Malinda Lo
Blog
Oct 21, 2009
My first fantasy novels
Recently on SF Signal’s Mind Meld, a bunch of writers answered the question What book introduced you to fantasy? The responses reminded me of so many great fantasy novels I remember reading in my childhood that I’m shamelessly stealing their topic and answering it for myself! And because I can’t pick just one, here are five fantasy novels, read while I was a kid/teen, that made me really love this genre (I’m not mentioning anything by Robin McKinley, because I’d have to mention them all!):
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers (1934)
I’m not talking about the movie, I’m talking about the book! I remember my father reading it to me at night before I went to bed. Actually, I kinda remember forcing him to read it to me because I wanted to hear it so much!
I also remember thinking that the movie, in parts, was a little creepy — especially the “Feed the Birds” song and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” (I don’t know why I thought the kite song was creepy). But I didn’t think any of the book was creepy. I loved it all! There was something about the tone of book that was whimsical and wonderful and even in the midst of all the fantastical goings on, it was real.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)
I can’t really remember much of what this book is about, except that it starts out with the main character, Will Stanton, as an 11-year-old boy. And the setting is very wintry, and there is a huge old house (a castle?), and a big fight against evil. I loved it, and I’m putting on my read-it-again list!
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (1963)
I didn’t realize this at the time, but apparently this book is set in an alternate history version of 19th-century England. There are scary wolves, an evil governess, more wintry landscapes, and a lot of adventure. I think I read this book several times, and yet the only thing I remember now is that it was wonderful. Another for the read-it-again list.
A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart (1980)
This book was a time-traveling tale about two kids who go for a picnic in Wolf Wood, and wind up in the Middle Ages. Apparently it’s also about a werewolf, which I totally forgot! I loved the details about life in the 14th century, and frankly I wanted to go wandering around in some woods and get sent back in time, too. Plagues be damned!
Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn (1988)
I think that this is one of the first “adult” fantasies I read. It’s chock full of politics, intrigue, fancy-sounding names like Rohan and Sioned, tons of romance … and beautiful, powerful dragons. And it’s got that Super!Fantasy cover! I read the sequels, too, but I think I enjoyed the first one the best.
So, what fantasy novels did you love when you were a teen? Or, if you are a teen, what fantasy novels are you loving now?
I love THE DARK IS RISING! (It’s not a castle, it’s a manor.
Susan Cooper owns my soul.)
I think I’ve always read fantasy—as a genre it was something I was drawn to even as a tiny child. One of my earliest memories is my father reading THE HOBBIT aloud to me before bed. But the books that left the deepest impressions on my psyche were the books I read in the 6th grade for S.S.R. I was 11 and I was absorbed by THE PIT DRAGON trilogy by Jane Yolen (DRAGON’S BLOOD, HEART’S BLOOD, A SENDING OF DRAGONS). It was also the year I read THE GOLDEN COMPASS for the first time and discovered that the books I hadn’t known I wanted to write had already been written by a genius. (Damn.)
Some people would scoff, but HARRY POTTER also left another enormous impression. I was 12 when I first read THE SORCERER’S STONE/PHILOSOPHER’S STONE. I was 22 when DEATHLY HALLOWS was released. A good decade of my life, including my formative teen years was spent waiting and agonizing for the next book in the series.
After Ellen lurker here who does plan to read Ash eventually once the TBR pile isn’t so huge. *sigh*
My first fantasy was The Chronicles of Narnia, and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. I’ve reread it multiple times, and it never fails to enchant.
Also, if you plan to reread The Dark is Rising, it’s well worth your while to read the entire Sequence (of which, the Dark is number 2).
I think I saw the original posting of this, as I seem to remember thinking that I wouldn’t consider ‘Mary Poppins’ a fantasy! My daughter loves fantasy novels, Tamora Pierce in particular. (She came to a bookstore here in town several years ago, and I took my daughter to see her. It was fabulous.) I’ve read Susan Cooper and liked her, though my daughter never got into her. All 3 of my girls love Harry Potter, but you could say that about the world! I recently sent my oldest — the fantasy book lover, who’s now at college — something I read online about a teen who’s written her own book of fantasy fiction, “Sea Clearwater.” The author is Selene Cardenas — she was 13 when she wrote it! (She’s 15 now.) I thought my daughter would get a kick out of it — the book is adventure into fantasy, with romance, suspense and surprises. The author created the characters and their abilities, etc. I think it’s pretty impressive.