Books that define an age

Not too long ago, fellow promiscuous reader Angela shared a link with a decision tool for choosing sci-fi and fantasy books.  It's a flow chart for navigating NPR's top 100 sci-fi and fantasy books.  I took a walk down memory lane as I made my way through the fantasy side.  It made me think about the fantasy book series that have stood out as favorites as I've grown.

Middle School

During middle school, my cousins and I would team up for long sessions of Hero Quest (think Dungeons and Dragons) during sleepover weekends.  From this, I learned about the Dragonlance series.  Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman started this books series, based on their own D&D type game play.  They wrote several trilogies that explored the world of a set of characters.  From there, other authors took the denizens of Krynn through many adventures.  I've lost count, but I've read close to 60 of these novels.  These were definitely a young adult series.

High School

A friend of mine recommended the Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley during junior year of high school.  I'm sure reading this took precedence over my assigned English class reading.  This is an Arthurian/Camelot story from the point of view of Morgainne le Fey.  As the saying goes, every story has many sides and the plethora of Arthurian books attests to this.  In the Mists of Avalon, the priestesses of the Goddess in Avalon are trying to save their traditions from being swallowed by the encroaching priests of Christianity and their God.  I was hooked after reading Mists, and moved on to the many other books Zimmer Bradley wrote in this story-line.  She connects Avalon back to Atlantis, and even reaches ahead to Helena, the mother of Constantine.  

College

I read many books in college to give my brain a rest from studying.   I have to say, I wasn't too creative in my search and went to well-known books to keep myself entertained.  The series included the Harry Potter books and The Golden Compass trilogy.  My list also included other Arthurian novels like Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy.

Grad School 

In graduate school, a fellow student introduced me to Mercedes Lackey.  Lackey has many different series, and I've thoroughly enjoyed three specific series.  I started with the Valdemar books, and polished off 30 of these my first year of grad school.  It was a typical fantasy series, with many strong female characters that appealed to me.  During my second year of grad school, I delved into the Elemental Masters series and the 500 Kingdom series.  Both of these re-work traditional fairy tales and put a new, sometimes much more adult spin on them.  Lackey is still publishing, so I keep my eye on her list for new books to check out at the library.  

What is next?

Surely, there is no shortage of fantasy/sci-fi series to discover or those yet to be written.  I'm truly looking forward to reading the rest of the All Souls Trilogy and was recommended to check out Connie Willis.  Thank goodness for recommendations from friends and the internet!

Harry Potter

I am an unabashedly enthusiastic Harry Potter fan. In May I decided to read the series for a third time in anticipation of the final film, coming out July 15^th. I figured I should give myself seven weeks to complete the task: one week for each book, knowing some I would finish sooner and others would take a bit more time. I underestimated myself though, and finished the seventh book a mere 29 days after having begun the first. This is a pretty clear indication of their engrossing nature.

I did not jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon right away. I am wary of bandwagons in general and tend to reject anything associated with a particular following to avoid unwanted judgment. However, there comes a point when one has avoided something long enough. I gradually came to the understanding that anything with a bandwagon and groupies must be at least somewhat entertaining if it has so many dedicated followers. I decided to give these movements a try before I get the reputation for being a trend-aversive hater.

Thus began the love affair. I can’t imagine why anyone would reject the opportunity to fall into a deep state of joyful glee when faced with books about a fantastic world of wizards, witches, centaurs, elves, and mail delivered by snowy owls. This is a place full of people just like us who experience the same emotions and challenges, but exist in a world where gardens have to be de-gnomed, dishes will do themselves with enough coaxing, goblins run the economy, sports are played on brooms…in the air, and when you turn eleven, you go to Ollivander’s to get your first wand.

What further compels me to go back and re-read the stories are their universal age-appeal. While they are written at progressively higher levels (an eleven-year-old who begins the series may get quite bored as the themes intensify and the characters progress through adolescence), each age group will find something to appreciate. Older children will enjoy the first couple books, as the themes are serious but not overwhelming. However, as the story progresses, the themes intensify and it becomes clear that childhood has been left behind. How often can a young person grow up with a set of classmates in a book from age 10 through high school? I’m so excited to read the series again with nieces, nephews, and my own children. Think of the new perspectives! The renewed delight!

Furthermore, the virtues of loyalty, deep love, and honoring the value in all creatures that the series is built around are universally appreciated. The moral of the broader story is that with enough courage, love can best evil. This is a tall order; I’ve seen love fail. But if we compel ourselves to focus our energies on respecting the value in all things, then I imagine many troubles could be remedied without anger, hurtful words, or unpardonable shaming.

If you haven’t given the books a try, please give yourself the opportunity. Don’t reject fantasy outright and don’t hate on people who find pleasure in something as innocent and positive as a set of lovely books. Get over your fear of nonsense and understand that there is so much about our lives on this planet that already doesn’t make sense. Miscarriage, for instance, doesn’t make sense. Just because we’re used to it doesn’t mean it is logical. Magic, therefore, isn’t so absurd: even before I read the books, I longed for an accio charm to telekinetically summon things to me; in my laziness it just made sense.

Harry Potter haters can file their emotions under “Unappreciative Cynic,” “Imagination Deficiency,” or “Bezoar-Hearted Nincompoop.” This is one bandwagon worth joining.

The Bible in 90 Days

My pastor is doing a Bible challenge this summer: 12 pages a day for 90 days. He is going to use his blog to process and share his experience. I think, whether one is religious or not, it would be a neat thing to do: to explore the culture, history, and spiritual significance this one set of books carries for so many people globally.

I think I'll try to squeeze it in between my Harry Potter Challenge: 7 books in 45 days in anticipation of the last film. That's not a conflict of interest when one studies the Bible is it?