Caroline Stevermer is a woman who clearly isn't afraid of a little experimentation. Her alternative history/fantasy stories feature truly unusual settings, characters, and resolutions, and even if they don't all quite work... well, you still have to respect her willingness to take a risk. She doesn't seem to be as well known as
Patricia C. Wrede, with whom she wrote the cult favorite
Sorcery and Cecelia, but I suspect that's mostly because Caroline Stevermer has never written a
Star Wars adaptation. And frankly, that's a decision that I can respect.
Aftertaste:None.
Availability:Everywhere.
Other Recommendations:Sunshine, by
Robin McKinleyThe Wolves of Willoughby Chase series, by
Joan Aiken
Comments
hecate
I adored "Sorcery and Cecelia", but the sequel just wasn't worth the DECADE-PLUS-LONG wait, I'm sorry to say. It was pretty good, but when you have over ten years to raise your expectations, you want something remarkable.
lori
I agree that I did not enjoy the Grand Tour as much as I did Sorcery and Cecilia. As soon as I finished reading the first book, I re-read it again, it was that good. I particularly like that the format of the book is letters written between two cousins in a fairly passable 19th century style. No one tries that anymore (particulary if their books are set in the 19th century).
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\r\nAs for A College of Magics, I liked the book quite a bit until I got to the end. I would definitely say I was unsatisfied with the way all those loose ends were tied up. (Definitely....Icky!)