Second Paperback in Your Hand Contest
Judge’s Report (excerpts below)
The second Paperback in Your Hand contest fielded a wide variety of entries ranging from fantasy and science fiction to modern and historical novels, and from adult fiction to stories for children. All entries scored high on the readability scale, and many did well in pacing and characterisation. The major weakness across several entries was a failure of the would-he-really test, with characters acting or reacting to events in unlikely and (apparently) unmotivated ways. In most cases, there were underlying reasons for their reactions, but since these weren’t clearly revealed to the reader, the effect was unsatisfying. Some entries were also marred by a lack of clarity of event or intention. Again, the authors probably knew what was going on and why, but failed to impart the necessary knowledge to the reader. In some cases, the pacing was a bit odd, so more weight was given to some scenes than they deserved, while other more important scenes lost out.
The three top entries differed greatly from one another. One was science fiction, one historical, and one a paranormal contemporary romance. Two had complex plots, with shifts in perspective and mysteries to be solved, and the third was simpler and shorter. They shared some things in common. The main characters acted in character. They changed and matured in the course of their narratives while remaining essentially themselves. The writing styles were descriptive and lucid. The plots progressed well, and held the interest. Each scored high on sparkle, which is a combination of impact and memorability.
In Legacy of the Skywasp, by Margaret Watts, Nick lives a placid and ordered life in a futuristic Terra. Everything is regulated, and he and his girlfriend Zandara know exactly how their lives will progress. And then Nick gets a message from someone he thought was dead, and is sent, much against his inclination, to the distant and dangerous world of Eshrama where he will relive Jethroy Blake’s experiences. Thus we have two stories in one, but the narratives are closely linked and intertwined. Legacy of the Skywasp is suitable for a YA or adult audience, and its futuristic world, with its weird wasp cult and doomed love story is both fantastic and believable. Nick changes through experience and understanding to become the person he should have been all along. His narrative is in third person, past tense, and Nick himself is a young man of eighteen. Jethroy’s experiences, which Nick relives, are told in first person, present tense.
Franz, by Mabel Kaplan, is the story of Franzl, a Viennese teenager whose ambition is to join the police force. Instead, he finds himself in the army. Captured by Russians, Franzl escapes and makes the long journey home to a war torn city. Franzl is a typical boy in many ways, but his kind heart helps him make friends and ultimately wins him a better future. The description of war is bleak and chilling. Everyone is a loser, but Franz meets some decent people and there is always hope on the horizon. Franz’s Story is a short novel suitable for older children and adults. The narrative is in first person, past tense. The protagonist is around fifteen for most of the story, although he is much younger at the beginning.
Winter Roses Never Die , by Wendy Maree Peterson, is a paranormal love story. Jennie, the protagonist, is a delightful eccentric who lives with her cat and works in a library. As she walks home through an abandoned cemetery, Jennie catches a glimpse of a green-eyed girl in a tree. Later, she finds two winter-cold graves smothered in blooming roses, and meets a wheelchair-bound man named Charos. Gradually, Jennie is drawn into the twilit world of The Family and a love affair that will last a lifetime… or more. The beautiful descriptions and themes of redemption make this a joyous book, despite the dark themes, and the mix of Christianity and (fairly) benign paganism is beguiling. Winter Roses Never Die is for an adult audience, though some older teenagers would enjoy it. The narration is third person, past tense, and the protagonist a woman in her thirties.
Excerpts from the winners
Excerpt from Legacy of the Skywasp.
Claire sends me a wry smile while Syras turns his attention to Chen.
I’d like to tell her what I’d seen that day, a girl as unlike the colonists of Eshrama as sun to storm. Claire would listen. She’d believe me too.
I’d been so astonished when I glimpsed the girl. I’d lost a wing beat. Such a mistake could have led to disaster on Terra, but in Eshrama’s low gravity, it was easily corrected.
Rhythm restored, I’d glided shadow-silent on spread mercanium porta-wings. As she stood poised beside one of the glittering trees at the edge of the crystal forest, she could have been an illusion cast by the crystal. Then she moved and touched a branch. A high clear note filled the air and she danced.
