Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Tor (New York, 2011). 1st edition, 1st printing. 304 pages. $24.99.
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. It doesn't matter. I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books.' Fifteen-year-old Morwenna lives in Wales with her twin sister and a mother who spins dark magic for ill. One day, Mori and her mother fight a powerful, magical battle that kills her sister and leaves Mori crippled. Devastated, Mori flees to her long-lost father in England. Adrift, outcast at boarding school, Mori retreats into the worlds she knows best: her magic and her books. She works a spell to meet kindred souls and continues to devour every fantasy and science fiction novel she can lay her hands on. But danger lurks... She knows her mother is looking for her and that when she finds her, there will be no escape.
Media reviews
As [Mori] tries to come to terms with her sister’s death through both books and fairy magic, the novel assumes true emotional resonance.
There are really two points where the success of the novel as what it is make it fail to connect with me. The first has to do with the books. It's written in the form of a diary, and the form and voice are spot-on. But part of getting the diary form right is that it doesn't provide much in the way
This is no big deal as long as you recognize the references to authors and titles. But if you don't-- and there are a lot of books mentioned that I know about but either haven't read or do not recall fondly-- a lot of significance is lost. The titles sort of flash by as blank spots in the narrative, a kind of "This Cultural Reference Intentionally Left Blank" effect that ends up being a little off-putting.
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of information about the many books that Mori reads in the course of the novel-- you wouldn't expect a teenager with a lot on her mind to do a detailed plot summary of everything she read, after all.This is no big deal as long as you recognize the references to authors and titles. But if you don't-- and there are a lot of books mentioned that I know about but either haven't read or do not recall fondly-- a lot of significance is lost. The titles sort of flash by as blank spots in the narrative, a kind of "This Cultural Reference Intentionally Left Blank" effect that ends up being a little off-putting.
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Among Others is many things – a fully realized boarding-school tale, a literary memoir, a touching yet unsentimental portrait of a troubled family – but there’s something particularly appealing about a fantasy which not only celebrates the joy of reading, but in which the heroine must face
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the forces of doom not in order to return yet another ring to some mountain, but to plan a trip to the 1980 Glasgow Eastercon. That’s the sort of book you can love. Show Less
But, just as the magic, it's a peculiar, unique book. I've read most of Walton's fiction. I like this best, but in some ways it's the least structurally certain of her works; I think the magic that's so subtle it's deniable at the start of the book fails to maintain that quirky quality at its
Regardless, there's a deep beauty to this book that feels so entirely real I'm grateful for its existence, for the fact that I could read it, and for the way it now graces my own internal library.
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end—and I understand why, but still found it jarring.Regardless, there's a deep beauty to this book that feels so entirely real I'm grateful for its existence, for the fact that I could read it, and for the way it now graces my own internal library.
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This isn't a traditional fantasy, by any means. But it's a smart, heartfelt novel, with a strong, likable narrator, and many touchstones in terms of other books that will resonate for us, depending on how we felt/feel about those books.
It has also jumped right into my short list of favorite books
It has also jumped right into my short list of favorite books
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ever, and it's one that I plan to reread more than once. Show Less
"This is a book that concerns itself far more with surviving trauma and finding a place in the world than with finding one's self."
Never deigning to transcend the genre to which it is clearly a love letter, this outstanding (and entirely teen-appropriate) tale draws its strength from a solid foundation of sense-of-wonder and what-if.
This is a book for anyone who has been an outsider, for anyone who has lost someone they loved, for anyone who loves books. Told through entries in Morwenna’s diary, the story makes readers privy to her innermost thoughts, hopes and fears while away at school during the aftermath of a terrible
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tragedy — it’s about how you go on living after you save the world, when the world doesn’t even know (or care) that it’s been saved. This is an utterly amazing and beautiful book. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member dk_phoenix
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.
I started the book with a
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 Walton 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.
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.
I started the book with a
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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 Walton 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.
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LibraryThing member jnwelch
Among Others by Jo Walton, the new Nebula Award winner, is a beautiful book but awfully hard to describe. Is it a book about magic and fairies, the latter not things of beauty but "gnarly", as one character says? Or is it a book about a girl growing up in the late 70s and surpassing her parents? 16
One important aspect of the book is Mori sticking to her guns (or cane) and finding her own place in the world. She's not the least bit mopey or twee; she's matter of fact, observant and direct, and not above scaring the others at school if that'll keep them respectful of her. I'm not sure even now if this isn't really a young adult novel, albeit an exceptionally well-written one. She is growing up and becoming aware of her place in the world and what must be done to maintain it. The magic in Mori's world is more the, you almost saw it out of the corner of your eye variety, almost indistinguishable from coincidence, but you (the reader) know it isn't coincidence. Unlike most of the rest of the world, Mori sees fairies, but so could we if we knew how and where to look.
The author may not have set out to win the hearts of LTers, but much of what she's done will have that effect. The book is dedicated to libraries and librarians. Mori's passion in life is reading, especially science fiction and fantasy, with nods to many authors like LeGuin, Tiptree, Zelazny and Heinlein, and she also is led by her curiosity to Plato and Winston Churchill and others. The books aren't an escape, but a vivid experience (some are "brill"), a means to actively engage with like-minded others, and a way to understand her changing life.
This book wasn't what I expected. It was quieter and deeper in some ways, reminding me of a more sophisticated Susan Cooper book or some of Ray Bradbury's insightful stories about young people in books like Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes. The school is barbaric, as all schools for that age seem to be, but it is surrounded by something more mysterious, woods filled with strange creatures, and ruins where they like to play. Besides her comfort in such locales, Mori finds a way to connect with young people in a nearby town via a book club in which she and her new friends passionately debate novels they love, and she experiences what may be love of a different sort. It's a good read, and it sticks with you in the way that so many books she loves stick with Mori.
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year old Morwenna (Mori) has lost her twin sister in some terrible but (to the reader) unknown way as they battled her bad witch mother to protect themselves and apparently all of us. Mori's been shipped off from Wales to live with the divorced father she barely knows, who lives with his three odd but rich sisters. The sisters in turn ship her off to an expensive English boarding school where she does well academically but is initially disliked for her strangeness, including her limp left over from the battle.One important aspect of the book is Mori sticking to her guns (or cane) and finding her own place in the world. She's not the least bit mopey or twee; she's matter of fact, observant and direct, and not above scaring the others at school if that'll keep them respectful of her. I'm not sure even now if this isn't really a young adult novel, albeit an exceptionally well-written one. She is growing up and becoming aware of her place in the world and what must be done to maintain it. The magic in Mori's world is more the, you almost saw it out of the corner of your eye variety, almost indistinguishable from coincidence, but you (the reader) know it isn't coincidence. Unlike most of the rest of the world, Mori sees fairies, but so could we if we knew how and where to look.
The author may not have set out to win the hearts of LTers, but much of what she's done will have that effect. The book is dedicated to libraries and librarians. Mori's passion in life is reading, especially science fiction and fantasy, with nods to many authors like LeGuin, Tiptree, Zelazny and Heinlein, and she also is led by her curiosity to Plato and Winston Churchill and others. The books aren't an escape, but a vivid experience (some are "brill"), a means to actively engage with like-minded others, and a way to understand her changing life.
