[FicusFan]

ITo give you a US example, brownies would be part of the greater slice family.


Have you ever had real Brownies ? :eek: Brownies are sacred. ;)

They are not really just a flat cake, and could never be part of another family, except maybe the cake version of fudge. :D Now sheet cake I could accept. Is slice ever frosted ?

[Eldanuumea]

I think we call that sort of thing "sheet cake" around here. Nothing better than homemade plain sheet cake.
Now what's all this about this little dog.....My memory for detail is awful.........**dropping the book she's on and running to grab her copy of DofF and begin rereading asap**

[Rob B]

I notice everything :D


I generally consider myself a good reader too. I was reading in big chunks at a time maybe that's it.

Oh well.

[Eldanuumea]

Started DotF last night and can't wait to get back to it this evening....I love revisiting such a great read when enough time has passed for the details to seem fresh.

[Fola]

(Long post)
Several points to comment on here, so I'll start with the dog, Alys. She belonged to Simon and attaches herself to Sorcha soon after her arrival at Harrowfield. When a character (human or animal) is around somewhere but doesn't have a particular role in the story at that point, it's not necessary to go on mentioning their presence, is it? 'And Alys was sitting in the corner chewing on a bone.' Once Sorcha is imprisoned, obviously the dog is not present with her. Alys gets a mention when Simon comes home - clearly, her recognition of him is significant and her allegiance immediately goes back to him. Dogs are like that. I have two of them, and I know. Linn and Alys are based on the dogs I had when I was writing DoTF.

Eventine, re cover/blurb - yes, I agree. I have very little say about which quotes go on the covers. Of course, I do have some readers amongst the Women's Weekly brigade as well as amongst younger, male and female fantasy fans, and my publisher in Australia tries to market the books more widely than to just fantasy readers. And yes, it's awkward being honest about a book when the author is part of the discussion (that's OK, :( I'll just crawl under my blanket and cry...) No, seriously, balanced discussion is healthy, I myself have criticisms of DoTF, and as long as your points are presented with some justification it's fine with me.

Eldanuumea, Wolfskin is the first book in a two book sequence. The second one is called Foxmask and is available now - has only recently come out in the US but has been available a while in Australia and the UK. Details of my books and their availability can be found on my website - the easiest way to get there is via www.julietmarillier.com (http://www.julietmarillier.com) . I've just had a new book published in Australia, called The Dark Mirror - first in a historical fantasy series about the Picts.

Fitz, DoTF was the first novel I ever submitted to a publisher. I have, somewhere, a draft of a fantasy novel I wrote earlier. I must get it out some time and see if it's any good. Happy ending?? It is happy for Sorcha and Red, certainly, but not at all happy for various others, Simon and Finbar in particular. I did stick with the fairytale ending for the lovers (I felt they deserved it) but I was trying to show that fairytale endings must always have their losers as well. After the cataclysmic event that befell them, this family would bear long term scars. Some of them (Sorcha, Padraic) would be stronger as a result, while some (Finbar and possibly Liam) would probably not reach their full potential. I wrote the two sequels to trace the impact of Lady Oonagh's action through the next two generations.


Fola / Juliet

[Eldanuumea]

Fola, thank you very much indeed. I will look for the second book, as well as Dark Mirror.
I have very fond memories of the Sevenwaters books, because they were part of my first experiences in fantasy series......the very dear person in England who recommended them had such wonderful praises for them, and he was absolutely right.
Must get to class now.....have my DotF book on my desk, in case I get to sneak a peek while the students sweat over an exam.....LOL :D

[Rob B]

(Long post)
Several points to comment on here, so I'll start with the dog, Alys. She belonged to Simon and attaches herself to Sorcha soon after her arrival at Harrowfield. When a character (human or animal) is around somewhere but doesn't have a particular role in the story at that point, it's not necessary to go on mentioning their presence, is it? 'And Alys was sitting in the corner chewing on a bone.' Once Sorcha is imprisoned, obviously the dog is not present with her. Alys gets a mention when Simon comes home - clearly, her recognition of him is significant and her allegiance immediately goes back to him. Dogs are like that. I have two of them, and I know. Linn and Alys are based on the dogs I had when I was writing DoTF.
You know I've been sort of struggling with this myself. In the novel I'm writing, the protagonist has a dog, too. I don't want to bring up the dog every page just to mention him, but I also don't want my hopefully potential readers to forget about the dog either.


