RIP Joan Aiken

[magid]

She wrote so many books that shaped my ideas of good, from when I was small and constantly taking A Necklace of Raindrops out of the library, time after time after time, to being scared for some of the fearless characters in Black Hearts in Battersea and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (simultaneously frustrated with all the strange words and dialects), to laughing over the adventures of Arabel and her raven Mortimer. Oh, and the Bridle the Sea trilogy was wonderful. Some of her more recent works were less thrilling, but always worth reading, to see what happened next. I didn't appreciate the use of language and alternate history until so much later.

And now, once the book she sent to the printer recently comes out, there will be no more. RIP.

(Here's a brief BBC obit.)

Comments

[gingicat]

I notice they don't mention that "her most famous book" is the first in an alternate-history series. Or that she wrote two Jane Austen pastiches.

My favorite book of hers is The Embroidered Sunset, which I discovered in my local library and is long since out of print.

[magid.livejournal.com]

It doesn't mention a lot of things, actually. I assume they'll come up with a full obituary sometime in the next few days (perhaps in time for her funeral/memorial service or something?).

I think I read Embroidered Sunset some years ago, but don't remember it well enough to comment. I know that Cambridge has a copy, though, so perhaps I'll take it out.

Hm... weekend reading of Tim Powers pre-Arisia, or Joan Aiken in memoriam?
And thinking of Arisia, I hope she gets mentioned in the YA SF panel...

[queue.livejournal.com]

I imagine it's a regular feature, but the recent Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet has a checklist of Joan Aiken books, one book per page. It came out in November, so kinda interesting timing.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I definitely would like to see that! Can I borrow it? (Or maybe that will be just enough to get me to buy a copy for myself...)

[queue.livejournal.com]

You can borrow it when I'm done reading it. Err, that probably won't be
for a while, if I want to get a couple of Tim Powers books read by Arisia.
You can borrow it before I'm done, if you remind me next time you see me.

[gingicat]

She'll definitely get mentioned in the YA panel, because I'm on the panel. :)

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Ack! :( _Arabel's Raven_ was one of my favorite childhood books. Must find copy.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I know; it was a plug just in case ;-)

[magid.livejournal.com]

There's also Arabel and Mortimer, and I think one more, perhaps. I have one of them, and keep regretting that the adventures seem a bit too long for reading aloud at one go. Perhaps I shall use executive fiat this time, just to appreciate her.

I'll keep an eye out for it, just in case.