A local fan of Karen Marie Moning just donated Moning’s entire Highlander series to the library. (Moning writes fantasy fiction that involves both modern-day characters and 16th century Scots.) Our donor was so excited about these books that we invited her to share her enthusiasm with other library patrons:

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading both the Highlander and Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. While each of the books in the Highlander series stands on its own, many of the characters and events are intertwined, and all lead up to the events that take place in the Fever series. I feel that I gained a much greater reading experience by reading the Highlander series either before or along with the books in the Fever series. Karen Marie Moning weaves a great story. I can’t wait for the next books in each of these series.

As a child, Laurie idolized her father, who was charming, successful, and adventurous. At least, that was what he told her. When she discovers that her father is really a lying bum, Laurie’s own life is turned upside down as she questions who she is and what is important in her life. This autobiographical tale is presented in graphic novel format.

By Thrity Umrigar, 2005.

Umrigar’s novel is a moving and intimate portrait of a world divided by caste and united by human experiences. Set in modern-day Bombay and witnessed through two compellingly real women, the novel shows how the lives of the rich and the poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and vividly captures how the bonds of womanhood are pitted against the divisions of class and culture.

‘Into the Beautiful North’ by Luis Alberto Urrea, 2009

Luis Alberto Urrea is a writer of such incredible talent that, at every opportunity, I foist his books onto my unsuspecting friends and family. Urrea is the author of ‘The Hummingbird’s Daughter’ which I came across a couple years ago, and was deeply awed by the beauty of the story. His lush depictions of rural Mexico are unforgettable.

Now in Urrea’s newest book, ‘Into the Beautiful North,’ the imagery is no less rich or evocative. The story is that of a small seaside town in the Mexican state of Sinaloa called ‘Tres Camarones’ (yes, Three Shrimp). Inflation has made the cost of living impossible, so all the men have gone north to look for work in the United States—‘Los Yunaites.’ When a group of bandidos comes to Tres Camarones, a young woman named  Nayeli gathers a group of unlikely comrades and heads north on a mission to bring back seven warriors to protect and defend their town. This idea came to her after watching the western film, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ which is based on the classic Japanese movie, ‘Seven Samurai.’

I found myself laughing at the characters, which are so vividly drawn-out. The interplay of Spanish and English is very funny, and even non-Spanish speakers will chuckle at the humor. Near the end of the story I dreaded having to pull myself away from the world that Urrea has painted, away from the homes that are painted in such brightly clashing colors that ‘the human eye began to rattle in the socket.’ Away from the peaceful shore where crabs dance sideways. And mostly from the characters themselves. They compliment the beautiful writing, and make the experience of reading the story a small marvel.

‘The King of Elfland’s Daughter’ by Lord Dunsany, 1924

Anyone who delights in fantasy novels will fall immediately under the spell of ‘The King of Elfland’s Daughter’ by Lord Dunsany. This was my first foray into a Dunsany novel, and I can’t imagine a better introduction. ‘The King of Elfland’s Daughter’ is a charming tale of adventure and magic. It is shot through with mystery and humor and a wild, searing beauty.

In the small village-town of Erl, nothing extraordinary or noteworthy ever transpires; there is no great hero or villain to set the town apart from any other village. One day the village elders gather together and decide that they want something special for their village. They discuss and argue, and finally they conclude that the best way to establish notoriety is for them to have someone magical in power at the lord’s castle.

Thus, Alveric, the son of the current lord, is sent on a quest to bring back the daughter of the King of Elfland. With the help of an old witch, who fashions a magical sword made from lightning bolts and strange runes, Alveric sets out for Elfland. He discovers that the border of Elfland is not very far from Erl, lapping and undulating like waves on a shore.

And that is the beginning of a magical story.

‘A Fine and Private Place’ by Peter S. Beagle, 1960

Peter S. Beagle is perhaps best known for his classic work of fantasy, ‘The Last Unicorn.’ But it was with ‘A Fine and Private Place’ that Beagle began his literary career—at the incredibly young age of nineteen. Turning the last page of the book, I marveled that someone so young could have penned such an astonishing story. The dexterity of the prose, the presentation of themes, the layering of characters and events—this all suggests a mind developed and seasoned far beyond that of a nineteen-year-old boy.

‘A Fine and Private Place’ is, on the surface, a ghost tale, but like the best fiction, the book is much more than the story. A strange man lives alone in a graveyard. He makes his home in an old, forgotten mausoleum. We learn that he has spent the last twenty years in the graveyard, never leaving it, and the only way he eats is by the help of a talking raven, who flaps in every day with scraps of food stolen from different places of the city. The man, incidentally, can see and talk to ghosts. He helps them become adjusted to death, ironically, as he is alive. But in the end it is a ghost—or pair of ghosts—who help him understand life.

The book is an absorbing literary exploration of the complex nature of human relationships, and how relationships can make all the difference in a meaningful life.

