Under Nameless Stars Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Under the Nameless Stars Blog Tour! Since I love Top Ten lists so much, I asked the author, Christian Schoon to share with us his top ten favorite science-fiction books in YA.

Guest Post

First of all, thanks to Ruthsic for letting me stop by as part of the Under Nameless Stars blog tour. It’s always great to spend time with readers who appreciate the many worlds of genre fiction in all its wicked-cool permutations.

So, my top YA SF books… I’m sure you’re all familiar with authors touting such recent mega-hits as Hunger Games and Divergent etc. etc. I’ll try to pick out a few lesser-known titles and/or old-school classics that are eminently deserving of your eyeballs’ attention.

It won’t come as a surprise that topping the list would be the SF offerings from my own publisher, Strange Chemistry. Yeah, I know, I’m totally biased. But seriously, drop by their web site. And beyond SF, you’ll also find fantasy/horror/and related wordage which I can pretty much guarantee will blow your socks off and your Kindle right out the door. So, for major bookish awesomaxity (in no particular order):

Gravity – The Taking series by Melissa West

The author creates a brilliantly dangerous future on Earth where aliens and humans co-exist, but not comfortably… A really enjoyable and very different SF read.

The Earth Girl series by Janet Edwards

An SF adventure with a potent message about social equality and a rich plot about a young girl who lies about her “apish” genetic heritage in order to make her way in the world.

The Starglass series by Phoebe North

An epic, space-faring story about a young girl on a world-ship bound for an unknown planet where the crew hopes to found a new Earth colony. A really great treatment of one of my favorite tropes in science fiction.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Simply the most diabolically hilarious SF novel ever crafted by human hands. The movie and TV adaptation are fun, but the book is light years beyond in its razor-edged cosmic-comic goodness.

His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman

The writing is masterful, Lyra is an awesome and brilliantly spunky heroine and the worlds that Pullman conjures up will stay with you long after the final pages. Plus: armored polar bears. Enough said.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

This inspiration for Blade Runner is a replicant-filled action-adventure and even though several decades old still holds up nicely.

The Ashfall series by Mike Mullen

A really immersive journey into the ash-covered landscapes that remain after the cataclysmic eruption of the super-volcano lying beneath the surface of Yellowstone Park in the western U.S. Basically, it’s Cormack McCarthy’s The Road for young adults. A great post-apocalyptic read.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

In the future, books are banned. Officials known as “Firemen” go around burning everything in print to keep the populace cowed. Relevance? Almost every month you hear about some group of people around the world today who condone this same sort of sinister behavior to keep knowledge from entering the minds those they want to control. A must read for any book lover.

The Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin

So, a young wanna-be wizard goes to wizard school and causes all kinds of havoc. Where have we run into this sorta kid before? An unforgettable classic that was, evidently, ahead of its time.

The Fair Coin books by E.C. Meyers

A gripping series about a boy who suddenly finds himself able to change events in his with the flip of a coin. But this kind of change… isn’t always necessarily the good kind. While the wish-granting angle is carried off very well, the emotional life of Meyer’s hero is what will pull you into the story and keep you reading.

Competition!

For a chance to win a copy (ebook or physical – your choice!) of both Zenn Scarlett and Under Nameless Stars PLUS a Name Your Own Star Gift Package, simply answer the following question: (in the Rafflecopter below, not the comments)

Q. 5. When Liam says he blacked out during the launch of the ferry, Zenn tells him it was from:
a. A neurotoxin
b. G-forces
c. Armed forces
d. Excess tryptophan

a Rafflecopter giveaway