I recently finished Among Others. Since I spend at least an hour each day in active transit, be it the car or bike, I listened to this one rather than read it. It’s a lively book about a teenage Welsh girl (Mori) trying to stay safe and sane after her mad witch mother’s attempt at power results in a crushed pelvis for Mori and the death of her sister. Mori escapes, via family services, to a father she never met and ends up in an English boarding school with science fiction novels her crutch to help her get through.
The book is well written, and I found myself sitting in the driveway some nights, not wanting to “put the book down”. I also enjoyed the narration by Katherine Kellgren, and it took a bit of time for my interior voice to drop the Welsh accent when I read something.
As I said though, this is a not-review. Go read the book. The thing that really stuck with me was the sheer amount of novels brought up, many from my formative years. I felt a shiver every time Mori mentioned something that I had read around the same age as her. Like her’s, my Dad had a vast collection of 60’s and 70’s sci-fi. I’ve read most of it, but not all. Fortunately, I’ve got them at my place now, so I can still get through them if I want to.
Something that always surprises me is when I realize one of my Dad’s writers still has some breath in him (My father died over 30 years ago, so I think my surprise is valid). The latest surprises were Samuel R. Delany and Brian Aldiss. Erm, well done gentlemen.
Ms. Walton also provided a list of all the books referenced in the novel, so you can see if you’ve read as much :). And then go read Among Others.