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Post by susanb on Apr 10, 2011 16:09:16 GMT 1
Just for kicks, since Harry Potter came up as a topic recently in the film section, and there is a long running discussion on Twilight, I thought I'd start a thread on children's and YA (that's young adult) fantasy. For those who hate Harry Potter and/or Twilight, these are much better! For those who love Harry Potter and/or Twilight, well, these are even better ;D Susan Cooper's brilliant Dark is Rising series Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci books (Charmed Life, The Lives of Christopher Chant), Dogsbody, The Dark Lord of Derkholm Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series (Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Sky, etc) Patricia Wrede's Dealing With Dragons (Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books are a guilty pleasure) The following tend more towards YA than children's, as does the previously mentioned The Dark Lord of Derkholm: Margaret Mahy's The Changeover Garth Nix's Abhorssen books (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorssen) Philip Pullman's The Northern Lights (The Golden Compass in the US) So....any other faves out there?
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Post by Claire on Apr 10, 2011 19:13:07 GMT 1
Are we talking modernish ones here?
I agree with the Terry Pratchett ones, altho my favs will always be the more adult witch ones. Never managed to get into Sabriel and as for Philip Pullman's trilogy, well I think we could put that one down on the hated bestsellers list for me. Altho the first one was quite good, the later books descended into a load of quasi-religious twaddle (in my humble opinion lol) and I feel they have been vastly over-rated! Yes one of the rare occaisions when susan and I disagree completely about something we've read!
STILL havent got round to reading the Susan Cooper books, but they are on my huge list of stuff to read before I croak it.
I don't really read that much YA/childrens fantasy, as I dont read as much fantasy per se as I used to. I felt it got a bit samey. I have read some of the Robin Jarvis books. I like the Whitby trilogy as its set in a place I have visited many times and my favourite of his was Deathscent which is set in a sort of alternative reality Tudor world. There was supposed to be a sequel to it but after a few years none has arrived so maybe he changed his mind.
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Post by susanb on Apr 10, 2011 19:17:38 GMT 1
Grin....no, Claire, we're not disagreeing....I put down Golden Compass only, not the sequels, on purpose!
Re modern works....I didn't do that on purpose, they're just the ones that came to mind. If you (or anyone!) has older works that they love, do post them! I always love to find a "new" old author!
Have to check out Jarvis now....I hadn't heard of him before!
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Post by Claire on Apr 10, 2011 23:00:52 GMT 1
Has anyone read the Redwall series? I did try to but couldnt get into it.
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Post by susanb on Apr 10, 2011 23:36:25 GMT 1
I read the first of the Redwall books, but didn't continue....too many mice ;D I really liked first book of his other series, Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, but found the second book a bore and didn't attempt the third. I took a look for the Robin Jarvis trilogy, but for some weird reason, though the first book was published here in 2006, neither the second nor third book has made an appearance
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Post by Claire on Apr 10, 2011 23:48:03 GMT 1
Thats odd. I wonder if it was because they were very location specific...? Tho I am sure most people have heard of Whitby with the Dracula connection.
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Post by susanb on Apr 11, 2011 0:12:03 GMT 1
My only guess is that the first book didn't sell well, and they just didn't carry on. It happens, unfortunately, and if the publisher just gives up, that's it.
There have been cases where a publisher just refused to call it a day....Robert Muchamore's Cherub series has been introduced in the US THREE times....it's just starting to get traction now, so I guess the third time was the charm.
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Post by foxglove on Apr 11, 2011 9:21:58 GMT 1
I loved The Dark Is Rising. I got Over Sea, Under Stone for my 9th birthday, and it is the oldest book that I own and still have out on my shelves. The first three Redwall books are in my opinion brilliant (get very samey after that); I literally could not put the first one I picked up down, and I would say it's one of the most memorable books of my youth.
I also loved His Dark Materials; although the final book is the weakest. The ideas in it are fascinating, and I love how you gradually learn how daemons work, rather than having it all explained in the first paragraph.
I got into Lord of the Rings when I was about 15, but have never really got on with any other fantasy. Found Terry Pratchett catastrophically unfunny, and the likes of Robert Jordan a turgid Tolkien rip-off. The exception was Robin Hobb's Assassin trilogy, which is more about the politics of leadership than witches and goblins- the fantastical elements are just incidental.
For some reason I never read any Diana Wynne Jones or Alan Garner as a young reader. I discoverd Earthsea in my mid twenties- a real shame I didn't read it as a teen.
I was more into Sci Fi as a teenager; mainly the classic writers like Clarke and Asimov. I found their imagination breathtaking; Clarke in particular predicted the advent of sattelite technology and the internet decades ago in fiction. Philip K Dick's stories are also great for young readers- full of ideas.