This book wasn't what I expected. It was quieter and deeper in some ways, reminding me of a more sophisticated Susan Cooper book or some of Ray Bradbury's insightful stories about young people in books like Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes. The school is barbaric, as all schools for that age seem to be, but it is surrounded by something more mysterious, woods filled with strange creatures, and ruins where they like to play. Besides her comfort in such locales, Mori finds a way to connect with young people in a nearby town via a book club in which she and her new friends passionately debate novels they love, and she experiences what may be love of a different sort. It's a good read, and it sticks with you in the way that so many books she loves stick with Mori.
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LibraryThing member SandDune
I'd seen this book about a science-fiction obsessed Welsh girl escaping from her family situation recommended by a number of people on LT and I'd liked the look of it. I'm Welsh and I love books about books, so it definitely appealed. But then I saw that the family situation that she was escaping
Told in a series of diary excerpts, Among Others tells the story of Mori, a fourteen year old girl from the Welsh valleys who has run away from her mother (who she believes to be a witch), ending up in the care of her rather ineffectual English father, who she has not seen since he left her mother when she was a baby. Traumatised by the loss of her twin sister, Mor, who it soon becomes clear has been killed in an accident in which Mori was badly injured, she is sent by her father's family to an English boarding school. With a very different family background to the other girls, and with her inability to participate in the games that are an important part of school life, she is doubly an outsider. Her only outlet are the science -fiction books that she loves and reads avidly: they provide her life-line and her way of moving forward.
Part of the reason that I liked this book so much was that it appealed to me on a very personal level. Mori's descriptions of the Welsh Valleys resonated with what I find really important in a landscape, despite the crowdedness of her valley with its 'population of more than a hundred thousand, all living in Victorian terraced houses, terraced up the hillside ... Away from these rows, it was wild. .... the hills were beautiful, were green and had trees and sheep, and they were always there. They didn't belong to anyone, unlike the flat farmed fenced-in countryside around the school.'. I didn't grow up in the Welsh valleys although they were nearby (my wild places were sand dunes and beaches rather than hills and moors) but that need for wild places is one that I share..
So - a strong recommendation - especially for science-fictions lovers.So many books that you might have forgotten about that are just waiting to be re-read!
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from was that her mother was a witch, and that the girl (Mori) spoke to fairies and I began to have second thoughts. Not that I have a major objection to witchcraft or fairies in books if it's well done, but because being Welsh myself I do sometimes have an issue with the train of thought that goes Wales = Celtic = mysticism = Merlin = magic = King Arthur etc etc. I needn't have worried - I absolutely loved Among Others and the magic and the witchcraft and the fairies fitted beautifully into a picture of South Wales in the late 1970's which I found completely real.Told in a series of diary excerpts, Among Others tells the story of Mori, a fourteen year old girl from the Welsh valleys who has run away from her mother (who she believes to be a witch), ending up in the care of her rather ineffectual English father, who she has not seen since he left her mother when she was a baby. Traumatised by the loss of her twin sister, Mor, who it soon becomes clear has been killed in an accident in which Mori was badly injured, she is sent by her father's family to an English boarding school. With a very different family background to the other girls, and with her inability to participate in the games that are an important part of school life, she is doubly an outsider. Her only outlet are the science -fiction books that she loves and reads avidly: they provide her life-line and her way of moving forward.
Part of the reason that I liked this book so much was that it appealed to me on a very personal level. Mori's descriptions of the Welsh Valleys resonated with what I find really important in a landscape, despite the crowdedness of her valley with its 'population of more than a hundred thousand, all living in Victorian terraced houses, terraced up the hillside ... Away from these rows, it was wild. .... the hills were beautiful, were green and had trees and sheep, and they were always there. They didn't belong to anyone, unlike the flat farmed fenced-in countryside around the school.'. I didn't grow up in the Welsh valleys although they were nearby (my wild places were sand dunes and beaches rather than hills and moors) but that need for wild places is one that I share..
So - a strong recommendation - especially for science-fictions lovers.So many books that you might have forgotten about that are just waiting to be re-read!
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LibraryThing member IAmChrysanthemum
To decide whether or not to read this book, answer this question: do you want to read about a 15 year old girl reading science fiction?
In my case, the answer is no. Even if I did adore classic SF from the mid-20th century, I don’t think I would have liked this book. It’s a diary format,
It’s certainly very realistic. Journaling this way seems like something a precocious 15 year old girl would do, existence of fairies or not. But realistic doesn’t always make for enjoyable reading. The bits I was interested in were glossed over, probably because Mori used her diary as a therapeutic outlet to avoid retelling her exciting but troublesome magical problems. As a reader of the diary, however, I feel gypped after slogging through pages of expository writing on SF books only to gain a rare unexplained mention of magic/death/evil. The actual exciting events are told in the past tense without pizazz or, even worse, they’re not recounted at all, merely tantalizingly alluded to.
The most interesting part of Among Others concerns the verisimilitude of it all. The common reading seems to be 1. magic exists 2. all these supernatural events did truly occur. But the diary format allows Mori to edit. Who knows how factual her account really is? Mori draws some odd conclusions about seemingly innocuous thingsI’m thinking about how she concludes her aunts are witches after they give her a pair of earrings for Christmas , and I’m tempted to read the book as the babblings of a lunatic girl pushed toward the fantastical after being punished by the realistic.
In my case, the answer is no. Even if I did adore classic SF from the mid-20th century, I don’t think I would have liked this book. It’s a diary format,
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covering a year of a young Welsh girl’s life at a drab English boarding school. Mori’s recovering from trauma—her sister is dead and her mom is evil and the reason for these facts has something to do with fairies but it’s all very vague. Her recovery is helped by reading gobs and gobs of SF, which she discusses in her journals.It’s certainly very realistic. Journaling this way seems like something a precocious 15 year old girl would do, existence of fairies or not. But realistic doesn’t always make for enjoyable reading. The bits I was interested in were glossed over, probably because Mori used her diary as a therapeutic outlet to avoid retelling her exciting but troublesome magical problems. As a reader of the diary, however, I feel gypped after slogging through pages of expository writing on SF books only to gain a rare unexplained mention of magic/death/evil. The actual exciting events are told in the past tense without pizazz or, even worse, they’re not recounted at all, merely tantalizingly alluded to.
The most interesting part of Among Others concerns the verisimilitude of it all. The common reading seems to be 1. magic exists 2. all these supernatural events did truly occur. But the diary format allows Mori to edit. Who knows how factual her account really is? Mori draws some odd conclusions about seemingly innocuous things
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LibraryThing member andreablythe
Oh, what a lovely, lovely book. I grew to love it in the way you meet and fall in love with people -- a little bit at a time. Since the story is told through the main character's journal, it's like hearing an intimate monolog and the comparison to falling in love is especially apt.
Mori is
This novel also has fairies and magic and a mother who is a wicked witch, all presented as mundane and ordinary (well, except maybe for the mom). Both the fairies and the magic are wonderful. The fairies are slight and strange, ugly and beautiful, neither good nor beautiful. They just are and are nearly incomprehensible to talk to. The magic is a magic if "plausible deniability" with consequences far flung and hard to know. The mother is subtle and frightening threat. This would be a book about growing up and accepting life and yourself without these thing, and yet presented here, the fairies and magic are just as plausible as horrible food at boarding school and discovering wonders among the bookshelves at the local library.
The writing is wonderful, falling into the wandering tone of journal writing while also having smooth and easy flow. The ending line was just about perfect, which made made at once laugh aloud and almost cry. If this is any indication, I'm going to have to track down the rest of Walton's books.
