Books

[Kathy Li]

So,

Which Diana Wynne Jones character are you?

[Birdhead]

*is amused* I'm Moril, from Cart and Cwidder. How... obscure.

[Gryphon]

Ann/Vierran in Hexwood


Weird... Hexwood happens to be the only DWJ book that I've read too. What's that mean?

[Kathy Li]

So, just read in Variety that the Henson company is moving towards being more of a fantasy/FX house, and they've recently optioned some fantasy books I've never heard of: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer; Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black (Spiderwick Chronicles); The Tattooed Map by Barbara Hodgson. (They've also got Uncle Wiggly, but that's gonna be more a Muppety thing).

Has anybody read these books? Are they any good?

[Angel_Star]

I read Tithe. It was pretty good. I'm not going to buy it, though. I'm really picky on books I buy. I haven't read the other books.

[db_pr]

I have Tithe, haven't read it though, and after that weird beggining I'll have to be REALLY bored to read it.,

[Cress]

Never heard of any of them. I really don't buy any books except when I have gift cards, can't find them at the library, or get someone else to buy them for me. Which gives me an amazing amount of books for how often I go to the library. But still no Terry Pratchett.

[Chani]

I am Izzy from the Merlin Conspiracy.

Never read any of them... is that good?

[Kathy Li]

Depends.

BTW, read on Neil Gaiman's blog some more about the next Diana Wynne Jones.

Well, it's a Chrestomanci novel. It stars a fifteen-year old Christopher Chant, and is told by Conrad, who is rather depressed about his fate. It's funny, scary, supremely twisty, and the quintessence of what a Chrestomanci novel ought to be. (I think it's about as good as Charmed Life and The Nine Lives of Christopher Chant and rather better than The Magicians of Caprona. Your mileage may vary.)

[Birdhead]

Oh, yes! I read that today! I think I'm really looking forward to it: we get Diana Wynne Jones fairly promptly too, and I always loved Chrestomaci, particularly as Christopher. So it'll be nice to return to that era. (And Millie... )

[Wilf]

Another Chrestomanic novel! YAY!!!!!!!!
Ahem...
Oddly, there is nothing aparent on DWJ's website (http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/index.htm) about it. I've looked on Amazon UK, and found that the publication date is 28th Febuary. Highly tempted to pre-order it. It gives a synopsis.

When I read Kli's post, I was wondering who on earth Conrad was - I am now assuming its a new character. I recll that DWJ said she wanted to write a book about the teenage Christopher, so she could find how he ended up with Milly.

This has cheered me up immensly (See my topic in Chatter II as to why I needed cheerring up)

[Kathy Li]

Lucky you! And many thanks, Wilf, for finding the title: Conrad's Fate. I looked it up in the US Amazon, and looks like we're not getting it until April Fools' Day, 2005.

[Quill]

My current book-to-be-chewing-over is Ascending Peculiarity, which is a series of interviews with Edward Gorey. He was without a doubt an Eccentric, but what interests me the most is that he appears to have been quite a cheerful man on the whole. Not at all morbid. The dark strangenesses of his books are more an expression of his sense of humor and the way he viewed the world than of any underlying darkness.

He kept several cats and went to see more ballet performances than probably anyone who isn't involved in the art form. And in his latter years looked remarkably like Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, except more buoyant.

[Chani]

I am now officially emmersed in the Philip Pullman HDM series. I am finished with the first one and on to the second. (After food)


I hate how the book ends though. Too many questions and I want answers so I am morbidly compelled to continue on! Onward! The Subtle Knife awaits!

[Angel_Star]

I just finished The Eye of the World. It was really good. I also read Premonitions which was also a good book. I like The Eye of the World better though. It's more fantasy-ish.