Pamela Dean

Pamela Dean’s 1991 fantasy novel Tam Lin has recently been reprinted by Firebrand Books. Tam Lin is a creepy retelling of an even creepier old ballad, set in a college in the 1970s, and starring a bunch of characters that quote stuff constantly. If you’re in the mood for a lot of highly literary otherworldliness, this is a surefire choice. If you’re at all impatient with that kind of thing, avoid this book like the plague.

Aftertaste:
Seriously, the quoting is incessant. If I had a roommate (or, worse, a boyfriend) who answered any and all questions with a cryptic line from Hamlet, I think I’d murder them in their sleep.

Also, the cover art for the reprint is wicked ugly.


Availability:
Everywhere.

Other Recommendations:
Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones

The Perilous Guard, by Elizabeth Marie Pope