Never read a Mary Stewart book? You might look at her list of books and wonder which one to start with. I could just say that they're all so good you could start with any of them. But that probably doesn't help much.
First thing to decide is, do you want Arthurian historical fiction or romantic suspense? If it is the former, then your answer is easy. Start with The Crystal Cave -- it's the first in the series.
Now if you want a romantic suspense things get a little trickier. They are all stand-alone novels, so you really can start anywhere. We created this little quiz, which is not at all scientific, but might be a fun way of telling you which to start with. Here are my results:
| Which Mary Stewart novel should you read? Your Result: This Rough Magic British actress Lucy Waring believes there is no finer place to be "at liberty" than the sun-drenched isle of Corfu, the alleged locale for Shakespeare's The Tempest. Even the suspicious actions of the handsome, arrogant son of a famous actor cannot dampen her enthusiasm for this wonderland in the Ionian Sea. | |
| Madam, Will You Talk? | |
| My Brother Michael | |
| Wildfire at Midnight | |
| Nine Coaches Waiting | |
| Touch Not the Cat | |
| Airs Above the Ground | |
| The Ivy Tree | |
| Which Mary Stewart novel should you read? Make Your Own Quiz | |
You might look at which books are people's favorites. My personal favorite is This Rough Magic. Julie's favorite is Wildfire at Midnight. AAR's poll of people's favorite Mary Stewart books is here -- Nine Coaches Waiting got the first slot there, as well as being the current winner in our poll here at the blog.
You can look at our settings map and decide where you'd like to read about. I especially love her books set in Greece.
And my last word of advice is to consider when the book was published. Mary Stewart published for over 30 years -- those published earlier I've found to be more suspenseful and exciting. Those published in the 80s and 90s are a bit more tame and gentle. Thornyhold is my favorite of her later books.
Any visitors -- what was your first Mary Stewart book? I have to say that I don't remember which one I read first. Might have been The Ivy Tree.
6 comments:
At last, people who love Mary Stewart novels as much as I do! I have been reading them for more years than I care to mention, and I agree with the observation that the older novels have more action. I love the Arthur legend as well, and her series is the best I've ever read. Thank you for the wonderful site.
What a wonderful thing you've done with the site and this blog. And you're right, it's long overdue. Mary Stewart fans need a place to find each other.
Madam, Will You Talk? was the first Stewart I read and it still holds a place of honor for me. Lately my favorite seems to vacillate between it, My Brother Michael, and Nine Coaches Waiting. Depends on the day, I guess. :)
Anony--Thanks for visiting! Her books just get better with time, don't they? Like fine wine. ;)
Angiegirl--I'm glad you found us! Madam, Will You Talk? is one of my faves as well. It's amazing to me that it was her first novel.
Nine Coaches Waiting was my first. I'd seen it at least once a week since starting my job as a shelver at the library and finally checked it out on a whim one night. I think I read it in about two days. :-D After that I read every one of her books the library had, and ended up buying them all from Amazon within the month.
The Moon Spinners was my first and is still my favorite. But, This Rough Magic is delightful as well. I can't wait to visit Corfu and Crete...
I have been reading Mary Stewart's novels for about 40 years. I do not recall which one I read first, it may have been "This Rough Magic", which is the one I have read the most and is probably my favorite, although "Touch Not the Cat" is high on my list of favorites, too.
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