bookworld

There’s some picture that floats around the internet from time to time. Don’t know where it originated, so I can’t even give whoever it was credit, but if you’ve read a bookish article, or spent five minutes on Pinterest, you’ve probably seen this:

5b21dea80376a817c7d97f8c08510731

But, I am insane, and I do want to go to Panem. In more of a Cressida role. Think living it up in the Capitol and getting the hell out of there before shit goes down. First,I could dye my hair some very fun colors and attend fun parties before Plutarch got me out. Second, it would be super exciting to film the rebellion. As long as I didn’t, you know, die. But hey, not everyone died! Also, I will have the chance to run into Peeta. So, basically, it works like this:

infog

I mean, other than the guns and arrows and  View Spoiler », it looks like a good time was had by all. Or at least those few people in the first picture?

But basically, I feel like I could at least stand a chance in a few shitty worlds. You know, I could choose a faction in Divergent, not join the death race in Fire and Flood, find friends with water in Not a Drop to Drink..

That said, there ARE some worlds that I am absolutely passing on. And would die in. For example:

1. Blood Red Road by Moira Young

12400425

Really, what kind of fresh hell was this place? I mean, look at the cover. It kind of says it all. There were descriptions in the book that actually made my eyes hurt just thinking about the dust storms. And people are straight up evil. Kidnapping, cage fights, gangs… and that is just in the first part of the first book. No thank you please.

2. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

21805717

In this happy little world, women have one lot in life: to please men. They’re basically breeders who are supposed to look a certain way, act a certain way, and basically compete with each other to live the “best” life of the options before them. It’s so horribly close to reality that I want to cry, but hopefully we’ll never be there. If so, I am moving to Mars.

3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman

6571974

So you’re either a kid who is literally in danger of being used for spare parts, or an adult who either perpetuated the cycle or did nothing to stop it. Solid choices.

4. Survival Colony 9 by Joshua David Bellin

18457362

Ah, this wasteland of doom. Look at the cover. Desert and one dude. That’s only slightly fewer dudes than there actually are. But there are monsters! They’ll totally kill you, but also, they look just like your friends and family. Not a great time to be roaming the desert, hmm?

5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

16101128

Oh hell no. First you have gone through four goddamn apocalypses already. That is four apocalypses too many, if you ask me. Then, after basically all of humanity is dead, you’re going to get another apocalypse from some asshole aliens who are, like the above book, going to masquerade as actual humans in order to properly kill you.

6. The Uninvited by Cat Winters

19547848

Splendid, a book that is set in a historical time that actually happened! Yes, one of our ancestors certainly lived through this book. As if World War I wasn’t terrifying enough, please let’s introduce the Spanish Flu so we can kill off our loved ones at home and abroad. Also, women have the rights of a coffee table, according to the government, so there’s that.

7. Alive by Scott Sigler

23278532

Picture it: You wake up, haven’t a clue where you are. Oh, yay, it’s a coffin! Also, you think you’re 12, but oops, you aren’t. Sorry about those six years or so, guys. And then… then you just don’t know where the hell you are. And it’s bad news if you’re claustrophobic, though the coffin kind of took care of that.

8. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

20560137

Ah, this fresh hell had to make the list. Basically, if I were here, I would die. No question. Because these people love the crap out of killing each other. This is directly from my review:

This world is hell. Seriously, you don’t want to live here. You don’t want to vacation here. Hell, I’d be suspicious of a postcard from here, for fear it’d shank me itself. It’s brutal, and no one is safe.

9. Ashfall by Mike Mullin

13590690

Underneath Yellowstone Park is a supervolcano. And it has just erupted. Of course, this happens while your parents are away and people will absolutely kill you to survive. Oh, and all that ash from the volcano? It has now really screwed up your weather. And your life. Good luck out there!

10. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

13267576

I don’t even know. This is hands down the bleakest hellhole I have read about. There’s an EMP. And then there’s zombie-like situations. And it is just page after page of the most horrific nightmares you could dream up. Which reminds me, I still have to read the last book…

So. Could you handle any of these? Let’s find out with a game! 

So, what are some bookish worlds that you just know you couldn’t live in? I am sure I forgot some awful ones!

Posted December 10, 2015 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Discussion, Discussion Challenge, Funsies / 35 Comments

Divider

35 responses to “Bookish Neighborhoods I’m Not Moving To

  1. I took the quiz, and you can say I’m terrified now of all the worlds. Please don’t make me live in a bookish world except for the Anna and the French Kiss universe. If I can get an Etienne of my own, then please.

  2. So I would basically die in every book of ever because I am a weak and delicate soul. IT IS THE TRUTH. Although I like to think I’d do okay in all the survivalist books. Because I looooove survival stuff. I could climb a waterfall and catch fish with my hands. THAT KINDA FUN STUFF. (Putting aside the fact that I’m super impatient and also hate fish. ahem.) But Unwind? No no. I would be unwound because I’m irritating and also unlucky. And Only Ever Yours is basically a nightmare. THAT ENTIRE BOOK. NUNNNNGH. Nightmare. I kinda would like to try Blood Red Road!! As long as I had Saba and Lugh and Jack though. As long as I had someone protecting my delicate soul. *nods*

    • Bwhaha that describes me perfectly! I THINK I’d be Cressida but… really I am that fat lady in the bathrobe that they kill in the capitol. Or one of those people who gets like, trampled walking to the mansion. Or the kid from like, District 5 who dies in minute two of the Hunger Games. It’s sad. I am a blip of a character.

