Somewhere in my online perusal of young adult fiction, I saw descriptions of The Young World, a post-apocalyptic novel set in Manhattan after an illness has claimed the lives worldwide of adults and young children. Teens have banded into tribes to fight for survival–and maybe to find a cure. The premise sounded interesting (even to someone who doesn’t typically read dystopian fiction–me!), but what I never noticed is that the author is Chris Weitz. I’ve talked about him on my blog before as someone whose work and general all-round attitude I admire.
I was on Murder By The Book’s web site early Sunday trying to choose new titles to order through them for my Nook when I saw that the store had set up a Q&A between Weitz and moderator Mandy Curtis, along with a book signing and a discussion of the influence of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome on Weitz’s work (as well as a screening of the movie, because all of this took place at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema).
Though I’ve been on an extended break from Mel Gibson and his movies, an opportunity to meet and get a book signed by Chris Weitz was irresistible–and a definite source of a happiness on a Sunday evening.
