Trying to remember childhood novel titles
April 18, 2011 10:17 PM Subscribe
Looking for titles for two fantasy books from childhood, the publishing time frame is 1970~1990ish. Scenes from Game of Thrones reminded a friend of them...
Novel 1) The wall scene in Game of Thrones reminded me of this novel that was almost certainly about anthropomorphic animals living behind? a wall that protected them from evil. I cannot remember what kind of animals they were, but the plot consisted of keeping the evil out that was somehow beginning to get through. If I remember correctly it included a quest to go through (secret?) cracks in the wall to defeat said evil. Bear with me here.. 9 yr. old's memory.
Novel(s) 2) Almost certainly a trilogy and was about a young boy peasant/squire who is asked to deliver a note? or so for a priest(?). The situation devolves into a dangerous game of political intrigue spanning multiple novels. The cover of one of them likely had a boy in a cloak and may have been in winter.
Novel 1) The wall scene in Game of Thrones reminded me of this novel that was almost certainly about anthropomorphic animals living behind? a wall that protected them from evil. I cannot remember what kind of animals they were, but the plot consisted of keeping the evil out that was somehow beginning to get through. If I remember correctly it included a quest to go through (secret?) cracks in the wall to defeat said evil. Bear with me here.. 9 yr. old's memory.
Novel(s) 2) Almost certainly a trilogy and was about a young boy peasant/squire who is asked to deliver a note? or so for a priest(?). The situation devolves into a dangerous game of political intrigue spanning multiple novels. The cover of one of them likely had a boy in a cloak and may have been in winter.
Response by poster: Nomyte: Seems like a very likely candidate for #1 according to my friend, he is gonna look into it, thanks!
posted by nightchrome at 10:30 PM on April 18, 2011
posted by nightchrome at 10:30 PM on April 18, 2011
2. Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series? Taran Wanderer was the first I read but there were several. The High King has a winter/cloak cover. And there was a lot of intrigue.
posted by clone boulevard at 10:32 PM on April 18, 2011
posted by clone boulevard at 10:32 PM on April 18, 2011
Response by poster: clone boulevard: seems like probably not that series, according to him
posted by nightchrome at 10:37 PM on April 18, 2011
posted by nightchrome at 10:37 PM on April 18, 2011
Could 2 have been the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy?
posted by pullayup at 11:31 PM on April 18, 2011
posted by pullayup at 11:31 PM on April 18, 2011
Response by poster: Seems like nope and nope on those last two.
posted by nightchrome at 11:41 PM on April 18, 2011
posted by nightchrome at 11:41 PM on April 18, 2011
Any chance 2) could be Joan Aiken's Felix trilogy? It's a long long time since I read the books but I vaguely remember there being a boy, various adventures, and a letter involved...
Amazon's description of the first book, Go Saddle the Sea:
The start of an adventure trilogy set in the early-19th century. Twelve-year-old orphan Felix is despised by his Spanish relatives and ignored by his distant grandfather. When he's given a parcel containing a blood-stained letter from his dead father, he sets off in search of his English family.
The other books are Bridle the Wind and Teeth of the Gale.
Looking at the covers, there's a small boy wearing vaguely cloak-like garments and it looks quite wintry? And there seems to be political intrigue developing over the trilogy. From Amazon's description of the third book:
Despite warnings of a conspiracy and his own suspicions of a trap, Felix fearlessly plunges into a plot thick with intrigue and danger. His grandfather said it was a matter of life and death - but whose?
Hope that helps! I loved these books as a kid. And after skimming the Amazon pages, I'm quite tempted to reread them...
posted by badmoonrising at 4:30 AM on April 19, 2011
Amazon's description of the first book, Go Saddle the Sea:
The start of an adventure trilogy set in the early-19th century. Twelve-year-old orphan Felix is despised by his Spanish relatives and ignored by his distant grandfather. When he's given a parcel containing a blood-stained letter from his dead father, he sets off in search of his English family.
The other books are Bridle the Wind and Teeth of the Gale.
Looking at the covers, there's a small boy wearing vaguely cloak-like garments and it looks quite wintry? And there seems to be political intrigue developing over the trilogy. From Amazon's description of the third book:
Despite warnings of a conspiracy and his own suspicions of a trap, Felix fearlessly plunges into a plot thick with intrigue and danger. His grandfather said it was a matter of life and death - but whose?
Hope that helps! I loved these books as a kid. And after skimming the Amazon pages, I'm quite tempted to reread them...
posted by badmoonrising at 4:30 AM on April 19, 2011
#1 is likely to be Redwall... as for #2, did it also spawn a video game that involved unlocking treasure chests by unscrambling words and riddles? I feel like I also have it in my head only very vaguely, but am happy to contribute clues, and that's what comes up with young boy delivering a note to a priest, unless maybe it's the Deryni chronicles.
posted by corb at 8:58 AM on April 19, 2011
posted by corb at 8:58 AM on April 19, 2011
#2 might be Stephen Lawhead's In the Hall of the Dragon King - it definitely opens with a boy, priest, and note.
posted by restless_nomad at 11:47 AM on April 19, 2011
posted by restless_nomad at 11:47 AM on April 19, 2011
Response by poster: Update from friend:
Probably, in the Hall of the Dragon King is right. I'd hafta re-read it. That being said, the cover I remember looks nothing like the ones there (nothing like the ones I can find on Google image search/Amazon). This leads me to believe that I'm confusing the content of that book with another I've long forgotten the story/plot to. The other explanation is that my elementary school's library had a cover that is not on the net (maybe an early addition).
I remember Lawhead books, as I also read the Song of Albion trilogy.
posted by nightchrome at 1:23 AM on April 20, 2011
Probably, in the Hall of the Dragon King is right. I'd hafta re-read it. That being said, the cover I remember looks nothing like the ones there (nothing like the ones I can find on Google image search/Amazon). This leads me to believe that I'm confusing the content of that book with another I've long forgotten the story/plot to. The other explanation is that my elementary school's library had a cover that is not on the net (maybe an early addition).
I remember Lawhead books, as I also read the Song of Albion trilogy.
posted by nightchrome at 1:23 AM on April 20, 2011
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posted by Nomyte at 10:25 PM on April 18, 2011 [2 favorites]