The Magician

[Pajamaman]

If you want to read adult, dark Harry Potter, Shadowlands is really good. I must try some more Straub. I'll try the Talisman methinks.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

If you want to read adult, dark Harry Potter, Shadowlands is really good. I must try some more Straub. I'll try the Talisman methinks.

Hum, there is more to Harry Potter than just some sort of Wizard School. Reading the blurb, Shadowland by Straub seems more like a traditional master/apprentice in a horror setting. IMPO, the attraction to the Harry Potter series was a combination of a sense of whimsy, plus more than anything, the enjoyable characters. They seemed more like people the reader might want to hang out with. So many of the would be Harry Potter knockoffs seem to forget the likable part of the equation.

On an aside, one way that I find new books to try is running across books that look interesting as I pull up books people recommend. For some reason, one of the books that came up when looking at Shadowland was Frederick Forsyth's The Fox. I really liked Forsyth's early books (Day of the Jackel, Dogs of War, Odessa File), and it was priced at a price where I said "why not". Heck, I didn't even know that Forsyth was still alive, much less still active.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Hum, there is more to Harry Potter than just some sort of Wizard School. Reading the blurb, Shadowland by Straub seems more like a traditional master/apprentice in a horror setting. IMPO, the attraction to the Harry Potter series was a combination of a sense of whimsy, plus more than anything, the enjoyable characters. They seemed more like people the reader might want to hang out with. So many of the would be Harry Potter knockoffs seem to forget the likable part of the equation.

On an aside, one way that I find new books to try is running across books that look interesting as I pull up books people recommend. For some reason, one of the books that came up when looking at Shadowland was Frederick Forsyth's The Fox. I really liked Forsyth's early books (Day of the Jackel, Dogs of War, Odessa File), and it was priced at a price where I said "why not". Heck, I didn't even know that Forsyth was still alive, much less still active.

Shadowlands is not a knock off. It was written long before. Perhaps you should try more than the blurb before writing it off. I suppose Amazon let's you look inside. The first pragrapgh should belie of your assumption. It is a great character work in its own right.

Apparenly Strugatskys Monday begins on Saturday is a very good soviet era adult Potter type precursor. Ive yet to read it.

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

If you want to read adult, dark Harry Potter, Shadowlands is really good. I must try some more Straub. I'll try the Talisman methinks.

Do you have a link for that? Google is giving me world of warcraft stuff.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by hobnail

Do you have a link for that? Google is giving me world of warcraft stuff.

Shadowland, not Shadowlands.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Shadowlands is not a knock off. It was written long before. Perhaps you should try more than the blurb before writing it off. I suppose Amazon let's you look inside. The first pragrapgh should belie of your assumption. It is a great character work in its own right.

Apparenly Strugatskys Monday begins on Saturday is a very good soviet era adult Potter type precursor. Ive yet to read it.

I didn't say it was a Harry Potter knock off, I said it appeared to be more of a traditional Master/Apprentice story in a horror setting. I'm not a particular fan of horror oriented books.

The second part is my basic take on why I don't generally like Harry Potter/Wizard School knock offs.

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

In the sense that the magic on the Isle of Roke is a lot deeper are more dangerous and integral to the world than the magic at Hogwarts, in my opinion. I enjoy Harry Potter but Earthsea feels more loke "real" magic to me, I know that probably doesn't make sense. Plus, Gebbeth.

That might be partially because the 'world' in Harry Potter is more akin to a fun-house mirror of British society then anything else (from the ridiculousness of being *normal* while shoving an unwanted child in a cupboard to everything about the Ministry of Magic). It's hard for anything to feel integral to such a world.

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by ekbell

That might be partially because the 'world' in Harry Potter is more akin to a fun-house mirror of British society then anything else (from the ridiculousness of being *normal* while shoving an unwanted child in a cupboard to everything about the Ministry of Magic). It's hard for anything to feel integral to such a world.

Heh! Very true! Don't get me wrong, I love HP, even though it wasn't a thing until I was in my 20s. I grew up with Earthsea and even spent summers in the area of the Pacific N.W. that was her inspiration for Earthsea's topography.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Shadowlands by straub is awesome.

I love Peter Straub, but Shadowland just didn't do it for me. It's memorable, because Straub is such a good writer. But for me lots of the book felt like a slog.

I do think comparing it to Harry Potter is fair enough though.