Told as a teenage diary, the novel follows Mori, a Welsh girl who can see fairies and has just used magic to stop her mother, a witch, at a terrible cost — now exiled to an English boarding school, she survives on a voracious diet of science fiction and fantasy novels.
Books mentioned in Among Others (97)
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper: “"There’s The Dark Is Rising," Hugh said.”
The Republic by Plato: “She put down a brand-new copy of the Everyman edition of Plato’s Republic. ("The Republic isn’t as much fun as The Symposium.")”
The Aeneid by Virgil: “In Latin we’re starting on Book I of Virgil’s Aeneid.”
Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey: “Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonquest, which looks as if it’s the sequel to “Weyr Search” which I read in an anthology.”
Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey: “I bought Four Quartets, Ted Hughes’s Crow and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsinger.”
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick: “We didn’t just talk about Pavane, but also Brunner’s brilliant Times Without Number and Dick’s The Man in the High Castle.”
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut: ““Cat’s Cradle?” “Breakfast of Champions, Welcome to the Monkey House.””
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore: “Castle (which I haven’t read) and Ward Moore’s Bring the Jubilee.”
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut: ““Cat’s Cradle?” “Breakfast of Champions, Welcome to the Monkey House.””
Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut: ““Cat’s Cradle?” “Breakfast of Champions, Welcome to the Monkey House.””
The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin: “The three-volume paperback Lord of the Rings, of course, Ursula Le Guin’s The Wind’s Twelve Quarters, Volume 2.”
Dune by Frank Herbert: “Parcel from Daniel this morning, with Clifford Simak’s City and Frank Herbert’s Dune.”
The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien: “A hardcover three-volume edition of The Lord of the Rings.”
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin: “He also said that maybe she writes about the scientific process so well in The Dispossessed.”
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin: “If it’s like books at all, it’s more like The Lathe of Heaven than anything.”
Symposium by Plato: “But I can order the ones listed in The Symposium of course, so I’ll do that.”
The Tempest by William Shakespeare: “We’re also going to be reading The Tempest and some Keats.”
Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny: “On the train I read The Sign of the Unicorn, all of it in one gulp.”
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: “I read The Communist Manifesto today—it’s very short.”
The Magus by John Fowles: “I also got out five other things by authors I know and The Magus.”
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin: ““Compared to Tolkien at his best, this is dross”—about A Wizard of Earthsea.”
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis: “I’ll see if they have Mere Christianity in the town library.”
A Touch of Strange by Theodore Sturgeon: “Theodore Sturgeon’s A Touch of Strange, with a lovely cover of a woman’s head and the moon.”
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson: “He has also lent me Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword.”
An Old Captivity by Nevil Shute: “A most intriguing book by Josephine Tey called Daughter of Time and Nevil Shute’s An Old Captivity.”
Creatures of Light and Darkness by Roger Zelazny: “I have read the entire science fiction and fantasy collection of Aberdare library, from Anderson’s Ensign Flandry to Roger Zelazny’s Creatures of Light and Darkness.”
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle: “In the bookshop I bought The Mote in God’s Eye for Daniel.”
Gate of Ivrel by C.J. Cherryh: “Author new to me, Gate of Ivrel by C. J. Cherryh. I was overwhelmed.”
Guardians of Time by Poul Anderson: “One of the first SF books I ever read was time travel, Poul Anderson’s Guardians of Time.”
Return to Night by Mary Renault: “I have Mary Renault’s Return to Night and I can’t even read it.”
Selected Poems by W. H. Auden: “Auden’s Selected Poems for English.”
The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare: “She has seen The Winter’s Tale and Richard II, when they were set plays, and she hated both of them.”
The Greeks by H. D. F. Kitto: “He also brought a little blue Pelican paperback book called The Greeks by H. D. F. Kitto, which he says will give me context.”
The Persian Boy by Mary Renault: “Mary Renault’s The Persian Boy had come in.”
The Spell Sword by Marion Zimmer Bradley: “Reading Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Spell Sword, which is fun so far.”
Warm Worlds and Otherwise by James Tiptree Jr.: “James Tiptree, Jr.’s Warm Worlds and Otherwise gives The Wind’s Twelve Quarters, Vol II a run for its money.”
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr: “I have read, though I didn’t bring it with me, Judith Kerr’s When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.”
Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains by Sylvia Engdahl: “I am going to order Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains. Sylvia Engdahl wrote this totally brilliant book called Heritage of the Star... there’s a sequel with that title.”
The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree Jr.: “We talked for ages about “The Girl Who Was Plugged In,” such a brilliant story.”
Empire Star by Samuel R. Delany: “Empire Star itself is one of the best things I’ve ever read.”
Weyr Search by Anne McCaffrey: ““Weyr Search” which I read in an anthology.”
The Forgotten Enemy by Arthur C. Clarke: “I was very good and didn’t tell her the story of Clarke’s “Forgotten Enemy.””
He Who Shapes by Roger Zelazny: “The Dream Master turns out to be a novel version of “He Who Shapes.””
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut: ““How about The Sirens of Titan?” he asked.”
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony: “I’m about to start A Spell for Chameleon which is fantasy.”
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: “You’d have to start with babies, like Brave New World, which I see now is influenced by Plato.”
Chaining the Lady by Piers Anthony: “So far I’ve read Vicinity Cluster, and Chaining the Lady.”
Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison: “I lay there thinking about Heinlein and that Sturgeon story in Dangerous Visions.”
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: “It’s very tragic actually, a bit like Jane Eyre.”
Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death by James Tiptree Jr.: “We talked for ages about “The Girl Who Was Plugged In”... and “Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death.””
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis: “He has the maenads in Prince Caspian and they always...”
Richard II by William Shakespeare: “Richard II at least should be terrific acted.”
Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper: “Everyone agreed that the end of Silver on the Tree is a cop-out.”
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham: “I named the dramroads after places in The Lord of the Rings when I should have recognised that they were from The Chrysalids.”
The Grey King by Susan Cooper: “I’m onto The Grey King.”
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien: “The beginning of The Silmarillion.”
Time Enough For Love by Robert A. Heinlein: “I know from Time Enough For Love, which is very explicit on that.”
Vicinity Cluster by Piers Anthony: “So far I’ve read Vicinity Cluster, and Chaining the Lady.”
A Dream of Wessex by Christopher Priest: “Christopher Priest’s A Dream of Wessex (must order!) which Wim says is brill.”
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke: “It isn’t Childhood’s End or 2001, but it’s just what I want today.”
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke: “It isn’t Childhood’s End or 2001, but it’s just what I want today.”
Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery: “Montgomery’s Jane of Lantern Hill, a girl whose parents were divorced.”