Cyteen, and the rest of the books for the would-be mage

[azurelunatic]

Finished it today, then turned around and am re-reading it. Am probably going to pass on getting a new copy, even with Az's share-the-love, as I've got this copy already, it's held together with duct tape, and can always be reinforced again.

One of the things I want to do at some point is put together a list of books that I think that many young mages who think at least in part like me would benefit from. The entirety of the Young Wizards series, of course, Cyteen, Snow Crash, Spock's World, and some good headbreaky fantasy like the Tale of the Five, and some Patricia McKillip, and The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. Perhaps also some Illuminatus! Trilogy, and some Vonnegut. Some Bujold, of course, and also the Diana Tregarde books, because those are pretty good for those of us who do have the white-knight complex. Add in the Feynman autobiographies too, for balance. ...on third thought, add them early, right along in with Nita and Kit.

Comments

[wibbble]

I made it to halfway through the second book in the Illuminatus! trilogy before I gave up.

This was some years ago. Maybe I should dig it out and give it another shot.

[azurelunatic]

It's very cutely self-referential.

[sithjawa.livejournal.com]

hmm, never thought about The Blue Sword or The Hero and the Crown as mage-related material. ::might should reread::

Is it reread or re-read? I seem to recall reading a post on the topic of "words should never be hyphenated" or something like that, and responding with "but that completely screws up the frequently used email word "re-sent" ... Or was it the post I wrote complaining about said word, and someone (Leora?) said it was better just to use "sent again" and I complained that this led to annoying sentences like "I sent the email about falling asleep in class again" ....

[azurelunatic]

Those two are definitely magery books. Dealing with a late-developing Talent? Oh, gods, and I should put The Rowan on the list; that's got the material about not accepting your predecessor's limitations.

[iroshi.livejournal.com]

I never thought of Feynman as mage-related material. Interesting choice.

[azurelunatic]

I picked it for a few reasons: "What do you care what other people think?" is a strong theme, and the poke-it-and-see-what-happens themes, along with the safecracker ethos: yes, peer at things, but don't be bad about it, and finally, the sheer rationality of it.

The Fenyman books are to the rest of that list what Sam is to the Fivetrees list, I imagine. I'd like to have a mage willing to take the evidence of her own senses with a grain of salt, and thinking about dehydration as well as psychic attack as a root cause for any sudden spell of dizziness.

[iroshi.livejournal.com]

Ooooh that's a good point. Sam would love being compared to Feynman, you know. ^_^

[azurelunatic]

Hee. :)