Emergent Memories from the Shadow Library

 

Meet the Austins, by Madeleine L'Engle

I remember getting this at the St. Andrews church bookstore, but since it wasn't one of her more fantastic ventures, but instead a family history, I never quite got into it. Mom and I often went to St. Andrew's store, where I could always find a bit of C. S. Lewis.

Revelations: Art of the Apocalypse, by Nancy Grubb

Got this from Hastings, in a bargain section, around the turn of the century, I think. What with the change of the millennium, the subject was much in everyone's mind.

A Matter of Belief: CPB

Hub: Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in. --Secondhand Lions

 

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.”

― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

 

“I believe in the power of the imagination to remake the world, to release the truth within us, to hold back the night, to transcend death, to charm motorways, to ingratiate ourselves with birds, to enlist the confidences of madmen.”

― J.G. Ballard

 

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

 

“I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the Heart's affections and the truth of the Imagination.”

― John Keats

 

“It might be a good idea if, like the White Queen, we practiced believing six impossible things every morning before breakfast, for we are called on to believe what to many people is impossible. Instead of rejoicing in this glorious "impossible" which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty actions comprehensible to our finite minds.”

― Madeleine L'Engle

Items from the Wish List: More Fantasists and Fantasy

Wonders of the Invisible World by Patricia A. McKillip

Pass through fairy tales into the magic of invisible worlds in these opulent stories by a beloved fantasy icon and author of the classic Riddlemaster trilogy. Patricia McKillip has inspired generations of dedicated readers with enchanting tales that are as romantic as they are unexpected. Her lush, mesmerizing narratives are as deliciously bittersweet as the finest chocolate and as intoxicating as the finest wine.

The bewitching wonders offered here include princesses dancing with dead suitors, a knight in love with an official of exotic lineage, and fortune’s fool stealing into the present instead of the future. You’ll discover a ravishing undine and her mortal bridegroom who is more infatuated with politics than pleasure, a time-traveling angel forbidden to intervene in Cotton Mather’s religious ravings, a wizard seduced in his youth by the Faerie Queen returning with a treasure that is rightfully hers, and an overachieving teenage mage tricked into discovering her true name very close to home. – Amazon.

Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip

Hidden away from the world by his mother, the powerful sorceress Heloise Oliver, Pierce has grown up working in her restaurant in Desolation Point. One day, unexpectedly, strangers pass through town on the way to the legendary capital city. “Look for us,” they tell Pierce, “if you come to Severluna. You might find a place for yourself in King Arden’s court.”
 
Lured by a future far away from the bleak northern coast, Pierce makes his choice. Heloise, bereft and furious, tells her son the truth: about his father, a knight in King Arden’s court; about an older brother he never knew existed; about his father’s destructive love for King Arden’s queen, and Heloise’s decision to raise her younger son alone.
 
As Pierce journeys to Severluna, his path twists and turns through other lives and mysteries: an inn where ancient rites are celebrated, though no one will speak of them; a legendary local chef whose delicacies leave diners slowly withering from hunger; his mysterious wife, who steals Pierce’s heart; a young woman whose need to escape is even greater than Pierce’s; and finally, in Severluna, King Arden's youngest son, who is urged by strange and lovely forces to sacrifice his father’s kingdom.
 
Things are changing in that kingdom. Oldmagic is on the rise. The immensely powerful artifact of an ancient god has come to light, and the king is gathering his knights to quest for this profound mystery, which may restore the kingdom to its former glory—or destroy it... – Amazon.

Dreams of Distant Shores by Patricia A. McKillip

Featuring three brand-new stories and an original introduction by Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn.

Bestselling author Patricia A. McKillip (The Riddle-Master of Hed) is one of the most lyrical writers gracing the fantasy genre. With the debut of her newest work, Dreams of Distant Shores is a true ode to her many talents. Within these pages you will find a youthful artist possessed by both his painting and his muse and seductive travelers from the sea enrapturing distant lovers. The statue of a mermaid comes suddenly to life, and two friends are transfixed by a haunted estate.

Fans of McKillip’s ethereal fiction will find much to delight them; those lucky enough to be discovering her work will find much to enchant them. – Amazon.

