Two Local Authors...Two Dystopian Worlds

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This month I read two books by two local authors, local authors who, because of their incredible talent, appear to be doing well. They both know how to tell a good, engaging story. They both have created believable worlds, and the stories I read are not limited to one book. Luckily for me (and everyone else...), there's more to read from both.

And both authors wrote about dystopian realities. Dystopian genres fascinate me! I've started a few stories where the future of humanity has bought the farm and survivors struggle to survive. There are similarities between the two stories. Climates have changed, governments have broken down, and the remaining humans have devised methods to get through their days alive.

Dan Wells's book, Fragments is the second in a trilogy and James Dashner's The Maze Runner is the first of his series so there are differences between the two. Wells set up his world in his first book Partials so his world is continuing. Dashner sets us in the middle of a world as foreign as possible where we know as much of what's going on as the main character. Having your memory swiped can do that to a person.

I enjoyed both books. Wells's first book in his series is more involved than Dashner's, but to be fair, Partials takes place on the eastern seaboard of the United States and involves several different communities, where The Maze Runner is contained almost exclusively in a huge, mysterious maze. Later this year you'll be able to see The Maze Runner on the big screen. I LOVE to see any author succeed, but it's even sweeter when they're local.

We have a lot of local authors and in the past few years I've gotten to know many of them personally. These are not "downer" people. In fact, most are downright cheery. I guess, for some, happiness (and success...) can be found at the expense of fictional characters.

* Photo used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6186357-the-maze-runner?ac=1

ø Photo used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13170596-fragments?from_search=true

Curse You, James Dashner! A Book Review Of The Kill Order...

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Yesterday I finished my second James Dashner novel, The Kill Order and it was pretty good. I very much enjoyed it! So why am I cursing the author? Good question.

The first time I read a book from this author was last summer. I just heard that James had been invited to attend Utah's first ever Comic Con. He was one of the first authors announced. Since I was going as an author, I thought I should read something from the other authors, you know, if case I run into them or we're on a panel together (we didn't share a panel at the Comic Con, but I did run into him and said, "Hi"...). The book I chose to read last summer was The Death Cure, the last book of the Maze Runner series. I enjoyed it, but I think I would have liked it better had I begun with the first book.

Fast forward six months and I read the series prequel. 

James Dashner is a deceptively good author. And what I mean by that is when you start one of his stories, it's not flashy--at least, it isn't for me. His characters are presented well, almost to the point of cliched. We discover the conflict in The Kill Order (solar flares wreak havoc on the planet...) then all hell breaks loose.

Dashner puts the pieces in place so well that when things start to go crazy, you buy into it; you believe it. It works and a dystopian story that you think might be predictable, takes you to places you weren't expecting.

Usually, I'll read (or listen because prefer audiobooks...) going to and from work and sometimes at work. When I get home, I usually shut down the audio feed. But James Dashner made me keep listening last night until I finished. Why curse Mr. Dashner? Because I thought I had him figured out.

* Photo used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13089710-the-kill-order?from_search=true