The other day someone told me she was reading an engrossing fantasy series. She thought I’d like it, but went on to say it was dark and violent.
The dark and violent made me hesitate. I don’t like novels that are very dark with graphic violence or horror. I’ve never liked scary shows. When I was little, my parents watched Alfred Hitchcock. When I heard the theme song, I’d run to my bedroom and hide under the bed. I don’t mean metaphorically. I’d slide under the bed and join the dust bunnies.
My older sister went to see the movie Psycho when it came out. It’s an Alfred Hitchcock movie known for its violent shower scene where a young woman is stabbed to death. It was a disturbing scene and unusual for the time when wholesome movies like Swiss Family Robinson were the norm.
My sister was traumatized by the movie and so my mother decided none of us should see horror movies; so I grew up horror-movie-free.
We each have our own taste in movies and books even within the science fiction and fantasy genre. I was selling books at a bazaar before the holidays and I asked a young woman what kind of books she read. She liked dystopia. When I think of dystopian novels and movies, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Wool by Hugh Howey, and Divergent by Veronica Roth come to mind. Dystopian novels are often post-apocalyptic as well.
I recently watched Divergent on Amazon Prime. It’s a fun movie about a dystopian version of Chicago that divides people into five factions. The young heroine Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) is entering adulthood and has to pick a group. During an aptitude test, she discovers she’s a Divergent and is told to never tell anyone. At the Choosing Ceremony, she picks the police faction, a wild group of young people trained to keep order.
During Tris’s brutal training, she’s in danger of being discovered as a Divergent. The assistant trainer, Four, (Theo James) helps her with her training, and he and Tris become close. Together they discover a dangerous plot that threatens everyone she loves. The movie is suspenseful with increasing danger which makes for good entertainment.
Click here to see the trailer.
My series, The Star Rider Universe takes place during an intergalactic war where a ruthless tyrant is trying to take over the galaxy. I focus on brave heroes who fight for freedom in stories that show how people grow through hardship.
What kind of sci-fi and fantasy books do you like?
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