it would kick serious butt. But back to the actual story, telling you about the plot of Enders would be a travesty. You must read it yourself and enjoy the wild ride, so instead I'm going to tell you why this book stands out amongst dystopian science fiction.

1. A fully fleshed-out science fiction concept. Personally I tend to think most dystopians fall under the science fiction category, but in Enders we get to really see the technology and also the implications of it. At times I was reminded of reading some of my favorite Philip K. Dick novels, and that is a high compliment.

2. A fearless heroine. Callie has a lot of tough decisions to face (what YA heroine doesn't?) but she doesn't sit around waiting for someone to make them for her. She takes action even though her situation is terrifying.

3. Truly creepy villains. I read Starters at my gym, and I remember looking up and realizing there were a lot of older people there. My mind immediately labeled them Enders. Sure, the entire population of Enders aren't evil, but there's something about Old Man that gets under your skin. Is there anything more distressing than the idea of your grandpa being a super villain? Yeah, I didn't think so.

In short, the wait is over and now you can read the whole story back to back. In fact, you can even grab Starters on Kindle right now for $2.99, so there's no excuse not to, and trust me, you want to.

Go get Enders at:

Your local bookstore

Add it to:

For more information about Starters, Enders, and the author behind them, visit www.lissaprice.com

Lissa has taught workshops at SCBWI and the La Jolla Writer’s Conference, and spoken on panels at ComicCon, WonderCon, WorldCon, Workstock, The LA Times Festival of Books and many more. She’s a member of SCBWI, SFWA, ITW, as well as one of the Apocalypsies, a group of 2012 debut YA authors. She also blogs at The League of Extraordinary Writers . She has lived in India and Japan, and once traveled completely around the globe over two years. Now she resides in Southern California with her husband, coyotes and the occasional deer.

Gennifer Albin holds a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Missouri. A recovering academic, she turned to writing her own books. In her free time she sits on the National Novel Writing Month Advisory Board, laughs (and cries) with her mom writers group, and watches too much Doctor Who (if that's possible). Gennifer lives in Poulsbo Washington with her family. You can find Genn online at www.genniferalbin.com/

Launching Lissa Price's ENDERS

I am thrilled that Lissa Price's amazing sci-fi Enders is released tomorrow! I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of Enders. It was even more amazing than Starters, which is saying something.

(Haven't read Starters yet? A little recap: in the Spore War, virtually everyone between the ages of 20 & 60 was killed off, leaving Starters (under age 20) and Enders (over 60).
An evil company recruits poor street Starters, and puts a chip in their heads so they can be controlled by an Ender who rents their body to be able to do the things they used to do when they were young. Fascinating yet creepy, no? You should definitely pick it up if you haven't already!)

Both of these books kept me reading far into the night. Why? I'll tell you. :)

Top 5 Reasons to Buy Enders

1.The insanely high stakes
The stakes in Starters were high. The stakes in Enders blows them away. For one, the Old Man's voice is IN HER HEAD. And it has it's own special kind of creepy vibe. Plus, she finds out that the chips are much more dangerous than she thought, and it puts her bff and her brother in a lot of danger (not to mention her). AND, there is a much more sinister plan in place that threatens the lives of every single "Metal" (the Starters who have chips in their heads) if Callie doesn't save them.

2. The characters
The characters in Enders are incredible and engaging. Callie is smart, has a boat load of inner strength, steps well into her leadership role, is loyal like crazy, and is willing to risk big-time to protect not only those she loves, but others she doesn't even know at all. Hyden is a fascinating, smart, complex, rootable character full of conflict and problems and secrecy. One of the funnest parts is that you don't know if you should be rooting for him or not. Her bff Michael and her brother Tyler are, as always, enjoyable, and add a lot of chances for caring and conflict.

3. The action
There are explosions and car chases and being found when you thought you were safe, and enough other heart-pounding action to keep you on your toes, worrying about all the things that can happen.

4. The twists
From the new reveals in the way the chips work, to more details about the Metals and how they work, to how people can control others, to new characters introduced, to what happens to the characters you love, the twists in this book will keep surprising you over and over.

5. The mystery
I love how a mystery can pull you through a book, dying to solve it. And there are plenty of mysteries to solve in Enders. The two most notable is Hyden and Callie's dad. Hyden, because there are so many unknowns about his past and his motivations, and Callie's dad because we don't know nearly enough about what happened before he was exposed to the deadly virus. Both will pull you along and keep you guessing.

And the best thing is-- the wait is almost over! Enders releases TOMORROW. If you pick up a lucky penny, cross your fingers, and rub your rabbit's foot, you might just be able to find it in your local bookstore today! (And I highly recommend you do.)

Here's some other places you can buy it:

Your local bookstore