Recommended Fantasy Authors List - Part 1/5
Amy Sheldon
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 1998/03/01
URL: http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Version: 3.0
THE RECOMMENDED FANTASY AUTHORS LIST - ver. 3.0
Part 1 of 5
NOTICE OF MAJOR CHANGE TO LIST
Beginning with the March, 1998 posting, only those authors with
six or more recommendations will have detailed listings. THE
FULL LIST, WITH TITLES AND COMMENTS ON *ALL* RECOMMENDED
AUTHORS, is available at the list web site:
http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Unfortunately, the Recommended Fantasy Author List has just
gotten too large to continue posting the entire thing.
CONTENTS:
Introduction Part 1
THE LIST (A-C) Part 1
THE LIST (D-K) Part 2
THE LIST (L-Q) Part 3
THE LIST (R-Z) Part 4
Total Recommendation Counts Part 5
Finding These Books Part 5
About the List Part 5
Downloading the List Part 5
Credits Part 5
INTRODUCTION
The Recommended Fantasy Author List originated in April 1994 in
the alt.fan.eddings newsgroup. It was intended to be a quick
compilation of a few favorite fantasy authors of some a.f.e.
regulars. After more than 150 recommendation lists, it ended up
being a bit more than that. The List has maintained ONE of its
original attributes - all of the participants share a fondness
for the fantasy of David Eddings. Other than that, recommended
authors run the gamut from Stephen Donaldson to Terry Pratchett,
Mervyn Peake to Lloyd Alexander, and Peter Beagle to Piers
Anthony (the last pair is my "sublime to the ridiculous"
combination).
The list is alphabetic by author. In the case of authors with
multiple series, I've attempted to list their works in order of
publication. Note that the operative word in the preceding
sentence is "attempted." Series are listed with a series title
followed by the individual books in the series. The listing will
indicate if the titles are part of an on-going series or a
limited series (trilogies, tetralogies, and the like), and if
the books within the series stand alone. If the series has gone
beyond 10 books, the first several books will be listed, and
maybe a few others of particular interest.
THIS LISTING DOES NOT PRETEND TO LIST EVERY WORK BY EVERY AUTHOR
LISTED, nor is it intended to do so. In several cases, only
specific books by an author are recommended (although that is
generally noted in the comments). Authors who write both science
fiction AND fantasy (or books in other genres) only have their
fantasy titles listed.
You can find many _complete_ author lists, created by the
indomitable John Wenn, at the following ftp site:
sflovers.rutgers.edu
in the directory: /pub/sf-lovers/bibliographies/authorlists
The value-enhanced html version of this list resides at:
http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
It includes everything found in the posted version plus all of
the authors with less than seven recommendations, links to
individual author sites and more detailed comments on the
individual authors and titles.
Series titles are enclosed within quotation marks, and book
titles within series are separated a semicolon. Comments, if
any, follow the listing. Authors/series listed by 10% of the
recommenders are marked with an "*". Two "**" means that 20% or
more have endorsed the author. The total number of
recommendations per author follows the List.
Lloyd Alexander (b. 1924)
"Prydain Chronicles" - The Book of Three; The Black
Cauldron; The Castle of Llyr; Taran Wanderer; The High
King
_Who cares if you have to get them from the
children's section of your library - these are
great. A young boy of unknown heritage becomes
involved in a clash between the forces of good and
evil. Loosely based on the Welsh Mabinogin. There
are also two or three short story collections out
featuring tales about the characters from the
Chronicles. Classic series, the concluding volume
won the Newbery medal._
"Westmark Trilogy" - Westmark; The Kestrel; The Beggar
Queen
_Less fantasy than the Prydain Chronicles. _The
Kestrel_ in particular brings up the issue of
personal morality in war situations, and it doesn't
give any easy answers._
"Vesper Holly series" - The Illyrian Adventure; The El
Dorado Adventure; The Drackenberg Adventure; The Jedera
Adventure; The Philadelphia Adventure
_Young adult adventure series set in an alternate
world during Victorian times. The hero is a teen-
aged female version of Indiana Jones, and the series
is great fun._
*Piers Anthony (b. 1934)
"Kelvin of Rud" - Dragon's Gold; Serpent's Silver;
Chimaera's Copper; Orc's Opal; Mouvar's Magic
_Straight adventure-fantasy._
"Xanth" - A Spell for Chameleon; The Source of Magic;
Castle Roogna; etc. etc. etc.
