So kicking off the Wye blog tour (and I’ll be back tomorrow with a review and a little piece of my own before handing off to others on Monday) I’m pleased to welcome Jack to the blog to tell us the answer to the one easy question I asked. REALLY easy. Favourite fictional character.
My Favourite Literary Character – Jack Croxall
I tried so hard not make this post about Lyra Silvertounge. After all, I’ve written plenty of blogs and features about His Dark Materials already – people are probably sick to death of me blabbering on about it! But, alas, unless I pretend otherwise, Lyra is my top pick, probably always will be!
So, why do I love Lyra so much? Well, there are lots of reasons! Firstly, I love how we find Lyra at the start of The Northern Lights. She’s essentially running free around Oxford, half-feral and getting into all sorts of trouble on a daily basis. The scholars of Jordan College are doing their best to educate her, but she’s proving impossible to contain. When I first read the book I was a few years into secondary school, and I was so desperate to have a life like Lyra’s; free from all the rules and exams and routines and monotony of being a teenager in the noughties.
Then there is Lyra’s dæmon, Pantalaimon. If you haven’t read His Dark Materials (what are you playing at?!) then I should probably just explain that every person in Lyra’s universe has a dæmon, a kind of animal embodiment of their soul. A person’s dæmon accompanies its human everywhere and, after initially being able to transform into any animal it chooses, it ‘settles’ into a specific animal sometime around adolescence. Lyra’s Pan is a shy sort, always terrified of what his human is about to do. They’re a great double act, so often funny, but never too far from a touching moment either.
The settling thing is genius. The animal a person’s dæmon settles into says something about that person; it represents a certain aspect of their personality. That means it’s great fun to think about what your own dæmon would be, or try to guess other people’s. Unsurprisingly I’ve put a lot of thought into this and I’ve decided that my dæmon would be a heron because I’m patient, persistent, and I love water. I have a weirdly long neck too!
Obviously Lyra doesn’t remain the same throughout the three novels which make up the series. She goes on a huge journey, both geographical and personal, and watching her develop as a person, experience fantasy versions of the things we all experience was something that enthralled me. It still does now.
Thanks Jack!
Find out more here: http://jackcroxall.co.uk/
Follow Jack on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/JackCroxall
About the book:
Wye is losing hope. Sixteen and travelling through a rich wilderness with three other teenagers, she should be having the time of her life. And she might be if it weren’t for the thing hunting her; the tireless creature desperate to tear her and her friends limb from limb.
Through the remembered lessons of her favourite writers, Wye has been trying to make sense of the cruel world she’s found herself inhabiting. But it’s not working. Wherever she turns there are monsters and memories, both of them poised to devour her if she can’t find a way to live with herself. What follows is Wye’s last chance at salvation, what follows is her journal.
Buy the book:
Join me again tomorrow to find out Why I loved Wye.
Happy Reading Folks!
