Twirl that Moustache: Your Favorite Villains

We love our heroes. But villains are worthy of our love, too, for so many reasons. These days, villains seem to have as many (or more?) fans than the heroes of our favorite SF/F stories. 

Here, our Leaguers share some of their favorite villains, and why!

Beth Revis:
My favorite villain is The Operative in the movie Serenity. He is absolutely evil, but he absolutely believes that what he is doing is the right thing. He's not a mustache-twirling bad guy (which, despite the helmet, Darth Vader totally is); he has explicit, specific--and even reasonable--logic for doing the horrible things he does. His reaction to everything that happens in the end of the novel is amazing, something very few villains do, and that makes him even more perfect.

The Operative, from Serenity. "Darth Vader is flat Stanley. Because Beth says so and I agree."

Mindy McGinnis:
My favorite SF/F villain is Black Jack Randall from the Outlander series. Every villain has a reason for what they're doing, and Gabaldon actually made me cry for him at one point. HOW!??! I don't know, but she did.

Black Jack Randall. A keen eye and a bloody good hat.
Source

Bethany Hagen:
Both Victor and Eli from V.E. Schwab's Vicious.  They are both so clever and original, plus I really dug the idea that they were battling each other, and it wasn't necessarily a hero vs. villain.  More like villains versus each other.

This is Victor, turning his back on you.

Lissa Price:
I will go with the Master from the David Tennant version of Dr Who. 

The Master, from Dr Who. Source
"This? Oh, it's just a fork. Trust me."

E.C. Myers:
I am going with General Zod, specifically from the film Superman II. He isn't the worst villain, but he's definitely evil and ambitious and a match for Supes. He's also inadvertently funny and entertaining. "Kneel before Zod" is classic, and there's this great moment in the film where he's being interviewed on TV and he ends it by using his own name as an exclamation: "Zod!"

General Zod. "Kneel before my superlative facial hair stylings."

Lydia Kang:
I would say Loki from Thor. He's so devilishly evil but with a squishy heart inside. And then there's Khan, from Star Trek into Darkness. I also had a major villain crush on Pitch, from Rise of the Guardians. That scratchy voice was too much. Who doesn't want to strive to just exist? I could go on...

Here's Loki looking SO evil. Um. Wait. Let me try another. 

Hmm. Evil looks too good. Let's try another.

"BOO!"
Source

That's better!

So do you have a favorite villain? Tell us who and why in the comments below!

Space: The Final Frontier

Okay, so that sounds a little Star Trekky, I know. I am a big fan of Star Trek, especially the TV series, The Next Generation. (Most of the others, you know, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and/or Enterprise, I never did get as into.)

Maybe it was Captain Picard that really spoke to me, or how you can watch any episode in any order and understand the story, but I enjoyed Star Trek: The Next Generation. I know the graphics, and technologies, and special effects aren't as grandiose as today's standards (and the films coming out now!), but it was this series that first sparked my fascination with space travel.

Now, I have yet to pen a space travel novel, but I absolutely love novels set in space. There's something equally exciting and perplexing about being trapped in space. Yes, I view space as a place where I'd be trapped. There's no air out there!

Films like Gravity make me glad I'm on earth, watching as someone else endures the brutalities of extreme temperature and lack of oxygen. I've also enjoyed novels like Across the Universe by Beth Revis, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan, and others.

It seems as though novels set in space are a bit of a trend right now, a "hot thing." I really do think it's one of the final frontiers, where the possibilities of new worlds, new species, new ideas, is endless. Maybe that's what draws authors and readers to write and read novels set in space.

How do you feel about space? Novels set in space? Space travel? 

Guest Interview with Beth Revis

Beth Revis’ first novel, Across the Universe, was an inspiration for me. I loved how she grabbed the reader with such a visceral, memorable opening chapter. She’s shown how YA readers can be entertained by a story set on a spaceship, disproving the myth that “girls don’t read science fiction,” with her bestselling trilogy.

