SLAY (novel)
| 1st edition book cover | |
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Published | 2019 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 321 |
| ISBN | 9781534445420 |
| OCLC | 1077613592 |
SLAY is a young adult novel by American author Brittney Morris published in 2019.[1]
Plot
[edit ]SLAY tells the story of Kiera, a black high school student who develops and maintains the online game SLAY, a VR multiplayer world where players duel using cards giving them powers based on black culture. Being tired of online racial harassment in video games, she creates the game for black gamers. When a player is killed in real life by another player, the media criticizes SLAY for being racist by excluding white players.
The story is told from multiple perspectives, including that of Kiera, her co-developer Claire, who is a computer science student in Paris, John, a professor of African American studies, and players of SLAY.
Major themes
[edit ]SLAY has been called "an incredibly raw and real depiction of modern black identity struggles",[2] and is referenced as an example of a novel exploring black girlhood.[3] It explores online harassment and racism in Video games contrasted with the pleasure of online gaming. The novel also portrays black and transgender gamers.[4]
The book has been described as "Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give".[5]
Reception
[edit ]The novel was published by Simon Pulse after a bidding war between multiple publishers.[6]
Writing for the Book and Film Globe, Sharyn Vane called SLAY "a gaming-themed thriller and a compulsively-readable exploration of the many facets of black culture."[7] Writing for The Seattle Times, Jordan Snowden wrote that "'SLAY' is a book I wish I had when I was younger; not only does this young adult novel tackle big conversations in an approachable way, it features a strong, self-assured, intelligent young black woman as the main character."[5]
Awards and nominations
[edit ]SLAY was nominated for Young Adult Best Novel in the 2020 Ignyte Awards.[8] It has also won several other awards.[9]
External links
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ Morris, Brittney (2020年09月01日). SLAY. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-5344-4543-7.
- ^ Copes, Casira (2019年10月15日). "'SLAY' by Brittney Morris is a Raw Depiction of Black Identity". Black Girl Nerds. Retrieved 2023年01月02日.
- ^ Grice, Karly Marie; Rebellino, Rachel L. Rickard; Murphy, Caitlin (2021). ""Mismatched Yet Perfectly Puzzled": Collage and/as Black Girls' Literacies in Piecing Me Together". Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature. 59 (1): 16–27. doi:10.1353/bkb.2021.0006 . ISSN 1918-6983.
- ^ Brooks, Laura (2020年08月27日). Failure is the Name of the Game: Queer Failure in Video Game Novels. MA thesis, University of Calgary. pp. 92–103. doi:10.11575/PRISM/38152.
Transgender SLAY players are not required to fail in order to gain agency because they are given creative agency from the beginning. Thus, SLAY realizes the potential of queer avatar creation because its avatar creation system works outside the confines of physical limitations, while simultaneously counteracting the default state of white cisgender bodies that pervades most games. Indeed, SLAY's players have the power to direct how people look at them rather than being consumed by cisgender players.
- ^ a b Snowden, Jordan (2021年02月03日). "6 recent books that are perfect for Black History Month reading — for all ages". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023年01月02日.
- ^ Kirch |, Claire. "Simon Pulse Acquires YA Novel Inspired by 'Black Panther'". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2023年01月02日.
- ^ Vane, Sharyn (2019年10月28日). "Slay by Brittney Morris Book Review". Book and Film Globe. Retrieved 2023年01月02日.
- ^ "2020 Ignyte Award Results". FIYAHCON 2021. 2021年02月24日. Retrieved 2023年01月02日.
- ^ Publisher's website for SLAY. Simon Pulse. 2020年09月01日. ISBN 978-1-5344-4543-7.
- American young adult novels
- English-language novels
- Books about video games
- Novels based on video games
- Fictional video games
- Novels about virtual reality
- Novels set in Seattle
- Novels set in Paris
- Massively multiplayer online role-playing games in fiction
- Literature by African-American women
- 2019 American novels
- Novels about racism
- Novels about the Internet
- Novels about transgender topics