Mori is
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straightforward and a bit lost and feels out of place, like an alien in the world. I remember how that felt as a teenager, how even my own body felt strange, and I remember wanting to escape into books the way she does. She talks about books, SF and Fantasy, with great passion throughout and it makes me want to create a list if ever book she mentions so I can read them all.This novel also has fairies and magic and a mother who is a wicked witch, all presented as mundane and ordinary (well, except maybe for the mom). Both the fairies and the magic are wonderful. The fairies are slight and strange, ugly and beautiful, neither good nor beautiful. They just are and are nearly incomprehensible to talk to. The magic is a magic if "plausible deniability" with consequences far flung and hard to know. The mother is subtle and frightening threat. This would be a book about growing up and accepting life and yourself without these thing, and yet presented here, the fairies and magic are just as plausible as horrible food at boarding school and discovering wonders among the bookshelves at the local library.
The writing is wonderful, falling into the wandering tone of journal writing while also having smooth and easy flow. The ending line was just about perfect, which made made at once laugh aloud and almost cry. If this is any indication, I'm going to have to track down the rest of Walton's books.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
There was an epic contest between good and evil. Twins Mor and Mori, with the help of the faeries, faced down their mother, the Evil Queen, as she made a bid for world domination. The consequences were tragic . . . but all of this is actually just back-story for the book Among Others by Jo
Mori ran away from home after her sister died. She ends up in the care of her father (a man she doesn't even remember) and his three controlling sisters, who send her to boarding school. At school, she is an outsider -- because she is Welsh, because she is crippled, because her mother's family is not wealthy -- and she longs for acceptance, not from her schoolmates, but from a group of like-minded individuals with whom she can discuss books and the other things that she finds meaningful in life. She longs for this so much that she uses a little bit of magic -- and though the results are all she could wish, she finds herself conflicted. Is she really any better than her mother, using magic for her own ends?
Written in diary format, this is first and foremost a paean to books -- the science fiction and fantasy stories that Mori reads incessantly, the books that keep her company in her loneliest times, that entertain and console and educate her, that make her think and question, that make her embrace life. Readers unfamiliar with classic sci-fi may not understand a lot of the references, but the heart of the story is more about loving books than about knowing science fiction.
And then there are the faeries -- the magical denizens of forests and ruins. The main plot of the story, interwoven into the tale of Mori's life at boarding school, her personal reflections on growing up, and her comments on her voracious reading, is of Mori and magic, Mori and the faeries, and the things that Mori must do if she is to work only on the side of goodness. Despite the fact that Mori believes implicitly in the faeries, the existence and prevalence of magic in Mori's world is ultimately left up to the reader. Is Mori's mother a witch, or just insane? Do Mori's aunts keep her father under their thumb with a little genteel magic, or has he just given up? Does Mori bring the book club into being with her spell, or was it there all along?
Personal anecdote time: when I was a few years younger than Mori is in the book, I attended a particularly heinous private school, and I survived by reading (in the halls, in class, on the bus, etc.) -- so much so that, in my yearbook, another student wrote, "I'll miss seeing you read books." I think any bookish outsider will immediately identify with Mori on that level, even if, as with me, sci-fi is only a peripheral interest. I might have loved this book more if I had read everything Mori does -- but even without sharing her tastes, I was completely absorbed in her story, and I highly recommend this book.
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Walton.Mori ran away from home after her sister died. She ends up in the care of her father (a man she doesn't even remember) and his three controlling sisters, who send her to boarding school. At school, she is an outsider -- because she is Welsh, because she is crippled, because her mother's family is not wealthy -- and she longs for acceptance, not from her schoolmates, but from a group of like-minded individuals with whom she can discuss books and the other things that she finds meaningful in life. She longs for this so much that she uses a little bit of magic -- and though the results are all she could wish, she finds herself conflicted. Is she really any better than her mother, using magic for her own ends?
Written in diary format, this is first and foremost a paean to books -- the science fiction and fantasy stories that Mori reads incessantly, the books that keep her company in her loneliest times, that entertain and console and educate her, that make her think and question, that make her embrace life. Readers unfamiliar with classic sci-fi may not understand a lot of the references, but the heart of the story is more about loving books than about knowing science fiction.
And then there are the faeries -- the magical denizens of forests and ruins. The main plot of the story, interwoven into the tale of Mori's life at boarding school, her personal reflections on growing up, and her comments on her voracious reading, is of Mori and magic, Mori and the faeries, and the things that Mori must do if she is to work only on the side of goodness. Despite the fact that Mori believes implicitly in the faeries, the existence and prevalence of magic in Mori's world is ultimately left up to the reader. Is Mori's mother a witch, or just insane? Do Mori's aunts keep her father under their thumb with a little genteel magic, or has he just given up? Does Mori bring the book club into being with her spell, or was it there all along?
Personal anecdote time: when I was a few years younger than Mori is in the book, I attended a particularly heinous private school, and I survived by reading (in the halls, in class, on the bus, etc.) -- so much so that, in my yearbook, another student wrote, "I'll miss seeing you read books." I think any bookish outsider will immediately identify with Mori on that level, even if, as with me, sci-fi is only a peripheral interest. I might have loved this book more if I had read everything Mori does -- but even without sharing her tastes, I was completely absorbed in her story, and I highly recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member Fledgist
This is a modern, urban Bildungsroman fantasy about growing up as a science fiction reader in Wales in the 1970s. The narrator/protagonist Mori (Morwenna) Phelps/Markova has to cope with the death of her twin sister, estrangement from her mother, a relationship with a father she barely knows, and
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coming to terms with her own identity and her own abilities both intellectual and magical. Not to mention growing up. Anyone who remembers being a teenager, discovering science fiction and fantasy, and fandom will recognise some aspect of themselves in this book. Mori, petulant, determined, focused, in spite of her physical limitations is a heroine with whom it is remarkably easy to identify. Show Less
LibraryThing member Maaike15274
This book received really high praise from my fantasy bookclub, but it took me a while to get in to the story. Maybe I waited too long? Or because I read it for a challege - it felt too much like a task? The first few chapters I read bits and peaces. At about 50 pages in, Mor (the first person
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narrative) really started to live for me and from there on, I really liked it. Morwenna's/Mor's dealing with the grief of her lost twin sister, and her growing up and realising she cannot live her sisters live for her - changing into her own person is a lovely coming of age story. Also the way she relates to the people and the fairies evolve in a very satisfying way. And then of course there are lot of references to SF and fantasy up to 1979--1980 in this book, most of which I have not read yet - except Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Le Guin. (It did convince me that I really have to read Zelazny in the near future!). Enough for any SF reading person. A very good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I am probably in the minority here, but I wasn’t totally blown away by Jo Walton’s Among Others. I found the author’s use of books as a story device both original and interesting, her obvious love of the genre of science-fiction shines on every page, and her main character gobbling up book
The story itself was intriguing and raised a lot of questions. A young girl recovering from a horrendous accident, that she explains as a magical battle where she and her twin sister fought their witch mother and although the girls won, she was left crippled and her twin lost her life. But, reading between the pages, did this really happen? I got the feeling that there was a car accident that Mori blamed on her mother. She mentions once that it was her mother that pulled the plug on her sister’s life support system. Mori ran away from home and was taken into child care, but now she appears to be in the custody of her father, a man she never knew before. She finds herself being sent to a boarding school where she doesn’t fit in, so it’s no wonder that she finds escape from her anger, confusion and despair in books and her own imagination.