Offering the Bicentennial Edition of The Complete TWELVE HOURS OF THE NIGHT, James P. Blaylock and Tim Powers

Pamphlet produced as a joke and given away at the 1985 World Fantasy Convention. A few left over copies were sent out to subscribers of Cheap Street who requested them. Purports to be the prospectus of a major new edition William Ashbless' major work, "The Complete Twelve Hours of the Night." The sample page in the middle is comprised of "the Famous 24 Suppressed Lines" of "The Twelve Hours of the Night." The first letter of each line is bolded and spells out "YOURERIGHTINTHEGROOVEKID." Signed on back page by William Ashbless (James P. Blaylock and Tim Powers). – The Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

Eleanor Cameron: Dimensions of Amazement by Paul V. Allen, Gregory Maguire

Eleanor Cameron (1912-1996) was an innovative and genre-defying author of children's fiction and children's literature criticism. From her beginnings as a librarian, Cameron went on to become a prominent and respected voice in children's literature, writing one of the most beloved children's science fiction novels of all time, The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, and later winning the National Book Award for her time fantasy The Court of the Stone Children.

In addition, Eleanor Cameron played an often vocal role in critical debates about children's literature. She was one of the first authors to take up literary criticism of children's novels and published two influential books of criticism, including The Green and Burning Tree. One of Cameron's most notable acts of criticism came in 1973, when she wrote a scathing critique of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl responded in kind, and the result was a fiery imbroglio within the pages of the Horn Book Magazine. Yet despite her many accomplishments, most of Cameron's books went out of print by the end of her life, and her star faded.

This biography aims to reinsert Cameron into the conversation by taking an in-depth look at her tumultuous early life in Ohio and California, her unforgettably forceful personality and criticism, and her graceful, heartfelt novels. The biography includes detailed analysis of the creative process behind each of her published works and how Cameron's feminism, environmentalism, and strong sense of ethics are reflected in and represented by her writings. Drawn from over twenty interviews, thousands of letters, and several unpublished manuscripts in her personal papers, Eleanor Cameron is a tour of the most exciting and creative periods of American children's literature through the experience of one of its valiant purveyors and champions. – Amazon.

Listening for Madeleine: A Portrait of Madeleine L'Engle in Many Voices by Leonard S. Marcus

Writer. Matriarch. Mentor. Friend. Icon.
Madeleine L'Engle is perhaps best recognized as the author of A Wrinkle in Time, the enduring milestone work of fantasy fiction that won the 1963 John Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature and has enthralled millions of readers for the past fifty years. But to those who knew her well, L'Engle was much more besides: a larger-than-life persona, an inspiring mentor, a strong-willed matriarch, a spiritual guide, and a rare friend. In Listening for Madeleine, the renowned literary historian and biographer Leonard S. Marcus reveals Madeleine L'Engle in all her complexity, through a series of incisive interviews with the people who knew her most intimately. Vivid reminiscences of family members, colleagues, and friends create a kaleidoscope of keen insights and snapshop moments that help readers to understand the many sides of this singularly fascinating woman. – Amazon.

Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Her Granddaughters by Charlotte Jones Voiklis, Léna Roy

This middle-grade biography explores the life and works of Madeleine L'Engle ―written by her granddaughters.

This elegant and insightful biography of Madeleine L’Engle (1918–2007) was written by her granddaughters, Charlotte Jones Voiklis and Léna Roy. Using never-before-seen archival materials that include photographs, poems, letters, and journal entries from when Madeleine was a child until just after the publication of her classic, A Wrinkle in Time, her granddaughters weave together an in-depth and unique view of the famous writer. It is a story of overcoming obstacles―a lonely childhood, financial insecurity, and countless rejections of her writing―and eventual triumph. Becoming Madeleine will speak not only to fans of the icon’s work, but also to anyone interested in writing. – Amazon.

Lin Carter: A Look Behind His Imaginary Worlds by Robert M. Price

Written by Robert Price, who knew Lin Carter well & represents his literary estate, it's a solid & honest look at Carter as a writer & editor: his strengths, his weaknesses, his approach to fantasy & horror.

It's no secret to those who remember his books that Carter was an often hasty but enthusiastic writer of pastiche. His Thongor is Conan with a dash of Edgar Rice Burroughs tossed in; his Callisto & Green Star series are planetary romances in the vein of Burroughs & his imitators: his Gondwane owes its existence to Zothique, the Dying Earth, and the madcap inventiveness of the Oz books. And while the best of those are enjoyable reading, the equivalent of good diner food, far too much of it falls short of the masters who inspired it.

The headlong zest & slapdash energy that made his earliest books fun disappears once the 1970s begin, and he starts to add comic, even satiric touches to his work. Alas, he just didn't have the delicate touch for that, and no-one could convince him otherwise. A pity, as there are at least some short stories & standalone novels to show the potential for becoming a far better writer than he chose to be.

