Dalek of the Rings

This installment of the Dalek Game is for Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

When I was young, I could imagine no books better than the Chronicles of Narnia. Then I encountered the Chronicles of Prydain and decided, to avoid disloyalty, I would have to have two favourites. And then, a few years later, my father brought a backpacker home (my father used to collect backpackers and bring them back to visit us – I’m not sure how they felt about the two hour drive into the bush in a car loaded with children and two months’ worth of groceries). This backpacker was from Wales – a hang-gliding potter – and it was he who first told me that I ought to read The Lord of the Rings. So at last I did, and he was correct, and then I had three favourite books, and my path was set.

The Lord of the Rings, however, soon fell off my top 5 list, because I have a rule that I can only have one work by an author on it, and my heart belongs – above Frodo and Bilbo and Sam and all the others – to Tolkien’s Farmer Giles of Ham (but only the edition with Pauline Baynes’ illustrations).

In other news: This Dalek is a day late because I am in Canberra at Conflux and was distracted by a 1920s zepellin banquet – the last of the historical banquets, and delicious. I illustrated the Cookbook and was given a beautiful bouquet at the launch. Also – see! A new issue of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet (I drew the cover – I was very excited to have that chance) and a new issue of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine (with “Undine Love”, and two internal illustrations by me). And Winds of Change is also out, but I can’t find the official page and have to run to get back to the convention on time!

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