The author did end the story on a hopeful note, Mori was starting to fit in, finding a few friends, and learning how to cope with life as it is. No, I can’t say that I was totally blown away by Among Others, but I enjoyed my time spent with the book and felt a genuine connection to author’s passion for reading.
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after book reminds me of my own young years. I think my problem was in relating to the actual genre. I have discovered sci-fi later in life, so the books that she mentions didn’t resonate with me the way they would with a sci-fi lover who was introduced to the genre at a young age and discovered for themselves many of the books mentioned in these pages. The story itself was intriguing and raised a lot of questions. A young girl recovering from a horrendous accident, that she explains as a magical battle where she and her twin sister fought their witch mother and although the girls won, she was left crippled and her twin lost her life. But, reading between the pages, did this really happen? I got the feeling that there was a car accident that Mori blamed on her mother. She mentions once that it was her mother that pulled the plug on her sister’s life support system. Mori ran away from home and was taken into child care, but now she appears to be in the custody of her father, a man she never knew before. She finds herself being sent to a boarding school where she doesn’t fit in, so it’s no wonder that she finds escape from her anger, confusion and despair in books and her own imagination.
The author did end the story on a hopeful note, Mori was starting to fit in, finding a few friends, and learning how to cope with life as it is. No, I can’t say that I was totally blown away by Among Others, but I enjoyed my time spent with the book and felt a genuine connection to author’s passion for reading.
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LibraryThing member rlangston
Well written, good characters but overall disappointing. Weak narrative and ending, and not really SF or fantasy at all.
Like some other reviewers I don't believe the magic in the story was intended to be real, but more a rationalisation of the experiences of the narrator.
Like some other reviewers I don't believe the magic in the story was intended to be real, but more a rationalisation of the experiences of the narrator.
LibraryThing member EBT1002
If we wish for something (a group of friends, a book club, a boyfriend, someone's death) and it happens, is that magic? Do we have the power to influence events by thinking about them or by believing hard enough? Where is the line between reality and fantasy? And would you rather meet an elf or a
Morweena, our 15-year-old protagonist, writes in her journal virtually every day and through this mechanism we witness a year after the death of her twin sister, during which she is sent to boarding school and comes of age. To say that Mori is an avid reader is a vast understatement (she would put most of us on LibraryThing to shame with her prodigious consumption of novels and short story collections). This is one of the redeeming features of this novel: the normalization and, even, glamorization of reading. And of thinking about reading and talking about reading and reading with a critical eye! I loved that Mori's greatest joy is talking with people about novels. She largely limits herself to Science Fiction and some Fantasy, but through the influence of her new-found father, Daniel, and her new-found grandfather, Sam, she begins to explore other genres. Mori speaks for so many of us when she says "I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books."
The novel's plot, such as it is, centers around Mori's desire to belong even while she affirms her individuality, and her nascent sexuality. She meets others who share her passion, nay, her obsession with Science Fiction and begins to realize what it means to belong, to be less alone than she has felt since her sister's death. She also meets a boy (he likes SciFi, too) and attempts to introduce him to the seeing of fairies and the believing in magic. Okay, so here is another thing I liked about the novel: its understated approach to magic. This isn't hocus pocus and potions and wizards. Walton plays around in that gray area between reality and magic, and the magic of everyday reality. Well, until the end.
I won't say much more for fear of violating the No Spoilers rule, but the ending fell short for me. Walton's point is profound but she seems to have suddenly forgotten, in the very last few pages, that points are better absorbed by intelligent readers when the two-by-four is not engaged. I found it ironic that, in wrapping up a book that is a tribute to thoughtful reading, our author failed to give us credit for thoughtful reading.
Throughout the book I struggled with Mori's voice. She is 15, going on 16 (enter the piano), but her voice feels about 12 years old. Perhaps Jo Walton is targeting 12-year-olds and thinks they will be most open to her persuasion if they are reading about someone just a bit older than they. But it didn't work for me.
The book did make me glad that I have recently read *The Dispossessed* as Walton clearly admires and often references that work. I also generated a small list of works I think I'd like to read. Perhaps someone more susceptible to the attractions of science fiction would generate a longer list and/or more generally enjoy this novel.
So, I know I'm going against the grain here and *Among Others* does have some redeeming qualities. I don't typically split my stars, but I couldn't decide between 2.5 and 3, so 2.75 it is.
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Plutonian? Morweena, our 15-year-old protagonist, writes in her journal virtually every day and through this mechanism we witness a year after the death of her twin sister, during which she is sent to boarding school and comes of age. To say that Mori is an avid reader is a vast understatement (she would put most of us on LibraryThing to shame with her prodigious consumption of novels and short story collections). This is one of the redeeming features of this novel: the normalization and, even, glamorization of reading. And of thinking about reading and talking about reading and reading with a critical eye! I loved that Mori's greatest joy is talking with people about novels. She largely limits herself to Science Fiction and some Fantasy, but through the influence of her new-found father, Daniel, and her new-found grandfather, Sam, she begins to explore other genres. Mori speaks for so many of us when she says "I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books."
The novel's plot, such as it is, centers around Mori's desire to belong even while she affirms her individuality, and her nascent sexuality. She meets others who share her passion, nay, her obsession with Science Fiction and begins to realize what it means to belong, to be less alone than she has felt since her sister's death. She also meets a boy (he likes SciFi, too) and attempts to introduce him to the seeing of fairies and the believing in magic. Okay, so here is another thing I liked about the novel: its understated approach to magic. This isn't hocus pocus and potions and wizards. Walton plays around in that gray area between reality and magic, and the magic of everyday reality. Well, until the end.
I won't say much more for fear of violating the No Spoilers rule, but the ending fell short for me. Walton's point is profound but she seems to have suddenly forgotten, in the very last few pages, that points are better absorbed by intelligent readers when the two-by-four is not engaged. I found it ironic that, in wrapping up a book that is a tribute to thoughtful reading, our author failed to give us credit for thoughtful reading.
Throughout the book I struggled with Mori's voice. She is 15, going on 16 (enter the piano), but her voice feels about 12 years old. Perhaps Jo Walton is targeting 12-year-olds and thinks they will be most open to her persuasion if they are reading about someone just a bit older than they. But it didn't work for me.
The book did make me glad that I have recently read *The Dispossessed* as Walton clearly admires and often references that work. I also generated a small list of works I think I'd like to read. Perhaps someone more susceptible to the attractions of science fiction would generate a longer list and/or more generally enjoy this novel.
So, I know I'm going against the grain here and *Among Others* does have some redeeming qualities. I don't typically split my stars, but I couldn't decide between 2.5 and 3, so 2.75 it is.
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LibraryThing member beserene
Every time I read a book by Jo Walton, I am in awe all over again. Half way through this one, I knew I was going to have to reread it someday -- after I make a list of all the science fiction and fantasy books that it references and read those that I've missed out on. This autobiographically
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influenced fantasy novel is as intimate an experience between reader and author as I have ever encountered. Reading it is like inhabiting Walton's real life and your own at the same time, even when the narrative is talking about fairies and magic and other worlds. Nothing here is overblown or overwrought and yet each detail feels both real and magical at once. This is the story of a young woman who has lost her twin, and all the family she knew. It is also a story of that young woman rebuilding herself, in the face of opposition that is sometimes real and sometimes magical and sometimes both or maybe neither. It is still also a love letter to the great science fiction and fantasy classics of the twentieth century; the narrative is peppered with references to the works of Zelazny, Delany, Bradbury, LeGuin, and dozens of others as our heroine uses her enthusiasm for her favorite books to connect with those who seem so different from herself. And don't we all? This book will resonate deeply with anyone who has every been that lone book nerd searching for her people. Seriously, read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
Every now and then, there's a book that's written to one like a letter. This book was one of those, addressed to me at the address I had when I was fifteen. I loved it from the second I opened it. I was a little afraid after the first chapter that there was no way it could live up to my hopes, but
The protagonist Mor is not a reader, rather she lives for and through and in books while also having an interesting real life. She's got some large and perplexing issues with which to deal while trying to recover from a horrible accident and its aftermath. Her worldview is very much shaped by her reading, and though she's a perspicacious fifteen-year-old, she is still a fifteen-year-old. Her voice rings true, and her reading list is very familiar indeed.