Today, the week that the final book, SHADES OF EARTH, is released, Beth takes time from her crazy schedule to talk to us - Lissa

First of all, how does it feel to finish this incredible trilogy? Is it a feeling of relief, from finishing such a major project? Or is it sad to say goodbye?

It’s such a relief! I’ve never felt the slow-wheels of publishing before now, but I’ve been dying to have this book out for what feels like ages. I’m very happy with how the whole thing turned out, so that made it much easier for me to let go.

I understand there is a murder in Shades of Earth that is your favorite scene?

There is. I don’t want to give anything away as to who kicks the bucket, but I’ll say that it’s one of the scientist’s deaths about half-way through the book. I wish I had a video of myself typing that scene. I was literally on the edge of my seat, my fingers pounding on the keyboard. As soon as I finished, I made my husband listen to me read that scene aloud—and I never do that! I was just so excited to kill that character off like that!!

Do you have any sense, either from fan mail or otherwise, what percentage of your fans are girls vs. boys? Teens vs. adults?

No idea at all—and it doesn’t actually matter that much for me. I’m writing for readers, not a demographic. I’m a bit worried that if I focused to much on who my “audience” is, I’d forget to write a good book; I’d be too focused on pleasing some idea of my ideal reader. My publisher labels my books as “teen,” and that’s fine, but I’m not writing for teens. I’m writing for everyone. Let’s talk about “the grass is greener” for a moment.

If you could trade places with any author, who would it be?

No one. As much as I like other books (and as much as it would be fun to invade JK Rowling’s brain space for a bit!), my writing is a part of my life, and my stories come from me. I can no sooner imagine trading places with another author than I could imagine swapping lives with someone else!

Is there a book that you wish you had written?

I wouldn’t mind the royalty checks from some other books ;) But in general, nope—I value my favorite books in part because they’re such a surprise to me. And they wouldn’t be a surprise if I’d written them :)

Switching to publishing, what’s the nicest thing your publisher ever did for you?

Send my book into space! I still can’t believe that it’s actually happened. I am so amazed that they took my crazy idea and totally ran with it. When I first pitched it to them, I seriously expected to be laughed away. I mean, honestly, what publisher sends a book into space?! My publisher, that’s who! That was absolutely fantastic.

Readers, if you don’t know about this, it’s all here.

So you are the Queen of promotion and publicity, one of the hardest workers I know. You throw contests for your readers that have the most humungous prize packages. How do you balance that with writing? Are you some scheduling wizard?

HAHAHAHANOOOOOO. I am TERRIBLE at schedules. I basically come up with crazy ideas, set them in motion, and then procrastinate until I realize that I’ll totally be a loser unless I do ALL THE THINGS at once. This includes writing books. I’ll totally be irresponsible until I can feel the deadline breathing down my neck, then I panic and spend weeks doing 10k a day.

Love knowing that you’re human! What’s next for Beth Revis and is it going to be science fiction again or fantasy?

I can’t say! But I can confirm that there will be something else.

Is there anything else you’d like the League readers to know?

My favorite part of Across the Universe was the chapter that had only one sentence. My favorite part of A Million Suns was the page that has only one word. My favorite part of Shades of Earth is the blank page.

 

Beth Revis is the author of the NY Times Bestselling Across the Universe series, published by Razorbill/Penguin in the US andavailable in 17 countries. The first book in the trilogy, Across the Universe, is a “cunningly executed thriller” according to Booklist, and the second book, A Million Suns, was hailed by the LA Times as “a fast-paced, action-packed follow-up.” A former teacher, Beth lives in rural North Carolina with her husband and dog.

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Finishing a Trilogy -- SHADES OF EARTH

Okay, so Beth's last book in the Across the Universe trilogy hit shelves yesterday! Be sure to get your copy today!

