TITLE: YA
GENRE: Secret
Dev Nair didn’t trust the talking chair. Not just because it was located in what had to be the grimiest toilet in Keshablanca, though that fact did not help its cause. It wasn’t the way the thing spoke, in the softly deranged tones of a children’s show host. It wasn’t even the way it waved around one of the many arms attached to its plastic frame, waggling a complement of syringes like jazz fingers.
On second thought, it was probably all of those things.
“Gangrene selected,” the chair cooed. “Please insert limb into the MediChair patented Safe Hands cuff for evaluation!”
Dev took a step back. This med unit hadn’t been right since Nacio “No Mas” Machado had punched it right in the central processor. Normally, he’d have steered clear of it. But his last opponent, a man who clearly hadn't seen the inside of a sanitation stall in months, had bled all over him.
Dystopia! This could have easily been fantasy by the unusual names, but I am guessing dystopia because of the comparisons. Children's shows and jazz are things from our world, and talking MediChairs are future things. I also love the first line and the voice. I'm hooked with just enough information to leave me grounded and curious about what happens next. Great work!
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction
ReplyDeleteThat is one messed up chair! lol. Good hook.
Science Fiction
ReplyDeleteI originally thought fantasy because of the names but the last two paragraphs clinched it.
I'd say Sci-Fi.
ReplyDelete(P.S. Love the voice)
Science Fiction
ReplyDeletetalking medi-chair
scary med unit, sounds like a gritty Sci-Fi
ReplyDeleteSci-fi.
ReplyDeleteLove the voice in this!
Sci-Fi--
ReplyDeleteBecause of the names and the gritty dystopian feel, it even leans a bit Cyberpunk to me.
Sci-fi and I don't blame the MC for distrusting that chair. Good luck, Sarah
ReplyDeleteSci-Fi -- because of the medi chair.
ReplyDeleteSci-Fi
ReplyDeletePossibly Dystopia, but I don't have a sense of an artificially created utopia, so I'm going with Sci-Fi
Science fiction - wouldn't want to meet up with a talking chair bent on giving a serious disease.
ReplyDeleteSci-fi.
ReplyDeleteThis could also be dystopian, but the MediChair *patented* Safe Hands cuff says medical science fiction.
Science Fiction.
ReplyDeleteExcellent voice here, so if it turns out to be dystopian, that is just tragic. If it is futuristic science-fiction, consider using the TV show 'Almost Human' as a comp title in your querying.
Sci-fi in the Douglas Adams tradition. Calling the bathroom a toilet is a British language trope, so it's not American sci-fi, which means humor and grit don't have to be mutually exclusive. Very curious about who Dev's opponent was, and what type of fight it was, and whether it was for prizes or survival.
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction
ReplyDeleteAt first I was thinking fantasy, but that crazy chair has a futuristic feel to it.
Sci-Fi
ReplyDeleteThe sanitation stalls and med unit gave it that feel for me.
Science fiction.
ReplyDeleteThe market has been so flooded with young adult dystopian, any new entries are a hard sell. But if you can keep up that tone, go for it.
Science fiction - talking chair is a malfunctioning medical unit. Sanitation stall.
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction. Because of the gadgets.
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction
ReplyDeleteThat chair and all the medical info screamed science fiction at me. I'm intrigued.
SCIENCE FICTION
ReplyDeleteThis has a lot of humor in it! I have (very minor) questions about the world-building, but I'd definitely keep reading to see if they were answered.
SCIENCE FICTION
ReplyDeleteI think it is the medical/computer advancement.
Science Fiction
ReplyDeletethe chair is an autodoc. It's a plastic chair, so not fantasy. It's grimy and the tech is suspect, so if I were to narrow it down, I'd say Cyberpunk.
Science Fiction
ReplyDeleteThe chair is an autodoc. It's a plastic chair, so not fantasy. The story is grimy, and the tech doubtful, so if I were to narrow it down, I'd go with Cyberpunk.
Science Fiction
ReplyDeleteThe talking chair had me thinking fantasy until the narrator mentioned how the malfunction started.
Science Fiction.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the medical talking chair. Great voice.
SciFi.
ReplyDeleteBut, ewww.
Science Fiction/alternate Earth?
ReplyDeleteKeshablance instead of Casablanca
Nacio 'no Mas' Machado instead of Roberto 'No Mas' DUran.
HUMOROUS SCI-FI
ReplyDeleteThe tone is humorous and all the unfamiliar tech says sci-fi.
Hi all! I'm the author. My genre is: Futuristic Noir/Cyberpunk.
ReplyDeleteThat fits under the larger SciFi umbrella, but the folks who guessed cyberpunk were the most right :)
This book, like most noir, has dystopic elements (e.g. protagonist against corrupt institutions), but isn't a dystopia in the sense of a book like The Hunger Games.
Thanks for taking time to comment on my piece!