Among Others ~Jo Walton
–copyright 2010
–Publication Date: January 18, 2011
–Tor Books
–302 pages
–10/10 Brill!
Once in a while I sit down to write a book review and I struggle with how to begin. Such is the case with Jo Walton’s latest novel, Among Others. As I sit here at the keyboard I agonize over the right combination of words that will give you the correct impression of all that this book is and the potential it has for providing you with a personally enriching and rewarding reading experience. Among Others is a brilliantly conceived and brilliantly executed story that attempts to be so many things at once and succeeds masterfully in each facet. And within that enigmatic statement lies the crux of my difficulty. What is exactly is Among Others?
One one level, Among Others is the semi-autobiographical tale of a young girl named Morwenna “Mori” Phelps. When Mori is not lost in a science fiction or fantasy novel, she is traipsing around the countryside with her twin sister Morganna, playing with the spirits that inhabit the woods, and occasionally doing their bidding. When their evil, mad mother begins to use magic for dark ends, Morwenna and Morganna team up to stop her in a battle that results in Morganna’s death and leaves Morwenna crippled in one leg. Jo Walton’s outstanding novel presents Mori’s story, in the form of diary entries from September 1979 through February 1980, when Mori is placed in an English boarding school by her formerly estranged father, Daniel.
That, in so many words, is what the book jacket will tell you. And it may or may not be enough to convince you that this is the very next book you should read. It wasn’t enough to convince me. It was the combination of editors Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe raving about this book on their latest podcast and the quote on the book’s cover that sold me:
“If you love science fiction and fantasy, if reading it formed your teen years, if you remember the magic you used to do, if you remember the absolute joy of first discovering those books, then read this.” ~Robin Hobb
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