Please welcome Anna Silver, author of the YA novel Otherborn and my guest today. She’s working hard this week, talking to readers about Otherborn and its soon to be released sequel, Astral Tide. Since I’ve been inundated with dystopian lately, I asked her to share what sets her novel apart. Take it away, Anna!
I love anything fantastical. When I read, I want to go some place else, somewhere I could never go except in a book. So, when it comes to book genres, my favorites are easily fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, and dystopian. Otherborn was my third novel, but the first dystopian and the first to be published. It came after a middle-grade high fantasy and a YA urban fantasy. I think I was ready for something darker, something gritty and disturbing on some levels. But I hate to play by the rules. Far be it from me to color within the lines or write within one genre. And so, Otherborn, dystopian at heart, ended up with a soft sci-fi edge, and some have even argued a fantasy flavor.
My work may be hard to pin down, but I think that’s what makes Otherborn unique as a dystopian novel. When you pick it up and read it, you’re not just getting another dystopian novel— you’re getting an amalgam of science fiction themes, fantasy settings, and dystopian plot twists that is a true genre-bender. My characters aren’t limited to a seedy, urban underground pressed under the thumb of a corrupt government. They also visit an ethereal astral realm where the lines between dreams and reality are so blurred that it’s possible to actually leave one world and visit another.
In fact, you won’t even be limited to one set of characters! London, Rye, and the rest of the Otherborn spend the waking day as human teens in a desperate race to save themselves and their friend, but by night, they become someone, something, wholly different. And it is this experience of bridging both worlds at once, both souls at once, that backlights the entire plot of the novel.
Dystopians have been hot for a while. Especially in YA fiction. And there are a fair number of truly great selections out there for those who enjoy the darker, edgier side of fantasy. But like any genre that gets this popular, after a while, the flavors can begin to blend together. One novel may feel a little too much like another and it’s harder to be surprised as a reader. I wanted to do something entirely different with Otherborn, something that would feel fresh to dystopian readers. Something that would surpass their expectations and keep them turning the pages. I believe I’ve done just that. I’ve gotten so much wonderful feedback on Otherborn, which I’m grateful for. One thing I hear again and again is that Otherborn is not like anything else they’ve read.
If you like dystopian, YA, science fiction, or even fantasy, then there is something for you in this novel. And for those who have been hooked by London and her friends, the adventure is soon to continue in the sequel, Astral Tide, releasing late February! Enjoy!
Are you intrigued? Anna is offering a free copy of Otherborn! a Rafflecopter giveaway.
Anna Silver is an author and artist living in the greater Houston area with her family, pets, and overactive imagination. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University. She’s freelanced for private clients and small publications like the Hill Country Current. Otherborn, her first published novel, has been featured on 2 of Amazon’s “Bestsellers” lists. She is represented by Rebecca Podos and Nicole LaBombard of Rees Literary Agency.