I simply can't wait to find out what happens in this book. It's rare for me to see a series all the way through to the end, but Across the Universe and A Million Suns have both been so intriguing and powerful that I can't help but be bouncing in eager anticipation of Shades of Earth. (In fact, I pre-ordered it on my Kindle, so it's possible that I've already finished it by now -- but I'm writing this post early.)

I wanted to talk about trilogies today, and mostly because of what I've already admitted: I don't normally finish them. I'll admit it, I get bored. Bored with the same style of writing, bored with the same world, bored of the same characters. I just figure that there are so many books out there, so many new characters and worlds to explore, and I want to read about them all.

As an author myself, I know it takes some serious fortitude to write a trilogy and not want to gouge out your own eyes. That said, Beth did such a fantastic job of making A Million Suns more than a bridge book. (If you haven't read it yet, you must!) The plot of AMS really pushed me toward the resolution I know I'm going to find in Shades of Earth.

I'm sure Beth has some bittersweet feelings on finishing her trilogy. But mostly, I know she's excited to share the conclusion to what truly has been one of the best trilogies I've ever read.

Need to catch up or refresh your memory on Across the Universe and A Million Suns? Visit the tumblr here.

Want to read a new short story, As They Slip Away? Do it here!

Oh, and enter to win signed copies of Across the Universe, A Million Suns, and an ARC of Shades of Earth!

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What are some of your favorite trilogies? Besides Across the Universe of course...

Launching SHADES OF EARTH by Beth Revis

This week we're celebrating the launch of the final book in Beth Revis' New York Times bestselling trilogy:  SHADES OF EARTH.

Summary:


Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They’re ready to start life afresh–to build a home–on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. But this new Earth isn’t the paradise that Amy had been hoping for. Amy and Elder must race to uncover who–or what–else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together.

But as each new discovery brings more danger, Amy and Elder will have to look inward to the very fabric of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses?

Then everything they have sacrificed–friends, family, life on Earth–will have been meaningless.

What critics are saying:

“A tense and delicious ride — one that satisfyingly brings the series full circle.”
 –The Examiner

“[Revis has a gift] as a propulsive storyteller with a knack for jarring surprises and raising the stakes.” –Booklist, Dec. 1, 2012

“[Shades of Earth] brings it home on a planet far from home.”
–Kirkus, Dec. 1, 2012


Some freaking cool extras and contests:

• The ACROSS THE UNIVERSE novella, AS THEY SLIP AWAY, is available for the low, low price of FREE.  Download here.
• Penguin is sponsoring an awesome contest to launch SHADES OF EARTH into space. (Yes, I said space.)  Details here.

Our own GIVEAWAY:

All this week you can enter to win signed copies of the whole darn ACROSS THE UNIVERSE trilogy, including:

1. Across the Universe (paperback)
2. A Million Suns (paperback) 
3. Shades of Earth (ARC)

Our contest runs through midnight January 17, 2013. We'll announce the winner on January 18.  US entries only. Sorry!

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Writing a sequel to a Bestseller -- Exclusive Beth Revis interview about A MILLION SUNS

I had the joyful opportunity to interview Beth Revis during her exciting launch week of A Million Suns. Her answers surprised me, gave insight into her writing process, and also gave me a chuckle.

Across the Universe has one of the most memorable and visceral beginnings in recent YA science fiction. How much did that weigh on you when writing A Million Suns? Were you trying to top it? Or were you not thinking about that at all?

Heh. I'm obsessive. I thought about that first chapter SO MUCH. And I wrote about six or seven completely different openers. Should it start with Amy or Elder? Should it I go for emotional or physical punches? Is it good enough?

I wrote far more Elder chapters than Amy chapters to open with. One of the first chapters was moved to the middle of the book--it's a flashback chapter, and I think it works better in the middle (when they actually talk about the flashback) but I also quite liked it as an opener. I also had another chapter where Elder remembers one of the first lessons he had with Eldest. There are remnants of that chapter throughout the book (look for the character Evie), but otherwise it was cut.

