DWJ was, until last week, one of my three favourite living authors who were still writing, where I could look forward to there being a new book some time soon. Sadly, she's now written her last. I have one that I haven't read yet - Enchanted Glass - and I'm sort of saving it, because once I've read that I won't have any I've not yet read. (Unless there's some I've not come across - ooh, I do hope so).
I've been a fan since I picked up Charmed Life, probably aged eight or nine. I still remember the joy when I first read Magicians of Caprona and realised that my beloved Chrestomanci had just turned up. Time Of The Ghost was read and re-read, which probably tells you too much about me as a kid, since it's one of the weirder, darker and nastier of her books (and still one of my favourites). When some of my friends got into D&D I foisted Homeward Bounders on to them. Eight Days Of Luke let me introduce a friend to Norse mythology.
I started a re-read of Deep Secret last night. It's still the best description of an Eastercon I've ever read, including any review of an actual Eastercon you care to mention.
Hexwood was excellent but baffling, and I must reread it sometime soon to see if I can figure out exactly what was going on with the time travel.
When I first read it, I immediately went back re-read it in the hope that it would make more sense! (It did). I still think that if they ever filmed it, a young Christopher Eccleston should play Mordion.
And, incidentally, there is no time travel. None at all. Everything is just about messing with the characters' (and the readers') heads, but the narrative is, surprisingly, absolutely linear.
It's definitely time I reread Hexwood then - although I'm a bit too sad this week, so I'll put it on the list for later. I haven't read Deep Secret, although I have read The Merlin Conspiracy which features some of the same characters, so I shall have to get hold of a copy and read them both together.
Sharyn McCrumb's murder mystery story Bimbos of the Death Sun also has quite a well-observed depiction of an SF convention, and affectionate but spot-on examples of several different subtypes of SF fans (the costumers, the roleplayers, the techies, etc); also the murder victim bears some uncanny similarities to Harlan Ellison.
Hexwood is brilliant and definitely stands up to re-reading. (I've probably read it ten times by now). Do, do read Deep Secret. I've read and enjoyed Bimbos of the Death Sun, but personally I think Deep Secret is much better. And the references are so much more applicable to my convention-going experience - for a start, it's a British convention, specifically an Eastercon (it never uses the word Eastercon, but it does take place over the Easter weekend) and you will recognise so much in it. Not to mention people, both generic and specific - for example there's a bloke with a deaf-aid, a fantasy artist who paints very naughty pictures of human females with aliens, a large bearded bloke with a gilet and a walkie-talkie, and basically everyone you've ever met at a convention. Oh, and I challenge you not to fall about laughing at the scene where Nick (who's in The Merlin Conspiracy) eats breakfast while half asleep, especially when you realise that the entire scene is based on Neil Gaiman eating breakfast.
I've been a fan since I picked up Charmed Life, probably aged eight or nine. I still remember the joy when I first read Magicians of Caprona and realised that my beloved Chrestomanci had just turned up. Time Of The Ghost was read and re-read, which probably tells you too much about me as a kid, since it's one of the weirder, darker and nastier of her books (and still one of my favourites). When some of my friends got into D&D I foisted Homeward Bounders on to them. Eight Days Of Luke let me introduce a friend to Norse mythology.
I started a re-read of Deep Secret last night. It's still the best description of an Eastercon I've ever read, including any review of an actual Eastercon you care to mention.
Hexwood was excellent but baffling, and I must reread it sometime soon to see if I can figure out exactly what was going on with the time travel.
When I first read it, I immediately went back re-read it in the hope that it would make more sense! (It did). I still think that if they ever filmed it, a young Christopher Eccleston should play Mordion.
And, incidentally, there is no time travel. None at all. Everything is just about messing with the characters' (and the readers') heads, but the narrative is, surprisingly, absolutely linear.
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Sharyn McCrumb's murder mystery story Bimbos of the Death Sun also has quite a well-observed depiction of an SF convention, and affectionate but spot-on examples of several different subtypes of SF fans (the costumers, the roleplayers, the techies, etc); also the murder victim bears some uncanny similarities to Harlan Ellison.
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