Endicott Mythic Fiction discussion

Our October 2014 read is Graham Joyce's The Facts of Life.

Who's reading?

Waiting for my copy to come in. Hopefully before the month is over.

Count me in, I've ordered it too. It probably won't arrive until later this month.

Currently reading Laline Paull's The Bees, but once I finish that, I'm in. FYI, a copy of Joyce's The Facts of Life can be borrowed for free via OpenLibrary here: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15139... -- it's legit and a great resource.

andrea wrote: "Currently reading Laline Paull's The Bees, but once I finish that, I'm in. FYI, a copy of Joyce's The Facts of Life can be borrowed for free via OpenLibrary here: https://openlibrar..."

How are you liking The Bees? It's on my TBR list.

I will join in as well. The description is intriguing.

I've had a copy for quite some time but hadn't gotten to it yet. I'm looking forward to it!

Margaret wrote: "How are you liking The Bees? It's on my TBR list."

It's kinda of shocking how good it is - it's a very unusual book.

I guess what is most striking to me is that fantasy is so often about discovering worlds we don't know a bit of, that are mostly made up in the author's mind, but here I keep thinking, Yes, I've seen bees do just that, or right, I heard they dance to each other, and the dance conveys flower information, etc etc. But now I have all this backstory and/or context to put in, fantastical context but whatever. ;)

Oh, and the world the author created, or rather is revealing, is so detailed and thought out. She's created a whole society with bee religion and bee culture and bee hierarchy, and so on.

Pretty great stuff - about half way through so far. I'm really impressed this is a debut novel.

andrea wrote: "Margaret wrote: "How are you liking The Bees? It's on my TBR list."

It's kinda of shocking how good it is - it's a very unusual book.

I guess what is most striking to me is that fantasy is so of..."

Sounds fantastic! I'm going to have to see if my library has it.

My book arrived. I'll start reading.

I did not realize that this book won the 2003 Fantasy Award.
http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/20...

Through the first few chapters. Good writing and a bit of mystery and mythic subtly introduced.

Great parts, and then parts that I could do without. (Do not read this spoiler until you are through chapter 16 -- major spoiler!!!) (view spoiler)[I was wondering about the father, so quiet and in the background -- in an earlier chapter something was hinted at (if you find this, I'd love to know because I didn't mark it) and then Martha confronts Cassie & asks if she has talked to her Father -- and then she reminds Cassie that he is dead. (hide spoiler)] Loved that this was just hinted at -- but got me to wondering what was going to happen. Didn't see it coming so soon though.

Hmm. I liked it and not.

I'm just a few chapters in, but finding it rather interesting and different. I'm used to this style when reading Latin American Magical Realism, so it seems kind of strange at first experiencing something similar taking place in England.

I got a copy this week and will start it today, if all goes well. Okay, even if all doesn't go well! Reading a good novel is my reward to myself after a hectic day. Best wishes to all in this group! We've been going for several years and have read some terrific novels. I've not always been able to participate but I remain a fan.

Jalilah wrote: "I'm just a few chapters in, but finding it rather interesting and different. I'm used to this style when reading Latin American Magical Realism, so it seems kind of strange at first experiencing so..."

I think this is part of what's getting me. It definitely seems very much like a Latin American Magical Realism style to me... Then suddenly it's not as it's dealing with the English WWII home front or the post war period. It's certainly keeping me off balance and not quite sure what to expect!

Kathy, I liked that too! (view spoiler)[Did you notice that Cassie says that the dead can't hear the living though the living can hear the dead, yet she still has long conversations with him? HE does seem to respond to Martha too though, so maybe Arthur is different from the other dead?

There does seem to be several hints at him being dead... Cassie asking who Martha was speaking to at the wedding and Martha thinking of both him and the soon-to-be dead Bertha in the same sentence are the two biggest ones.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm about 2/3 of the way at the moment. At the flashback to the Coventry bombing.

Over all I liked it, but not so much that I would read it again.

What did you guys think of the stay in the commune?

The whole set-up would otherwise be funny (and I'm seeing a couple of other reviewers say it was the funniest part of the novel) but at every turn, there's that creepy Feek.

(view spoiler)[I guess I'm kind of surprised that they'd later joke about who was sleeping with whom during their stay there when the entire reason they left was finding out that Feeks had been climbing into Frank's bed at night. Shudder.

I wonder if that was the cause (or one of the causes) for Feek's wives and children moving out? Perhaps one of the wives caught him as well?
(hide spoiler)]

I with you Melanti on the commune stay -- a bit creepy for me as opposed to funny. Frank was a child and that just holds no humor for me. One of the parts I was unhappy with.

I won't have a chance to read this one and join in the discussion, but I'd like to read Graham Joyce again. I didn't enjoy Some Kind of Fairytale, but felt like I should have. Does anyone have a recommendation? It seems like The Facts of Life is getting only okay reviews. What are his best novels?

First Graham Joyce novel for me. So can't make recommendations for you.

The Tooth Fairy is his other fairy taleish one. I liked it but it does have a lot of teenage angst sort of stuff in it, so make sure you're in the mood.

Dark Sister seems to be pretty well-regarded as well, but I haven't read that one yet.

Melanti wrote: "The Tooth Fairy is his other fairy taleish one. I liked it but it does have a lot of teenage angst sort of stuff in it, so make sure you're in the mood.

Dark Sister seem..."

Thanks! The Tooth Fairy sounds good, and I'll make sure I'm in the mood!

For me there was not much funny about it!

just finished the book today and i enjoyed it. what struck me from the beginning was the feel of the book - it reminded me so much of children's classics i used to read, like little women or all-in-the-family. the sense of belonging, even amidst the fights and conflicts, was strong, and it extended beyond the family and into the land itself.

i agree feek was disturbing, but i didn't get the impression that he had been climbing into frank's bed the whole time, rather that it was the first time that night. *but* he had been in frank's room touching his hair and face while frank was sleeping, which is obviously very wrong - and really, you would think cassie or beattie or bernard would have gotten the hint long before it even reached that point.

martha and raggie annie were my favorites. and gordon too, with his stammering scottishness. really, just so many vibrant characters. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look for more by graham joyce.