Among Others is a startling, unusual, and yet irresistibly readable novel by Jo Walton. It is the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels of modern fantasy and science fiction, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient enchantment.

Raised by a half-mad mother who dabbled in magic, Morwenna Phelps found refuge in two worlds. As a child growing up in Wales, she and her twin sister played among the spirits who made their homes in industrial ruins. But her mind found freedom and promise in the science fiction novels that were her closest companions.

When her mother tried to bend the spirits to dark ends, with deadly results, Mori was forced to confront her in a magical battle that left her crippled—and her twin sister dead. Fleeing to her father, whom she barely knew, Mori was sent to a boarding school in England—a place all but devoid of true magic. There, outcast and alone, she tempted fate by doing magic herself, in an attempt to find a circle of like-minded friends.

But her magic also drew the attention of her mother, bringing about a reckoning that could no longer be put off…

It's September 2001 and Arthur Lakelady is a man beset by worries. It seems that his wife, Alys, is infatuated with the home renovator who is working on their new kitchen. His daughter, Gwen, is doing well at school, although with pass marks that often exceed 100%, he worries that her school doesn’t grasp the meaning of percentage. Meanwhile, his son, Lance, might never pass another exam ever again if he doesn’t soon give up sports.

These worries are soon put into perspective when Arthur’s Canadian employer is taken over by Americans, and they replace the local executives in an attempt to introduce their own initiatives. As the world changes around him and he is expected to lead a team at work, Arthur hires a young temp, Lydia, to help him. But Lydia only adds to his worry with her desire to get as up close and personal with him as possible.

And when the madness of the world spills over and thousands are killed in the World Trade Center attack, Arthur looks at the state of the planet and sees that it needs someone who can clear the confusion, make the complex simple, and package it into manageable pieces. It needs a diarist. And right now, the nobody who is Arthur Lakelady might one day become a somebody in the mold of Samuel Pepys.