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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Name That Genre! #13

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.

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31 comments:

  1. Rachel MenardAugust 27, 2014 at 9:20 AM

    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!

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  2. ChristinaAugust 27, 2014 at 1:05 PM

    Science Fiction

    That is one messed up chair! lol. Good hook.

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  3. Alessa HinloAugust 27, 2014 at 1:08 PM

    Science Fiction

    I originally thought fantasy because of the names but the last two paragraphs clinched it.

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  4. Holly BodgerAugust 27, 2014 at 1:25 PM

    I'd say Sci-Fi.

    (P.S. Love the voice)

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  5. iasaAugust 27, 2014 at 1:45 PM

    Science Fiction

    talking medi-chair

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  6. Phil JohnsonAugust 27, 2014 at 2:58 PM

    scary med unit, sounds like a gritty Sci-Fi

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  7. E.G. MooreAugust 27, 2014 at 3:21 PM

    Sci-fi.

    Love the voice in this!

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  8. CatAugust 27, 2014 at 4:04 PM

    Sci-Fi--

    Because of the names and the gritty dystopian feel, it even leans a bit Cyberpunk to me.

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  9. Sarah Maury SwanAugust 27, 2014 at 4:25 PM

    Sci-fi and I don't blame the MC for distrusting that chair. Good luck, Sarah

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  10. UnknownAugust 27, 2014 at 4:30 PM

    Sci-Fi -- because of the medi chair.

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  11. JEN GarrettAugust 27, 2014 at 5:08 PM

    Sci-Fi

    Possibly Dystopia, but I don't have a sense of an artificially created utopia, so I'm going with Sci-Fi

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  12. Heather MarstenAugust 27, 2014 at 5:10 PM

    Science fiction - wouldn't want to meet up with a talking chair bent on giving a serious disease.

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  13. C. R. BaileyAugust 27, 2014 at 5:40 PM

    Sci-fi.

    This could also be dystopian, but the MediChair *patented* Safe Hands cuff says medical science fiction.

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  14. AnonymousAugust 27, 2014 at 8:04 PM

    Science Fiction.

    Excellent 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.

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  15. UnknownAugust 27, 2014 at 8:16 PM

    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.

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  16. krystal janeAugust 27, 2014 at 9:18 PM

    Science Fiction

    At first I was thinking fantasy, but that crazy chair has a futuristic feel to it.

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  17. AnonymousAugust 27, 2014 at 9:59 PM

    Sci-Fi

    The sanitation stalls and med unit gave it that feel for me.

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  18. Mark MurataAugust 27, 2014 at 10:04 PM

    Science fiction.
    The 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.

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  19. Heidi StallmanAugust 27, 2014 at 10:14 PM

    Science fiction - talking chair is a malfunctioning medical unit. Sanitation stall.

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  20. Beth CarpenterAugust 27, 2014 at 10:41 PM

    Science Fiction. Because of the gadgets.

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  21. IcySapphyreAugust 28, 2014 at 12:24 AM

    Science Fiction

    That chair and all the medical info screamed science fiction at me. I'm intrigued.

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  22. Adam HeineAugust 28, 2014 at 5:16 AM

    SCIENCE FICTION

    This 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.

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  23. AMYAugust 28, 2014 at 6:52 AM

    SCIENCE FICTION
    I think it is the medical/computer advancement.

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  24. tAugust 28, 2014 at 8:01 AM

    Science Fiction

    the 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.

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  25. Timothy GwynAugust 28, 2014 at 8:03 AM

    Science Fiction

    The 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.

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  26. PatchiAugust 28, 2014 at 8:55 AM

    Science Fiction

    The talking chair had me thinking fantasy until the narrator mentioned how the malfunction started.

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  27. Bonnie StaringAugust 28, 2014 at 12:22 PM

    Science Fiction.

    Because of the medical talking chair. Great voice.

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  28. MargotGAugust 28, 2014 at 3:36 PM

    SciFi.

    But, ewww.

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  29. BarbaraAugust 28, 2014 at 7:56 PM

    Science Fiction/alternate Earth?

    Keshablance instead of Casablanca

    Nacio 'no Mas' Machado instead of Roberto 'No Mas' DUran.

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  30. amhogganAugust 28, 2014 at 11:35 PM

    HUMOROUS SCI-FI

    The tone is humorous and all the unfamiliar tech says sci-fi.

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  31. Amanda KlaseAugust 29, 2014 at 12:31 PM

    Hi all! I'm the author. My genre is: Futuristic Noir/Cyberpunk.

    That 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!

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