I loved the litany of books. I loved meeting old friends, and I adored the quotes and allusions and in-jokes, some of which I missed due to lacunae in my own reading. (F'rinstance, I've never finished anything by Vonnegut but perhaps it's time to give him another chance.) When I saw that Walton had Mor reading Zenna Henderson, I cheered. I loved how much Le Guin and Tiptree and Asimov and Tey and Dodie Smith and of course Heinlein and Zelazny and Silverberg were woven through the text. And McCaffery and Ellison and Sturgeon and Plato and Shakespeare and Renault. It was so lovely to see so many well-thumbed names from my own back pages.
I liked the storyline as well, though I never really grokked in fullness the evil mother or her motives. Didn't matter. Not a bit. There's a boarding school, a book club full of SF geeks, Narnia, several Good Librarians, magic, Susan Cooper, Spider Robinson, fairies, ghosts, Dutch Elm disease... aw, t'hell with it, I could go on listing and listing but I think I'll go re-read the book instead.
Oh, yes, highly recommended. Especially for SF lovers who adolesced in the late 70s. And those of us who have the deepest relationships with fictional characters.
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it did.The protagonist Mor is not a reader, rather she lives for and through and in books while also having an interesting real life. She's got some large and perplexing issues with which to deal while trying to recover from a horrible accident and its aftermath. Her worldview is very much shaped by her reading, and though she's a perspicacious fifteen-year-old, she is still a fifteen-year-old. Her voice rings true, and her reading list is very familiar indeed.
I loved the litany of books. I loved meeting old friends, and I adored the quotes and allusions and in-jokes, some of which I missed due to lacunae in my own reading. (F'rinstance, I've never finished anything by Vonnegut but perhaps it's time to give him another chance.) When I saw that Walton had Mor reading Zenna Henderson, I cheered. I loved how much Le Guin and Tiptree and Asimov and Tey and Dodie Smith and of course Heinlein and Zelazny and Silverberg were woven through the text. And McCaffery and Ellison and Sturgeon and Plato and Shakespeare and Renault. It was so lovely to see so many well-thumbed names from my own back pages.
I liked the storyline as well, though I never really grokked in fullness the evil mother or her motives. Didn't matter. Not a bit. There's a boarding school, a book club full of SF geeks, Narnia, several Good Librarians, magic, Susan Cooper, Spider Robinson, fairies, ghosts, Dutch Elm disease... aw, t'hell with it, I could go on listing and listing but I think I'll go re-read the book instead.
Oh, yes, highly recommended. Especially for SF lovers who adolesced in the late 70s. And those of us who have the deepest relationships with fictional characters.
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LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
This has to be one of the most peripheral/associational novels to have won both the Hugo and Nebula. At best, it might be a fantasy, of the witches and ghosts sort, but even that's never for certain. What it really is, among other things (see what I did there?) is a book about science fiction and
One of those classics is The Lord of the Rings. It is the main character's favorite book. She notes that an important aspect of LotR was the last long section, from the return to the shire to the closing out of Frodo's time in MiddleEarth. The aftermath matters as much as the climax. This novel is about the aftermath, and what comes next.
Highly recommended.
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fantasy, and the reading thereof, like Walton's non-fiction "What makes this book so great". As a story, it's interesting in that it is the sequel, or denouement, to an event that would have been the major set piece of another novel. That event is never described in any detail. It led to the death of the main character's twin sister, and her running away to live with a father she never knew. The story is told in her journal, but more important to her is briefly documenting the many various science fiction and fantasy books she is reading. These are all classics available as of 1979 -- the one non-well-known book (at least in the US) being Space Hostages. Many books are mentioned but not described. Others trigger quite a bit of discussion. One of those classics is The Lord of the Rings. It is the main character's favorite book. She notes that an important aspect of LotR was the last long section, from the return to the shire to the closing out of Frodo's time in MiddleEarth. The aftermath matters as much as the climax. This novel is about the aftermath, and what comes next.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member sffstorm
The book itself was not bad, just not really my kind of thing. The categorization is a bit misleading. There's some odd fantasy stuff in there, mostly vague. The only real SF in there would be the books she talks about. That is really the majority of the book, talking about other books. Basically
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the book was a somewhat interesting bibliography. Needless to say it made it less than gripping. Story seemed slow, some of the characters were detached as well. I am obviously aware of the awards, but I just don't see what they saw I guess. Like I said, decent story, but I am not sure it was really fantasy, the main character seemed more like a schizophrenic than anything. Show Less
LibraryThing member raschneid
Jo Walton, you are my soul sister! I didn't particularly enjoy Farthing, but Jo Walton clearly wrote this SF/F-love-letter, presumably-quasi-autobiographical bildungsroman for me and me alone. I thought it was a very successful book, but it certainly does have a rather narrow audience.
It reminded
I loved the magic - understated and with real moral consequences, not just labeled white hat/black hat. Oh, and a character with a physical disability who (spoilers) doesn't get magically cured during the course of the novel = awesome!
I amused myself by imagining Mori's long narrative sections in Eve Myles' Welsh Valleys accent.
Seriously, though: a novel about Britain, Wales, Lord of the Rings, LeGuin, T.S. Eliot, Narnia, teenage angst, Firiel, dissatisfaction with Thomas Hardy, urban decay, trains, religion, libraries*, and cute boys with long hair. Jo Walton, get out of my brain! Mori is better read than I am, but so many small details in this book resonated with me in a way that was freaky. And probably tiresome to anyone who doesn't love genre fiction, but too bad. This book is not for you. However it may be a good litmus test for whether we should be friends.
*It was dedicated to librarians. Jo Walton you are awesome!
It reminded
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me strongly, from beginning of end, of Fire and Hemlock, one of my favorite young adult fantasies and a fellow 70s-era British coming of age story that weaves Tolkien and T.S. Eliot and Tam Lin into its narrative. The narrative is sprawling and leisurely but its prose is sharp-edged. A fair amount of emotional business never gets resolved and some things never get explained, but the two big conflicts have beautiful and fairly satisfying resolutions - so the story is not too pat, but still feels story-shaped.I loved the magic - understated and with real moral consequences, not just labeled white hat/black hat. Oh, and a character with a physical disability who (spoilers) doesn't get magically cured during the course of the novel = awesome!
I amused myself by imagining Mori's long narrative sections in Eve Myles' Welsh Valleys accent.
Seriously, though: a novel about Britain, Wales, Lord of the Rings, LeGuin, T.S. Eliot, Narnia, teenage angst, Firiel, dissatisfaction with Thomas Hardy, urban decay, trains, religion, libraries*, and cute boys with long hair. Jo Walton, get out of my brain! Mori is better read than I am, but so many small details in this book resonated with me in a way that was freaky. And probably tiresome to anyone who doesn't love genre fiction, but too bad. This book is not for you. However it may be a good litmus test for whether we should be friends.
