Deverry and Me
The spring of 1991, I was fifteen. I was about to sit my first big exams, my peer groups were shifting, boys my age were starting to behave less like annoying younger brothers, and life was starting to get interesting. I'd spend my weekends mooching round the local bookshop, wondering whether I could get a summer job there, and flicking through the sf/f section to see if there was something new and interesting to discover. A book called Dawnspell caught my eye - I liked the title and the cover. Further investigation revealed that it was number three of a series, which the back cover blurb described as being about a mysterious sorceror called Nevyn.
I had recently expanded my reading list to include a lot of popular fantasy - Eddings, Salvatore, and the Dragonlance series. To a point I was enjoying it, but I'd had my fill of mysterious sorcerors like Raistlyn and didn't think I had room for another, plus I'd have to read two books to get to the one with the cool title. So I put it off for a while. I was a fussy eater when it came to fiction.
Then I read somewhere that a good way to tell whether you'd like a book or not is to read the first few pages. Eventually I put this to the test with Daggerspell. Jill's soul in the halls of light caught me, and eventually I parted with a couple of weeks' pocketmoney to buy it. Two weeks before my big exams, I read it instead of studying. I was instantly caught by the story of Jill and Cullyn, of her pride in her skills with the sword, of Cullyn's redemption, of Jill and Rhodry's relationship, and the Elcyion Lacar. The past life, ok, that was different, but the present day was what I was all about. The rest of the series covered familiar territories - thieves' guilds, elves, dwarves, magic, prophecies, magical weapons and so on, but in a fresh way that overcame the cheesiness of genre.
I got the final volume, Dragonspell, as a present for getting straight A1s in my exams. I took the books with me on holiday with my first boyfriend, and read him bits that made me laugh: "What do you think of these rumours, Sligyn?", "Horseshit, my lord." Unlike the Malloreon, it looked like it was a complete series, and I wouldn't have to wait for months for the final volume.
But wait, there's more, as they say. Six months later, after the big breakup with first boyfriend, I saw A Time of Exile in the bookshop. The prospect of Jill and Rhodry maybe spending a little more time in each other's company grabbed me instantly, and I worked my way through the Westlands cycle through the early 90s at high school and university. The past lives have grown on me, especially the flashes of history previously only hinted at - the Dawntime, the 900s and so on. After a decent run of Deverry rereading, I'd subconsciously drop my yesses and noes and replace them with I am or I'm not.
It wasn't until after I graduated and started work that I discovered the Author had an online presence, and I've had the benefit of years of correspondence with Kit to accompany my reading of the later volumes. It's been insightful - so that's where that name came from, or what the Golden Dawn etc was, and what was going on with Alastyr and Sarcyn. It's intensely satisfying reading books with a rich history built behind them, kind of like going for a roller coaster ride in the British Museum.
The pattern of the books connecting with aspects of my life has continued - the first, I was looking at Jill's attraction to Rhodry - the last, which I've read while feeding my new baby, I'm checking out how Dallandra looks after Calonadario (I think I need a Westfolk upright cradle).
So this is a post to say thanks, Kit, for 18 years of great reading, and to anyone who hasn't yet read these books, it is now safe to start as it's definitely finished.
I had recently expanded my reading list to include a lot of popular fantasy - Eddings, Salvatore, and the Dragonlance series. To a point I was enjoying it, but I'd had my fill of mysterious sorcerors like Raistlyn and didn't think I had room for another, plus I'd have to read two books to get to the one with the cool title. So I put it off for a while. I was a fussy eater when it came to fiction.
Then I read somewhere that a good way to tell whether you'd like a book or not is to read the first few pages. Eventually I put this to the test with Daggerspell. Jill's soul in the halls of light caught me, and eventually I parted with a couple of weeks' pocketmoney to buy it. Two weeks before my big exams, I read it instead of studying. I was instantly caught by the story of Jill and Cullyn, of her pride in her skills with the sword, of Cullyn's redemption, of Jill and Rhodry's relationship, and the Elcyion Lacar. The past life, ok, that was different, but the present day was what I was all about. The rest of the series covered familiar territories - thieves' guilds, elves, dwarves, magic, prophecies, magical weapons and so on, but in a fresh way that overcame the cheesiness of genre.
I got the final volume, Dragonspell, as a present for getting straight A1s in my exams. I took the books with me on holiday with my first boyfriend, and read him bits that made me laugh: "What do you think of these rumours, Sligyn?", "Horseshit, my lord." Unlike the Malloreon, it looked like it was a complete series, and I wouldn't have to wait for months for the final volume.
But wait, there's more, as they say. Six months later, after the big breakup with first boyfriend, I saw A Time of Exile in the bookshop. The prospect of Jill and Rhodry maybe spending a little more time in each other's company grabbed me instantly, and I worked my way through the Westlands cycle through the early 90s at high school and university. The past lives have grown on me, especially the flashes of history previously only hinted at - the Dawntime, the 900s and so on. After a decent run of Deverry rereading, I'd subconsciously drop my yesses and noes and replace them with I am or I'm not.
It wasn't until after I graduated and started work that I discovered the Author had an online presence, and I've had the benefit of years of correspondence with Kit to accompany my reading of the later volumes. It's been insightful - so that's where that name came from, or what the Golden Dawn etc was, and what was going on with Alastyr and Sarcyn. It's intensely satisfying reading books with a rich history built behind them, kind of like going for a roller coaster ride in the British Museum.
The pattern of the books connecting with aspects of my life has continued - the first, I was looking at Jill's attraction to Rhodry - the last, which I've read while feeding my new baby, I'm checking out how Dallandra looks after Calonadario (I think I need a Westfolk upright cradle).
So this is a post to say thanks, Kit, for 18 years of great reading, and to anyone who hasn't yet read these books, it is now safe to start as it's definitely finished.