http://www.kategriffin.net/2010/07/07/why-history/ Fantasy Author Kate Griffin Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:39:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.kategriffin.net/2010/07/07/why-history/comment-page-1/#comment-326 AdrianH Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:41:02 +0000 http://www.kategriffin.net/?p=631#comment-326 Interesting you should mention Suleman and the Vienna Sieges. In previous blogs the subject of other authors and books has come up, and one real favourite of mine, which I was going to mention, but I think I forgot, Is Tim Powers ‘The Drawing Of The Dark’. If you haven't read this book, or even heard of it, you really, really, REALLY should track down a copy. It has everything you could possibly want; drunk Irish mercenaries, Vikings, Merlin, Beer, (very important, that. It's all in the title), supernatural battles between East and West, love lost, gained and lost again, mad artists... Kate, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Another couple of books I think you really ought to track down, which are more recent in their placings, but again have a degree of history, an urban setting, magic, sacrifice and love lost and gained in one form or another, are 'Wizard Of The Pigeons', by Megan Lindholm, who now writes as Robin Hobb. Wizard is a homeless man living on the streets of Seattle, a Vietnam Vet suffering the after-affects of the war, faced with a battle against a supernatural foe called Mir. This book left such an impression on me after I first read it I couldn't read it again for nearly ten years. It has many of the characteristics of your own Urban Magic books, something that has just occurred to me while looking for a hardback copy. ($90, via Amazon!). The other book is a little closer to home, set in London and a seaside town in the South-east. It called 'When The Lights Go Out', by Tanith Lee, and I have read this book over and over and over again. I managed to find an ex-library hardback for about a tenner in perfect condition, to my unfettered joy. Again, there's magic, dispossessed people, sacrifice, love and loss, and I treasure this book. If I lived near London I'd lend them to you, but sadly that's impractical, but I really recommend you try to find them, they're up there with Zelazney and Gaiman as my favourite books. Oh, and yours, of course. Interesting you should mention Suleman and the Vienna Sieges. In previous blogs the subject of other authors and books has come up, and one real favourite of mine, which I was going to mention, but I think I forgot, Is Tim Powers ‘The Drawing Of The Dark’. If you haven’t read this book, or even heard of it, you really, really, REALLY should track down a copy. It has everything you could possibly want; drunk Irish mercenaries, Vikings, Merlin, Beer, (very important, that. It’s all in the title), supernatural battles between East and West, love lost, gained and lost again, mad artists… Kate, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Another couple of books I think you really ought to track down, which are more recent in their placings, but again have a degree of history, an urban setting, magic, sacrifice and love lost and gained in one form or another, are ‘Wizard Of The Pigeons’, by Megan Lindholm, who now writes as Robin Hobb. Wizard is a homeless man living on the streets of Seattle, a Vietnam Vet suffering the after-affects of the war, faced with a battle against a supernatural foe called Mir. This book left such an impression on me after I first read it I couldn’t read it again for nearly ten years. It has many of the characteristics of your own Urban Magic books, something that has just occurred to me while looking for a hardback copy. ($90, via Amazon!). The other book is a little closer to home, set in London and a seaside town in the South-east. It called ‘When The Lights Go Out’, by Tanith Lee, and I have read this book over and over and over again. I managed to find an ex-library hardback for about a tenner in perfect condition, to my unfettered joy. Again, there’s magic, dispossessed people, sacrifice, love and loss, and I treasure this book. If I lived near London I’d lend them to you, but sadly that’s impractical, but I really recommend you try to find them, they’re up there with Zelazney and Gaiman as my favourite books. Oh, and yours, of course.

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