Novella is a recent phenomenon in digital publishing. Novella was a popular genre (a long long time ago :) ) when stories were published, chapters by chapters, in newspapers. But the advance of mass printed publishing put an end to it. It was not economical to publish and to distribute a short story to the bookstores. The arrival of ebooks created a new birthing ground for novellas. With no publishing costs and a cheap digital distribution channel, short stories have been used by writers to extend their readers reach, for example by writing a short pre-sequel to some of their books, sold at a very low price point to attract new readers; the authors also use novella, and Mitosis is part of this category, as a way to maintain the reader's interest between two books that are part of the same series. The novella acts as a teaser for the soon to be published book.
If you have kids, nephews, nieces, cousins, teenager friends, I encourage you to offer them Steelheart, the first book in the Reckoners series. I had actually forgotten about it before stumbling today on Mitosis, a short story that takes place between Steelheart and Firefight (to be published in January 2015).
If you have kids, nephews, nieces, cousins, teenager friends, I encourage you to offer them Steelheart, the first book in the Reckoners series. I had actually forgotten about it before stumbling today on Mitosis, a short story that takes place between Steelheart and Firefight (to be published in January 2015).
So what is Mitosis about? I do not want to spoil the suspense if y ou have not read Steelheart so let me give you the short tour. In a not so distant future the world is changed by a burst in the sky, Calamity, that gives ordinary people extraordinary powers. We call these people Epics. It is sufficient to say that when people gain power they rarely use it for the greater good. America becomes quickly a playground for struggles and power fight. David, an orphan whose father was killed by Steelheart, the Epic who reigns over Newcago, decides to join the Reckoners, a group of normal humans whose goal is to track and kill Epics.
Though geared towards a younger public than his other books, Brandon Sanderson succeeds once again to create a compelling universe. Compared to his more adult books (published by Tor like Misfit or The Stormlight Archive) that nearly require the use of a notebook to keep track of the different characters and civilizations imagined by the author, the Reckoners series is easy to read and packed with action. An easy read for young teenagers which should definitely be on your provisional Christmas list.
Author: Brendan Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Though geared towards a younger public than his other books, Brandon Sanderson succeeds once again to create a compelling universe. Compared to his more adult books (published by Tor like Misfit or The Stormlight Archive) that nearly require the use of a notebook to keep track of the different characters and civilizations imagined by the author, the Reckoners series is easy to read and packed with action. An easy read for young teenagers which should definitely be on your provisional Christmas list.
Author: Brendan Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press