TITLE: YA
GENRE: SECRET
“Target sighted. White male, late thirties, armed. Knack unknown. Three hostages, one female, two male. Female hostage currently at gunpoint.”
That's what I should have said. I should have been speaking calmly and clearly into the wireless transmitter embedded in my ballistic helmet, to relay those facts to command once I had some kind of visual confirmation. Instead, I felt damn near helpless. Shaky breath rattling my chest, while I tried to to steady the pistol in my right hand. I kept the gun pointed toward the sky, just in case, with the safety still on. It's not like I could bungle these situations so badly that I'd accidentally trip and shoot myself in the foot. I hoped.
Still, this was the last place I wanted to be, especially alone. My hair was already a sweaty tangle under the helmet, and the short ponytail that stuck out from beneath it…
Miss Snark's First Victim
I'd say contemporary or thriller. I'm guessing contemporary since the narrator seems to be describing a modern day situation, but depending on how the situation is handled would further define the genre for me. Ex. if the hostage situation is by just humans, then I'd go with thriller.
ReplyDeleteUrban Fantasy?
ReplyDeleteI'm going exclusively on the "Knack unknown" line. That sounds like super powers of some kind to me. But I don't know the source, so it could be sci fi, dystopian, paranormal, etc just as easily as UF.
Crime Thriller
ReplyDeleteI'd agree that it does sound like it is set in the future.
Not sure. The teen is too comfortable with a hostage situation for this to be contemporary, but there's nothing about it that feels SF/F.
ReplyDeleteThriller--
ReplyDeleteSounds modern-day, but it could go sci-fi if there were more clues to the technology (which seems present-day, from the description.
Nice set-up of tension in the scene.
I'm going with Sci-Fi because of the futuristic elements.
ReplyDeleteI'm going with thriller.
ReplyDeletepolice procedural crime thriller - female protagonist is a good call,
ReplyDeleteFantasy.
ReplyDeleteBased solely on "Knack unknown."
Urban Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteBased on "Knack unknown".
Dystopian - you don't see many teens in the military unless the world is ending and they have no choice
ReplyDeleteSci-fi Thriller
ReplyDeleteNot entirely sure, but it feels futuristic. Also sounds like he's about to do something stupid. :)
Can't tell.
ReplyDeleteWe could have present-age teen soldiers, or this could be set in the future.
I think that SWAT/sniper types keep the gun pointed down to prevent mishaps, not up. If you know differently never mind.
Can't tell
ReplyDeleteThe voice sounds much older to me than young adult.
Dystopian? Not really sure but a teen soldier with a gun and a hostage crisis in a somewhat futuristic feeling environment seems dystopian to me.
ReplyDeleteCan't tell.
ReplyDeleteScience fiction? Dystopian? Thriller? It could be any of these.
Thriller. Although since it's YA, it could be Science Fiction.
ReplyDeleteSCIENCE FICTION
ReplyDeleteOr maybe urban fantasy, depending on the nature/explanation of her "knack."
I liked this except for the fact that he didn't actually say the opening line. I felt tricked.
Better would be if he actually did say that, but maybe he meant to say it calmly and instead his voice was shaking like crazy.
DYSTOPIAN
ReplyDeleteJust because YA characters in this type of job seems that way.
Urban Fantasy
ReplyDeleteBecause 'knack' suggests a sort of magical talent or mutant superpower. Cops don't call it in if you're good at crosswords. So I hope that one word is the key.
Crime thriller.
ReplyDeleteThere are hostages, the MC has a gun and is freaking out...it may or not be a warzone. There's no reference to future technology or to magic.
Contemporary.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought scifi, but the farther I read, I began to think this was a video game type training exercise. The line about not bungling the situation made me picture a police or military rookie taking a qualification test.
sci-fi
ReplyDeletejust because of the word Knack
(the sentence with the gun pointed at the sky with safety on reads a little clunky, plus, isn't she supposed to be holding them at gunpoint? or are there other people on her side?)
I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteThe YA tag is what's tripping me up. A teen who is trained as a soldier reads more dystopian, sci-fi, or fantasy, maybe alternate reality.
Science Fiction
ReplyDeleteIt feels like this takes place in a not too distant future, but it may prove to be more thriller than SF.
SCI FI
ReplyDeleteIt could be contemporary military (helmets and weapons), but the reference to a "knack" makes me think of superpowers.
Contemporary thriller, though the use of "Knack" threw me a bit. Good luck, Sarah.
ReplyDeleteDystopian
ReplyDeleteIt's YA, so I'm expecting the narrator to be a teen, yet she's acting in some kind of military or law enforcement capacity? The "knack unknown" part makes me think the perp is supposed to have some kind of power they've yet to identify, as though that would be a normal expectation. So that says future... they seem enhanced in some way, so it might also be science fiction.
Thriller. But I agree that the fact that it's YA is confusing, and suggests that it might be dystopian SF instead.
ReplyDeleteHi guys! I'm Rae, and this is my entry. Thanks for the guesses and bonus critique!
ReplyDeleteThe correct genre is Urban Fantasy. It's a world in which 100% of the population has some form of superpower, and yes, they are called knacks. "Cops don't call it in if you're good at crosswords." - loved that! I'm so excited that you guys picked up on it! Thriller is a very close second.
Dystopia is the furthest guess from the actual genre, but it's one that beta readers have mentioned to me before. That's my problem and I'll need to sort it out, same as the first line. The dialogue felt like a hook when I wrote it, but I should know better as far as mentioning something that doesn't happen. Thank you for confirming that I can't get away with it. ;)
As far as what's actually going on in this particular scene, without giving too much away, MargotG had the closest guess.
Regardless of who wins, I was so happy to participate in this. It's been extremely helpful. Thanks, everyone!!!