His real contribution to fantasy, of course, was his editorship of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series. He single-handedly brought the founding fathers of fantasy back to life: William Morris, Lord Dunsany, James Branch Cabell, and other luminaries whose stars had faded over time. For many, it was their first paperback appearance ever. And the countless young readers of Tolkien clamoring for more (like myself) snapped up each new volume as it appeared in bookstores & on spinner racks everywhere. Graced with gorgeous wraparound covers & glowing introductions by Carter, those books inspired the first new generation of fantasy writers. Their impact is still being felt today.

As I say, Price lays all of this out as honestly & clearly as possible. He's scathing when he needs to be, but also generous where Carter's uneven gifts shine through. I still have a great deal of appreciation for what he did as an editor, and a certain lingering affection for the best of his own work. I do hope that this book is reprinted, or made available online, preferably in an expanded edition. Lin Carter deserves to be remembered by all fans of modern fantasy. – Tim Lukeman.

The Gargoyle in the Dump by John Bellairs

From the award-winning author of The Face in the Frost comes the story of three brothers who rescue a talking gargoyle from their neighborhood junkyard.

Michael, David, and Alphonsus Jr. (aka Fonsy) are spending the summer trying to blow up the town dock and playing marathon Monopoly games. On the brink of death-by-boredom, they head to the local dump in search of treasures—such as oil cans that Michael can use to build a submarine. But what they find is far from garbage.
 
Staring out at them, between two black stovepipes, is the head of a grinning stone gargoyle with shifty eyes and a long snout. He demands that the brothers take him home to live with them, so the boys wrap him in blankets and cart him back in a wagon. At the house, the gargoyle regales them with vivid tales of his exploits in faraway times and places. He even comes up with endlessly inventive ways of terrorizing the boys’ irritatingly dull neighbors. Finally, this is a summer worth writing home about.
 
The Gargoyle in the Dump is a recently discovered, never-before-published story. Also included are two pages of the author’s original typed manuscript and an introduction from his long-time literary agent, Richard Curtis. – Amazon.

Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones

Rupert Venables is a Magid.

It's a Magid's job to oversee what goes on in the vast Multiverse. Actually, Rupert is really only a junior Magid. But he's got a king-sized problem. Rupert's territory includes Earth and the Empire of Korfyros. When his mentor dies Rupert must find a replacement. But there are hundreds of candidates. How is he supposed to choose? And interviewing each one could take forever.

Unless...

What if he could round them all up in one place?

Simple! – Amazon.

Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

Mr. Chesney operates Pilgrim Parties, a tour group that takes paying participants into an outer realm where the inhabitants play frightening and foreboding roles. The time has come to end the staged madness . . . but can it really be stopped? Master storyteller Diana Wynne Jones serves up twists and turns, introduces Querida, Derk, Blade, and Shona and a remarkable cast of wizards, soldiers, kings, dragons, and griffins, and mixes in a lively dash of humor. With all the ingredients of high fantasy, this unforgettable novel will delight fans old and new. – Amazon.

Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones

The Year of the Griffin is the sequel to the Dark Lord of Derkholm, set in the same world several years after the abolition of commercial 'fantasy world' tourism from our world. The University now aims to produce competent wizards to repair the damage caused by the tours. It's broke, and out of date in terms of what it teaches. The new head, Wizard Corkoran, is obsessed with becoming the first man to visit the moon so is mostly preoccupied, and the new faculty is mostly inexperienced.Wizard Corkoran has selected children from wealthy families to fill his own first-year classes, hoping to beg for money. But his students turn out to be more than he expected in oh-so-many ways, and despite the incompetence of their teacher, it falls to them to save the university... and themselves... – Amazon.

Witch's Business by Diana Wynne Jones

When Jess and Frank's father stops their allowance for four months, desperate measures are necessary. Jess's friends expect her to pay her share for things, of course, and, worse, Frank owes money to the bully Buster Knell. So they decide to start a business. They make a sign:

OWN BACK LTD.
REVENGE ARRANGED.
PRICE ACCORDING TO TASK.
ALL DIFFICULT FEATS UNDERTAKEN.
TREASURE HUNTED, ETC.

At first the only response they get is from adults who laugh at them. But before long they find themselves working for their first customer -- Buster Knell, of all people. One thing leads to another leads to another, and soon their business has whirled out of control in ways they never could have imagined. What's more, the local witch, Biddy Iremonger, sees Own Back Ltd. as competition to her business, and when Biddy is angry, there's no end to the trouble she'll cause. . . .