*It was dedicated to librarians. Jo Walton you are awesome!
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LibraryThing member Lcanon
Among Others is about being a reader, loving books, consuming books, talking with people about books and not being able to understand people who don't like books. There is a magical background, and I think the two worlds are blended well. But what really resonated with me was the real world stuff:
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school, family, boy-girl relationships, and the way Mor lives another life by reading and knows that this second life is the one she really wants to lead when she grows up. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bibliotropic
There are few books that I can close and say with certainty that they have an assured place on my bookshelf for the foreseeable future. This was absolutely one of those books.
Among Others is the fantasy tale for realists, a story for storytellers, and a companion for those who were bibliophiles and
And believe me, there are a lot of them!
I loved how magic worked in this book. Not in big loud flashy ways but in all the subtle ways that make the world work, the ways that reach out and back and connect everything to everything else, and where the real trick is in believe it and knowing it for what it is.
That interconnectivity is what made this book truly amazing. We come in not at the beginning or end of a story, but somewhere in the middle, because the story is life. At times, it felt like a wonderful homage to all those who ever put down a story and wanted to know more about what happened later, because the bulk of the action, the powerful event that shaped lives, happened before Mori starts telling her tale in the first place. But there was still the connection to it. As was there also the connection of the end, the fall of Liz and the events surrounding it, to the very beginning when Mori dropped that first flower in the water and set magic in motion. It was gratifying to see that.
Also interesting was the way the story was told as though reading Mori's diary. Which meant that in addition to the big events that you expect in fantasy, like magic and fairies and all the supernatural elements, you also get a focus on school and growing up and personal likes and dislikes. These things are just as important to the main character as they would be to anyone who can do magic and yet who still is forced to live in the real world, with all its mundane troubles and trials. A good balance was struck.
Ultimately, I think that anyone who passes over this book is going to sorely miss out, because what Walton does here is profound, powerful, and deeply affecting. More than just creating a good story, more than just making a character who can be related to, more than striking that balance between the mundane and the supernatural (or rather, the natural, if you want to look at it that way), all of these things combined to make something that I think is greater than the sum of its parts. This is truly a novel not to be missed.
Among Others is the fantasy tale for realists, a story for storytellers, and a companion for those who were bibliophiles and
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loners through their childhoods. This is a book that not only makes you wish that it didn't end so that you could keep on reading, but also makes you want to pick up every single other book mentioned within its pages so that you can read them all, too.And believe me, there are a lot of them!
I loved how magic worked in this book. Not in big loud flashy ways but in all the subtle ways that make the world work, the ways that reach out and back and connect everything to everything else, and where the real trick is in believe it and knowing it for what it is.
That interconnectivity is what made this book truly amazing. We come in not at the beginning or end of a story, but somewhere in the middle, because the story is life. At times, it felt like a wonderful homage to all those who ever put down a story and wanted to know more about what happened later, because the bulk of the action, the powerful event that shaped lives, happened before Mori starts telling her tale in the first place. But there was still the connection to it. As was there also the connection of the end, the fall of Liz and the events surrounding it, to the very beginning when Mori dropped that first flower in the water and set magic in motion. It was gratifying to see that.
Also interesting was the way the story was told as though reading Mori's diary. Which meant that in addition to the big events that you expect in fantasy, like magic and fairies and all the supernatural elements, you also get a focus on school and growing up and personal likes and dislikes. These things are just as important to the main character as they would be to anyone who can do magic and yet who still is forced to live in the real world, with all its mundane troubles and trials. A good balance was struck.
Ultimately, I think that anyone who passes over this book is going to sorely miss out, because what Walton does here is profound, powerful, and deeply affecting. More than just creating a good story, more than just making a character who can be related to, more than striking that balance between the mundane and the supernatural (or rather, the natural, if you want to look at it that way), all of these things combined to make something that I think is greater than the sum of its parts. This is truly a novel not to be missed.
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LibraryThing member kmaziarz
The typical fantasy novel tells the story of an epic magical battle, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Among Others tells the story of what happens next. Before the book opens, 15-year-old Welsh girl Morwenna and her twin sister fought a magical battle of wills against their
This novel is clearly a love letter to genre fiction itself, to the writers thereof, and to every sci-fi and fantasy fan who’s ever felt alienated from this world and sought refuge in another. Masterful. Highly recommended for all fans of the genre.
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twisted mother, trying to prevent her from taking great power and threatening the order of the world. The girls won, but at a great price. Morwenna, or Mori, is permanently crippled by the injuries she sustained and her sister was killed. Mori takes refuge with the father she’s never known, who sends her off to a British boarding school. There, a permanent outcast due to her disability, her Welsh heritage and accent, and her great love of science fiction and fantasy novels, Mori tries to endure. She trades science fiction books with her father, makes overtures towards the local fairy, makes a handful of human friends—including the school’s librarian, who encourages her reading—and finds a local sci-fi and fantasy book discussion group to join. But she knows her mother isn’t done with her and will try to get to her any way she can. Despite all the magical protections Mori places around herself, another conflict with her powerful and wicked mother is building, and this time Mori is on her own.This novel is clearly a love letter to genre fiction itself, to the writers thereof, and to every sci-fi and fantasy fan who’s ever felt alienated from this world and sought refuge in another. Masterful. Highly recommended for all fans of the genre.
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LibraryThing member TheAlternativeOne
Among Others
Jo Walton
Tor Books
January 18th, 2011
eBook
360 pages (Portrait View)
ISBN-13: 978-07653-2153-4
It’s not often I get excited about an urban fantasy novel featuring reluctant Fairies, of all things, but Jo Walton’s Among Others gives me good reason to be thrilled. The story evolves
We are shown, through first person narrative in the form of diary entries, Mori’s experiences at the private prep-school where she is the ultimate outsider. New to the school, disabled in the car accident, and incredibly smart and well-read for her age Mori is shunned by the popular kids and searches for friendship among the other outcasts. The back-story, hinted at in the prologue, is slowly revealed as the story unfolds. We discover that Mori’s twin sister died in the car accident that disabled her and that she believes her mother is an evil witch who was responsible for the accident and is now prepping to become an all-powerful magical queen. Much of the story is revealed during dialogue between Mori, her outcast school friends, and members of the book club she’s found at the local library where she happily settles in among other like-minded thinkers who also happen to be Science Fiction fans.
Among Others is a perfectly paced, wonderfully crafted and imaginative tale that should appeal to the casual reader as well as to the genre specific fantasy reader. It has all the elements great stories need to thrive; identifiable characters, a unique plot, a dark layer that occasionally rises to the surface, engrossing dialogue, and an underlying mystery that is slowly exposed as the story reaches its climax. Add to that the many references to works by some of the greatest Science Fiction writers that have ever put pen to paper and you have a highly entertaining novel.
