(no subject)

[skygiants]

A Scholar of Magics is probably a more coherent book than A College of Magics, but it doesn't hit so many of my personal fictional buttons - there's not nearly as much ladyfriendship or dorky schoolgirl hijinks, the drama is not as dramatic, and it's a bit less full of ladies crankily and competently saving the day.

On the other hand, it does have cranky minor-character undergraduates accidentally saving the day while pursuing their professor to just GRADE THEIR PAPERS ALREADY, THEY NEED THEIR GPA, which is almost as good!

Also it has the fabulous Jane coolly being fabulous as she relentlessly mocks the all-boy's British magical college to which she has come On A Mission From Faris, and a new awesome character in Sam Lambert, who is basically the most adorable gun-toting rugged Wild West cowboy ever to appear in a work of fiction. Sam's an obviously incongruous figure in this book, a sharpshooter who's been hired by aforementioned very upper-crust British magical college to help them with developing a Mysterious Weapon by demonstrating his Sharpshooting Skills, and - okay, one of the romances of the story is Jane/Sam and it's extremely cute, but the other main romance of the story, and arguably the more important one, is Sam/University. Sam just wants to broaden his horizons, guys! He loves books and has a secret fondness for the opera, and he enjoys telling very straight-faced tall tales with absolutely zero swagger, and people are constantly patting him on the hand and telling him he's a lamb and he is like "a lamb? really? D:" and I laughed every time. Basically he is a sweetheart, and, okay, I apologize to half my flist here, but I sort of sympathized with his quiet despair at the inevitability of always, always being offered another cup of tea.

So I did love Sam, and I did also love Sam and Jane - Caroline Stevermer is an author who is really good at showing the way that long road trips wear on people, by the way; a romance that survives six cranky, sulky hours in the car with inadequate directions is a romance that may indeed last! - but all the same I missed Faris, and the mixture of quiet good sense and WILD RURITANIAN MELODRAMA that characterized the end of the last book.

I also now desperately want a crossover with the Chrestomanci books. I mean - Jane and Christopher. Jane and MILLIE. It would be glorious!

Comments

[villainny.livejournal.com]

TEA.

[skygiants]

A cup of tea is all well and good! A cup of tea when what you are furiously craving is Diet Coke, or something else caffeinated and less healthsome, is however NOT AT ALL the same. :(

[genarti]

*obligatory GIP*

[skygiants]

I like how you make this post using this icon implying that your mind is one of the rational ones. *fond tolerance*

(Personally I have never made such claims.)

[genarti]

I never said it wasn't a somewhat ironic icon. *laughing*

(On the actual subject of the post, I am intrigued! I need to make another round of library reservations, I think. For ALL MY SPARE TIME, but oh well.)

[skygiants]

(Haha, I was about to say, 'I can't lend you this one because I don't own it,' and then I actually remembered I do own the first one in the series which I think you would also enjoy - though I also think you would get a kick out of Sam the Sharpshooting Lamb. So if you want I can bring it up with me? I can trade it out for 20th Century Boys, which I might ask for back if possible so that I can lend it out to others!)

[genarti]

(That works for me! I went to the library site, but then I remembered that, uh, before I can reserve things online I need to stop by the library and get another card because mine was yet another casualty of the Great Wallet Theft of '10. Since I do not remember my long library barcode number to log in with.

And yes, I owe you 20th Century Boys back, along with... probably other things. I've got a Joan Aiken book or two and The Rainbow People still, IIRC, which you may have back with my thanks and blessing! And, for the Aiken, lots of giggling.)

[skygiants]

(Is it sad that I have both my library barcode numbers totally memorized? It is probably kind of sad.

That sounds about right! I am kind of sorry I have no more Aiken that I actually own to give you - trust me, you want to read the King Arthur one. *giggling* Did you ever get around to finishing 20th Century Boys, by the way, or did you decide it was not for you? Which, fine if so, I am just curious.)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I like College much better, but that may have to do with my ill-concealed weak spot for Ruritanian romance. Give me a duchess in exile and I am full of joy.

[skygiants]

I like College better too, but I think Scholar also just appeals to very different buttons. It's a lot more laid-back and gentle - which may have something to do with Sam, who is a pretty laid-back guy, as main narrative focus, as opposed to Faris, who is many things but laid-back is not one of them - and doesn't have that surprisingly dark turn at the end that makes College such a weird and fascinating book.

[genarti]

(I was well on my way to that for a while! Then I forgot them, and also later lost the card. So uh. I half-remember it, but not clearly enough to be of use.

I REALLY DO want to read the King Arthur one. *laughing* Library ho! Eventually. And no, I didn't, but I also haven't picked it up to give it another try -- I'm going to try to do so between now and your arrival, to see if my interest in it picks up after the early slow start! I failed to really engage with any of the characters, but I also haven't given it as much of a chance as it really deserves, especially since I find manga often starts slowly for me.)