In the end, I opened with Elder--and I really love the chapter we settled on. It ends with a punch and a revelation, and it echoes the tone of the whole book.

I know that chapter one in Across the Universe was originally chapter four. Did you have any big changes in revisions like that for A Million Suns?

Ha! HAHAHAHA! HAAAAHAAAAHAAAA!!!!!! <--insert more maniacal laughter here-->

Dude. SO MUCH REVISION. I finished AMS in October. Sent to beta readers. Who hated it. Rewrote the entire manuscript in November. Sent to my editor. Who is too polite to tell me she hated it. Rewrote the entire manuscript in February. I estimate only 20% of the original manuscript made it to the final, and that I wrote approximately 300,000 words for a 90,000 word novel.

This was sold as a trilogy. How much of the entire story arc – if any -- did you have in your head when you finished Across the Universe?

Well. Here's the thing. I like to make things up as I go. Which is why I'm an author. Technically, I submitted a synopsis of Books 2 and 3 when I sold AtU. But...I didn't stick with them closely. In fact, the person who's the killer in Book 2 was supposed to be a key good guy or girl in Book 3. That's changed. I was a little worried that my editor would hate SHADES OF EARTH because it was SO different from the synopsis...

What discovery -- about your characters, or about yourself -- surprised you the most in the writing of A Million Suns?

That I will actually be happy to rewrite the same novel four #$%! times, because it matters that much to me that the words are right.

Your first book made the best-seller list. When did that happen and what was that experience like?

It happened the first three weeks the book came out (I made the list the first and third week of the debut; apparently that second week was killer, lol!).

The experience was INSANE. I found out while sitting at my kitchen table, paying bills. A friend got the list early and congratulated me...and I had no idea why. Then I got the email from my editor. Then I flipped out.

What would the published Beth say to the pre-pubbed Beth?

Told you so.

An "Oh My Heck!" and A MILLION SUNS

First off, it doesn't feel real that Beth now has two books out! Can you believe we've been here this long?

Well, we have. And today I'm going to be reviewing Beth's sophomore novel, A MILLION SUNS.

I hope she doesn't hate me after this, but *ducks* I loved A MILLION SUNS about a million times more than her first book (which was FANTASTIC and you should all read it if you haven't).

I think that's a high compliment. It's not like I didn't like her first so I was grudgingly giving AMS a "second chance." Not at all.

But I think it's a very hard thing to write a second book that's as good as the first. As someone who's had to do so, I *know* it's hard. We usually take years on our first books, getting feedback, editing, tweaking, etc. And we usually only get a few months to work on the second.

So yeah. I think that's a high compliment.

There were many things I loved about A MILLION SUNS. I even sent Beth an email with the subject of OH MY HECK!!! at one point and everything inside the email was also in capital letters.

If a book can spark that kind of reaction, you know you need to read it. But let's be a bit more specific.

About A MILLION SUNS: Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

Trust me, you'll feel the same anxiety, the same, "I will die if I don't get off this ship!" It's that intense.

I've already gushed about the writing of this book here on my own blog. The verbs are fabulous, and it's exactly the kind of fast-paced action that I like. There were a couple more things that I loved:

1. The romance. It's broken and messy. And this is exactly the kind of romantic relationship I like. It's complicated. People in real life are complicated. I want my books to match that, and A MILLION SUNS is a great authentic read.

2. The characters. I thought I loved Amy and Elder before. I was wrong. They have to go through some hard(er) things here, and it makes them come even more alive. There's one particular scene I'm thinking of that I can't say for fear of spoilage. But dude. I so did not want Amy/Elder to die!

And that's worth a lot.

Explore the ship, Godspeed, here.
Visit Beth's blog and website.
BUY YOUR COPY OF A MILLION SUNS!