On a personal note I’d like to add that I identified closely with this story as soon as the main character began discussing the Science Fiction books that she’d read. Her list included a veritable Who’s Who of the most prominent Science Fiction authors of the last seventy five years. Robert Silverberg, Ursula le Guin, J. R. R Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Robert Heinlein, Roger Zelazny, Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Samuel R. Delaney, and many others are mentioned by name as are the titles of their most prominent works. Ms. Walton, who obviously knows and understands the subject matter, excels at weaving the themes and messages from those books into Among Others. (What a unique and novel idea. I secretly wish I’d thought of it.) One of the most fascinating things about this book is that the main characters’ list of books and authors is suspiciously familiar to me. Jo Walton’s Science Fiction reading list is so similar to mine, in fact, that I think she must have travelled back in time to peak over my shoulder when I was developing it. Since most of the story takes place in 1979, when I was 20, there’s no wonder our lists match so closely.
I’ve read somewhere that Among Others is semi-autobiographical and as an avid long-time Science Fiction fan myself I see no reason to dispute that. It makes perfect sense and I love the way many of the themes from classic Science Fiction stories were integrated into this story. There is a lesson to be learned here; we are what we read. I for one, wish everyone could devour Among Others and the classic Science Fiction novels mentioned in it. The world would be a much better place for it. That Jo Walton has a gift for language and an incredible imagination goes without saying but it is her unusual voice, her grasp of timing, and the images she paints with her words that are most memorable to me. Her dialogue is always interesting, her descriptions of scenes and events compelling, and her plot, sub-plots, and characters are tightly woven, subtly human in every respect, and whole.
I recommended Among Others for those who enjoy a little Fairy dust sprinkled on their stories, Urban Fantasy enthusiasts, Science Fiction fans (and fanatics), those who love a good story, YA followers, aficionados of good literature, young adults, old adults, and anyone with an uncommonly good reading sense.
5 ½ out of 5 stars
The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin
Jo Walton
Tor Books
January 18th, 2011
eBook
360 pages (Portrait View)
ISBN-13: 978-07653-2153-4
It’s not often I get excited about an urban fantasy novel featuring reluctant Fairies, of all things, but Jo Walton’s Among Others gives me good reason to be thrilled. The story evolves
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around fifteen year old Morwenna Phelps, Mori to her friends, who is an avid Science Fiction fan(atic) and a voracious reader. After a terrible car accident, Mori is farmed out by her family to her long-absent father and is forced, under protest and duress, to attend a prestigious, all-girl private high school. To make matters worse her estranged mother, who she believes is a witch, appears to be hatching a plot to gain control over the most powerful of all magic. Did I mention that Mori can see and speak to Fairies and ghosts? And, as hard as that is to believe, it gets even better as the story develops.We are shown, through first person narrative in the form of diary entries, Mori’s experiences at the private prep-school where she is the ultimate outsider. New to the school, disabled in the car accident, and incredibly smart and well-read for her age Mori is shunned by the popular kids and searches for friendship among the other outcasts. The back-story, hinted at in the prologue, is slowly revealed as the story unfolds. We discover that Mori’s twin sister died in the car accident that disabled her and that she believes her mother is an evil witch who was responsible for the accident and is now prepping to become an all-powerful magical queen. Much of the story is revealed during dialogue between Mori, her outcast school friends, and members of the book club she’s found at the local library where she happily settles in among other like-minded thinkers who also happen to be Science Fiction fans.
Among Others is a perfectly paced, wonderfully crafted and imaginative tale that should appeal to the casual reader as well as to the genre specific fantasy reader. It has all the elements great stories need to thrive; identifiable characters, a unique plot, a dark layer that occasionally rises to the surface, engrossing dialogue, and an underlying mystery that is slowly exposed as the story reaches its climax. Add to that the many references to works by some of the greatest Science Fiction writers that have ever put pen to paper and you have a highly entertaining novel.
On a personal note I’d like to add that I identified closely with this story as soon as the main character began discussing the Science Fiction books that she’d read. Her list included a veritable Who’s Who of the most prominent Science Fiction authors of the last seventy five years. Robert Silverberg, Ursula le Guin, J. R. R Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Robert Heinlein, Roger Zelazny, Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Samuel R. Delaney, and many others are mentioned by name as are the titles of their most prominent works. Ms. Walton, who obviously knows and understands the subject matter, excels at weaving the themes and messages from those books into Among Others. (What a unique and novel idea. I secretly wish I’d thought of it.) One of the most fascinating things about this book is that the main characters’ list of books and authors is suspiciously familiar to me. Jo Walton’s Science Fiction reading list is so similar to mine, in fact, that I think she must have travelled back in time to peak over my shoulder when I was developing it. Since most of the story takes place in 1979, when I was 20, there’s no wonder our lists match so closely.
I’ve read somewhere that Among Others is semi-autobiographical and as an avid long-time Science Fiction fan myself I see no reason to dispute that. It makes perfect sense and I love the way many of the themes from classic Science Fiction stories were integrated into this story. There is a lesson to be learned here; we are what we read. I for one, wish everyone could devour Among Others and the classic Science Fiction novels mentioned in it. The world would be a much better place for it. That Jo Walton has a gift for language and an incredible imagination goes without saying but it is her unusual voice, her grasp of timing, and the images she paints with her words that are most memorable to me. Her dialogue is always interesting, her descriptions of scenes and events compelling, and her plot, sub-plots, and characters are tightly woven, subtly human in every respect, and whole.
I recommended Among Others for those who enjoy a little Fairy dust sprinkled on their stories, Urban Fantasy enthusiasts, Science Fiction fans (and fanatics), those who love a good story, YA followers, aficionados of good literature, young adults, old adults, and anyone with an uncommonly good reading sense.
5 ½ out of 5 stars
The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin
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LibraryThing member gsmattingly
I just finished "Among Others" by Jo Walton. I enjoyed this book but could understand why others might not. I think if you are a science fiction fan who grew up reading all the books mentioned in this book and felt a bit of an outcast you could find this book very entertaining. Whereas, if you
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didn't, you very possibly won't find it that great. I'm not 100% sure I like the end scene with her sister and the fairies. Still pondering that one. I found it amusing that most of the reviews from science fiction fans liked it. One author, Elizabeth Hand, finds a number of faults with the book in her review in the Washington Post. With some of those faults, I suppose I could agree but to a lesser extent. I was a bit annoyed by "Too often Walton preaches to the literary fangirl choir." Uh, I'm male but whatever. I find the statement a little more snarky than actually true, although it is a bit, no question there. Anyway, I thought it was fun and a relatively quick read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Queensowntalia
'Among Others' is a warm and quiet coming-of-age fantasy about a teen girl, Mori, with a tragic past who finds herself shuttled off to boarding school, where her only comfort lies in the genre books she devours avidly. Related in diary format, the novel follows her tale as she contends with her new
One way to describe this book would be "The Diary of Adrian Mole - with faeries." It's not action packed; in fact, there's almost no drama, at least of the type one is accustomed to finding in a fantasy novel. Outside of the very first chapter, the entirety of the novel takes place a year or so after the protagonist's life-changing moment when she and her sister may have saved the world. It's a weird sort of approach to take, having the story be the follow-up rather than the drama itself, but it's done effectively.
Rather than grand romping adventures we get clever, quirky observations on Mori's life as she acquaints herself with her long-lost father, copes with limited mobility due to an injured leg, and slowly makes friends at school. Her observations about her daily life are mixed with commentary on whatever she's reading and speculations on the nature of magic, something she's been able to practice since she was very young, but who's nature seems pliant and changeable depending on how one looks at it.
