Discussion - Favourite things!

The obvious starting point is the prophecies. I think they're lovely, and even without trying to I have them memorised. ♥

When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;
Three from the circle, three from the track;
Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;
Five will return, and one go alone.

Iron for the birthday, bronze carried long;
Wood from the burning, stone out of song;
Fire in the candle-ring, water from the thaw;
Six Signs the circle, and the grail gone before.

Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold
Played to wake the Sleepers, oldest of the old;
Power from the green witch, lost beneath the sea;
All shall find the light at last, silver on the tree.

And:

On the day of the dead, when the year too dies,
Must the youngest open the oldest hills
Through the door of the birds, where the breeze breaks.
There fire shall fly from the raven boy,
And the silver eyes that see the wind,
And the light shall have the harp of gold.

By the pleasant lake the Sleepers lie,
On Cadfan’s Way where the kestrels call;
Though grim from the Grey King shadows fall,
Yet singing the golden harp shall guide
To break their sleep and bid them ride.

When light from the lost land shall return,
Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn,
And where the midsummer tree grows tall
By Pendragon’s sword the Dark shall fall.

Y maent yr mynyddoedd yn canu,
ac y mae’r arglwyddes yn dod.

Then of course I love the way it draws on all kinds of mythology. Britain's so rich in folktales and stories and legends, and it's amazing to see them here. Legends of Cornwall, legends of Buckinghamshire, legends of Wales... And I love all the settings. Wales the most, since I'm Welsh, but I love all the pictures the sequence draws together in my mind. I love the little clues about underlying myths that aren't explicitly stated -- when I read the part about the three ship burials in the second book, I had to find out who they all were, and indeed, there was a king who was potentially buried in a ship. Oh, ♥!

The characters, too, are lovely. Will's just right, I think -- still a young boy in some ways, and longing for that, and yet loving what he's a part of and being ready to take on the responsibility. I love the way that nothing is easy for him -- that sounds sadistic, but... he can't tell his beloved brother Stephen about it and that evokes a lot of pathos and feels so realistic -- in the hands of another author he might tell Stephen and Stephen's belief would be less realistic than the way he does react, in my opinion.

Jane... I wish there was more of Jane. I love the way Greenwitch gives her more of a say, but I would have loved to see more of her in Silver On The Tree. And I'd love to know more about her connection with the Lady.

Simon is nice: I didn't like him that much at first, and my inner Bran always calls him a prat, but I do like him, especially the hints of brotherly protection for Barney.

Barney captured my heart from the moment he opened his mouth and said "cleversticks". Seriously. ♥ It reminded me of something I read about Joss Whedon saying about putting the cute one in danger being a good way to earn the viewers' sympathy -- my heart was always in my mouth when Barney was in trouble, and it's a book. I loved the scrying -- and only wish that had been built on more.

Bran, you Welsh git. ♥ He's a wonderful character, I think -- conflicted and not entirely of any world. I love the Will-and-Bran dynamic, too, the echoes of Merlin-and-Arthur in that.

And Merriman... I never feel like I understand Merriman. I mean, you can understand his goals, but he shows so little emotion -- except over Hawkin, a touch I really liked. I think there's just the right amount of mystery surrounding Merriman, so that he's unknowable, but also a character you do sympathise with.

I think all the minor characters are done well, too, particularly Stephen Stanton, Owen Davies and John Rowlands. They're possibly my favourite minor characters. I love the description of Owen -- I'll probably be typing that up here in a bit -- and the relationship he has with Bran, his not-quite-son. The part John Rowlands plays isn't to be underestimated, either. He's a genuinely good man, and in some ways, more good than the Light -- good, but kind, unlike the Light, which has to be good, but hard, sometimes. And Stephen... the way Will looks up to him is lovely, and believable, and the way Stephen deals with the racism he sees is wonderful -- come be my brother please, Stephen! ♥

These two comments were all one, once upon a time. Then they got too big for the character limit.

This is probably my favourite passage in the whole sequence, and I'm posting it now because I'm about to rec the sequence to someone.

Bran went to Davies and put his arm round his waist, and stood close. It was the first gesture of affection between the two that Will had ever seen. And wondering loving surprise woke in Owen Davies's worn face as he looked down at the boy's white head, and the two stood there, waiting.

It makes me cry every time, considering the past of Owen and Bran. Just. Oh. ♥