Eventine, re cover/blurb - yes, I agree. I have very little say about which quotes go on the covers. Of course, I do have some readers amongst the Women's Weekly brigade as well as amongst younger, male and female fantasy fans, and my publisher in Australia tries to market the books more widely than to just fantasy readers. And yes, it's awkward being honest about a book when the author is part of the discussion (that's OK, :( I'll just crawl under my blanket and cry...) No, seriously, balanced discussion is healthy, I myself have criticisms of DoTF, and as long as your points are presented with some justification it's fine with me.
I think the whole marketing thing in terms of marketing fantasy, seems, at least from the books and advertisements I see, is more of a problem in the US. Aesthetically, the cover often sort of pigeon holes who the publisher sees the readership as. Take for example your US covers vs. your Australian covers or even the forthcoming Shadowmarch by Tad Williams:
UK Cover (http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/1841492892.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) vs. the US Cover (http://a1204.g.akamai.net/7/1204/1401/04091411011/images.barnesandnoble.com/images/8270000/8278384.jpg) while I absolutely love Whelan's US cover, the UK cover looks more mainstream and would attract more non Fantasy readers, I think. Oh well, this is a particular subject we argue about in our main Fantasy forums quite often.
Fitz, DoTF was the first novel I ever submitted to a publisher. I have, somewhere, a draft of a fantasy novel I wrote earlier. I must get it out some time and see if it's any good. Happy ending?? It is happy for Sorcha and Red, certainly, but not at all happy for various others, Simon and Finbar in particular. I did stick with the fairytale ending for the lovers (I felt they deserved it) but I was trying to show that fairytale endings must always have their losers as well. After the cataclysmic event that befell them, this family would bear long term scars. Some of them (Sorcha, Padraic) would be stronger as a result, while some (Finbar and possibly Liam) would probably not reach their full potential. I wrote the two sequels to trace the impact of Lady Oonagh's action through the next two generations.


Fola / Juliet
I agree with the not leaving everyone unscathed, if they all returned to the status quo, then the whole journey and all the tumultuous events were wrought meaningless.

[Eldanuumea]

This morning finally got to the first Midsummer Eve reunion of the brothers and Sorcha. Even though this is a re-read, I found myself close to tears......I am so glad to be revisiting these characters, this place.
Knowing there will be grace at the end, some happiness for them, is what keeps me from despair.

[Eventine]

Eventine, re cover/blurb - yes, I agree. I have very little say about which quotes go on the covers. Of course, I do have some readers amongst the Women's Weekly brigade as well as amongst younger, male and female fantasy fans, and my publisher in Australia tries to market the books more widely than to just fantasy readers


Well, my Mum was visiting me when I purchased the book and based on the blurb and the quote she actually showed interest in reading the book, so it looks like the marketing balance might actually work in getting a wider readership (my Mum normally only reads authors like Tom Clancy and Wilbur Smith, and is a fringe member of the Women's Weekly brigade).

There does seem to be a distinct difference in the way some fantasy is marketed here in Australia. Diana Gabaldon and Jean (can't remember surname - writes books about a modern day lady gone back into Neanderthal time) are nearly always put in the mainstream sections of the book stores. I'm guessing they've made an active decision to market the stories as romance rather than romantic fantasy.

It's awkward being honest about a book when the author is part of the discussion
Yep, and sometimes it's easier to pinpoint what you didn't like about a book rather than what you liked. It was easier for me to point out the elements I didn't enjoy for some reason.

[Leiali]

Couldn't resist posting my comments on here - though I don't often venture into the book club. Firstly, it is interesting what the original fairy tale is known as. I read it as a very young child but it was called the Children of Lir. I remember the pictures to this day. And then saw it on the Story teller too. So it was always a favourite tale. When I read Daughters of the Forest for the first time, I was a little concerned as I already knew the plot, but that wasn't a problem in the end.
I liked the romantic element (as I have often said in this forum, romance is often neglected whilst blood and gore are detailed in their description) a great deal. What I really liked the most though, was the cadence in the language, if that is the correct term. Sorcha's tale was told as a fairy tale, using simple, lyrical language. I am not keen on books written in the first person usually, but Sorcha's character drew me in.

I shall stop gushing now, but I could go on (I probably have about this book elsewhere - I am sure I discussed its merits for feminists too)....I shall just leave it at the fact that I read it now and again to have a good cry (of happiness as well as sadness) and to meet Red again. What an amazing character.