'It doesn't matter. I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books.'Fifteen-year-old Morwenna lives in Wales with her twin sister and a mother who spins dark magic for ill. One day, Mori and her mother fight a powerful, magical battle that kills her sister and leaves Mori crippled. Devastated, Mori flees to her long-lost father in England. Adrift, outcast at boarding school, Mori retreats into the worlds she knows best: her magic and her books. She works a spell to meet kindred souls and continues to devour every fantasy and science fiction novel she can lay her hands on. But danger lurks... She knows her mother is looking for her and that when she finds her, there will be no escape.
--This text refers to the
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edition.
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Review
Among Others is a wonder and a joy. (Jeff Vandermeer, New York Times )
If you love SF and fantasy, if reading it formed your teen years, if you do remember the magic you used to do, if you remember the absolute joy of first discovering those books, then read this. (Robin Hobb )
Funny, acute, and impassioned (Ursula K. Le Guin )
A hymnal for the clever and odd - an inspiration and a lifeline to anyone who has ever felt in the world, but not of it. (Cory Doctorow )
Most fantasies evade opportunities to make the impossible plausible, to give magic accountability in a realistic setting and moral and emotional weight in a modern novel. Jo Walton accepts the double challenge and meets it with courage and skill . . . Among Others is a funny, thoughtful, acute and absorbing story all the way through, but in the magic parts it is more than that. (Ursula K. Le Guin Guardian )
Possibly earning itself the Book of the Year title is Jo Walton's thought provoking Among Others, which stays with you for a long time after reading. It is the story of a young girl from a magical family who is sent to a mundane boarding school and, through her discovery of classic SF novels, has her mind and world expanded. (Independent on Sunday )
A lovely story, unlike anything I've ever read before: funny, touching, and gently magical. (Patrick Rothfuss )
There are the books you want to give all your friends, and there are the books you wish you could go back and give your younger self. And then there's the rare book, like Jo Walton's Among Others, that's both. (io9.com )
Among Others is about a young girl brought up in a magical family who is sent to a mundane, non-magical school; a captivatingly told mirror image of Harry Potter. (The Guardian )
I don't believe I've seen, either in fiction or in memoir, as brilliant and tone-perfect an account of what discovering SF and fantasy can mean to its young readers... Remarkable. (Gary K. Wolfe Locus )
Beautifully crafted... Among Others calls to those who desire a wild, magical world in place of the one they have but eventually learn that their own lives are the greatest story of all. (Bloomsbury Review )
Compelling... Never deigning to transcend the genre to which it is clearly a love letter, this outstanding (and entirely teen-appropriate) tale draws its strength from a solid foundation of sense-of-wonder and what-if. (Publishers Weekly, starred review ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
If you love SF and fantasy, if reading it formed your teen years, if you do remember the magic you used to do, if you remember the absolute joy of first discovering those books, then read this. (Robin Hobb )
Funny, acute, and impassioned (Ursula K. Le Guin )
A hymnal for the clever and odd - an inspiration and a lifeline to anyone who has ever felt in the world, but not of it. (Cory Doctorow )
Most fantasies evade opportunities to make the impossible plausible, to give magic accountability in a realistic setting and moral and emotional weight in a modern novel. Jo Walton accepts the double challenge and meets it with courage and skill . . . Among Others is a funny, thoughtful, acute and absorbing story all the way through, but in the magic parts it is more than that. (Ursula K. Le Guin Guardian )
Possibly earning itself the Book of the Year title is Jo Walton's thought provoking Among Others, which stays with you for a long time after reading. It is the story of a young girl from a magical family who is sent to a mundane boarding school and, through her discovery of classic SF novels, has her mind and world expanded. (Independent on Sunday )
A lovely story, unlike anything I've ever read before: funny, touching, and gently magical. (Patrick Rothfuss )
There are the books you want to give all your friends, and there are the books you wish you could go back and give your younger self. And then there's the rare book, like Jo Walton's Among Others, that's both. (io9.com )
Among Others is about a young girl brought up in a magical family who is sent to a mundane, non-magical school; a captivatingly told mirror image of Harry Potter. (The Guardian )
I don't believe I've seen, either in fiction or in memoir, as brilliant and tone-perfect an account of what discovering SF and fantasy can mean to its young readers... Remarkable. (Gary K. Wolfe Locus )
