Books, half remembered
When I was in junior high, and maybe early high school, I spent most of my time - that wasn't spent on school work - reading, or really devouring, the books in the Adult Fantasy Paperback section of my local library. I read pretty well constantly - including in the hallways of my school as I walked between classes. I probably read nearly every fantasy paperback the library had.
Unfortunately, now, 10 years or more later, I imagine most of those books are no longer in the library system, destroyed by time and readers, and the inevitable churn that every library has to go through with ever increasing books out there, and no increase in space. This leaves me with half-remembered storied in my head, of book I would *love* to re-read - but no memory of the title, and probably no way to find a copy, even if I did know the title.
I remember one that was a dark fantasy that took place in New York city. It had elves, or at least an elf in it. The main character - a woman = turned 30 near the beginning of the book; I remember because it was the first time i happened upon the phrase "never trust anyone over the age of 30." It ended, or at least climaxed, with an elf, the main character's love interest, fighting a battle in the subway, and maybe dying? I remember feeling like it ended somewhat openly, like there ought to have been a sequel. I really wish I could remember the title of that to look it up.
There was another, maybe called The True Story of Prince Charming, that is linked with memories of band class, for some reason. I remember being a little shocked reading it, because it was one of the first books I read that had sex in it. I only really remember the beginning, and that vaguely. The prince rescues a princess, who is naked for some reason, so he gives her his cloak, and I think sleeps with her, or at least wants to... and then he falls in with the evil witch or evil step-mother or something, and he definitely sleeps with her, because when he undresses her he goes to take off her boots and she tells him 'no, the boots stay on' and that image, of sex with boots on, has stuck with me as being terribly erotic. Wish I could remember that one more clearly too.
There are others, but those are the two that my memory dredges up most often. I've tried searching for them, but I'm sure they were flash in the pan, cheap fantasy novels from the late 1980's, or early 90s (since I read them in the mid-90s, 93/94/95/96-ish), that don't qualify for inclusion in Wikipedia or much of anywhere on the internet, really. But maybe, if I post this here, someone out there will remember them too, a little better than me, and help me track them down. So if either of those books sound familiar to you, please, let me know!
" The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No they can't take that away from me"
- Fred Astaire, They Can't Take That Away From Me
EDIT: OK, so I managed to figure out the second one, the Prince Charming one. It's called Slay and Rescue, by John Moore. Went out of print years ago, and the OSU library is the only one I have access to with a copy. But there's a screen play adaptation out available on the internet. Used copies online are going for $15 or so... Bleh. I wonder if any of the Half-Priced Books around here have a copy? Still trying to find that other one, though.
Unfortunately, now, 10 years or more later, I imagine most of those books are no longer in the library system, destroyed by time and readers, and the inevitable churn that every library has to go through with ever increasing books out there, and no increase in space. This leaves me with half-remembered storied in my head, of book I would *love* to re-read - but no memory of the title, and probably no way to find a copy, even if I did know the title.
I remember one that was a dark fantasy that took place in New York city. It had elves, or at least an elf in it. The main character - a woman = turned 30 near the beginning of the book; I remember because it was the first time i happened upon the phrase "never trust anyone over the age of 30." It ended, or at least climaxed, with an elf, the main character's love interest, fighting a battle in the subway, and maybe dying? I remember feeling like it ended somewhat openly, like there ought to have been a sequel. I really wish I could remember the title of that to look it up.
There was another, maybe called The True Story of Prince Charming, that is linked with memories of band class, for some reason. I remember being a little shocked reading it, because it was one of the first books I read that had sex in it. I only really remember the beginning, and that vaguely. The prince rescues a princess, who is naked for some reason, so he gives her his cloak, and I think sleeps with her, or at least wants to... and then he falls in with the evil witch or evil step-mother or something, and he definitely sleeps with her, because when he undresses her he goes to take off her boots and she tells him 'no, the boots stay on' and that image, of sex with boots on, has stuck with me as being terribly erotic. Wish I could remember that one more clearly too.
There are others, but those are the two that my memory dredges up most often. I've tried searching for them, but I'm sure they were flash in the pan, cheap fantasy novels from the late 1980's, or early 90s (since I read them in the mid-90s, 93/94/95/96-ish), that don't qualify for inclusion in Wikipedia or much of anywhere on the internet, really. But maybe, if I post this here, someone out there will remember them too, a little better than me, and help me track them down. So if either of those books sound familiar to you, please, let me know!
" The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No they can't take that away from me"
- Fred Astaire, They Can't Take That Away From Me
EDIT: OK, so I managed to figure out the second one, the Prince Charming one. It's called Slay and Rescue, by John Moore. Went out of print years ago, and the OSU library is the only one I have access to with a copy. But there's a screen play adaptation out available on the internet. Used copies online are going for $15 or so... Bleh. I wonder if any of the Half-Priced Books around here have a copy? Still trying to find that other one, though.