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)

Less here than meets the eye (or ear)

This is a diary form of a tale, told in first person by Morwenna, who survived a car accident that cost her her twin sister. But the accident is no ordinary accident; magic is involved--and witches, and...Morwenna's mother, who is apparently trying black magic to become the Dark Queen and be empress of the world--or so we are led to believe. We follow Morwenna as she's reunited with her absent father, goes to a posh but dull boarding school mandated by her three rich (witch?) aunts and she matures as a teen, gets a boyfriend, and battles magic. All through the book there is a running thread of the books Morwenna reads and loves, most of them science fiction. It's fun to hear her (abbreviated) opinion of the classics of sci fi but ultimately, there is less here in this novel than meets the eye and and the ultimate showdown is a bit of a let-down. The rest of the novel maunders on in diary form--interesting enough but not really gripping. Katy Kellgren's Welsh accent gets a bit on my nerves after the first section, but it's well-done and she's a good narrator, though she sounds a bit mature for the role of teenager. I've read worse, but didn't think it deserved a Nebula in the least.

A wonderful story pays homage to SF classics!

Among Others has a protagonist, Morwenna, who is very easy to connect with, especially given the diary-style of the narrative. She is a kind and courageous young girl/teen who shows both vulnerability and strength dealing with many real-life and otherworldly troubles.

What is very curious about this story is the simplicity of the plot. That's not to say that the story is childish or weak, it is not. There is great character development and an intriguing, gradual introduction to the backstory and slightly paranormal world Mori lives in, that makes you want to listen constantly and feel a real connection to the main character. But there are few surprises or complications to the story - the plot runs simply and straightforward, (with many key events having already happened) although it's not obvious which way it will run from the beginning.

I suppose this shows that the gradual reveal of backstory and the backdrop obsession of sci-fi/fantasy novels that the main characters have far outweigh the simple yet satisfying climax, which is character appropriate.

Two more details: The only criticism might be that while the character's journey feels complete, the story feels as though it could have gone in several directions and had a bit more going on at the end - although I suppose turning it into an action story at the end would have not really been in the spirit of the rest of the story.

The homage to classic sci-fi/fantasy is a lot of fun for anyone who is passionate about books, whether a fan of classic sci-fi or not. It allows the character to express her opinions, values, and passion for great writing while giving the author a vehicle for paying homage to classic authors and stories that probably shaped the lives of many young readers.

A unique and thoroughly enjoyable story that I would recommend for any fan of sci-fi or fantasy!

(One last comment: the narration is fantastic! The main character and narrator equally had me eager to get back into my car so I could listen more.)

Loved this book,

My only complaint is that it was too short. I want more. Loved everything about this book. I will read this again and again. The audible reader did such a fantastic job bringing this book to life.

Love Song for Bibliophiles

Katherine Kellgren gives us a wonderful performance of a book that is a love song for bibliophiles. In the course of the story Jo Walton references some 150 SF and Fantasy books. Each reference gave me a little thrill of recognition or made me want to go out and read that book. The main character of the story, Morwenna, is a strong, sympathetic, and compelling personality who made me want to keep reading even though the plot is somewhat sparse. Another strength of the book is the magic system which is unique and self-consistent. This was a magnificent use of a credit!

Among Others is a strange and wonderful journey.

The story is magical realism (a sub-genre of fantasy), and it unfolds in a weird and interesting way. There are a lot of sci-fi and fantasy references in the book, but they don't distract from the story, and I think they enrich it. Also, listening to this book taught me the joys of inter-library loan. I knew it existed, but I didn't realize that you could get virtually anything you want from any library this way. If you're interested, ask about it at your library!

I don't know.

let me first of all say that Katherine Kellgren is amazing.

this book is just... weird. honestly, its SO brilliant in so many ways. there were so many parts that I just couldn't break free from. they were perfect. they encompassed me exactly and how I felt. and the end was so symbolic and so similar to my own life journey that I nearly cried.

that being said.... the majority of the book is SO long and boring. I shouldn't even really say BORING so much as just dull. it wasn't that I was bored listening to it. more, like I just never wanted to go back after I did listen to it. so many pieces just didn't capture my attention. it was more of a chore than a pleasure to keep going...