• Hardcover (Amazon, B&N, a signed copy at Beth's indie, Fireside Books -- plus if you do this (click here for even more info, like their phone number and facebook page), then you get extra swag from Beth!)
• Kindle
• Nook

Visit the A MILLION SUNS page for more links, purchasing options, fan art and more!

Celebrating YA Science Fiction

So there's been some excitement recently, what with the announcement of the Newberry, Caldecott, and Printz awards. The 2011 Printz was given to SHIP BREAKER, a fabulous young adult science fiction novel.

2011 Printz Winner

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group

In Ship Breaker, near a drowned New Orleans ravaged by hurricanes and global warming, Nailer and his young crew eke out a meager existence by scavenging materials on the ship-littered coast.

“This taut, suspenseful novel is a relentless adventure story featuring nuanced characters in thought-provoking conflicts. Bacigalupi artfully intertwines themes of loyalty, family, friendship, trust and love,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Erin Downey Howerton.

Another fabulous young adult novel has achieved acclaim. Beth Revis's ACROSS THE UNIVERSE debuted at #7 on the New York Times bestseller list. Congrats Beth!

I've read both SHIP BREAKER and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, and they are brilliant examples of great young adult science fiction. What have you read lately in the sci fi genre that is paving the way with greatness?

The Science of Across the Universe: Getting There--while Avoiding Freezer Burn

A glimpse of the Godspeed's
blueprints from Beth's website.

Time to state the obvious (and get my geek on). Space is big, and it takes a really long time to get anywhere good.   Science fiction writers have been dealing with this distance thing for as long as they’ve been dreaming of colonization and galactic empires. Some writers use some sort of FTL (faster than light) drive. (Think warp drive on Star Trek). Some  (Star Wars, Stargate / SG-1, Bablyon-5) use hyperspace to get from point A to point B quickly.   Others embrace the fact that it does take a while to get where they’re going.  Beth takes this old school approach in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.

The Godspeed is a generational sleeper ship.  The colonists are frozen for the 300-year (or so) voyage.  Meanwhile generations of crew are born, live, work, and die on the Godspeed without ever even seeing the stars.  The colonists aren’t supposed to wake up until they reach their destination. However, Amy is woken up early and experiences the society that has developed over the centuries on the ship.  (We could talk all day about the society on the Godspeed, but I don’t want to give anything away. )

So let’s talk about freezing people for the long sleep.  Cryonics is the science  of freezing living matter—with the aim of ultimately thawing it out. Alive and well.  But, you can’t just dip someone in a vat of liquid nitrogen and hope for the best. Cells get damaged. (That is, you get a hell of a case of freezer burn.) Instead, the process (at least to date) involves pumping the body with a cryoprotectant—human antifreeze—to protect the tissue from damage in the freezing process. Then the temperature of the liquid is lowered. (This is actually called vitrification rather than freezing.)

Beth paints a vivid picture of the experience.  A lot of fiction imagines the cryo process something akin flash freezing peas. Someone flips a switch, and then you wake up a thousand years later as fresh as the day went into the freezer. (Think Fry on Futurama. Or Woody Allen in Sleeper) In AtU, Beth does not gloss over how it must feel to be vitrified.

Hassan squeezed the bag of blue goo again. A line of blood trickled from under Mom’s teeth where she was biting her lip.

“This stuff, it’s what makes the freezing work.” Ed spoke in a conversational tone, like a baker talking about how yeast makes bread rise. “Without it, little ice crystals form in the cells and split open the cell walls. This stuff makes the cell walls stronger, see? Ice don’t break ’em.” He glanced down at Mom. “Hurts like a bitch going in, though.”

And this is just Amy watching her mom go through it.  The process is agonizing for Amy, and the her poor neurons are still firing during her long journey.   Check out the AtU trailer for a taste of how Beth so adeptly handles this part:




(And yes, that’s Lauren Ambrose from Six Feet Under narrating!)

Need a bigger taste? Check out the first chapter of Across the Universe.