Beautifully crafted... Among Others calls to those who desire a wild, magical world in place of the one they have but eventually learn that their own lives are the greatest story of all. (Bloomsbury Review )
Compelling... Never deigning to transcend the genre to which it is clearly a love letter, this outstanding (and entirely teen-appropriate) tale draws its strength from a solid foundation of sense-of-wonder and what-if. (Publishers Weekly, starred review ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
Winner of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Winner of the 2011 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Startling, unusual, and yet irresistably readable, Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels of modern fantasy and SF, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient enchantment.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Cathlenwch
Format:Paperback
I kept exclaiming aloud whilst reading this, Mor just sounded exactly like me on so many points - about Welsh/English differences, how tap water tastes completely different outside the Valleys, and the blessing of civilization that is the free interlibrary loan system. I will certainly be using it to track down Mor's reading lists, in the case of any of the more unusual books she devours that might not be on here - I've never read SF before, but this has inspired me to give it a go.
The plot isn't the point of this book, so much as Mor's insights - and I liked that. Sometimes it's nice to get to know the character more, which the diary entries allow you to do. The author has captured the experiences of a childhood in the Welsh Valleys, with all the idiosyncrasies that entails, absolutely perfectly. It's lovely to have read this, and to return to it when I get homesick at uni! Will definitely be reading more of Jo Walton, a new author for me.
The plot isn't the point of this book, so much as Mor's insights - and I liked that. Sometimes it's nice to get to know the character more, which the diary entries allow you to do. The author has captured the experiences of a childhood in the Welsh Valleys, with all the idiosyncrasies that entails, absolutely perfectly. It's lovely to have read this, and to return to it when I get homesick at uni! Will definitely be reading more of Jo Walton, a new author for me.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Curiosity Killed The Bookworm
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Mori is one half of twins. After she loses her sister, she runs away from her home in South Wales and finds herself living with her estranged father. She's running from her mother because she's a witch and responsible for the death of her sister. Mori is packed off to boarding school where she can stay hidden and lose herself in the science fiction books she loves.
It is a book about a book lover. It doesn't really matter if you don't share Mori's taste in reading matter, you will recognise her love of books in yourself. Set in 1979, her reading list is full of classic sci-fi. Whilst I recognise many of the titles, I haven't read them, yet I still understood the way they made her feel. These are the reasons we read books. To both escape the world we live and to find answers. It's told in a diary format and you get a wonderful commentary on the books she is reading as well as her own story.
The magic is subtle. If you are expecting an action-packed fantasy adventure you may be disappointed. In fact, Mori's magic could be put down to an over-active imagination and coincidence. She is escaping a parent who is dangerous, she lost her twin; the magical world could easily be a coping mechanism. It's a book you could read in two different ways; one completely believing her and the other looking for signs that it's all make-believe.
When you mention magic and boarding school, minds are going to inevitably going to want to compare to Harry Potter. It is far too real for that comparison. Her boarding school is completely believable, with its odd customs and bad dinners. She feels alone when surrounded by others who have no chance of understanding her. She isn't a heroine and she isn't the centre of attention.
I want to befriend Mori. I can imagine her being a book blogger if it was set in the present day (and of course she wasn't trying to hide). It's a bitter sweet tale; with moments that made me laugh out loud and others that made my heart bleed for her. There are so many quotable passages, I urge you to read it and find yourself in complete agreement.
Review copy provided by publisher.
It is a book about a book lover. It doesn't really matter if you don't share Mori's taste in reading matter, you will recognise her love of books in yourself. Set in 1979, her reading list is full of classic sci-fi. Whilst I recognise many of the titles, I haven't read them, yet I still understood the way they made her feel. These are the reasons we read books. To both escape the world we live and to find answers. It's told in a diary format and you get a wonderful commentary on the books she is reading as well as her own story.
