Thursday, September 1, 2016

Name That Genre #40

TITLE: SECRET
GENRE: YA SECRET

The flowers were as insubstantial as we were. They were gray, too, as gray as the rest of the landscape, and they whispered among themselves, the petals fluttering without wind, as if sharing secrets. But there were no secrets in the Asphodel Meadows, just as there was no color.
Only, sometimes—there was.

Time had little meaning here, but I marked it by his arrival. I saw the distant glow of him, the light of the living as he moved through the throngs of the dead. Other shades clamored around him, drawn like I was to the way he shone, the gold of his hair and the sword by his side. It was better and worse when he came, for my mind was clearer at the sight of him but the sharpness of it cut me in a way the numbness could not.

40 comments:

  1. Fantasy! Because of the colorless Asphodel Meadows and the mention of the sword.

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  2. Paranormal
    Just a guess but the image of 'him' seems ghostly.

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  3. Fantasy. The imagery as well as name of meadow.

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  4. Paranormal.
    Being in the Asphodel Meadows - Greek land of the dead. Seeing the "living" as one of the "others," the sliding in and out of clarity when viewing him. Hints that maybe the POV character will slide into clarity (the Land of the Living?) and get to stay there a while, at least.

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  5. Paranormal (leaning toward Paranormal Romance?)

    The first paragraph could have been anything for me. Since I didn't know the greek meaning of the meadows, it could have been apocalyptic or dystopian with a graying world. But the second paragraph with the dead and the living has a very paranormal vibe. Also, I sense that he has an angelic quality to him and her reaction to his arrival suggest some romantic element will be a strong part of the story.

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  6. FANTASY

    Everything in the first paragraph, the mention of shades, of the sword, and the impression this is NOT on Earth lead me to Fantasy.

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  7. Fantasy, because of the name - Asphodal - the unrealistic setting, and a mention of swords...

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  8. I was thinking Dystopian because of the grey but my guess is Fantasy!

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  9. I was thinking Dystopian because of the grey but my guess is Fantasy!

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  10. Fantasy with a touch of romance?

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  11. Fantasy. The whispering flowers, the gray landscape and the mention of a sword leads me to Fantasy.

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  12. Fantasy.

    Time not having meaning, grayness, the dead around, the guy with a sword. Also, it's really good and I'm hooked!

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  13. Fantasy. The world has a magical element.

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  14. Fantasy

    literal gray meadow, the word Asphodel, sword

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  15. Fantasy

    meadow, Asphodel, sword

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  16. Fantasy. tons of references to the mythical land of the dead.

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  17. Fantasy. tons of references to the mythical land of the dead.

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  18. Fantasy

    The whispering flowers, the glowing man. I was leaning toward paranormal until you mentioned the sword. That swung me to fantasy.

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  19. Sci-fi, due to the strange world (the Asphodel Meadows) and the character descriptins (e.g., the "distant glow of him").

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  20. FANTASY

    We're apparently in the land of the dead, and there's a guy with a sword.

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  21. Paranormal.

    Could be fantasy, but the language seems more contemporary/crisp, and less formal/detailed than what I'd expect in fantasy.

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  22. Paranormal.

    Could be fantasy, but the language seems more contemporary/crisp, and less formal/detailed than what I'd expect in fantasy.

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  23. Paranormal
    She's a shade (ghost). Enough said.

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  24. Paranormal
    She's a shade (ghost). Enough said.

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  25. Fantasy (based on Greek Mythology)

    Mention of shades and Asphodel Meadows (part of the Greek underworld)

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  26. FANTASY.

    I thought paranormal at first until "the sword by his side." That said fantasy to me.

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  27. FANTASY.

    I thought paranormal at first until "the sword by his side." That said fantasy to me.

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  28. Paranormal. Though I almost changed to fantasy with the mention of the sword. Until that point, it sounded like an afterworld of spirits.

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  29. Paranormal

    I'm guessing by your description of being among the dead and how the character glows when he comes.

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  30. Paranormal

    The description of the ghost moved me in that direction.

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  31. Magical Realism.
    I was tempted to say Fantasy at first, but then realized the whole grey world may be just the way MC views her reality.

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  32. Fantasy, possibly magical realism.

    Beautiful descriptions and a real feeling of place from such a few short words.
    Lovely.

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  33. Fantasy, possibly magical realism.

    Beautiful descriptions and a real feeling of place from such a few short words.
    Lovely.

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  34. Fantasy. It just kind of has that feel, plus there's the reference to shades and the dead.

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  35. Thanks for all the guesses/comments, everyone! This is my YA Fantasy titled THE FALL OF TROY.

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