      And nope, Blood Red Road… I would have been long since dead. I mean, if for no other reason than boredom and loneliness out there in the desert, you know? PASS.

  3. Yeah, I definitely would NOT want to live in any of these universes. I probably wouldn’t want to even live in the universes of my favorite books (like Green Rider or The Lunar Chronicles). There is some messed up stuff in most bookish universes that I would not want to deal with under any circumstances. It is often hard enough living in this world.
    Great post. Thanks for sharing!

  4. This reminds me of a funny reading game that was going around . . . maybe a couple of years ago. Basically just say your current read and if you would survive it. Luckily right now I am reading Boys Don’t Knit so I will be FiNE except maybe for an allergy attack from all the wool!

  5. lol I just KNEW Panem would be on the list.

    I kinda love the Only Ever Yours cover, though??? It looks all Stepford Wife Barbie-evil. Dare I say, I’d move there – or play tourist, whatever – for a day because it sounds kinda cool?? Eek @ Alive by Scott Sigler. Not really claustrophobic but the idea of waking up in a coffin, nonononono. Even though they’re so eerie, I would so want to move into a Cat Winters’ novel town, too! Also, for one day only. haha

    • Hahhaah but of course! And I love the cover of Only Ever Yours too! But trust me- it gets REALLY ugly there. Yes, it’s kind of Stepford Wives-y but with some really horrific stuff happening.

      OH I could totally do most of these for one day! In fact, I would LOVE to do them all for one day- how amazing would that be? Especially in a Cat Winters book- we will just go for some old timey swoons and then get the hell out of there 😉

  6. I like to think I could be all badass and handle any sort of fantasy/dystopian world, but let’s face it, I’d be a total wimp. All of the ones you listed sound terrible, but the thought of living in a world where women only exist to please men scares me the most. (So basically I don’t want to go too far back in time, haha.) Another one that terrifies me is the world in Bird Box. Well, technically it’s our world, but there’s some sort of monster that makes people snap and kill themselves if they see it, so everyone has to learn to live blindfolded. NO THANKS.
    This was a fun post! 🙂

    • WHAT?! That Bird Box thing sounds CRAZY. I want to read this now. And yeah, Only Ever Yours has to be the most psychologically traumatizing, no question. It was way worse than I could even describe in this post, but I was afraid of spoilers! Thanks so much 😀

      • Yay, I can’t wait to hear what you think if you read it! (It was an excellent audiobook, by the way, if you’re in to those.) It was also cool because the author is from Detroit, and it turns out he’s in a band that I saw back in high school, haha.

  7. Ashfall is the only one of these I’ve read, and I completely agree. My friends and I had a conversation about where would we go if there was a zombie apocalypse, and they say Alaska while I”m over here like… A TROPICAL ISLAND. I cannot stand the cold weather, nope. I’m such a wimp!

  8. Call me crazy, but Ashfall sounds like a horrible, but interesting world to live in. I never want to live in dystopian world or a world where everyone is dying, but Ashfall sounds like it would be the most challenging to be in. Plus my geology class has totally helped me figure out a few ways to survive.

    • It was VERY interesting. Especially just seeing ALL the changes. The most alarming changes were in the people! I mean, yes, the climate stuff was horrible but the people being awful was even worse. You could absolutely end up surviving in Ashfall. I mean, I couldn’t. But I have faith that you could 🙂

  9. Haha, nice quiz! True about those worlds. They are just places that make you think, thank God I’m right here – in my home, on my bed, drinking hot chocolate.

  10. This post was a lot of fun. I basically pressed “no” on every single world, because they all sound awful (although I’ve been so curious about Ashfall ever since I read the blurb!). I think I’ll just go for Hogwarts or Narnia or something. I would like to add Westeros from Game of Thrones, because I like my head attached to the rest of my body.

  11. I live in the part of Iowa where Ashfall is set. I’ve driven through the areas that the characters trek between Iowa and Illinois. It’s terrifying for me to think about trying to survive in that post-volcano world! My sister and I have had many discussions on how we would do it.

    Hey, did you hear that Mike is writing a 4th book in the series? It was on his blog recently!

  12. I think I seriously voted YES on a majority of those worlds! But yes to space! I mean – SPACE!

    But these are the places that I would not live: Los Angeles in Volcano, Los Angeles in San Andreas, Los Angeles in Battle Los Angeles, Los Angeles in 2012, Los Angeles in Fear the Walking Dead – or basically any movie/book realistically set in Los Angeles because yeah that is my hood. And it’s scary to think about something of this magnitude happening on my backyard!

  13. You’re crazy. Hell no am I visiting the world in Not a Drop to Drink. NO, THANK YOU I LOVE HAVING WATER AT MY FINGERTIPS. I’m so privileged. Blood Red Road looks awful, no thanks there either. And oh good God I’d never wanna visit An Ember in the Ashes. THAT WORLD IS HORRIBLE. The rest of them sound just as horrible. But also I’d totally live in Angelfall of my own if I had Raffe to protect me. IT COULD HAPPEN, YOU NEVER KNOW.

Leave a Reply