Witch's Business, Diana Wynne Jones's first novel, has all the humor, action, inventiveness, and surprises that have established her reputation as one of the finest fantasy writers. – Amazon.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix

 Polly Whittacker has two sets of memories. In the first, things are boringly normal; in the second, her life is entangled with the mysterious, complicated cellist Thomas Lynn. One day, the second set of memories overpowers the first, and Polly knows something is very wrong. Someone has been trying to make her forget Tom - whose life, she realizes, is at supernatural risk. Fire and Hemlock is a fantasy filled with sorcery and intrigue, magic and mystery - and a most unusual and satisfying love story.

Widely considered to be one of Diana Wynne Jones's best novels, the Firebird edition of Fire and Hemlock features an introduction by the acclaimed Garth Nix - and an essay about the writing of the book by Jones herself. – Amazon.

Madeleine L'Engle

 

A Circle of Quiet, by Madeleine L’Engle.

“The Crosswicks Journal – Book 1”. “Set against the lush backdrop of Crosswicks, her family’s farmhouse in rural Connecticut, this deeply personal memoir details Madeleine L’Engle’s journey to find balance between her career as a Newbery Medal–winning author and her responsibilities as a wife, mother, teacher, and Christian. As she considers the roles that creativity, family, citizenship, and faith play in her life, L’Engle reveals the complexities behind the author whose works have long been cherished by children and adults alike. Written in simple, profound, and often humorous prose, A Circle of Quiet is an insightful woman’s elegant search for the meaning and purpose of her life. 1972.” – madeleinelengle.com. Like having a soothing, enlightening talk with the wise grandmother I never had.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Autobiography/Literature. Softcover.

The Summer of the Great-Grandmother, by Madeleine L’Engle.

The Crosswicks Journal – Book 2. “In the second memoir of her Crosswicks Journals, Madeleine L’Engle chronicles a season of extremes. Four generations of family have gathered at Crosswicks, her Connecticut farmhouse, to care for L’Engle’s ninety-year-old mother. As summer days fade to sleepless nights, her mother’s health rapidly declines and her once astute mind slips into senility. With poignant honesty, L’Engle describes the gifts and graces, as well as the painful emotional cost, of caring for the one who once cared for you. As she spends her days with a mother who barely resembles the competent and vigorous woman who bore and raised her, L’Engle delves into her memories, reflecting on the lives of the strong women in her family’s history. Evoking both personal experiences and universal themes, The Summer of the Great-Grandmother takes an unflinching look at diminishment and death, all the while celebrating the wonder of life. 1974.” – madeleinelengle.com. I have to say it helped prepare and motivate me for things to come. I tried to get Mom to read these books, hoping to introduce her to a cleanlier mentor than televangelists, but I don’t think she wanted to listen to a peer; she needed a master, and she couldn’t take another woman, not after what happened in her life.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Memoir. Autobiography. Softcover.

The Irrational Season, by Madeleine L’Engle.

The Crosswicks Journal – Book 3. “The Irrational Season follows the liturgical year from one Advent to the next, with L’Engle reflecting on the changing seasons in her own life as a writer, wife, mother, and global citizen. Unafraid to discuss controversial topics and address challenging questions, L’Engle writes from the heart in this compelling chronicle of her spiritual quest to renew and refresh her faith in an ever-changing world and her ever-changing personhood. 1977.” – madeleinelengle.com. “Madeleine L'Engle was more than a writer of "juvenile fiction." She was a novelist, poet, author of spiritual biographies, and commentator on the relationship of faith with creativity. To read her books is to see the difference between a Christian who writes books and a Christian author; the one forces the religion down into the work, the other raises the craft up into the Christianity. In the works of a Christian author the religion ennobles and empowers the writing, and the writing mediates and illuminates the religion, to the glory of both, and Madeleine L'Engle was a true Christian author. I came to regard her as a sort of spiritual mother, a female voice in counterpoint and contrast to the dry, skeptical, technically enlightening Ursula K. LeGuin, and in her devotion to the craft of writing an inheritor of Dorothy L. Sayers.” – Power of Babel.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Memoir. Autobiography. Softcover.

Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage, by Madeleine L’Engle.

“The Crosswicks Journals”. “As Newbery Medal winner Madeleine L’Engle describes a relationship characterized by compassion, respect, and growth, as well as challenge and conflict, she beautifully evokes the life she and her husband, actor Hugh Franklin, built and the family they cherished. Beginning with their very different childhoods, L’Engle chronicles the twists and turns that led two young artists to New York City in the 1940s, where they were both pursuing careers in theater. While working on a production of Anton Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard, they sparked a connection that would endure until Franklin’s death in 1986. L’Engle recalls years spent raising their children at Crosswicks, the Connecticut farmhouse that became an icon of family, and the support she and her husband drew from each other as artists struggling—separately and together—to find both professional and personal fulfillment. At once heartfelt and heartbreaking, Two-Part Invention is L’Engle’s most personal work—the revelation of a marriage and the exploration of intertwined lives inevitably marked by love and loss. 1988.” – madeleinelengle.com.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Memoir. Autobiography. Marriage. Softcover.