So, kudos to Beth for tackling the “reality” of the vitrification process head-on. It’s one of the many things that makes ACROSS THE UNIVERSE great science fiction—and an epic story.

So, you may be wondering how far-fetched (or far in the future) is the whole sleeper ship—or cryonics thing in general? You’ve probably heard about people wanting to be frozen after they die. (The whole Walt Disney thing is a myth, BTW.  Baseball great Ted Williams, however, was indeed frozen—and evidently his body was not treated well.) There are a few places in the world (Alcor, Cryonics Institute) that will freeze you or your pet immediately following death. (In the US, you have to be legally dead before being frozen. Sorry, vitrified.) But no one is even close to being able to revive a corpsicle, let alone a still living “sleeper.”  If you’re interested in the freezing process these places use, check out this Channel 5 documentary.

Given what you know now, would you sign up to take a sleeper ship across the universe?  Or if you had an incurable (now) disease, would you want to be frozen with the hope of being revived--and hopefully cured a few centuries from now?

Introducing ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis

This week is the epic launch of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis! I'm starting off the awesome, and throughout this week, there will be much more to come, with Beth herself wrapping it up for us on Friday.

First up: The trailer for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE says everything.



From Beth's website:

Summary: A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awake on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into a brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Hardcover, 400 pages
Published January 11th 2011 by Razorbill
ISBN 1595143971 (ISBN13: 9781595143976)

Audio Book also available:
Audio CD, 8 pages
ISBN 014242899X (ISBN13: 9780142428993)

Oh. My. Heck. Doesn't that sound amazing?

Well, it is. I've read it and it will blow your mind. Blow your mind, people! You can get signed copies (after tomorrow) and check out other awesomeness on Beth's book page.

My Twitter Review: With strong storytelling, brilliant writing, creepy characters, and a budding romance, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE has everything to satisfy readers. (Okay, so sue me. I have one extra character.)

Other Noteworthy Things:

• It's one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month for January, and has received many glowing reviews. Make sure you get your copy when it hits shelves tomorrow!
• Make sure you check out the official website for Across the Universe. I'm pretty sure there's going to be something amazing happening there tomorrow... And in case you haven't read the first chapter, you can read it there.
• As if you're already not excited enough, Beth is having an amazing contest in celebration of Across the Universe. Click here for full details.
• And make sure you click over and become a fan on the Across the Universe Facebook fanpage! That's where all the action is happening.

Congrats, Beth! Here's to a successful launch week!

So, who's had a chance to read Across the Universe? Let us know in the comments (no spoilers, please!). Who is going to die if tomorrow doesn't come like RIGHT THIS SECOND?? We wanna know that too.

Softer Science Fiction

I've been reading a lot of what I've started calling softer science fiction. It's science fiction for people who don't like science fiction. Our very own Beth Revis is advertising her book, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, this way, and I think it's a fabulous way to draw in a new generation of science fiction readers.

Since this is a young adult science fiction author blog, that's mostly what I've been reading. I think this "softer" side of science fiction is very appealing to teens, because they don't have to be scientists to follow the plot. I'm hopeful that titles like those of ours coming out next year, combined with other YA soft sci fi titles, will make lovers of a genre that often doesn't get much love.

I think the key to drawing readers into this softer side is to make the book more YA than science fiction. When I was looking for an agent, I had some suggestions from someone at a fabulous agency. I did the revisions she suggested, but she wasn't satisfied with the science fiction elements. Only later did I realize that she wanted a science fiction novel, not a young adult novel. And there's a delicate balance between the two.

So today, I'm going to give a nod to some of my favorite MG/YA science fiction/dystopian titles. Please chime in with others you love!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem
The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Candor by Pam Bachorz
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
The Line by Teri Hall
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

These titles are as much about teen life as they are science fiction, and I think that's where the real draw is for young adults. What do you think? What draws you to science fiction?