‘My Abandonment’ by Peter Rock, 2009

I came to Peter Rock with his most recent book, ‘My Abandonment,’ and cannot imagine a more interesting and strange introduction to an author. Some critics claim that the best writing has a certain degree of the odd and peculiar—descriptions that evoke a sense of the strange and inexplicable, and if that’s so then ‘My Abandonment’ is on the list. Take, for example, the opening words of the novel, in the voice of the fourteen-year-old girl who serves as protagonist and narrator: ‘Sometimes you’re walking through the woods when a stick leaps into the air and strikes you across the back and shoulders several times, then flies away lost in the underbrush.’ I immediately anticipated that this would be an interesting story, and so it was.

‘My Abandonment’ is about a daughter and a father who live in a forest park, having forsaken the normal circles of society. Gradually the reader becomes aware that there are deep psychological issues with the father, who suffers from nightmares of a past war he served in. After four years of living in isolation in the park caves, Caroline and her father are discovered by the police. The rest of the story is a fascinating observation about human society and the invisible laws we forge for ourselves. The culmination of the narration, the eventual ‘abandonment,’ reminds us of one universal fact, the grim reality of solitude, and the inevitable struggles of bereavement.

A lovely, entrancing novel.

‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005

I’m not altogether convinced that the world Kazuo Ishiguo paints in ‘Never Let Me Go’ is entirely believable. Something sinister kept nagging at me while reading the novel, and yet, I’m not sure it was necessarily the book’s theme. Could a small class of people—clones—be conceived and raised for the sole purpose of serving the greater population by yielding up organs whenever the notice comes down the line. It’s not like the people are being held in a concentration camp; they are free to do as they want: hold down jobs, get married, buy a home, drive across the country. Conditioning is effective only to an extent, I think. Anyway, there’s this literary device called verisimilitude that says ‘this is believable’ and ‘this is bogus.’ Reading from chapter to chapter I couldn’t help but think how untenable the premise was, which is a sort of transgression in storytelling.

That said, I think there are plenty of redeeming qualities about the novel. Ishiguro’s characters are solid, fleshed out, and I especially like the voice of the narrator. And even though I was somewhat exasperated with the book’s concept, I kept reading, which surprised me, as usually I set down a book after fifty pages if it doesn’t engage me. I’m looking forward to picking up other novels by Ishiguro.

‘Grendel’ by John Gardner, 1971

John Gardner’s ‘Grendel’ is a fascinating recounting of our language’s oldest legend, that of Beowulf. This story is told from the point of view of Grendel, whose personality unfolds into something uniquely compelling. Even though he is a savage beast and somehow takes a wild pleasure in ripping and tearing apart humans for sport, we see that Grendel suffers a great deal, both physical and emotional. From this perspective, Grendel becomes more human. His vast intellect sends him on many metaphysical musings, which is a constant source of entertainment. Each chapter of the novel alludes to one of the twelve Zodiac signs, which I didn’t notice until later, after reading other articles about the book. I enjoyed going back and looking for each allusion. I thought it was interesting that Gardner never mentioned the name Beowulf, and the story ends before the confrontation between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother, and later between Beowulf and the other unspecified dragon. Overall, a highly recommended book.

‘The Other Wind’ by Ursula K. Le Guin, 2001

‘The Other Wind’ is the sixth and final installment in Ursula K. Le Guin’s epic fantasy series. The first book, ‘A Wizard of Earthsea,’ appeared in 1968—over forty years ago—and immediately crystallized into a classic work of fiction. This last book in the series is every bit as fascinating as the first.

Myth is what Le Guin excels at. Myth is where her genius lies, creating that sense of another time, another place, long, long, long ago and far away. ‘The Other Wind’ is set in the world known as Earthsea, a vast network of islands spread out over a wide ocean. It is the tale of a young sorcerer named Alder who seemingly has no great skill at all. He was born especially with the gift to heal things, to mend things. He has the ability to rejoin and make whole: a broken knife blade, a snapped harp string, a cracked jar. At the end of the book we find that Alder’s gift will help to restore the balance of life and death itself. Along with Alder, many other familiar characters will play a role in changing the world, characters from the previous books, whom we’ve come to cherish, such as Ged, the former Archmage who lost his power while plugging a hole in the world, and Tenar, his wife, who was the priestess of the Tombs of Atuan in a far country; and Tehanu, their daughter, who was disfigured by dragon fire, and who herself we discover is a dragon; and Lebannen, the king, who, as a young man, a boy really, went down into death with the Archmage Ged.

The book ends with a tender moment between Ged and Tenar, which I thought was rather cathartic and wholly satisfying, as Earthsea began with Ged as a boy, and now it closes with Ged as an old man, choosing to live the remainder of his life on his home island of Gont with his beloved Tenar, rather than in luxury at the king’s palace.

With Le Guin there is always some surprise or other waiting mischievously around the corner. A jarring concept, a fascinating new character, a beautifully-turned phrase. Each novel, each story is suffused through and through with a ferocious imagination. For millions the name of Ursula Le Guin is revered, venerated, her literary legacy hallowed by the imaginative rapture that her stories invoke. In the grand scheme of speculative literature, Earthsea, to me, very evidently has a place among the best works of fantasy, and Ursula Le Guin herself has secured a place among the greatest writers of any time.

Only don’t trust my word; find out for yourself!