Trailing Clouds of Glory, by Madeleine L’Engle with Avery Brooke, Anthologist.

“Spiritual Values in Children’s Books”. “In a time when every effort is bent toward keeping the religious and the secular apart, Madeleine L'Engle shows us that secular children's books, like children themselves, comes, in Wordsworth's words, "trailing clouds of glory." Acclaimed as a novelist, beloved as a children's writer, inspiring as an essayist and poet, Madeleine L'Engle has now focused her creative eye on literature for and about boys and girls. She shows us, not subjects, but spiritual themes. Searching shelves of books old, new, and in between, anthologist Avery Brooke has applied her perspective as an experienced editor and critic, as well her spiritual sensitivity. L'Engle finds in the pages of these books expressions of the power of love, the courage to survive failure and death, the intuitive flash of spiritual awareness, blessings that come from beyond human gifts, the yearning for faith, the constant renewal of life, and an inner light.” – Goodreads.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Children’s Literature. Faith. Hardback.

Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, by Madeleine L’Engle.

“In this classic book, Madeleine L'Engle addresses the questions, What does it mean to be a Christian artist? and What is the relationship between faith and art? Through L'Engle's beautiful and insightful essay, readers will find themselves called to what the author views as the prime tasks of an artist: to listen, to remain aware, and to respond to creation through one's own art.” – Amazon. This copy is rather torn and repaired. And it is so good! I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about writing, whether they are religious or not, because to write at all requires a great deal of faith, whether you realize it or not.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Writing. Faith. Softcover.

The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L’Engle, by Madeleine L’Engle. Foreword by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

An anthology of her poetry, which are most often meditations on God and faith and love, with lines cut to a certain length, incantatory, but poetry in the sense of “lines that don’t reach the edge of the page”, which isn’t my favorite kind of poetry. Still, much wisdom and a little music.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Poetry. Collection. Hardback.

Glimpses of Grace: Daily Thoughts and Reflections, by Madeleine L’Engle.

Selected readings from her works for every day of the year. “One of my treasured possessions is now my copy of Glimpses of Grace. I bought it used, at Hastings, and was surprised when I got it home to find that it was inscribed "To Jill Smith. Much Grace. Madeleine L'Engle." Three days later, I found out she had passed away. It was one of those odd synchronous happenings, that some people call chance, and some little operations of God. A small wave good-bye, touching those words is as close as ever I will ever come physically to one of my favorite writers.” – Power of Babel.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Daily Readings. Hardback.

Madeleine L'Engle: The Time Quintet

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle. I remember watching a filmstrip of this book in Briesemeister, so I have been at least aware of it since middle school. The movie adaptations of it have just gotten worse and worse over time. I can’t say exactly when I first read it. It is a classic tale and became the first in a series now called The Time Quintet. I think I bought the first three in high school, before the last two were even written. Ranking: Essential. File Code: Children’s Book. Fantasy. Classic. Paperback.

A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L’Engle. The second book of The Time Quintet. I sometimes think the best thing about this book is the cover of the cherubim in the middle of the wood. I’m afraid the whole series suffers from diminishing returns. Full of nice concepts like kything and Naming, of course, but the stitching is a little loose. I’ve read it maybe twice, compared to the multiple times I’ve read ‘Wrinkle’. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Children’s Book. Fantasy. Paperback.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L’Engle. The third book of The Time Quintet. Most notable for introducing me to the incantatory verse of “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”. Other than that, eh. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Children’s Book. Fantasy. Paperback.

Many Waters, by Madeleine L’Engle. The fourth book in The Time Quintet. Two boys travel back to the time just before the Flood. Angels, nephilim, little mammoths, and Noah’s family mingle in a tale of how this fabled time could have played out. A slight rising blip on my screen, but otherwise, the series decay (in my opinion) continues. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Children’s Book. Fantasy. Paperback.

An Acceptable Time, by Madeleine L’Engle. The fifth book and nadir of The Time Quintet. I’m not surprised she stopped after this. Celtic Indians. Kind of New Age Christianity. I read this one time and never again. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Children’s Book. Fantasy. Paperback.