Blood Red Road
(Book #1 of Dust Lands)
For Ages: 14 and up
- reading group guide
- 6awards
- customer reviews
The book that will “blow you away”** has a dazzling new look in paperback!
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when four cloaked horsemen capture Lugh, Saba's world is shattered, and she embarks on a quest to get him back.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the outside world, Saba discovers she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba’s unrelenting search for Lugh stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.
Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetic writing style, and an epic love story—making Moira Young is one of the most exciting new voices in teen fiction.
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when four cloaked horsemen capture Lugh, Saba's world is shattered, and she embarks on a quest to get him back.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the outside world, Saba discovers she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba’s unrelenting search for Lugh stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.
Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetic writing style, and an epic love story—making Moira Young is one of the most exciting new voices in teen fiction.
Choose a format:
Buy from us:
- Margaret K. McElderry Books |
- 480 pages |
- ISBN 9781442429994 |
- January 2012 |
- Grades 9 and up
Buy from another retailer:
Praise
“*Young's powerful debut, first in the Dustlands series, is elevated above its now familiar postapocalyptic setting by an intriguing prose style and strong narrative voice that show a distinct Cormac McCarthy vibe. It's a natural for Hunger Games fans. ”
– Publishers Weekly *STAR
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“*Young's powerful debut, first in the Dustlands series, is elevated above its now familiar postapocalyptic setting by an intriguing prose style and strong narrative voice that show a distinct Cormac McCarthy vibe. It's a natural for Hunger Games fans. ”– Publishers Weekly *STAR
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“Blood Red Road will capture any reader who picks it up. I love everything about Saba - her language, her intensity, her heart. Everyone should read her story.”– James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner
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“I absolutely loved Blood Red Road. What a great read! Moira Young goes over the top with a most engaging heroine. Saba is a crusty, foul-tempered warrior woman who must be covered in scar tissue by the end of the book, but men still follow her around like starving wolves. The dialogue is fast and often humorous, the pace never lets up. No situation is so bad that it can't get worse in the next couple of pages. I especially liked the awakening of the hellwurms as they emerge to feed. Well done, Ms. Young!”– Nancy Farmer, author of The House of the Scorpion
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“Better than The Hunger Games. . . . This book will blow you away.”– MTV’s Hollywood Crush blog
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“Is it any surprise that Ridley Scott swiftly optioned the book?”– New York Times Book Review
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“Blood Red Road is an eerie and adventurous dystopian fantasy on par with Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker.”– LA Times
Read an Excerpt
THE DAY’S HOT. SO HOT AN SO DRY THAT ALL I CAN TASTE IN my mouth is dust. The kinda white heat day when you can hear th’earth crack.
We ain’t had a drop of rain fer near six months now. Even the spring that feeds the lake’s startin to run dry. You gotta walk some ways out now to fill a bucket. Pretty soon, there won’t be no point in callin it by its name.
Silverlake.
Every day Pa tries another one of his charms or spells. An every day, big bellied rainclouds gather on the horizon. Our hearts beat faster an our hopes rise as they creep our way. But, well before they reach us, they break apart,... see more
Hear an Excerpt
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Book Reviews
Reading Group Guide
A Reading Group Guide for:
Blood Red Road
By Moira Young
Pre-reading Questions:
1. To what extent should someone go to save a loved one?
2. Is one human life more valuable than another? Explain.
3. Discuss the idea of determining one’s own future versus the idea of one’s future being predetermined.
4. Are self-sacrifice and the human instinct to survive compatible? Explain.
Discussion Topics:
1. Saba lives with her father, sister, and twin brother in Silverlake. Describe the setting and the family living conditions.
2. How would you characterize Saba’s relationship with her father? With her brother, Lugh?
3. Who is Procter John and why does Saba’s father not like him?
4. What happens to Saba’s family that changes their lives?
5. Characterize Emmi. Why is Saba angry with Emmi? How does Saba work through her feelings for Emmi?
6. Saba and Emmi travel to Crosscreek to the house of a family friend, Mercy. Contrast the setting of Silverlake with the setting of Crosscreek. How does this contrast contribute to the mood of the story? What symbolism can you associate with the two settings?
7. How is Mercy’s name symbolic? How does she differ philosophically from Saba’s father?
8. Why does Mercy give Saba the heartstone, and why is it important to Saba?
9. Saba and E see more
Blood Red Road
By Moira Young
Pre-reading Questions:
1. To what extent should someone go to save a loved one?
2. Is one human life more valuable than another? Explain.
3. Discuss the idea of determining one’s own future versus the idea of one’s future being predetermined.
4. Are self-sacrifice and the human instinct to survive compatible? Explain.
Discussion Topics:
1. Saba lives with her father, sister, and twin brother in Silverlake. Describe the setting and the family living conditions.
2. How would you characterize Saba’s relationship with her father? With her brother, Lugh?
3. Who is Procter John and why does Saba’s father not like him?
4. What happens to Saba’s family that changes their lives?
5. Characterize Emmi. Why is Saba angry with Emmi? How does Saba work through her feelings for Emmi?
6. Saba and Emmi travel to Crosscreek to the house of a family friend, Mercy. Contrast the setting of Silverlake with the setting of Crosscreek. How does this contrast contribute to the mood of the story? What symbolism can you associate with the two settings?
7. How is Mercy’s name symbolic? How does she differ philosophically from Saba’s father?
8. Why does Mercy give Saba the heartstone, and why is it important to Saba?
9. Saba and E see more
Video
Blood Red Road Trailer
To Escape, she will have to fight. To survive, she will have to lead. No Heart Beats Alone… This is the story of Saba.
Blood Red Road Trailer
BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young
BLOOD RED ROAD Audio Excerpt
BLOOD RED ROAD Interview with Narrator
