Steelheart is a young adult book. That shouldn’t dismay adult readers though, as many of the bestselling stories in the last decade are from that genre. What is it about young adult that appeals to so many people? And do you think you achieve that with Steelheart ?
I’m not sure if I can answer what it is about YA that appeals to so many people, but I can try to explain why the genre appeals to me. Part of it is the grand tradition of YA in science fiction and fantasy. Soon after I became addicted to sci-fi and fantasy, I was reading things like the Belgariad and The Sword of Shannara , which both have a very young adult feel to them. There’s also something about the teenage years that involves discovering yourself. I was a teen when I found myself, when I discovered fantasy novels and writing. Those were the years when I transitioned from being the child I’d been to become the adult I am now. We all go through that, and there’s something special about it that draws us back time and time again to that threshold. It’s almost like the thresholds characters pass through in Cambellian myth, and the threshold between childhood and adulthood is a big one. Telling stories about that age, that transition, is exciting and fascinating. It helps me understand myself, so that’s why I find myself doing it. I certainly hope I achieved that with Steelheart ! But it’s up to the readers to decide whether I’ve been able to. I think the book is fantastic, but who doesn’t publish a book thinking it’s fantastic?
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