Shout-Out: Annex by Rich Larson

When the aliens invade, all seems lost. The world as they know it is destroyed. Their friends are kidnapped. Their families are changed.

But with no adults left to run things, young trans-girl Violet and her new friend Bo realize that they are free. Free to do whatever they want. Free to be whoever they want to be.

Except the invaders won't leave them alone for long...

Shout-Out: Stranger King by Nadia Hutton

They came. They conquered. We few survived.

Lena Greenwood is known as a "Daywalker", a select type of mercenary who has adapted to working in the deadly radiation of post-war British Columbia, Canada. When her city is invaded by the Mokai, a hostile alien race, she and her company escape into the Canadian Rockies. Her last hope is to survive the harsh realities of a shattered world while the rest of humanity is culled or enslaved.

Thegn, a Mokai priest and a representative of the inter-species council who sanctions the Mokai, is captured and held hostage by a still free group of humans hiding in the Canadian Rockies. It is his task to document and study the human species who he believes is sentient and worth protecting. When his interactions with the humans bring to light similarities Thegn must face the reality that to save those he learns to love he may have to go against everything he once believed.

Stranger King is a story of love and conquest, of the patterns that emerge through the passions of love and war. It is the story of survival.

Shout-Out: Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black

We never saw them coming.

Entire cities disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but dust and rubble. When an alien race came to make Earth theirs, they brought with them a weapon we had no way to fight, a universe-altering force known as thelemity. It seemed nothing could stop it—until we discovered we could wield the power too.

Five hundred years later, the Earth is locked in a grinding war of attrition. The talented few capable of bending thelemity to their will are trained in elite military academies, destined for the front lines. Those who refused to support the war have been exiled to the wilds of a ruined Earth.

But the enemy’s tactics are changing, and Earth’s defenders are about to discover this centuries-old war has only just begun. As a terrible new onslaught looms, heroes will rise from unlikely quarters, and fight back.

Coming September 6th.

Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Pros: horrifying invasion story, believable protagonists, compelling story

Cons: 

For Parents: some swearing, kissing, the violence isn't graphic but there are child soldiers, executions, and murder

Cassie has survived the first 4 waves of the alien invasion: light's out, surf's up, pestilence and the silencer.  Seven billion people didn't, including her mother and father.  Her five year old brother was taken away in the 4th wave.  Now she waits for the 5th wave and the courage to keep the promise she made to her brother, that she'd come after him.

This is a brutal invasion story.  These aliens know how to wipe out humanity and do so in sweeping waves, each more destructive than the last.  Through Cassie's eyes we learn about the 4 previous waves, and through her eyes, and those of a few other characters, we slowly learn what the 5th and final wave is.

There's a fair amount of violence, particularly when the child soldiers come into the picture.  But it's violence that serves a purpose and isn't graphically portrayed.  This is a book that questions humanity.  What will humans do to survive?  What makes you human in the first place?  The book doesn't answer these questions, making it a great jumping point for discussion.

The characters are believable, falling apart under the pressures of the new world and picking themselves up again because doing otherwise means death.  This makes the book difficult to put down.  The writing is intense and while you may see the revelation that is the 5th wave coming, it doesn't stop it from being horrifying in its implications.

The ending is very tense, though I'm not sure I believe the kids could accomplish everything they do, and it ignores the larger picture.  But it does give a good closure for the book.

I highly recommend it.

Author Interview: Stephen Wallenfels

Novel: POD

Website: www.stephenwallenfels.com

> What is POD about?

POD is about a catastrophic invasion by massive alien spheres, or PODs, which render technology useless and "disappear" anyone venturing outside.  The story is told by Josh, a fifteen-year-old boy stuck in his house with his OCD father in a small town in Washington state; and Megs, a twelve-year-old girl trapped in a car park next to a hotel taken over by ruthless security men in Los Angeles, California.

> What drew you to writing about an alien invasion?

My two favorite genres growing up were science fiction and adventure/survival stories, with my top authors being Ray Bradbury and Jack London.  So writing about an alien invasion was totally in my sweet spot.  But I didn't want to write the typical "aliens destroy the world then humans fight back" novel, so the POD invasion is more like a siege, which in some ways is even more frightening.  Plus the idea came to me in a dream which made it hard to resist.

> What made you want to be a writer?

I've always loved to read, so writing was a natural fit.  The thrill of using my over-active imagination to create something out of nothing, to move people emotionally, and hopefully change their life in some small way, is profoundly satisfying.

> If you could, would you change places with any of your characters?

