Because I just really dug the whole....potential of it.

Interesting.

Well, I just figured, necromancy is such a dark, creepy power that Val starting to train in it had potential for lovely grey areas.

Is it just that she's so young? (Don't get me wrong, that's a a valid concern). Is there something important that I'm either missing or we've not yet been told?

I think maybe it's her age, as well as the fact that she was raised in a (more or less) magic-unaware mortal world, rather than growing up with it. Kind of like Harry Potter, I guess, but the flip side.

But, "he's an angry, angry man and will warp you horribly"? He really doesn't seem to be particularly much of an outlier on that one.

Yeah, I don't think the books really do a good job of showing how fucked up he is. I *do* think he is, but it's not shown well. And I don't know if that's because it's a YA book (but, come on, there are some YA books that are dark as hell), or if it's just something Landy can't get to in his writing (which is a big flaw on his part). I don't know.

No, I completely agree.

I'd love to see some kids who did grow up in this world, at some point.

It would also be helpful if the alternative that was presented to Val was something other than "go home and forget all about this". Because that's really something that's going to happen. Right.

We get a really strong sense of Skul's affection for her, which, I think, is the trade-off in the characterization. But she's not the POV character (at least not all the time).

It also robs the story of a strong character arc for Skul, which there's so much potential for, dammit.

Did someone post this yet? Sherwood Smith's Book View Cafe article on Fanfiction vs. Metafiction: [link] ?

A very interesting conversation about Daphne Du Maurier: Justine Picardie (who wrote a book about Du Maurier) doing a Q&A with Guardian readers.

Does anyone with a Nook have Mockingjay? I think someone lent it to me, and Dan finished the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy last night and wants to read the third.

I would be happy to cross-lend. If not, he can read the first Skulduggery Pleasant until we can get it.

I do, Erin, and I am wanting to successfully pull off this Lending maneuver! I believe you are one of my "NOOK Friends TM" already, so that should help.

I forget if anyone here likes Joe Lansdale, but if so I recommend this short story by Joshua Ellis: [link]

"NOOK Friends TM"

Heh. Yes, and insent, -t!

Hunger Games posters released:

[link]

Mark Reads is now covering The Hobbit.

His reaction to Riddles in the Dark is very entertaining.

He hasn't read a lot of high fantasy so it's also fun seeing him flummoxed by a lot of things that most of us would take for granted (like Tolkien's narratorial style where he will allude to the fact that he's telling a story).