Ahira's Hangar

Jane Yolen is a fantasy author who is usually associated with children's and Young Adult books, so is perhaps, not as well known as her work warrants.

A few examples of her books:

Merlin's Booke
thirteen short stories and poems by Yolen about Merlin...
Quote:I am the Dragon, Arch-Mage, Riddle-Master, old fool -- many are the names I am called by, many are the stories told about me, myth and history so woven together that even I cannot seperate fact from fancy. Come, listen to an old wizard's stories: of a King I placed upon the throne at Camelot and the barren Queen who sat at his side, of the Knights of the Round Table, and the sword Excalibur, and the lovely Nimue who was my downfall...Listen, and decide for yourself whether my tales be Truth or Lie...

One of her science fiction books is called Cards of Grief, and Roger Zelazny had this to say about it:
Quote:A strong and moving story, a piece of dream unmoored and drifting through daylight. Jane Yolen writes wondrous well...

One of her best known Young Adult works is a trilogy known as The Pit Dragon Trilogy. The individual books are called
Dragon's Blood
Heart's Blood
A Sending of Dragons
Quote:Austar IV doesn't have a lot going for it. A metal-poor desert planet in a far-off system, it was originally used by Earth as a dumping ground for convicts. Yet, while its plant and animal life are limited, Austar does have one notable feature: its dragons. Warm-blooded, light-boned creatures, Austarian dragons can fly and survive the killing cold of the desert nights. Nearly extinct when the convicts arrived, they were brought back by careful breeding, and are now raised for meat and leather. But they're valued mostly as fighting beasts in the gaming pits. On Austar, gambling on the dragon fights is a major industry, so the beasts must be bred and properly trained on ranches such as Master Sarkkhan's. Fifteen year old Jakkin Stewart, a bond servant, works in Sakkhan's barns, dreaming of the day when he can steal a hatchling to secretly train as a fighter. It is his only hope of earning his freedom. His chance comes when an error lists nine, not ten, new hatchlings. Stealing the tenth away, Jakkin raises it, and over the seasons, telepathically bonds with his ward. But what if he is caught? Or worse, what if he doesn't know enough to train his dragon to become a true champion?

One of her latest books is called Briar Rose, and is one of the finest stand-alone fantasy books I have read. Here are a few of the reviews (for both good and bad) at Amazon:
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Windling's Fairy Tale series has produced several excellent fantasy novels inspired by classic fairy tales. This is one of the series's most ambitious efforts, and only a writer as good as Yolen ( Sister Light, Sister Dark ) could bring it off. Yolen takes the story of Briar Rose (commonly known as Sleeping Beauty) and links it to the Holocaust--a far-from-obvious connection that she makes perfectly convincing. Rebecca Berlin, a young woman who has grown up hearing her grandmother Gemma tell an unusual and frightening version of the Sleeping Beauty legend, realizes when Gemma dies that the fairy tale offers one of the very few clues she has to her grandmother's past. To discover the facts behind Gemma's story, Rebecca travels to Poland, the setting for the book's most engrossing scenes and its most interesting, best-developed characters. By interpolating Gemma's vivid and imaginative story into the larger narrative, Yolen has created an engrossing novel. She handles a difficult subject with finesse in a book that should be required reading for anyone who is tempted to dismiss fantasy as a frivolous genre.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Library Journal
A young woman's promise to her dying grandmother leads her on a quest to discover the truth of her own family's mysterious beginnings in this grim retelling of the classic fairy tale "Briar Rose," or "The Sleeping Beauty." In Yolen's modern-day version, the wall of thorns becomes a barbed-wire prison, while the sleeping princess is both victim and heroine. The latest in the "Fairy Tale" series showcases Yolen's skill at transforming the real world into a realm of fantasy. A good selection for adult and YA fantasy collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From AudioFile
As a little girl, Rebecca Berlin found magic in listening to her grandmother, Gemma, tell the story of Briar Rose. Years later, as a young woman, Becca learned the real story. "I am Briar Rose," whispers Gemma as she lies dying. Her words launch her granddaughter on a journey of discovery to wartime Poland, Nazi death camps and Gemma's mysterious past. In keeping with such a journey, Linda Stephens's reading vibrates with imaginative characterizations and bold feeling. Like a sculptor with her chisel, Stephens shapes Yolen's story with her voice, flawlessly interprets mood and tone, and breathes personality into her characters. From old Prince Pototsky to eager, young Gemma, there is magic in the listening. P.E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Kirkus Reviews
The latest in the Fairy Tales series begins with a provocative premise: retelling the story of Sleeping Beauty as a Holocaust memoir. Rebecca Berlin (Becca), the sweet young heroine, fondly recalls the odd version of Sleeping Beauty that her grandmother (Gemma) often told her and her sisters. Although Gemma always identified strongly with Briar Rose, the sleeping princess, no one had thought it anything but a bedtime story--but when a mysterious box of clippings and photos turns up after Gemma's death, hinting that the accepted version of Gemma's origins is untrue, Becca begins tracing the real story, which bears striking resemblances to Gemma's fairy tale. The trail finally leads Becca to the site of an extermination camp in Poland.... The idea has lots of potential, but Yolen's thin novel fails to integrate the material smoothly. The first half has little tension, since the Holocaust connection is pretty obvious; things pick up once Becca travels to Poland, and the narrative of Gemma's wartime experiences is riveting and moving--but it's all told by a third party at the end of the book; Becca doesn't so much solve the mystery as find a narrator to tell her the story. Meanwhile, overwrought emotions and hackneyed images (``his eyes were so blue she felt cut by them, as if they were ice'') don't help, and Becca's relentless goody-goodiness grows more than a little annoying. Prolific YA and children's writer Yolen (White Jenna, 1989, etc.) had a good idea here, but didn't follow through. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Review
“Terrifically moving.” —The Washington Post

“Yolen takes the story of Briar Rose and links it to the Holocaust—a far from obvious connection that she makes perfectly convincing...Only a writer as good as Yolen could bring it off.” —Publishers Weekly

“Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, Yolen’s novel is a compelling reminder of the Holocaust as well as a contemporary tale of secrets and romance.”—Booklist

“Showcases Yolen’s skill at transforming the real world into a realm of fantasy.” —Library Journal



Ingram
Haunted by the tales of the Holocaust, a young American woman begins a search for her grandmother's World War II past. By the author of Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


About the Author
Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Nowegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille.



Book Description
A powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty that is “heartbreaking and heartwarming.”

An American Library Association “100 Best Books for Teens”
An American Library Association “Best Books for Young Adults”

Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma’s stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma’s astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope.
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Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i>Edited by: Duchess of Malfi  at: 2/28/04 2:36 pm
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