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David Owen-Cruise, January 7, 2013 (view all comments by David Owen-Cruise)
A terrific coming of age novel about coming of age reading and discussing SF in Britain in the late '70s. Also a novel about what you do after you've saved the world. Really.
Thomas Adams, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by Thomas Adams)
This book is astonishingly good. The main character is captivating, and I cared about her and about what she was doing throughout the story. Her passion about reading, her strange connection with the magical world, the ways she handled the various adults (and other childred) she had to deal with - all of it was was described wonderfully and felt true to life. I might have to read it again early this year.
jmklotz, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by jmklotz)
Among Others was a wonderfully engaging book that mixed the real with the magical seamlessly giving is a timeless yet modern feel. The main character is a teen obsessed with reading -- specifically sci-fi and fantasy. And since it was set in almost exactly the same time when I was a book obsessed teen, it was like reading a bit of my own biography. Seeing Mor read the same books I devoured at her age was absolutely delightful. I'll be reading more of Walton's books in the future.
eyebeat, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by eyebeat)
Every word counts in this book. If you want bloated, this isn't the book for you. If you want strong, purposed storytelling, read Among Others.
Michele Nye, August 7, 2012 (view all comments by Michele Nye)
A novel about coping with harsh realities steeped in fantasy. The young protagonist has a passion
for reading that will inspire you to purchase some of the books she reads. I found myself googling
some of the vocabulary to ascertain the meanings because her language is permeated with made-up
words plucked from the pages of science fiction and fantasy. Jo Walton's story of magic and power
In the life of of a young girl and in the literature she reads is a page turner.
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Product details
304 pages
Tor Books -
English9780765331724
Reviews:
"Staff Pick"
by Mary Jo,
Serious readers spend half their lives consumed by what they are reading. I haven't seen a novel that so vividly illustrates this as Among Others does. I've been reading science fiction and fantasy since a young age, and I loved how Walton, a constant reader herself, makes what the main character is reading so central to the story. A rich and satisfying tale that has stayed with me long after the last page.
by Mary Jo
"Review"
by The New York Times,
"A wonder and a joy."
"Review"
by Bloomsbury Review,
"Beautifully crafted... Among Others calls to those who desire a wild, magical world in place of the one they have but eventually learn that their own lives are the greatest story of all."
"Review"
by io9.com,
"There are the books you want to give all your friends, and there are the books you wish you could go back and give your younger self. And then there's the rare book, like Jo Walton's Among Others, that's both."
"Review"
by RT Book Reviews, Top Pick,
"An utterly amazing and beautiful book."
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
Winner of the 2011 Nebula Award for Best Novel
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 Lethems 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.
One of School Library Journals Best Adult Books 4 Teens titles of 2011
One of io9's best Science Fiction & Fantasy books of the year 2011
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