_Humorous. First couple of books are recommended,
but it has descended into terminal cuteness and
virtual unreadability. Denis managed to enjoy the
first 15, but even he admits that it's getting
pretty bad now. Series is nearing the 20-book mark._
"Apprentice Adept" - Split Infinity; The Blue Adept;
Juxtaposition
_Takes place in two different universes, one magic
and one not. Anthony returned to this world with a
second trilogy that is NOT recommended._
"Incarnations of Immortality" - On a Pale Horse; Bearing an
Hourglass; With a Tangled Skein; Wielding a Red Sword;
Being a Green Mother; For Love of Evil; And Eternity
_There is a general, overall theme, but each book
does stand on its own. NOT humorous. Recommenders
agree that the first book, _On a Pale Horse,_ is the
best (the usual state of affairs in a series written
by Piers Anthony)._
*Robert Asprin (b. 1946)
"Myth series" - Another Fine Myth; Myth Conceptions; Myth
Directions; Hit or Myth; Myth-ing Persons; Little Myth
Marker; M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link; Myth-nomers and
Impervections; M.Y.T.H. Inc. in Action; Sweet Myth-tery
of Life; Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. (forthcoming someday,
but don't expect it any time soon)
_Humorous. Lotsa puns, lotsa slapstick. Like most
long-running series, the recent offerings have been
pretty weak. He also has an SF series, "Phule's
Company," which also runs along the punny/humor
line._
"Thieves World" - Thieves World; Tales From the Vulgar
Unicorn; Shadows of Sanctuary; Storm Season; The Face
of Chaos; Wings of Omen; many others
_Shared World series with various authors, Asprin is
originator. Notable as the first series created
specifically to be a Shared World. Most of the
stories aim for a feeling of gritty realism
(translation: dark and depressing). The series seems
to have topped out at 12 books._
Peter S. Beagle (b. 1939)
A Fine and Private Place
_An early work. It's a love story with (and between)
ghosts. Jim says "it is well worth reading" and your
FAQmaker agrees._
The Last Unicorn
_One of the top ten fantasies of all time. Read
this. Bittersweet story of the last unicorn's quest
to find out what happened to her fellow unicorns._
The Folk of the Air
_Published in the mid 80s, contemporary fantasy set
in a city resembling Berkeley, California and
featuring a group very like the Society for Creative
Anachronism. One of his weaker works. Still, even
weak Beagle is worth reading._
The Innkeeper's Song
_Beagle returns to fantasy after far too long an
absence. Story told through multiple viewpoints,
grittier and a bit darker than his early work._
The Unicorn Sonata
_25 years after _The Last Unicorn_, Beagle returns
with a new fantasy that is initially set in
contemporary Los Angeles before moving on to a
faerie land of Shei'rah. This is really only a
novelette, but the pictures are pretty..._
Ray Bradbury (b. 1920)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
_Everything Bradbury writes is Wonderful (do we
detect a teeny bit of bias on the part of our
FAQmaker here?) Most of his fantasy is in short
story form, but this novel features an unusual (and
nasty) carnival that comes to town._
*Marion Zimmer Bradley (b. 1930)
"Avalon books" - The Mists of Avalon; The Forest House; The
Lady of Avalon (co-author Diana Paxson)
_Each of these stands alone. _Mists_ was one of the
first books to tell the Arthur story from the female
characters' points of view, and, boy, was it
successful. _Forest House_ is a prequel to _Mists_,
taking place during the Roman invasion of Britain,
and _Lady_ takes place between the two._
The Firebrand
_Cassandra of Troy gets her turn in the spotlight._
"Witchlight series" - Ghostlight; Witchlight; Gravelight;
Heartlight (forthcoming Sept. '98)
_New series featuring psychic heroine Truth
Jourdemayne. eluki bes shahar will be co-authoring
the forthcoming books._
"Darkover series" - Stormqueen; Hawkmistress; The Forbidden
Tower; The Heirs of Hammerfell; many many others
_THIS IS SF, NOT FANTASY. But, hey, McCaffrey's Pern
books made it onto the list, so why not MZB's
Darkover? Generally, the books that take place after
the lost colony of Darkover has been rediscovered by
Earth are more SF in tone, the ones that take place
during Darkover's long isolation have a more
'fantasy' feel. I've listed a few of the titles I'm
personally familiar with, and consider fantasy-ish
