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Among Others
| Title | Among Others |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2025-01-24 13:56:29 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
Startling, unusual, and yet irresistably 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. Combining elements of autobiography with flights of imagination in the manner of novels like Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude, this is potentially a breakout book for an author whose genius has already been hailed by peers like Kelly Link, Sarah Weinman, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Read more
Review
Jeff VanderMeer of the New York Times has refered to Jo Walton's "Among Others" as "a wonder and a joy." I agree.Formally, the book is comprised of entries from 15-year-old Morweena "Mori" Markova's diary over the period September 1979 to February 1980. We learn at the outset that Mori lost her twin sister in a recent tragedy that also left her crippled, that she subsequently ran away from her mentally disturbed mother, and that the law has put her in the custody of the father she never knew. We also learn that Mori sees and communicates with fairies, believes that magic she worked with her sister saved the world from her mother's dark designs, and enjoys nothing more than a good science fiction or fantasy novel.Mori's father Daniel turns out to be a weak man dominated by his three wealthy, humorless sisters. On receiving Mori, the siblings immediately ship her off to an upper class (and, despite what the blurbs might lead you to believe, completely unmagical) English boarding school. Finding herself in a new environment where her middle class Welsh accent, her inability to walk without a cane, and her passion for books mark her as an outsider, Mori feels displaced, oppressed, and alone. It's no surprise, then, that she takes refuge in places like the school library, the town bookstore, Ursula LeGuin's The Dispossessed, and Roger Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber.Literary and philosophical without being overbearing or boring, "Among Others" engages readers in debates over the nature of friendship, the meaning of loyalty, the mechanics of magic, the dangers of manipulating others, the facts of death, the strengths and weaknesses of family, and the importance of finding community. There's romance, ghosts, granfalloons (from Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle"), and even a magical battle. (Just one. Sorry.) Sweet, unsentimental (mostly), and optimistic, this book is clearly aimed at sci-fi and fantasy fans who felt isolated in their younger years but it should still appeal to thoughtful, patient readers of any age or background.
