[the_old_crowd] Re: The trouble with Harry

[silmariel]

I've tried my best not to include spoilers for any of the books, but
then, read at your risk.

> > The main character from Earthsea series.
> >
Kneasy:
> Ursula La Guin?
> Quality writer.
> Familiar with her SF books (The Left Hand of Darkness is up there on
> the all-time classics list) but I've never delved into her wizarding stuff.

One of my favourites.

Earthsea, well, I don't want to spoil the series, but has some things
quite unusual to find.

> > I add the Wicked Witch of the West from Wicked, and Jenna from Sister
> > Light, Sister Dark.
> >
>
> Don't know those either.
> *Sigh*
> Too many books, not enough time.
>
> Kneasy

The first is for adults but the second are children's books, quite
particular in the way they are narrated. Each chapter will contain the
legend (facts in the book seen as mythos), the history(a scientific
trying to make sense of the historical evidence), sometimes a song
(music included) and then the chapter.

> Kelly:
>
> Wicked Spoiler alert!
>
> Although Elphaba is probably the most intelligent character in Wicked,
> I would argue that she doesn't fit the hero role, since she doesn't
> "win" in the end.  Wicked is fantasy, but it never struck me as a hero
> saga.

Oh, no, she can't win or that would contradict the wizard of oz, this
is one of those books where you start knowing the fate of the
character - I can't consider that a spoiler, it's in the back cover of
the book! But she's brave, outcasted, battles as a leader against the
forces of evil and doesn't qualify as an anti hero.

On the other hand, Dorothy looks plain stupid but so lucky that it
screams that's a Hand of God from the author (not maguire), that made
me see Elphaba as very real.

She's not a Greek Hero, true, that's Jenna, born from three mothers,
etc. I don't even know if it can be done in such an... orwellian book.
Genders clash.

Silmariel