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Post by Claire on Apr 11, 2011 12:51:09 GMT 1
I did read the Alan Garner books as a child altho Elidor was the only one I really liked. The others were a bit weird. (Well so was Elidor I suppose but it had a unicorn in it so all was forgiven!) Coincidentally there is a dramatised version of Elidor on radio 4 at the moment and available on BBC iplayer (UK only I think however) www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0106x20/Alan_Garner_Elidor_Episode_1/
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Post by susanb on Apr 11, 2011 14:57:11 GMT 1
Can't believe I forgot Earthsea, and also just remembered I hadn't listed Narnia!
foxglove, if you missed out on Diana Wynne Jones as a child, I'd still recommend giving her a try now. In Dogsbod the dog star Sirius has committed a crime and is banished to earth in, well, a dogs body..... a good one for adults as well as children. Her Dark Lord of Derkholm is really an adult book masquerading as YA, in my opinion. If you loathe theme parks, (as I do) it would be particularly appealing. Bit long in places, but well worth the effort. The US cover art wasn't particularly childlike, so I passed a copy around the office where I was working when I first read it without mentioning that it was a YA book....grin, I decided that it was need-to-know information and that they didn't need to know! (The loved it!)
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Post by Claire on Apr 14, 2011 12:09:07 GMT 1
I remember reading Dogsbody now you mention it susan, fogot all about it!
While on the subject, do you think there is still a stigma about adults reading childrens/YA books? I thought Harry Potter had done away with all that. I remember at first there were 'adult' versions of the book with plainer covers so grown ups could read 'em on the train and not be embarassed, but after a while the adults seem to 'come out of the closet' so to speak about reading them ;D And arent the Twilight books YA ones too?
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vera
Pony Clubber
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Post by vera on Apr 18, 2011 11:12:37 GMT 1
I was surprise to not see Ursula le Guin there, but then you mentioned Earthsea. Also Andre Norton wrote some brilliant young adult fantasy, Lord of Thunder, Beastmaster, the Witchworld series and many others. I think the line between children's, young adult and adult is more blurred in fantasy/science fiction than elsewhere. I am thinking of The Hobbit and one of Tolkien's best, Farmer Giles of Ham. They work on so many levels, as do the Narnia books. Then there is Patricia Wrightson whose titles escape me but I know I enjoyed her very much as a child and youngeradult. I have just had a reread of "I own the Racecourse", not in this category but it reminded me of he rother work. Then there is Peter Dickinson with his "Weathermonger" series. I adored Alan Garner, Elidor, The Owl Service are favourites. Just thinking of the whole fantasy genre, what child does not enjoy a well told fairy tale ? And what adult does not enjoy reading them and finding all the hidden meanings in them, to their children and grandchildren...
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Post by susanb on Apr 18, 2011 15:46:03 GMT 1
vera, I definitley agree that the line between ya and adult fantasy does tend to blend. That said, and in answer to your question, Claire, I don't know that Harry Potter did do away with the stigma attached to an adult reading a ya or childrens book. I know I've never seen adults on the train openly reading any children's book other than a Harry Potter title! Maybe more are doing it, but in secret? It has been speculated (quietly) that this might be the case with ebooks.....the sales for middle grade and teen ebooks have grown over the last year, but it's not believed that many children actually have ereaders, so the only possible purchasers are adults reading kids books on the sly
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Post by Claire on Apr 19, 2011 15:28:02 GMT 1
Lol maybe we are so used to reading children's books we think its normal. When I started reading pony books again as an adult many years back I used to keep them hidden under the bed so my OH couldnt see them cos I thought it was a weird affliction that only I had. Now I know its shared by loads of other people and at my age I dont really care anyhow ;D I have taken childrens books on the train many times.
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Post by shadowhawke on May 7, 2011 3:54:08 GMT 1
I don't care what people think about me reading childrens books. If your going with Redwall, how about the Warriors bokos. Great cat books. And the Mistmantle books..... Also there's a series I can't rememer... 7 books, one for each day off the week. I think they're by Garth Nix as well.
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Post by Claire on May 7, 2011 10:46:45 GMT 1
Did anyone read any books by Paul Biegel? Saw his King of the Copper Mountains in a charity shop the other day and I remembered reading it as a kid. He was Dutch so the books must have been translated into English - never knew that!
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Post by shadowhawke on May 22, 2011 5:36:22 GMT 1
I am finally reading the Golden Compass(Northern Lights).... not bad so far. Remembered another good one.... The Hunger Games.. I forget the author, Last name starts with a C, Copper, Collins??? Excellent book, and there's 2 others... Catching Fire and Mocking Jay.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_GamesThe Children's Librarian suggested them to me one day.
