Wood between the worlds

May 8th, 2012 | Uncategorized

On day 8 of book tour. I’ve been reading lev grossman’s wonderful meta-Narnian fantasy book “The Magicians,” and am very struck with the way his Neitherlands, his version of Lewis’s Wood Between the Worlds, resembles an airport. I am trying hard to see the magic in the daily security lines, crowded planes, luggage mishaps, and ever-shifting array of boarding procedures. A young woman soldier across the aisle just told her father she loves him. I guess that’s a kind of magic.

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5 Responses to “Wood between the worlds”

  1. Kate L says:

    What airport was this? I started to say, “Denver Stapleton”, but you would need to be riding on a time-travelling TARDIS or thru a time-warping Stargate to be there! I was struck by your comment about airports and fictional no-person’s lands. Interesting how many really, really, eerie works of fiction have been set in airports, from Stephen King’s The Langoliers to a vintage episoode of Rod Sirling’s Twilight Zone, where a 60’s-era jet liner keeps trying to make a landing at JFK, only to end up over Laguardia or some strange futuristic spaceport or… dinosaurs. Btw, I just googled “Denver Stapleton” to make sure of the spelling, and got a web page search suggesting that I update my browser. Indeed!

  2. Liz says:

    I just wanted to thank you for coming into TCAF this year. I’ve been reading your book since the day I bought it (4 days and counting) and i’m taking so long because I want to try and absorb every nuance you’ve put into it.

    I actually interrupted you while you were walking through TCAF to say hello and thank you for the book. I hope I didn’t bother you too much, and I’m sorry I mispronounced your last name.

    Again, thank you for being there. I’ve been waiting to get the book, and to actually talk to you for a moment was very cool.

  3. L says:

    I’m sorry I missed you in TO – it was booked in my calendar forever, but I had to move house that day 🙁

    I hope you enjoyed the TCAF. Best wishes for your success on tour and many magical moments!

  4. PJeannechild says:

    oh, dear, there’s a way to mispronounce your name? I remember hearing Martin Scorsese on something or other telling the moderator that despite the way everyone ELSE pronounces his name (score-say-zee), he and his family pronounce it ‘score-chay-zee’ – the ‘ch’ pronounced as in ‘church’.

    so: beck-del? besh-del? what, waht?

    [It’s pronounced like BECK-dull. For example, on the About>>FAQ page AB writes “…it rhymes with “rectal”. –Mentor]

  5. Kate L says:

    Far be it from me to suggest a correction to Mentor and to A.B. herself, but how about “rhymes with BestAll?”!