Now this may sound boring but it's truly not. It's neat getting inside this smart young woman's mind, feeling her passion for the books that are her best friends, and venturing with her as she learns more about herself, magic and life itself. As much as it's a fantasy, it's also a book about a book-loving girl doing her best to cope with school life and harsh personal circumstances, and it works just as well on that level too. Linking the two halves together, the story's only real antagonist is Moir's mostly unseen mother, lurking far away, emanating an unspoken but definite threat. This works well both from a fantasy perspective (her mother has magic, too), and from the "coming of age" perspective (in how many such tales is a parental figure seen as the enemy?).
While the "climax" felt a bit muted and unsatisfying, overall this book was more like a character study than anything, and on that level it was beautifully done, Mori's voice coming across as very real and relatable.
Recommended, but not if you need lots of action.
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situation and relates her daily happenings - including her numerous encounters with faeries, something that's been happening since she was a child. For her own sake, she has to find a way to integrate herself in her new environment - which proves trickier than she would have thought.One way to describe this book would be "The Diary of Adrian Mole - with faeries." It's not action packed; in fact, there's almost no drama, at least of the type one is accustomed to finding in a fantasy novel. Outside of the very first chapter, the entirety of the novel takes place a year or so after the protagonist's life-changing moment when she and her sister may have saved the world. It's a weird sort of approach to take, having the story be the follow-up rather than the drama itself, but it's done effectively.
Rather than grand romping adventures we get clever, quirky observations on Mori's life as she acquaints herself with her long-lost father, copes with limited mobility due to an injured leg, and slowly makes friends at school. Her observations about her daily life are mixed with commentary on whatever she's reading and speculations on the nature of magic, something she's been able to practice since she was very young, but who's nature seems pliant and changeable depending on how one looks at it.
Now this may sound boring but it's truly not. It's neat getting inside this smart young woman's mind, feeling her passion for the books that are her best friends, and venturing with her as she learns more about herself, magic and life itself. As much as it's a fantasy, it's also a book about a book-loving girl doing her best to cope with school life and harsh personal circumstances, and it works just as well on that level too. Linking the two halves together, the story's only real antagonist is Moir's mostly unseen mother, lurking far away, emanating an unspoken but definite threat. This works well both from a fantasy perspective (her mother has magic, too), and from the "coming of age" perspective (in how many such tales is a parental figure seen as the enemy?).
While the "climax" felt a bit muted and unsatisfying, overall this book was more like a character study than anything, and on that level it was beautifully done, Mori's voice coming across as very real and relatable.
Recommended, but not if you need lots of action.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ladycato
There's been a lot of buzz about this book, which is currently on the Nebula shortlist. That acclaim is deserved.
This is my first book by Walton, and it won't be the last. The book is an almost-contemporary fantasy, set in 1979-1980 in England and Wales. It's well grounded in that era, but the
Every character here feels real, from her aloof father to her boarding school friends to her Grampar. I adored her relationship with her father and his father. While this book could never be classified as a romance, it does have romance in it and it's beautifully done. There's nothing mushy about it. It feels honest and real. Magic doesn't have a heavy presence in the book. It doesn't need it. The real magic here is the magic of books, as shown through Mori's obsession with science fiction and fantasy. (I experienced a meta moment as I was reading World of Ptavvs by Larry Niven at the same time as Mori read it.)
There's a wonderful quote right near the end: "If you love books enough, books will love you back." That really sums up Among Others. It feels cozy and comfortable, like I stepped into Mori's life with all its beauty and awfulness, and that included her utter delight in books.
Really beautiful book. This one will be a classic.
This is my first book by Walton, and it won't be the last. The book is an almost-contemporary fantasy, set in 1979-1980 in England and Wales. It's well grounded in that era, but the
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basic elements are timeless and defy setting. Mori is left crippled and grieving after the loss of her twin sister. She's taken away from rural Wales, where magic and fairies were a common part of her life, and dropped into a snobby boarding school. This is the opposite of the cliche of young adult books, where the girl goes off to the school and finds magic there. Every character here feels real, from her aloof father to her boarding school friends to her Grampar. I adored her relationship with her father and his father. While this book could never be classified as a romance, it does have romance in it and it's beautifully done. There's nothing mushy about it. It feels honest and real. Magic doesn't have a heavy presence in the book. It doesn't need it. The real magic here is the magic of books, as shown through Mori's obsession with science fiction and fantasy. (I experienced a meta moment as I was reading World of Ptavvs by Larry Niven at the same time as Mori read it.)
There's a wonderful quote right near the end: "If you love books enough, books will love you back." That really sums up Among Others. It feels cozy and comfortable, like I stepped into Mori's life with all its beauty and awfulness, and that included her utter delight in books.
Really beautiful book. This one will be a classic.
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LibraryThing member jasonlf
A beautiful book. It is a series of diary entries by a fifteen year-old girl that documents her coming of age, following the death of her identical twin sister, her flight from her mother, and her arrival with a father that left her when she was two and who she has not seen since. She is
The book is also magical, literally. Morwena, the narrator, can see and speak to fairies and do magic. But the fairies and the magic are light background and for most of the book they may or may not even be present--the fairies look like the surroundings, most of the magic has a completely realistic explanation (that in fact makes more sense than the magical interpretation), and Jo Walton does not do anything to construct any sort of elaborate fantasy world. Only in the climax of the last few pages does the magic loom larger, but even then it could all be a way of explaining Morwena's feelings.
There's not a lot that happens in the book. And nearly half of it is devoted to reading, libraries, books, librarians, book clubs, and the like, making it about as bookish as one could imagine. And there's something sort of sad about someone who finds their community through SF (although that is certainly not Walton's attitude). But the narrator is unforgettable, the love letter to reading is inspiring, and her growth is moving. So all in all, highly recommended.
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transplanted from her native working class Wales into a posh English family and a posh English boarding school. While some of her growth takes place through the conventional relationship with her father, boyfriend, and mentors (in this case a librarian), the book is unique in how reading-centric it is. The narrator reads about two books a day, mostly SF, and most every journal entry describes her feelings about them. And she only overcomes her isolation when she joins a SF book club and holds her own in the discussions with the equally obsessive adults in the group.The book is also magical, literally. Morwena, the narrator, can see and speak to fairies and do magic. But the fairies and the magic are light background and for most of the book they may or may not even be present--the fairies look like the surroundings, most of the magic has a completely realistic explanation (that in fact makes more sense than the magical interpretation), and Jo Walton does not do anything to construct any sort of elaborate fantasy world. Only in the climax of the last few pages does the magic loom larger, but even then it could all be a way of explaining Morwena's feelings.
There's not a lot that happens in the book. And nearly half of it is devoted to reading, libraries, books, librarians, book clubs, and the like, making it about as bookish as one could imagine. And there's something sort of sad about someone who finds their community through SF (although that is certainly not Walton's attitude). But the narrator is unforgettable, the love letter to reading is inspiring, and her growth is moving. So all in all, highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member drhapgood
A nice story about a girl coping with the death of her twin sister. This book walks a fine between realistic and fantasy fiction, so much so that I'm not sure how much of the events detailed in the book "really" happened. I didn't like this, and it drew my rating of this down a bit.
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 2012)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 2011)
Locus Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2012)
Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (Winner — Fantasy Novel — 2011)
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Adult Literature — 2012)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novel — 2012)
SF Site Reader's Choice (2011)
British Fantasy Award (Winner — Robert Holdstock Award — 2012)
Kurd Laßwitz Preis (Winner — 2014)
Copper Cylinder Award (Adult — 2012)
Locus Recommended Reading (2011)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-01-18
Physical description
304 p.; 6.48 inches
ISBN
9780765321534