Joan Aiken

[mrissa]

I know some of you read Joan Aiken. If I was to read something of hers that was not a Wolves book, not about a pet raven, and not a Jane Austen homage/continuation, what would I start with? (To be clear, I have liked the Wolves books and had no particular objection to Arabella or her raven. But then I'm left with this sort of largeish mass of

Comments

[adrian_turtle]

If I were you, I'd start with If I Were You.

You would probably also like the Armitage stories, collected in The Serial Garden. I started reading them to Hiranu's daughter last month, to our mutual delight.

[mrissa]

Oh, I did like The Serial Garden! Yes, thanks. I will look for If I Were You.

[tool_of_satan]

I think many of her other children's stories were also very good. I don't think there has been a recent collection of them, but there are lots of old ones floating around. Small Beer did follow up The Serial Garden with a collection of her adult fiction, which is fine, but I don't think quite as good overall.

[merriehaskell]

I was also going to rec If I Were You.

[shana]

A Cluster of Separate Sparks was my favorite when I was on a Joan Aiken reading binge. [Note: that was some time ago, so I haven't checked for the Suck Fairy.]

[mrissa]

Ah good, the library has that one.

I second that motion

[ext_1666074]

A Cluster of Separate Sparks is one of my favorite books ever. It survives re-reading and umpteen re-readings. Other favorites are The Crystal Crow, The Embroidered Sunset, and Beware of the Bouquet. Castle Barebane and The Weeping Ash are also excellent.

I really can't stand the Jane Austen continuation/etc. books she wrote. For what that's worth.

Enjoy!

Maggie

Re: I second that motion

[mrissa]

I am really not interested in the Jane Austen continuation things at the moment, so having that confirmed is no hardship.

[shewhomust]

She's certainly pretty varied - you know there are gothic romances and fairly standard thrillers in that largeish mass, don't you? Some of which are better than others (I'm very fond of The Embroidered Sunset, but that may just be me), quirte apart from any preferences you may have as to genre. The short stories probably are some of her best work (and if you don't like one, you may like the next one better) so that seems a sound recommendation. (Her website seems unusually informative.)

[mrissa]

Yes, the genre variability was part of why I asked, hoping that people would say things like "X is a good Y."

[roadnotes]

I am oddly partial to the collection of quiet horror stories, A Touch of Chill; it's odd comfort reading, perhaps, but the tone reminds me of Shirley Jackson.

[finnyb]

I am probably not much help, as the only work of hers I've read is Midnight is a Place, which is really rather dark and disturbing in some regards. I read it every few years or so.