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Post by Claire on May 22, 2011 11:48:26 GMT 1
Not heard of the Suzanne Collins books before. The premise for The Hunger Games sounds a little like the Stephen King story The Long Walk which is set in the future and in which children have to take part in a endurance walk where they are killed when they drop out leaving only one survivor. I think it was aimed at teenagers when it was first written, older ones no doubt as its pretty gruesome at times. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Walk
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Post by foxglove on May 25, 2011 9:50:58 GMT 1
I have now read a Diana Wynne Jones- a friend recommended The Merlin Conspiracy when I stayed at her house recently. I enjoyed it; very fast paced and plenty of ideas. I also read Elidor which was really striking. I liked the sense of menace, and that finding another world was actually quite sinister.
I remember reading The Long Walk when I was about 16 (think King published it under another name) and it totally freaked me out. Perhaps that would be a good subject for a thread in itself; books that made a memorable impression on you as a teenager? Everything is so much more intense at that age.
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Post by Claire on May 25, 2011 10:05:09 GMT 1
I remember reading The Long Walk when I was about 16 (think King published it under another name) and it totally freaked me out. Perhaps that would be a good subject for a thread in itself; books that made a memorable impression on you as a teenager? Everything is so much more intense at that age. Good idea for a thread! Feel free to start it foxglove
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Post by trixiepony on Feb 6, 2012 11:24:11 GMT 1
Theres the Ranger's Apprentice books the endings I find a bit gory but I like the the horsesy bits. www.rangersapprentice.com.au/the pony in here sounds so cute.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2012 4:43:23 GMT 1
Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula le Guin are on my to-read list. They've been recommended repeatedly and my little library actually has many of their books, but I've just not gotten around to them yet.
Of the books that have already been mentioned, I enjoyed Castaways of the Flying Dutchman and the first Redwall, and The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy.
What about Neil Gaiman? I wasn't terribly impressed with Coraline but The Graveyard Book and Stardust, the only other Gaiman books I have read, were both wonderful.
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Post by Claire on Feb 19, 2012 13:54:25 GMT 1
I think I've read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Is that where there is a kid living in the graveyard being raised by ghosts and things? If so then yes it was weird but enjoyable.
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Post by susanb on Feb 19, 2012 16:18:13 GMT 1
re Gaiman...yes, I think I've read all his novels and a good number of his short stories. Stardust was actually written for adults, not children, though a lot of teens have adopted it for their own. He's taken some flack for the (brief) sex in the book, and has had to protest that the book was written for adults, if it had been written for children it wouldn't have had sex in it. (Jane Yolen has had similar difficulties with her book Briar Rose).
The Graveyard Book is lovely....in a way, it's a homage to Kipling's Jungle Books, in which Mowgli is raised by the animals. Another (adult) book of his that's actually my favorite Gaiman work is Anansi Boys, about the African spider god and his two sons (who can resist a book with the tagline "God is dead, meet the kids").....wise and funny and definitely worth picking up, as is the book he did with Terry Pratchett, called Good Omens.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2012 18:53:23 GMT 1
I have been wanting to read Anansi Boys. That's one I'll have to buy.
Lately I haven't really been in the mood for typical "high fantasy" sort of books but I did finally read Ella Enchanted, which was enjoyable. Supposedly I read non-stop when I was a child but I can't fathom what I must have been reading since I'm only now making it through these well-known books!
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Post by susanb on Feb 19, 2012 21:40:39 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Feb 19, 2012 22:36:38 GMT 1
I find Neil Gaiman a bit hit or miss. I did like Good Omens tho. I haven't read Ella Enchanted, tho did see the film Has anyone read any Kate Thompson, other than her pony books, I like her YA fantasies.
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Post by susanb on Feb 21, 2012 19:43:26 GMT 1
Claire, if you liked Good Omens, you'd definitely like Anansi Boys, it has a lovely humor about it...in fact, Gaiman said that when he wrote the protagonist, Fat Charlie, the voice he had in his head was that of Lenny Henry, the actor/comedian (Chef!), who, very appropriately, wound up doing the audio book.
Re Kate Thompson....haven't read her yet, though I have on of her pony books in the tbr pile (ok, I lie, one of the MANY tbr piles!)
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Post by Claire on Feb 21, 2012 20:57:37 GMT 1
I did have a look in the local library for Anansi Boys susan but no go. Its a pretty pathetic library really. One of the few things I really miss about living in a big city is the huge and excellent library it had.
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Post by susanb on Feb 21, 2012 21:10:38 GMT 1
Too bad! They don't do interlibrary loan? Free is definitely best! The bad thing about Gaiman's books is that they tend not to turn up used very often......I've never seen a copy of Anansi Boys on the secondary market
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