[kate_nepveu]

cranky minor-character undergraduates accidentally saving the day while pursuing their professor to just GRADE THEIR PAPERS ALREADY

I know! I'm married to a professor and that just made me laugh and laugh.

I just got her new one, which is a YA in the Sorcery & Cecilia 'verse, and am very excited.

[skygiants]

I totally cracked up every time they showed up. (With bonus points for the super cunning aliases! When lost in an impenetrable fairy wood it is very important to remember that you might also get cited by the university for staying out past curfew when you get back.)

. . . that is EXTREMELY exciting. *_* I am going to have to go hunt it down!

[kiarasayre.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see a more realistic Harry-Potter-secret-magic-school knockoff story where students actually have to study for their magic tests, do magic homework, worry about applying to magic colleges, take magical standardized tests, and you know what? They would probably still have to take the SAT.

"I can change the head of a pin into a freaking twenty-story building! Why do I need to be able to use 'plethora' in a sentence?! Nobody even says 'plethora' unless they've just learned it for the SAT!" *spontaneous explosion*

[skygiants]

ME TOO. Man, I spent way too much time thinking about the "but what about magical college!" thing when I was first reading the HP books. Actually it bothered me so much that the only Harry Potter fanfic I've ever written features someone's parents being like "but what are your career options as a wizard? Is there higher education? CAN YOU STILL GET INTO COLLEGE?"

I also really want to know how wizarding kids learn math, in general. Arithmancy is not math! Who teaches them long division?

[kiarasayre.livejournal.com]

Word. And it bothers me a little bit that JKR kind of...wrote a world that just. won't. work. I mean, take calculus. Calculus gets used a lot. I can't believe that the wizarding world survives without calculus! Especially because there are some professions that are pretty damn necessary that I can't imagine surviving without skills that Hogwarts just plain doesn't teach. Also also, I would love to read fic about academic wizards learning Real World Science and trying to reconcile them, using, like, transfer-of-energy equations and stuff like that.

On the other hand, I do love the idea of science fiction being the escapist literature of choice for Percy Weasley little witches and wizards, who, much like a scientist can't watch Armageddon without twitching, can't stand Lord of the Rings or any fantasy. But scifi? That's a totally different world, man.

[skygiants]

Not to mention, in the less-necessary-but-still-mind-bogglingly-absent realms, no literature, and no foreign languages (you could argue they're ethnocentric British wizards, but still!) No music classes. Are there any wizarding violinists? Wizarding pianists? Apparently not!

I would ALSO love to read that fic. I did read a fic that deals with a wizard learning science! fahye's Healer, which is about Padma Patil choosing to become a doctor in the non-wizarding sense, and is also excellent.

Hahaha ME TOO. Secret Star Wars movie nights late in the dorm?

[lacewood]

Ahaha oh MAN, a crossover with Chrestomanci. How long could Faris and Christopher spend in the same room without trying to end each other? My guess is NOT VERY. XD

And I love that for all Sam is supposed to be the rugged mysterious cowboy, he's actually the most politely bemused cowboy to ever find himself dragged across England on crazy adventures to save the world, hereby proving that if anyone is winning the crazy contest, it's the British. And their tea. *cracks up*

[skygiants]

Faris would try to end Christopher, and Christopher would just make a cutting comment, and the situation would just CONTINUE GETTING WORSE.

Me too! He's so extremely mild-mannered, I love it. HE WAS A SCHOOLTEACHER. (I also love, by the way, that now it's canon that the animals that people get turned into reflect their personality in some way, so it is now canon that Tyrian's spirit animal is totally a tiny kitten.)

[lacewood]

I am sure Faris wouldn't appreciate Chrestomanci's dressing gown collection AT ALL. Actually, I feel like he would remind her very unpleasantly of Uncle Brinker, but I can't quite figure why. XD

I don't remember them mentioning that (but then my memory is fuzzy) but omg. Tyrian: eternally doomed to never have any dignity, ever. (Deep down in his soul, all he REALLY wants are pettings and someone to scratch his ears...)

[skygiants]

It's the suaveness! Suaveness never signifies well, in Caroline Stevermer.

I bet Conrad and Sam would really quite get along, though. And Jane really would approve the dressing gown collection.

It's when they're talking about all the animals in cages and how Jane's brother is such an inner collie dog (which: he totally is.) And I had to stop and go HAHAHA TYRIAN for a while. (Give him a ball of yarn to play with competently untangle, and he's happy for hours!)

[lacewood]

Jane would love the dressing gowns, that's true! She and Chrestomanci would spend hours reviewing and critiquing his collection, while Millie judiciously gets Faris somewhere where they won't run into each other again. XD

(And if you keep up with the feline theme, an entitled belief that everyone should bow and adore him..? Well now Tyrian, maybe kingship will suit you after all!)

[skygiants]

Millie kind of unnerves Tyrian, though. He hates it when someone else takes over his quietly-competent role! That's his thing, man.

(HAHAHAHA PERFECT.)