An author can surprise readers with a 40-page graphic narration of sexual assault without having to justify the dark, excessive inclusion within their plot. Unlike online spaces, there are no trigger warnings on books. However, with adult fiction, almost anything goes. While YA can flirt with darker themes, the kind of gritty soullessness that characterizes grimdark novels doesn’t appeal to publishers trying to push books for younger readers. The two genres are, by definition and by construction, incompatible. But YA fiction and true ‘grimdark’ rarely coincide. As a sub-genre, ‘grimdark’ works to highlight the gritty underbelly of fictional worlds. Kuang’s “The Poppy War” subscribes to a ‘grimdark’ trend in adult science fantasy fiction. More so than its young adult science fiction fantasy contemporaries, R.F.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |