[alison]

Good list there -

I can answer the question about His Dark Materials - it's a quote from Milton, somewhere in Paradise Lost I think, which with Blake is obviously a huge influence on Pulman's books (I like the Sally Lockhart books too).

As far as I know, nobody knows when the last of the Obernewtyn series is coming - it must be seriously stuck! What a nightmare!

[Akdor 1154]

"The Heaven and Earth" Trilogy - Richard Harland (sci-fi/fantasy about the future dominated by robots and people who control robots. Interesting concepts about Heaven and dying. Has angels in it. Another Aussie, I think)Yeah, this is a bloody awesome series.

I like the Blake Mysteries, by Jenny Pausaker, and also anything by Catherine Jinks (Hector McKerrow is cool, The Rapture even more so, and Piggy in the Middle is just plain freaky. I'm about halfway through Pagan in Exile - it's probably the best 'historical fiction' (whatever the hell that is) series I've ever read :D.

[tchang]

Writers steal from each other all the time.

I think it's more like transmutation than stealing.... In Charles de Lint's intro to Hodgell's third book he said that, like many other writers, Hodgell cast her net into the pool of what has gone before, but unlike most, she also replenishes the pool with what she creates. If I were a writer I'd take it as a huge compliment that what I wrote inspired someone else enough that it had some effect on that person's work. I'd want to think that what I wrote had enough truth and resonance that it replenished the pool of communal imagination....

I will definitely give the Otori trilogy a try. In fact, I have been wavering on the edge of buying the books for sometime. It's weird how many little idiosyncrasies affect how quickly I buy something. So, for whatever reason, I tend not to buy books set in feudal Japan -- one of the major reasons I haven't bought the Otori trilogy already. For a while I also had a unreasoning dislike of Guy Gavriel Kay -- even though I had never read any of his books. Does this happen to anyone else?

(As a side note, after I finally read A Song for Arbonne by Kay, I went out and bought every single one of his books I could find (except for the Fionavar Tapstries, which I am saving for a rainy day) and read them in a two-week period. I should add Tigana to my recommend list -- after I read that book I dreamt about it.)

[alison]

I rather like Tolkien's image of the Tree of Tales...do you know that charming story of his, Leaf by Niggle? I actually think it's probably the best thing he wrote, LOTR included (duck for cover). I've always thought that there's a common pot, or pool, which all writers dip into, and add to as well.

I enjoyed the Otori tales, and they're not quite set in feudal Japan. Just somewhere rather like feudal Japan, in the way Kay uses various historical cultures and slants them. Oddly, I just finished reading Tigana yesterday - it had devastating effects on my sleeping patterns...

[alison]

I think it's more like transmutation than stealing....

I like to think of it as stealing. Which is probably a bit arrogant of me... it's from a quote attributed to both Picasso and TS Eliot (who probably stole it): "Good artists borrow; great artists steal." :D

[Sirion]

probably a slightly stupid question, but then i am a bit stupid! LOL. Does anyone here like the Garth Nix books - Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen? Coz they r really brilliant.

[Leonie]

probably a slightly stupid question, but then i am a bit stupid! LOL. Does anyone here like the Garth Nix books - Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen? Coz they r really brilliant.

I don't have them but I've read them. they are absolutely brilliant!!! :D I especially enjoyed Sabriel because that was a story in itself and I had no expectations of it. Unlike Lireal where I kept searching for mentions of the characters I knew without really getting to know the new ones, which was a stupid thing to do!! :p But I'm like that with some series which change characters half way through, I get bored of the new characters without actually thinking about them properly. (But I won't do this with the Pellinor Series - promise). But Abhorsen was good because I had got round to actually paying attention to what was going on but what kind of ending was that?! It was very open ended and I really wanted to know more!! -growls- stupid Garth Nix person :( LOL

[Lola Bert]

*puts hand up* I've read the Old kingdom Trilogy! Yes, they were very good and I was so proud of myself that I guessed the ending to Abhorsen.
I love Mogget. How can you not love Mogget?

[Becks]

Don't tell me anything Im reading Sabriel at the moment, Ive read sum of it before ages ago and couldnt find da page I was on!!!!

I got Lirael before Sabriel and have read 117 pages of Lireal and about 35 pages of Sabriel( cant b bozzed 2 count!!!).... Im readin it as im on here....... :D

VERY GOOD BOOKS AND IF UVE READ MY LIST THERE IS SUM VERY GOOD BOOKS THERE 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

[Suzie]

is it just me or are the most of the best writers australian