Strands of her multi-coloured ribbon skirt whirled and her honey coloured hair flipped and flowed as she wove graceful patterns in the air. Those patterns seemed to take glittering form around her.
With the visicorder mounted in my helmet I could have recorded her right then, but I was too intrigued to do anything, but stare. When the dance ended I remembered my duty and flew closer, but sunlight struck the crystal and dazzled my sight. By the time my vision had cleared she’d gone. I’d searched the periphery of the crystal forest in vain. Though I knew she must be in there somewhere, I obeyed Syras’ injunction. He’d ordered me to stay clear of that forest as well as the Temple that shimmered in the distance.
Claire notices my daydreaming and nudges me hard.
Excerpt from Franz
On the Austrian-Czech Border March 1945:
‘Come on, boy. Get up!’
The hem of the heavy army greatcoat brushed my face—the dank smell assaulted my nostrils and roused me to consciousness. A sliver of moonlight crept out from the weeping sky, outlining a sinister shadow. I shrank back, curling my body back into the comforting warmth of the snow-covered field.
The toe of a military boot butted against my ribcage. ‘Get up, boy!’ A large gnarled hand reached down, grabbed hold of my arm and dragged me to a sitting position.
I stared, wide-eyed and fearful, into a face half covered by a Cossack beret. What did the man want? I’d heard tales of what Russian soldiers did to their prisoners - what they did to civilian women of the enemy! My teeth chattered uncontrollably.
‘Stand up,’ he urged, as he again pulled upwards.
Placing the palm of one hand flat on the icy ground, I propelled myself into a standing position. With a brusque movement, the officer brushed the icicles and fresh snow from my jacket. He pushed me forward. ‘Walk,’ he commanded.
Excerpt from Winter Roses Never Die
A sumptuous wattle tree, soft and golden in the torchlight, came into view. Despite the cold and dark, the air was pervaded with a strange, sweet aroma. Where the tree overlapped the path, a few lower branches had been lopped to allow passage. As she walked beneath the wattle, she felt a cold, tickling sensation on the back of her neck and something touching her hair. Frowning, she held up the torch to investigate. For a moment in time, an eerie, lovely image was frozen in the white beam. A raven-haired girl with skin and facial features as flawless as the stony flesh of the statues gracefully reclined upon a twiglike branch. She was adorned in a gossamer gown as green and glittery as her sloe-shaped eyes, eyes that held such power, Jennie went into sensory over-load and couldn't move or speak.
Deciding to test this creature, she said the prayer she believed protected her and drove away fear, "I plead the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ."
As abruptly as the lady had appeared in the torchlight, she vanished. Jennie was too stunned to be afraid. If the vision hadn't appeared in a dark cemetery, it would not seem scary; instead, fantastically beautiful.
Excerpts from Winners and Highly Commended entries
of the First Paperback in Your Hand contest
Jade and the Rubber Faces, by Catherine Bannister. Excerpt.
Jade's lost her lucky mole and everything's upside down. And who is lurking under the wardrobe floor?
But then Jade McEwan always looked a bit feral. Her hair tended to psychotic, her limbs were thin and her second-hand clothes were held on with safety pins. She didn’t really mind wearing second hand clothes—they had a cuddly worn-in feel. Other kids knew her as that crazy fossil girl, still obsessed by dinosaurs long after most had moved on to Bratz dolls. Still more were envious of her grades. And when they teased her, which was often, Jade reached for her mole, sighed and relaxed in the thought that whatever they said, while she might someday grow rich, they’d never grow brains.
And now, it was gone! Jade ignored the screeches from her mother and, pulling the sheets over her head and whimpering softly, decided she couldn’t possibly ever face the world again.
Bog Swamp Boogie, by Bryan Evans. (Runner up) Excerpt.
There's trouble in Bog Swamp when someone kidnaps the Critterbug Band
and threatens Turbo the gecko. Captain Benny to the rescue!