Our featured book trailerthis week is 'Blood Red Road' by Moira Young. This is what we thought about the book when we reviewed it...
"Blood Red Road is
an epic adventure story which will transport you to a near future. It will
scare you, yet excite you at the same time. Reminiscent at times of Patrick
Ness and Suzanne Collins yet still full of originality Young has written a book
which you will be sure to enjoy." (Read our full review here)
Blood Red Road is the first book in the Dustlands trilogy. You can find out more about Blood Red Road and the sequel Rebel Heart on the official Dustlands Facebook page or the Dustlands Fans Site. You can also follow the author of the book Moira Young on Twitter @Moira_Young
This weeks Lights, Camera, Books! (which is a couple of days late - sorry) features a graphic novel from metaphrog . Metaphrog are the duo Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers who together have been creating comics, graphic novels and illustrations since 1996, gradually building a loyal following and receiving critical acclaim worldwide.
Louis - Night Salad is a stand-alone graphic novel: the moving tale of Louis’ quest for a cure to save his friend FC. A simple story of friendship, heart-warming and genuinely transporting. It contains beautiful hand-painted artwork packaged in an attractive hardback.
The Sunday Herald called the book a "sweet, sad fable, beautifully rendered by the Glasgow-based duo of John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs...the story they tell, a gentle fantasy, has an easy tone and a deceptive depth that will appeal to both adults and children."
To wet your appetite further here is the trailer for the book...
For more information on metaphrog visit their website here
The 5th Wave is the first book in a brand new trilogy from Carnegie-shortlisted author Rick Yancey and it is already creating a stir on both sides of the Atlantic.
This isn’t a Hollywood version of an alien invasion. There aren’t any flying saucers or little green men. There are five waves – each one designed to wipe out the human race:
The 1st wave: a power cut and the world is in complete darkness The 2nd wave: a tidal wave wipes out three billion people and only the lucky escape The 3rd wave: a deadly virus clears a further four billion – only the unlucky survive The 4th wave: the few remaining survivors begin killing each other. Only one rule applies: trust no one The 5th wave: No one knows. But it is coming...
When a book is so epic in scale it's hard to imagine how an author can distance himself from our world and fully immerse himself in the world that he has created. What do they do to distance themselves from reality in order to allow their imagination to run free?
In the case of Rick Yancey, author of The 5th Wave his trick is to listen to music. Yancey believes it helps to block out distractions and allows him to fully immerse himself in the world he is creating. However he does point out that he tends "to stick with instrumental music, because if there’re lyrics, I have a tendency to sing along and I’m not the kind of person who can do two things at once".
Rick has kindly agreed to share with Literature for Lads some of the songs he listened to most while writing The 5th Wave:
King Arthur (Hans Zimmer) Movie soundtracks are ideal, particularly if you’re writing action/adventure. I find a soundtrack that fits the story I’m working on and hit the “repeat” command. This one was perfect for The 5th Wave: dramatic, with lots of strings and percussion.
Gladiator (Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerard)
“Are you not entertained?” Oh, boy, nothing beats this soundtrack for over-the-top dramatics. “The Battle” track is perfect for action scenes, while Lisa Gerard’s work in “Now We Are Free” is an ideal echo of the sorrow that would have to follow an alien apocalypse.
At Wit’s End - Pirates of the Caribbean (Hans Zimmer) Zimmer again. Sensing a pattern here. Anyway, the track is eight minutes long and has fast as well as slow parts. Again, perfect for chase scenes, fight scenes, even a teary scene or two.
Wallflower & San Jacinto (Peter Gabriel) I listened to “San Jacinto” while working on the opening section of The 5th Wave, as Cassie describes the devastation of the first three waves and her determination to find her little brother: “I hold the line./The line of strength that pulls me through the fear.” I listened to “Wallflower” while composing the Camp Haven scenes. It was playing when I wrote the section called “The Infinite Sea” and, no lie, I was balling like a baby.
O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) No music was more suitable for the closing section of The 5th Wave than this skull-pounder. I like that the words are in another language. I like the over-the-top angst. I like how, after you hear it played over and over forty times, you still could hear it again.
For details on the chance to win a signed copy of The 5th Wave check the competition which is featured on The 5th Wave blog tour banner at the top of the page.
"Blood Red Road is
an epic adventure story which will transport you to a near future. It will
scare you, yet excite you at the same time. Reminiscent at times of Patrick
Ness and Suzanne Collins yet still full of originality Young has written a book
which you will be sure to enjoy." (Read our full review here)