in tone. The books are generally supposed to be
standalones, but familiarity with Darkover is needed
to make lesser offerings more enjoyable._
**Terry Brooks (b. 1944)
"Shannara" - Sword of Shannara; Elfstones of Shannara;
Wishsong of Shannara
_The fantasy genre owes Brooks a lot - whether that
debt is good or bad depends upon how you feel about
the current state of the market. These books were
bestsellers when they came out in the early 80's,
and they finally proved that Tolkien's popularity
wasn't just an aberration, and that fantasy could be
much more than a niche market. This is an enjoyable
group of books, although the Tolkienesque borrowings
of the first book of the first trilogy are even more
blatant than most._
"Heritage of Shannara" - Scions of Shannara; Druid of
Shannara; Elf Queen of Shannara; Talismans of Shannara
_Onward ever onward with the world of Shannara. This
group of books is straightforward fantasy
quest/adventure._
"Yet Another Shannara Book" - First King of Shannara
_Prequel set 500 years before the events of _Sword
of Shannara_._
"Kingdom of Landover" - Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold; The
Black Unicorn; Wizard At Large; The Tangle Box; Witches
Brew
_Open-ended adventure/humor series. Not connected to
the Shannara books._
"Trolltown series" - Running With the Demon; A Knight of
the Word (forthcoming Aug. '98)
_Brooks' first fantasies set in the contemporary
world. Good and evil vie for the soul of a young
Illinois girl. The first book does include an elf,
a demon and a Knight of the Word as characters, so
it shouldn't be too much of a shock to his fans._
*Steven Brust (b. 1955)
"Vlad Taltos series" - Jhereg; Yendi; Teckla; Taltos;
Phoenix; Athyra; Orca; Dragon (forthcoming Nov. '98)
_Featuring the assassin Vlad Taltos. Open-ended
action/adventure series taking place in a well-
defined, interesting world. Each book is a stand-
alone, and the published order (listed above) does
NOT follow the internal chronology (despite that,
you should try to read them in the published order.
Vlad's growth as a character is best traced by
reading the books in the order Brust has written
them)._
"Khaavren Romances" - The Phoenix Guards; Five Hundred
Years After; The Paths of the Dead (coming sometime in
1999 maybe); The Enchantress of Dzur Mountain
(forthcoming); The Lord of Castle Black (forthcoming)
_Set in the same world as the Vlad Taltos books,
just earlier in its history. These are written in
the style of Dumas (remember _The Three
Musketeers_?) and are quite enjoyable._
Brokedown Palace
_A standalone that takes place in the eastern
(human) region of Vlad Taltos' world. It was
reprinted by Ace in August, 1996._
Agyar
_Dark fantasy told from the title character's point
of view. Kate sez, 'Part of the fun is figuring out
who and what he is.'_
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars
_Part of the Ace 'Fairy Tale' series (now being
published by Tor), which invited various authors to
retell a fairy tale for a contemporary adult
audience. Very well-regarded, books from the series
by Wrede, de Lint & Dean are also on this list. It
came back into print in May '96 from Tor._
Freedom and Necessity (co-author Emma Bull)
_This is an epistolary fantasy (i.e., the story is
told in the form of letters) that is unrelated to
any series by either of the co-authors. It is set in
1849 and has garnered some very nice reviews._
Orson Scott Card (b. 1951)
Hart's Hope
_Early stand-alone fantasy_
"Alvin Maker" - Seventh Son; Red Prophet; Prentice Alvin;
Alvin Journeyman; The Crystal City (forthcoming 1998);
Master Alvin (forthcoming)
_I'm told that _Master Alvin_ will complete this
series. The majority of Card's writing falls firmly
into SF, but this is an interesting alternate-
history fantasy, taking place in 19th century U.S._
Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
"The Alice Duology" - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland;
Through the Looking Glass
_Human from the "real world" crosses over into a
fantasy land...Sound familiar? The first and still
the best, you should read the Alice books as a fine
source of sig quotes if nothing else._
C.J. Cherryh (b. 1942)
"Morgaine" - Gate of Ivrel; Well of Shiun; Fires of
Azeroth; Exile's Gate
_Early work from Cherryh (except for _Exile's Gate_,
which was published a decade after the others).