The magic is subtle. If you are expecting an action-packed fantasy adventure you may be disappointed. In fact, Mori's magic could be put down to an over-active imagination and coincidence. She is escaping a parent who is dangerous, she lost her twin; the magical world could easily be a coping mechanism. It's a book you could read in two different ways; one completely believing her and the other looking for signs that it's all make-believe.
When you mention magic and boarding school, minds are going to inevitably going to want to compare to Harry Potter. It is far too real for that comparison. Her boarding school is completely believable, with its odd customs and bad dinners. She feels alone when surrounded by others who have no chance of understanding her. She isn't a heroine and she isn't the centre of attention.
I want to befriend Mori. I can imagine her being a book blogger if it was set in the present day (and of course she wasn't trying to hide). It's a bitter sweet tale; with moments that made me laugh out loud and others that made my heart bleed for her. There are so many quotable passages, I urge you to read it and find yourself in complete agreement.
Review copy provided by publisher.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A third of the way into Among Others, I was wondering how it could have won Jo Walton both the Nebula and the Hugo. An epistolary YA-novel from the perspective of a 15-year old girl who goes to a posh boarding school she does not like? Not exactly my kind of thing.
Having finished the novel today, I am so glad I did not dispense with it, because it is "brill" as the protagonist Morwena would say.
Why? Among Others is so much more below the surface: A love letter to science fiction (I guess this was one of the reasons it won all the awards), a truly fascinating description of unique and very contemporary magic and finally a convincing coming of age-story.
Highest recommendation to any true SF fan (regardless of age).
Having finished the novel today, I am so glad I did not dispense with it, because it is "brill" as the protagonist Morwena would say.
Why? Among Others is so much more below the surface: A love letter to science fiction (I guess this was one of the reasons it won all the awards), a truly fascinating description of unique and very contemporary magic and finally a convincing coming of age-story.
Highest recommendation to any true SF fan (regardless of age).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Among Others by Jo Walton
This book reminds me of a mountain. It starts off quite ordinary and as you climb up it gets better and then just as you are getting to the good part... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Alison
5.0 out of 5 stars
a fantastic book
This is one of the best books i have read for some time. I liked the blend of ordinary life and magic. I can't wait to re-read it in a few months!
Published 7 days ago by dozygirl
4.0 out of 5 stars
makes me want to read 100 other books
Technically a fantasy, but more of a tribute to fantasy and science fiction. Mor is a voracious reader who sees fairies and does magic. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Jelly Baby
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welsh wonderment
Jo you did it again. Loves how the magic works in this book. And I get a kick out of references to long forgotten Si-fi I loved as a child. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stephen Hewitt
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Outsider
A powerful novel that is both a metaphor for the alienation that comes with a writer's imagination, and an exploration of the Welsh Otherworld described by The Mabinogion. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Andrew G. Matthews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it
Just finished this book and I absolutely loved it. The narrator refers to books I've read and books I haven't, but the context is always given, and the really important thing about... Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. A. Topping
5.0 out of 5 stars
Connecting to the child I once was
I'd never heard of Jo Walton until I read a review of this in a national newspaper, and thought I'd give it a try. And how glad I am that I did! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pamela Thomas
1.0 out of 5 stars
Hope in Hugo Award shattered
Among Others is dull, dreary, not imagination-evoking in the least. Nothing science, nothing fantastic. Read more
Published 1 month ago by taylor
3.0 out of 5 stars
very readable but not science fiction!
I enjoyed this book because it had some very interesting insights into culture differences within the UK but I don't see why it won a science fiction prize! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rhea
3.0 out of 5 stars
magic
this book is diferent with a story to tell. A mother spins dark magic for ill,there is mori who works a spell to meet kindred souls and devours every fantasy and science fiction. Read more
Published 1 month ago by bookmoviefanatic
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