We've talked about making fantasy worlds real before, but this week I wanted to focus on the popular "Young Adult" series that seem to be all the rage. I'm leaving this one open for you to add your own responses, but I'm counting on you to use your discretion -- keep in mind this isn't "My favorite all time cartoon series", it's material that started as young adult printed fiction.
With that, let's take a look at the options so far!
{democracy:151}
- His Dark Materials: This is the Philip Pullman "Golden Compass" series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. There's magic and fantastical beasts and -- best of all -- portals to alternate universes. With that, you have access to all kinds of interesting worlds, even if the one Pullman gives us isn't to your liking. And since Gods are fake in that universe, I can see why many of you would say no thanks.
- Narnia: C.S. Lewis, on the other hand, is in many ways the polar opposite of Pullman, with the world of Narnia very much a Christian-based one. Lots of cool magic and creatures, and you can always duck back through the wardrobe if you get a hankering for some Starbuck's.
- Percy Jackson: I'll be honest, I haven't read these. But Olympian myths running rampant through the streets of downtown sounds pretty cool.
- Harry Potter: This would be great if you were a wizardling, but not if you are a Muggle. Who wants to be basically ruled by a secret magic-wielding minority cabal with the power to change your memory? Or your body -- into a pig. Blech.
- Twilight: I haven't read this series either, but vampires don't sparkle. Period.
From the ones I pre-set, I'd have to go with the Dark Materials one, with the other-dimensional portals being the deciding factor. That would be cool.
What about you, which would you prefer to discover you were living in all along, without knowing it?
Narnia, preferably pre-book 7. Or post-book 7.
And Jeff? Vampires do sparkle. For all of about three seconds, before they finally burst into flame.
How is The Boys considered ‘young adult’?!
Narnia post-book 7 would certainly not be that great. There where however a lot of times pre-book 7 places that would have sucked too.
If I could be a wizard I would go with Harry Potter if not I would go with Narnia specially if it was Golden Age Narnia.
I HAVE read the Lightning Thief, and you really don’t want anything to do with that Universe…
Can you imagine Zeus forcing Dionysius to forego Wine, in favor of Diet Coke?
Not a pretty sight!
I read a lot of series, but not many from the ‘Young Adult’ category…
I’d go for the Percy Jackson world, conditional of course on me being a demigod.
Discworld. I’ll walk up to Sam Vimes and shake his damn hand.
I didn’t read the Percy Jackson books either, but did see the movie because Sean Bean (who played Zeus) is my favorite actor. It seemed okay, but I’d have to vote for His Dark Materials, especially if I could have the magic, god-killing/world-opening knife. Without that, it would be just like the Harry Potter world (and I guess the P.J. as well), where cool stuff happens, but you have no real involvement. I’d add the Vampire Chronicles to the list, since the vampires in there are far better than anything Stephanie Meyer ever “created”, but it’s not really a “Young Adult” series…
It’s a tie between Narnia and Harry Potter…unless I wasn’t a wizard. There’s no point living in the Harry Potter world without magi powers, it’d just be like living in the real world.
Narnia, though, would be sweet because you’d meet talking animals and maybe even get to be royalty.
@Ben: Only if you owned the magical rings or wardrobe…
@Gero:
Not necessarily – if you ended up there by any means, you’d have a chance. (Blood will tell…) Although that does tend to depend on it being pre-Telemarine times…Caspian’s line did manage to hold onto the throne pretty well.
@Oquies:
I’ll admit there were some pretty bad times pre-book 7, but book 7 is the apocalypse itself, so it’s pretty much the worst. And consider this for post-book 7: Shadow Narnia is gone. What’s left to enter?
Well, yes, that’s the problem with Heaven. Nothing to enter. Also no drinks or smokes or gambling. 😛
I’m curious as to what got removed for lameness.
@X-stacy:
The author of the series would beg to differ with you. And as the author is the one who designed the world, the author’s say on it goes when referring to the world.
I am kind of curious about what got removed for lameness too – the specificness of he reason makes it intriguing…
It was “The Boys” per Imp’s comment number 2. I hadn’t heard of it before so I looked it up and he’s right, no way that’s a young adult title. Plus it’s a comic book and not a novel. The lameness referred to those two strikes, which were clearly laid out in the post.
With the way the polling plug-in works, by the time I saw it, the choice was like in the middle, and it only lets you delete from the bottom up. I didn’t want to muddle the voting results, so rather than delete all the ones between it and the bottom, which I think would reassign those votes incorrectly, I just removed the name.
Watch “Removed for Lameness” win!
Truly the idea of voting for “Removed for Lameness” is awful enticing. If I hadn’t voted already, that one might just get my vote! 🙂
@Jeff: You hadn’t heard of The Boys?!? Shame on you. It’s one of the best comics going. But it’s definitely not young adult. 😀
I’ll stick with my Kelley Armstrong selection, but Mercedes Lackey (with Rosemary Edgehill) have come out with a new one, “The Shadow Grail”, that’s pretty good, so far…
{I’m only most of the way through book 1, and book 2 isn’t out, yet}
Coming fairly soon: Frank Miller’s ALL STAR REMOVED FOR LAMENESS!