Sunday, November 18, 2012

Traitor Angel by H. David Blalock ~ Guest post & Book Spotlight


Why There is Such a Thing as a YA Book
A Tongue-in-Cheek History of Literary Development
by H. David Blalock

Why are certain books considered Young Adult? Because "they" say so. Who exactly are "they"?
Early in the 18th century, books were running wild, leaving pages everywhere, tearing up public understanding with their metaphors, and generally causing a nuisance by spreading ideas. This could not be allowed to continue, or the world might become overstimulated, perhaps even... educated!
Something had to be done.

A group was formed called The Literary Critics (TLC) to stave off the unchained activity of the printed word. These men met in darkened, smoke-filled upstairs rooms, scanning thousands of pages by candlelight to determine exactly how to go about controlling the unruly literary animal.
The first thing this group did was to cage books into categories. By doing so, they enabled the public to avoid the possibility of encountering ideas or subjects that might frighten, disturb, or enlighten them. Parents were finally able to shield their children from philosophies and assertions that might challenge them. So started Children's Books.

However, all was not settled. Some parents, the very progressive lot who scoffed at the CB category (The TLC insisted this group spent their time drinking and carousing in the local pubs), pushed the envelope and forced the TLC to recognize a set of intermediary categories between CB and Mainstream Literary. After decades of very vicious and sometimes even violent debate (15 dead, 35 injured between 1854 and 1903 according to the official report), these became Juvenile and Young Adult.

After World War I, a group of Russian scientists who fled the Revolution and settled in Britain, began working on a better definition of literary categories. Forty years later, they gave up, most of them having either died or gone mad from the stress of the project. In 1956, a Bolivian professor of Literary Philosophy wrote the definitive treatise on the development of the category "Young Adult", however he lived in a grass hut in the Amazon River basin and the manuscript was lost during a monsoon.

So it is we have a category of literature referred to as "Young Adult" without a specific identity. Work is ongoing in an attempt to better define it. Rumors have it there is a brain trust operating out of a secret base in Antarctica that is on the verge of a major discovery. Let us hope, this time, something does not stand in their way.


 

















Synopsis of Traitor Angel:

In Traitor Angel, the second book of the Angelkiller Triad,  the war between The Army of Light and The Enemy continues behind the scenes. Unknown to the general population, the battle for control of humanity is heating up.

Jonah Mason, called Angelkiller, faces more than one decision. His Army resistance cell is wounded physically and emotionally, on the brink of falling apart. The mysterious allies calling themselves Knights are pressuring him to abandon his people. Meanwhile, the world outside draws closer to Armageddon.

As Mason and his friends pursue their campaign against Dorian Azrael's global megacorporation, Andlat Enterprises, the stakes get higher with each desperate foray into the enemy's computers. They are fated to lose one of their number and gain an unlikely ally, but any advantage they gain could be fleeting at best.

If they fail, it could mean the end of The Army and all resistance to the forces of Darkness.


About the Author:

H. David Blalock has been writing speculative fiction for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in print and online in over three dozen publications, spanning every format from short stories to novels, non-fiction articles to screenplays. He is also editor of _parABnormal Digest_ for Sam's Dot Publishing. To find out more visit his website at www.thrankeep.com.



H.David Blalock | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Seventh Star Press author as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



6 comments:

  1. Great guest post. I don't think this series would be for me, but it sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was a good post, thanks for sharing with us Valerie :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Valerie! This was a fun post by the wise sage, as I affectionately call David! LOL Thanks for having him here today!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this guest post! I always like a little piece of history!! Thanks for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Those pictures are a bit creepy for me. LOL

    ReplyDelete