Among Others

By: Jo Walton

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Raised by a half-mad mother who dabbled in magic, Morwenna Phelps found refuge in two worlds. As a child growing up in Wales, she played among the spirits who made their homes in industrial ruins. But her mind found freedom and promise in the science-fiction novels that were her closest companions. Then her mother tried to bend the spirits to dark ends, and Mori was forced to confront her in a magical battle that left her crippled - and her twin sister dead.

Fleeing to her father, whom she barely knew, Mori was sent to boarding school in England - a place all but devoid of true magic. There, outcast and alone, she tempted fate by doing magic herself, in an attempt to find a circle of like-minded friends. But her magic also drew the attention of her mother, bringing about a reckoning that could no longer be put off.

Combining elements of autobiography with flights of imagination in the manner of novels like Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude, this is potentially a breakout book for an author whose genius has already been hailed by peers like Kelly Link, Sarah Weinman, and Ursula K. Le Guin.

©2010 Jo Walton (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 2012
• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2011

“Walton succeeds admirably. Her novel is a wonder and a joy.” (The New York Times)

"Katherine Kellgren’s Welsh accent, with its lyrical cadences, suggests that audio may be the most authentic way to experience this 2011 winner of the Nebula Award." ( Audiofile)

Books can save your life!

This is a book about books, about magic, and about the magic of reading itself. Books are the brightest part of life for the young heroine, and are also her doorway to connecting with other people. The narrator is the incomparable Katherine Kellgren, who gets a whole new accent to voice, Welsh, which she does terrifically. I so wanted to meet this young lady and share her enthusiasm for the joy of reading.

pulls you in and evolves wonderfully

the book started out slow and I forgot why I even bought it. then it grows and evolves. it is both an amazing story in itself and combines great analysis of other scf-fi books. I finished this and immediately want to go read every book that was mentioned.

Incredibly Moving

Heartfelt loveletter to genre fiction and the world of dreamers it feeds. Just a lovely story.

A fantasy for scifi lovers

I am mediately fell in love with the main character, Morwenna, especially the voice used by the reader to portray her. The first person POV of her journal lets you get into her head and heart, so you get to know her on a very personal level.

Her story unfolds peppered with her critiques of the various science-fiction novels she's reading. It proved to be an interesting technique for letting the reader get a better understanding of Morenna's thought processes.

and just when you thought the final chapter could become a cliché, it surprised you with the delightfully unexpected and satisfying end.
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Huge red ballon that fizzes out

If you could sum up Among Others in three words, what would they be?

Book on books

Would you be willing to try another book from Jo Walton? Why or why not?

Possibly, but the reviews would have to be rave worthy

Any additional comments?

Picture a book as a balloon. It gets blown up as the story progresses. Some are those long, narrow balloons that take a lot of lung power to get going. Some are normal balloons that fill with air, get tied off and stuck on a poster. Some get filled with helium and float you away. This could have been the later, but instead it was a great big balloon that someone let go of at the last moment and it just blew all over the room making an obnoxious sound.

Characters were personable. Felt like you could have a cup of tea (or water!) with them. Plot seemed to be leading up to something big, and then blah. Can't even say the balloon was popped, because that would at least imply a surprise or shock. This was just a let down. My only hope is that Ms Walton tries again, she'll remember to use helium and let the sucker float us away.

Narration was lovely. Could listen to Katherine Kellgren's voice anytime!

Reality meets fantasy

Any additional comments?

I was torn with this one just because i found the story rather depressing. It was really sad and didn't have enough 'up' moments for my personal taste. In saying that the story is very well written and the narration is fantastic. I loved the depth of the characters and the narraters accent choices for each one were perfect.

Unusual…good!

This audio book was captivating entertaining and well-produced. I’ve no exposure to modern Welsh culture …and the narrator has or uses a pronounced accent that is odd, but also easy enough to listen through.

I felt it was sticking to its territory in a self-aware way, but it’s written as a memoir of a teen who is a ravenous sci-fi fan as well as being of a unique, atypical background. Thus it’s not overbearingly self-aware but rather it’s quite believably so.

Enjoyable

What did you like best about Among Others? What did you like least?

I liked the conflict the narrator feels with her coming adulthood best. I liked the neat and tidy ending least.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jo Walton? Why or why not?

Yes. I do think she is a fair writer with a talent for writing novels literature fans can latch onto.

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved the Welsh accent. She makes the narrator come alive and injects personality and character. She made the people in the book real.

Was Among Others worth the listening time?

Yes.

Simply fantastic

What more can be said about this audio book than, "simply fantastic"? The narrator is in perfect tune with the story. The story itself is a fantastic coming of age tale celebrating the discovery of life and magic through a passion for sci-fi novels. This was one of the best audiobooks I have had the pleasure to listen to ever.

Not SF and not deserving of the 2012 HUGO

Coming of age story with an excellent reader. A reflective walk though of the SF genre pre-1980 by way of the characters reading habits and book club. In no way SF and only a marginal fantasy.