I don't know how many people remember The Claidi Journals nowadays, but I used to reread them regularly. Recently I picked them up again for the first time in ten, twelve, maybe close to fifteen years, curious if they'd hold up. They feel so much of their time, the late 90s, early 2000s, and as we all know, YA fantasy has changed significantly since then. I've also read a lot more Tanith Lee books since that time and was curious to see how the journals compare to her adult work.
Well -- I think they hold up. They're not high art, they're not perfect, but they're still extremely enjoyable. While they're not adult books, I think I did appreciate them more now that I'm older. Looking at the books and their publishing material, it was always very clear that the journals were first envisioned as a trilogy -- Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, and Wolf Queen -- and the fourth one, Wolf Wing, was kind of tacked on and felt separate (unnecessary?) But on this reread, I ended up feeling that Wolf Wing was pretty vital in rounding out the story. Even though it directly contradicts the ending of Wolf Queen, the original ending, in a very key way concerning Claidi's character and how she sees herself.
As for Tanith Lee's other works, The Claidi Journals weren't my first Taniths, but they were my favorites for a very long time. Having read so many more of her books subsequently, I can see how she loved returning to the same themes, and even world-design elements, time and time again. Some readers might find it redundant, but I don't mind. In a way, it's kind of comforting, as I feel like, as a writer, there are ideas I want to repeatedly explore. If Tanith Lee can do it, I suppose I can.
Speaking of, I've always known Tanith Lee was an influence on my writing style. Particularly the Claidi books -- their conversational grammar-bending tone, her unexpected use of imagery, the way she slants familiar things to make them bizarre and fantastical, her use of absurdity and humor. Rereading these books, I could glance back at different instances of my own writing and see it so clearly: Look at that, I'm still trying to sound like her sometimes.
So, The Claidi Journals: Still good. Here's Claidi and Yinyay, chilling on the Star ship.
