Denis Côté has been called "without contest the greatest author of young people's science fiction in Quebec" by Alire, a publisher that showcases the best of Québécois science fiction. He is one of the most prolific, averaging two novels per year since his swift emergence on the children's writing scene in 1983 with two award-winning novels. Côté is also one of the first Québécois science-fiction writers to write novels directed primarily to young people; in part because of his influence, the market for Québécois science fiction and fantasy has expanded over the past decade. Côté distinguishes himself by addressing themes to which his young readers can relate: the quest for self-identity, the desire to escape the ugliness of reality, tolerance of difference, the ethics of drug use to...