Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer is an amazing read that truly crosses genre lines. It’s geared toward middle grade, but anyone that enjoys a good dystopian novel will love it. Scott writes in such a way that you are pulled into the story in very few pages. When I finished the book, which was very soon after picking it up, I couldn’t believe how few pages he used to weave the amazing story!
Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer – Unsurprising, as everyone knows how much I loved this one. Incredibly strong debut YA novel by Cramer which was one of the few sci-fi books I enjoyed last year, due to the riveting story and great characters.
1. This idea is terrifying. What inspired you to write it?
I’ve written two other YA novels. Both are sitting in my drawer. I think they have a lot of potential and I will revisit them someday. Both are very quiet character-driven dramas.
In Night of the Purple Moon, I wanted to go big. I wanted to write a high-concept story, a story with an expansive canvas, where the challenges are huge and the stakes high. Early on, though, I discovered that it still had to be a character-driven story.
Cramer understands well how to ratchet up tension and suspense all the way down to the “OMG WILL THEY SURVIVE” ending that kept me turning the pages, scared to death for the characters as it practically came down to the wire for them. Overall, Moon is a powerful story about the will to survive and the strength of family. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good science fiction story with heart, and I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel.