The Rise of YA SF
Posted on 16 August 2008 by James Cormier at 1:43 AM
Tags: Genre, Postapocalyptic, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing
Charlie Jane Anders wrote an interesting polemic on io9 concerning the growing importance of Young Adult literature for the science fiction genre. The question presented seems to be whether the popularity of Young Adult science fiction is a death knell or a cry of rebirth for a genre that many argue is experiencing a decline, given an arguable dearth of new, successful science fiction writers.
I can't say that I agree.
It's been 20 years since Bruce Sterling compared the "mainstream" of science fiction to a fossilizing Politburo. Since that time, the situation has only gotten more dire. People are constantly remarking on the graying of science fiction readership, but statistics seem to be hard to come by. . . .Ms. Anders's opinion seems to be that we should realize that Science Fiction is not in as dire straits as some have said, and that "we should especially celebrate the awesome potential of YA SF to revitalize the field, and bring new readers to SF concepts."
Meanwhile, young-adult science fiction is exploding. According to John Scalzi, the top 50 young adult science fiction/fantasy bestsellers sold twice as many books as the top 100 adult science fiction/fantasy bestsellers. As we mentioned before, there have been hardcore post-apocalyptic novels for kids and young adults for decades. With more on the way. And with City Of Ember finally being adapted to a (hopefully) major movie, more YA readers than ever will be looking for similar stories.
I can't say that I agree.
Granted, with the exception of the Harry Potter books, I don't read
fiction intended for young adults. But the qualifier "Young Adult," in
my general experience, seems to apply most readily to a class of
cheaply produced mass market products intended to take advantage of
whatever fleeting trend has most aggressively taken control of that
marketplace during any given quarter of the fiscal year. Call it free
association: when I think "Young Adult" (as opposed to "Children's
Literature," which produces positive associations), I think Hollywood
movie tie-ins, badly written adaptations rushed out to coincide with a
theatrical release. I think "Goosebumps" and any number of bad Buffy
the Vampire Slayer-style, fantasy-high-school-drama
rip-offs.
Anyone familiar with Young Adult literature will no doubt find me abhorrently uninformed. Looking at io9's own recent primer on current post-apocalyptic science fiction for young adults, however, I can't help but think that "Young Adult" really means "True to Formula." If the books on io9's sampler list are any indication, the Young Adult genre is just another opportunity for market-savvy career writers to make an easy buck.
The post-apocalypse is hot right now (we'll have more to say about this later) and, much like the hoard of secret-society penny dreadful thrillers that followed the success of The Da Vinci Code, the many YA post-apocalyptic series being written now are exploiting a profitable trend. Or, taking it less cynically, it may simply be an example of a group of writers playing in the kiddie pool. Young Adult fiction, even more than genre fiction in general, depends on formula to survive. Authors interested in the post-apocalyptic genre might find YA a paid opportunity to write something that, at this point, would be too formulaic and cliched to fly as an adult novel.
Whatever the case, I'm inclined to think that any decline in mainstream science fiction and any subsequent rise in young adult science fiction are due more to a publishing industry too concerned with the financial bottom line to bother backing young writers with fresh ideas. Every aspiring writer knows that those that get published got that way by arguing the market appeal of their work, not its artistic value. Until the publishing industry becomes more interested in substance than massive sales, every genre will remain sparsely populated.
Anyone familiar with Young Adult literature will no doubt find me abhorrently uninformed. Looking at io9's own recent primer on current post-apocalyptic science fiction for young adults, however, I can't help but think that "Young Adult" really means "True to Formula." If the books on io9's sampler list are any indication, the Young Adult genre is just another opportunity for market-savvy career writers to make an easy buck.
The post-apocalypse is hot right now (we'll have more to say about this later) and, much like the hoard of secret-society penny dreadful thrillers that followed the success of The Da Vinci Code, the many YA post-apocalyptic series being written now are exploiting a profitable trend. Or, taking it less cynically, it may simply be an example of a group of writers playing in the kiddie pool. Young Adult fiction, even more than genre fiction in general, depends on formula to survive. Authors interested in the post-apocalyptic genre might find YA a paid opportunity to write something that, at this point, would be too formulaic and cliched to fly as an adult novel.
Whatever the case, I'm inclined to think that any decline in mainstream science fiction and any subsequent rise in young adult science fiction are due more to a publishing industry too concerned with the financial bottom line to bother backing young writers with fresh ideas. Every aspiring writer knows that those that get published got that way by arguing the market appeal of their work, not its artistic value. Until the publishing industry becomes more interested in substance than massive sales, every genre will remain sparsely populated.
On Tap
Copyright 2008 The Accidental Bard. Some Rights Reserved.