I gave it 4 stars because there was so much brilliance in it that it NEARLY makes up for all the slow bits, but not quite. it's fairly dull. and even having brilliant prose doesn't exactly redeem long passages of nothing.

the main character is brilliantly written and again, the end was stunning. there is magic in this book, not gonna lie.

"...a love letter to SF fandom."

“It's a mythologisation of part of my life.” – Jo Walton, of “Among Others”.
"...a love letter to SF fandom." – David Barnett, his Review in “The Guardian”. “Among Others” is that, and so much more: a great coming-of-age story; wonderfully written; perfectly narrated by Katherine Kellgren.
“Among Others”, my favorite of Walton’s work, takes me back to my own sad-mad childhood/youth: discovering SF/Fantasy; reacquainting me with favorite writers, best-loved works; reminding me that books and reading truly did save my life.
“My reading has been solace and addiction … I can bear anything as long as there are books.” – Morwenna, “Among Others”.
One needn’t be a SF/Fantasy genre fan to fall in love with this book; ‘getting’ the literary SF/F references is not required. “Among Others” is a treasure. A book to read and reread; to recommend; and, definitely to share.

Interesting Story, Unlistenable Performance

At the end of the 2nd CD, I decided not to listen any more. The story was intriguing--a young girl is sent off to boarding school after an unknown calamity. The narrator's performance was so sing song and so persistently "perky" I got a headache, and couldn't follow the author's intent at all. There was a complete lack of emotional expression. I hated it. I plan to get the book so I can read the story instead.

I Think it Deserves the Hugo

There are several different ways you could go about narrating a book. You could simply read it aloud, you might go so far as to add inflection to the spoken parts. And if you want to stand out, you try to give each notable character a distinct voice. But if you seek to be as extraordinary as Katherine Kellgren, you must bring the story to life, imbue every word with color. There are some wonderful pieces online about the lengths Ms. Kellgren goes to achieve such dynamic performances, and it truly shows. The result is that this reading is anything but stayed, the narration achieving an artistic quality all its own. Of course, this means that it is even more a separate and distinct creature from the words on a printed page than any audiobook already is, and to some that might be a bad thing, possibly a very bad thing. But with a case such as this where the experience is far more about the person telling you the story than her story per se, the end result is truly delightful.

It is understandable that for someone used to traditional narration, this performance might take some getting used to, because the emphasis on reproducing the character's voice occasionally overrides clarity, requiring you to pay closer attention than you might be used to. But this is more than worth it because if you give in to this way of relating the story, it's very much like listening to Mori speaking to you through her diary entries rather than listening to a woman read.

This approach helps the presentation of the material immensely, since this is so much about one person's journey, her thoughts, fears, ambitions, and observational asides along the way. You cannot help but love this girl who has suffered so much but still loves so dearly in her own way.

As for the end, it is rather sudden, especially given how the beginning so wonderfully takes you by the hand and leads you deeper and deeper into a world where magic is real, but always deniable, infinitely subtle and incalculably powerful. This book is a nominee for the 2012 Hugo Award for best novel. And though there are other worthy candidates this year, I would be very happy if it won.

Critically overrated; bonus points for nostalgia.

I picked this up when it got a Hugo nomination, and went into it pretty excited. The results are fairly mediocre.

This is a book where nothing much happens in the sense that the plot ark is more of a modest bump. This isn't automatically a bad thing in a book because a great character driven story can still provide a fantastic read, but that doesn't happen here, The characters are mildly interesting but never really compelling. What's worse is that some of the more interesting plot threads are simply abandoned by the end without ever being resolved in an ending that is both predictable and rushed.

So why the Hugo nomination? That's easy: nostalgia. Mori, our protagonist, finds direction and solace in science fiction and reads incessantly offering a whose-who of pre-80s name and title dropping and an accompanying analysis of SF writers and stories of the era. I think many critics are willing to overlook a mediocre story because of the nostalgia and fondness they feel at listening to Mori discuss her relentless reading list. While these certainly provide the most interesting parts of the novel for a big SF fan like myself, it's not enough to carry the entire story. This was a great premise suffering from mediocre execution, and in the end fondness for listening to other people talk about classical science fiction shouldn't be enough to make us ignore the mundane story in which that discussion is embedded in.

This is a perfectly acceptable story but not a remarkable one, and it certainly did not deserve a Hugo nomination. It will be most interesting to those who have read a lot of classic pre-1980 science fiction, and far less interesting to anyone without such a reading background.