Well-read bibliophiles will recognize the literary connections, especially to Lewis Carroll and Samuel Johnson. But, Graedon also creates delightful new words, and, though they are slow-going at first, chapters from the point of view of word flu sufferers are stand-outs. Anana, her family, and friends speak like a SAT vocabulary prep book, using words like “amanuensis,” “ouroboros,” and “scurf.” That alone makes this book accessible to teens who think the SAT Vocabulary Novels from SparkNotes are an insult. Thousands die, riots ensue, and the protagonist must find her missing dad to help solve the mystery of the communication disaster. Not only do those affected substitute created words for real words, but they also become nauseous and mentally unstable. Unfortunately, corporations (including one helmed by Anana’s ex-boyfriend) misuse the tech, and viral word flu devastates the country. Americans are so dependent on their memes (wearable smartphones) that they welcome the invention of implants and mind-controlling technology. But the NADEL is dying, along with the printed word. Anana works for her father, at the North American Dictionary of the English Language. Graedon’s debut novel is an SAT-prep dystopian masterpiece. The Word Exchange has the technology hook and Dark Eden has teen characters who “struggle to be taken seriously by those dismissive of young people’s ideas.” Fortunately, both of these novels are very engaging and have clear appeal factors for the younger set. Obviously, reading a book that uses language mutations, including made-up vocabulary, can be challenging. Beckett also uses language, in this case as an element of world-building, to “suggest the unique dialect that would undoubtedly evolve in a small community cut off from Earth for 160 years.” This quote is from an article about creating the dialect (a combination of Brooklyn and London accented English mutated over time) and the subsequent challenge of recording the Dark Eden audiobook. Clarke award for best science fiction novel. Chris Beckett‘s Dark Eden was published in 2012 in the U.K., where it won the 2013 Arthur C.
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