“If you love SF and fantasy, if reading it formed your teen years, if you do remember the magic you used to do, if you remember the absolute joy of first discovering those books, then read this.” —Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author of Assassin’s Apprentice

Among Others

by Jo Walton

Fantasy

Release Date: January 2011

If you’re a book lover, you want to read this book.

If you’re a reader of older fantasy & sci-fi, you definitely want to read this book.

If you’ve ever felt like you live life on the outside looking in because of your love for spec fiction, you need to read this book.

Here’s the synopsis from the book’s press release:

Startling, unusual, and yet irresistibly readable, Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels of modern fantasy and SF, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient enchantment.

Raised by a half-mad mother who dabbled in magic, Morwenna Phelps found refuge in two worlds. As a child growing up in Wales, she played among the spirits who made their homes in industrial ruins. But her mind found freedom and promise in the science fiction novels that were her closest companions. Then her mother tried to bend the spirits to dark ends, and Mori was forced to confront her in a magical battle that left her crippled–and her twin sister dead.

Fleeing to her father whom she barely knew, Mori was sent to boarding school in England–a place all but devoid of true magic. There, outcast and alone, she tempted fate by doing magic herself, in an attempt to find a circle of like-minded friends. But her magic also drew the attention of her mother, bringing about a reckoning that could no longer be put off…

And my thoughts?

I started the book with a bit of hesitation, as I wasn’t sure what it would be like, but the endorsements on the cover from Robin Hobb and Patrick Rothfuss inspired confidence.

The story is unusual, at times startling, and yet absolutely irresistable—you’ll try to put the book down, only to be drawn back in again. The wonder and excitement that fills Morwenna as she discovers new authors and discusses them with her reading group is infectious, reminding you (the reader) of the moments when you read these authors for the first time.

The sense of ‘otherness’, the ‘outsider’ view that comes from being a voracious reader comes through loud and clear in the narrative, and for me, I found the actual plot of the story secondary to what was happening with Morwenna’s reading. Mind you, the plot itself is just as compelling, and it keeps the reader guessing—right up until the end—whether Morwenna is a little bit crazy, or if this ‘magic’ she speaks of as something true is a real thing.

I don’t know how she did it, but honestly, this book felt like a masterpiece—a love letter to speculative fiction, echoing sentiments that I’m sure we’ve all felt at one time or another.

Here’s one of my favorite quotations… maybe you can relate, just a tiny bit :

“What I mean is, when I look at other people, other girls in school, and see what they like and what they’re happy with and what they want, I don’t feel as if I’m part of their species. And sometimes—sometimes I don’t care. I care about so few people really. Sometimes it feels as if it’s only books that make life worth living, like on Halloween when I wanted to be alive because I hadn’t finished Babel 17. I’m sure that isn’t normal.” (p.119)

Honestly? Buy the hardcover. It’s worth it.

About the Author

Jo Walton won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer on publication of her debut novel The King’s Peace. Her novel Tooth and Claw won the World Fantasy Award, and Farthing is a finalist for the 2006 Nebula Award. In addition to writing SF and fantasy, she has also designed role-playing games and published poetry. Her song "The Lurkers Support Me In Email" has been quoted innumerable times in online discussions all over the world, frequently without attribution. A native of Wales, she lives in Montreal.