That's a scary thought.  Maybe, just maybe, I would change places with Josh when the PODs attack-just to see it happen, but only for a few seconds.  I'd much rather wait for the movie!  I think a better question is:  would any of the characters like to change places with me?

>What were your literary or film influences for POD?

I like YA-crossover books with powerful and realistic voices, particularly Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. In film, I'd put Alien up there, particularly when the characters have no idea what they are up against.  That is when the movie is most tense, and that is what I wanted to capture in POD.

> POD is your first published novel, how long did it take to write it?

POD started as a short story from Josh's point of view, titled Pearls of Death.  But friends wanted it to be longer, so I added a second protagonist (Megs) in a second location.  The entire process from first word to on the shelf took about four years.  POD was accepted on the first submission, so that was lucky.

> What was the hardest scene for you to write?

There were a couple of emotional scenes with Josh, but I can't go further than that without spoiling the ending.  The Megs chapters were more fun to write.  Full of courage and plucky independence.

> When and where do you write?

In my office in my home.  Since I have a full-time "regular" job as a marketing director, I write every day at the un-healthy hour of 4am-6:30am.  I drink lots and lots of tea.

> What's the best/worst thing about writing?

The best thing is the thrill of seeing your characters come to life, and to hear your friends talk about them, and the decisions they make under stress, as if they are real people.  The worst part prior to publishing are the rejections.  The "new" worst part are the reviews.  Even if you have 99 good ones, it is the one bad one that sticks in your throat like a chicken bone.  I haven't been around the block enough to develop the tough skin that more experienced writers have-but I will.  It is a necessary part of the trade.

> What is something you didn't know about the publishing industry before you had your first book published?

I didn't know how much time the writer has to put into promoting the book.  It's the big thing I hear at the conferences these days-Facebook, Twitter, maintain a blog, a website.  But in the end we authors are grateful for readers and will gladly do what needs to be done to have our books read.

> Do you have any advice for hopeful authors?

Read everything and constantly.  Write every day.  Go to conferences and workshops and understand the craft behind the talent. Submit your stuff.  Keep trying.

> Any tips against writers block?

Fight through it.  Or skip that chapter and move on to a new chapter featuring characters that are willing to play with you.  And if that doesn't work re-examine your plot and see if something isn't making sense-and fix it.

> How do you discipline yourself to write?

It isn't hard.  My characters start nagging me if I leave them alone.  Getting up at 4 am is tough though.  My characters would prefer a more decent hour.

> How many rejection letters did you get for your first novel or story?

I've been pretty lucky with short stories-most of them were accepted first or second try.  The same with POD.  But I have tried and tried to get a picture book published and only have a mountain of rejections to show for it.  I have one right now that is at ten rejections, but my agent assures me it will find a home!

> What are you reading now?

Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin.  Impressive world-building, epic plot, believable characters with tragic flaws.  Love it.

Movie Review: Darkest Hour

Director: Chris Gorak, 2011
imdb listing

Pros: action interspersed with reflection, set in Moscow, humans all work together after the attack despite nationalities, interesting alien design and premise, good special effects

Cons: protagonists aren't particularly likable, scientific impossibilities

Four Americans and a Swede visiting Moscow band together after an invasion of invisible aliens wipes out the city.

Once you get past the scientific impossibilities (which, if you're not scientifically inclined you may not even notice are present - my husband had to explain them to me later), this movie takes the best elements of Cloverfield and joins them with 28 Days Later.  You see the aliens land and watch a terrifying first contact, after which the protagonists hole up for a few days.  When they emerge, they must deal with the wreckage of a decimated Moscow.

There's no shaky cam footage and tension is increased by occasional quiet moments when the full extent of the invasion is considered, the director's willingness to kill off characters and the 'early warning' system the characters devise.  The characters themselves, while not particularly likable are more 'everyman' than irritating targets you're cheering the aliens on to kill.  Having said that, only one death made an impact on me emotionally.

It was great to see Russian actors playing the Russian characters, and an invasion movie that doesn't take place in the US (or Japan, for that matter).  Moscow was a fun location, and seeing the Americans and Russians work together without 'we're better than you' posturing was a real treat.

The special effects were well done and the alien design original.  The premise behind the aliens themselves was quite clever.  And there's a real beauty to the falling alien craft at the beginning of the film, bringing to mind the meteor shower in The Day of the Triffids. 

The movie has a surprisingly upbeat ending.  It was a little contrived, but ultimately showed humanity at its best, willing to fight for their planet.

Ultimately, it's a fun way to waste a few hours.