City of Rust: an out-of-this-world sci-fi adventure!

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Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...

I wanted to write a fun adventure that also talked about themes surrounding the environment, STEM and the power of friendship. I was drawn to City of Rust right away because of the characterful futuristic steam-punk junk yard vibe, and because it’s a sci-fi. I do love a sci-fi. This one is set in a future where land and air are dominated by junk. But when junk is all that is left, it becomes a commodity, a currency, a beast that sustains existence as much as it threatens it… You could say that this vision is a direct consequence of our current-day throw-away lifestyle. But let’s put that to one side and skip to the action. And there is a lot of action! Despite being a complete layman, she still has an unwavering passion for space, and loves nothing more than sharing that passion through her stories and author events. I always miss the characters I have to edit out. There are lots of really fun Junkers and drone racers that didn’t make it into the final edit of City of Rust. I do miss them, but I know their characters will pop up again, in other forms in other stories.I remember reading Iva Ibbotson’s The Secret of Platform 13 a million times, and a book that I think was called the Gameboard Map (it’s probably called something completely different!), which I’ve never been able to find again, about a strange world made out of board games. I also loved audio books, In particular the Narnia series. Set in a dystopian future world where the Earth has been overwhelmed with its own trash- an all too feasible scenario- and where the rubbish stored in space now completely encircles the planet. Very different life-styles have evolved, from the privileged few inhabiting the mountain top City of Glass and the earth dwellers scraping a living amongst the rusting junk below in Boxville- the City Of Rust. Above them all, the feared Junker clans make their fortunes mining the rubbish in space. What advice would you give to teachers about how to develop reading for pleasure in their classrooms and schools?

Arguably, every character gets the best lines in a Discworld novel, but I always grin when I see the unquoted small caps that indicate Death is about to make an appearance. Terry Pratchett managed to give Death a cheeky charm. Was there anything that man couldn’t do? Gemma Fowler’s world-building is exceptional, and her version of Earth has echoes of Blade Runner, Wall-E and Star Wars. A thrilling galactic mystery with a powerful message at its heart about caring for the planet we call home.Thank you so much Gemma for your brilliant piece – Scythe is one of my favourite trilogies so I particularly loved seeing the influence of Thunderhead, and there’s lots of other memorable characters mentioned too! Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child... City of Rust is the first middle-grade (ages 9+) offering from author Gemma Fowler. This delicious, dystopian novel is the perfect mixture of Mad Max, Cogheart (Peter Bunzl) and The Tin Forest (Helen Ward) – a perfect choice for young readers who have a thirst for sci-fi adventures. The intricate, golden cover design by Karl James Mountford immediately draws the reader into a junkyard world, where waste is treasure.

Gemma Fowler’s world-building is exceptional, and her version of Earth has echoes of Blade Runner, Wall-E and Star Wars. A thrilling galactic mystery with a powerful message at its heart about caring for the planet we call home.” Book Trust, Best new books for April Take a floating cargo ship, a drone, a gyrosphere. Or just take a plunge into an abyss… However you travel, hold on tight, because this book is a ride! The Thunderhead is the morally conflicted computer ‘cloud’ that controls the post mortal age world in Neal Shusterman’s Scythe trilogy. These books have been some of my favourite reads of the last few years and I found the Thunderhead’s constant battle (and expert way it talks itself into making loopholes) with it’s own moral programing a refreshing take on the behaviour of artificial intelligence. There are drones, gyrospheres, runners(creative take on bounty hunters), floating ships, androids, gadgets, mechanics, & a creative futuristic rusty junk yard type world-that will actually make you think hard about our own current issues, & what the future may hold. The writing is so detailed, vivid, & atmospheric I felt like I was there w/them the whole way-so I was nervous, excited, scared, full of adrenaline, & on the edge of my seat the whole time basically lol. In this world junk has overtaken the world so much, it’s had to be taken out to space-which causes some unexpected dangers. Makes you wonder what we will do when there is no more room in the junkyards/dumps/etc. Also, it’s made junk a form of money in a way-so you need it to live, but fear for your life from it at the same time. There is a satisfaction that comes from the editing process though. I can’t remember which author said it (it wasn’t me), but they likened the process to carving a statue – the first draft is a lump of granite, then with each edit the shape and form begins to emerge. I think that sums it up perfectly.The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children... So here are some of the non-human characters that I’ve fallen in love with, and that have influenced my writing over the years:

How would you envisage teachers using your book in their classrooms? What age group is it aimed at? Do any activities or ideas spring to mind? An edge-of-your-seat thriller, combining an authentic YA contemporary voice with high-concept but accessible science fiction. Buy here! Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12... The cover is by the amazing Karl James Mountford, and definitely deserves a mention here too. It’s so beautiful! The book also contains some heavy world building, so maybe getting readers to visualise things like Boxville and Glass City and the Sphereships would be great (I would also love to see what they come up with!).City of Rust is a must read for sci-fi fans, perfect for anybody who loves star wars, The Danger Gang or other out of this world adventures. Being able to share whole worlds with readers. I’ll never get tired of people saying they liked a certain character, or wished they could taste a certain food, or that quote certain lines from the book that they liked. I just think… Wow, I made that up, this is crazy! I love the creativity of bringing character to something unexpected like an inanimate object. These characters might not always have the best lines (because a lot of them don’t talk) but they nearly always steal the show. I’ve found that human beings learn from their misdeeds just as often as from their good deeds. I am envious of that, for I am incapable of misdeeds. Were I not, then my growth would be exponential.” ― Neal Shusterman, Scythe