I’ve never read anything quite like this, it’s new and it’s novel. In Afterworlds, Scott has brilliantly woven together the life of a prodigious young talent with the novel that has set her life in an all new direction. I love it because I love YA (the books and the people, even when both categories border on the absurd), and I love the inside of a writer’s head (all the ego and creativity and power), and because Scott Westerfeld does, too. “My lawyers have advised me not to comment on this book.” No characters in this book are based on any famous writers I know. “I don’t know what Westerfeld means to say in his depiction of the people who write YA novels, but we don’t drink together, kibbitz on one another’s novels, pontificate on narratology, or share dirty secrets. And the parts that aren’t true certainly COULD’VE happened. Well, except for the true parts, of course. “I recognize nothing of myself or any of my friends in this book. Unmistakably Westerfeld in full command of a prodigious talent, doing something complicated and difficult and making it look easy, even as it grabs you and drags you through its dark streets, laughing and crying along with both Darcy and Lizzie.” “It’s a fabulous conceit and a masterful accomplishment. You can listen to me talking about Afterworlds here on Wisconsin Public Radio. Or check out this sample of the audiobook: Interspersed with Darcy’s story is the entirety of her novel, also called Afterworlds, about Lizzie Scofield, a young girl who escapes a terrorist attack by playing dead, but then discovers that she has played too well. That’s the US/Australian cover on the left, and the British on the right:Īfterworlds about a Darcy Patel, a young writer who bangs out a novel in her senior year of high school, has it published for a ton of money, and moves to New York City to revise it, write a sequel, and hang out with the NYC YA crowd. (Scroll to the bottom of this page for a host of buy buttons for the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.)

That’s a pretty fabulous intent.”Īfterworlds is my latest novel, and it is out now! You can buy it in a variety of formats, including e-book and audio. “What is Afterworlds? Not a satire, not a roman à clef, but a veteran writer reaching out through a fictional frame to his younger peers.

a thick book that reads like a thin book because of how fast readers will turn the pages.” “ Afterworlds is a young adult tour de force, a ghost story par excellence. “Get plenty this one won’t stay on the shelves.” “ Afterworlds is a wonderful book for any young person with an interest in growing up to be a writer.”

Scott westerfeld novel