Dark, moody science fantasy. Open-ended_
"Arafel's Saga" - The Dreamstone; The Tree of Swords and
Jewels
_Out of print (although they still turn up in
bookstores occasionally). Fantasy in the
Celtic/Welsh vein. Cherryh has revised these two
books, and they are scheduled to be reprinted in an
omnibus edition from DAW, titled 'The Dreaming
Tree.'_
"Russian series" - Rusalka; Chernevog; Yvgenie
_Dark fairy tale using Russian traditions. Cherryh
is a very highly regarded SF author, and if you like
her fantasy, you should check out her other works._
The Paladin
_Good stand-alone story with a samurai flavor_
The Goblin Mirror
_Stand-alone fantasy with an Eastern European
background._
Faery in Shadow
_Stand-alone celtic fantasy about a young man who
makes a bargain with the Sidhe._
"Tristan series" - Fortress in the Eye of Time; Fortress of
Eagles; Fortress of Owls (forthcoming); Fortress of
Dragons (forthcoming)
_This starts out slowly. Tristen's quest goes on far
too long, and the maneuverings that lead to the
final battle are pretty routine. Still, even
substandard Cherryh is worthwhile, just don't let
this be the first of her books that you try._
Glen Cook (b. 1944)
"The Chronicles of the Black Company" - The Black Company;
Shadows Linger; The White Rose
_Fantasy from the foot soldier's point of view.
Gritty and hard-edged, these are not Fantasy Lite_
The Silver Spike
_Takes place in the world of the Black Company. It's
not about them, but some familiar characters
appear._
"Book of the South" - Shadow Games; Dreams of Steel
_More of the chronicles of the Black Company_
"The Glittering Stone Tetralogy" - Bleak Seasons; She Is
The Darkness; 2 more books forthcoming
_The long-awaited continuation of the adventures of
the Black Company. The final book of what was
originally announced as a trilogy ended up being
split in two._
"Garrett, P.I. series" - Sweet Silver Blues; Bitter Gold
Hearts; Cold Copper Tears; Old Tin Sorrows; Dread Brass
Shadows; Red Iron Nights; Deadly Quicksilver Lies; Petty
Pewter Gods
_The hard-boiled detective in a world full of elves,
trolls, and magic. Raymond Chandler fans take note.
Open-ended series. There is some slight reference to
events that take place in previous books, but all
books are basically stand-alone. Roc publishing
recently bought 2 more in this series from Cook.
This is beginning to suffer from Continuing Series
Syndrome, but the books haven't fallen off badly
enough to make me stop buying._
"The Dread Empire series" - A Shadow of All Night Falling;
October's Baby; All Darkness Met; The Fire in His Hands;
With Mercy Toward None; Reap the East Wind; An Ill Fate
Marshalling
_Listed for completists - none of the recommenders
mentioned this series. The darkest (and least
commercially popular) of Cook's three continuing
series._
Hugh Cook (b. 1956)
"Chronicles of an Age of Darkness" - The Wizards and the
Warriors; The Wordsmiths and Warguild; The Woman and the
Warlords; The Walrus and the Warwolf; The Wicked and the
Witless; The Wishstone and the Wonderworkers; The Wazir
and the Witch; The Werewolf and the Wormlord; The
Worshippers and Way; The Witchlord and the Weaponmaster
_These are the titles from the English editions.
Only the first couple have been published in the
U.S., and they were released under different titles.
Excellent series! Books vary radically in tone,
ranging from your standard heroes on a fantasy quest
to humor/adventure to great events seen through
ordinary (or seemingly ordinary) eyes._
Louise Cooper (b. 1952)
"Time Master Trilogy" - Initiate; Outcast; Master
_The forces of Order and Chaos face off again.
However, in Cooper's universe, neither side is
unrelievedly good or evil - Chaos and Order are "two
sides of the same coin," in the words of the
author._
"Chaos Gate Trilogy" - The Pretender; The Deceiver; The
Avenger
_Set in the same world as the "Time Master" trilogy.
It takes place about 60-80 years after the events of
the first trilogy._
"Indigo series" - Nemesis; Inferno; Infanta; Nocturne;
Troika; Avatar; Revenant; Aisling
_The recommender of the "Indigo" series would like
to point out that the quality of the books in the
series is uneven - some are much better than others_
"Star Shadow trilogy" - Star Ascendant; Eclipse; Moonset
(forthcoming)
__Moonset_ is already out in the U.K. This is a
prequel to the Time Master Trilogy._
*Susan Cooper (b. 1935)
"The Dark is Rising" - Over Sea and Under Stone; The Dark
is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree
_Another one that you'll find in the children's
section. Arthurian elements, and very good. _Grey
King_ took the Newbery Award._
Amy Sheldon
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 1998/03/01
URL: http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Version: 3.0
THE RECOMMENDED FANTASY AUTHORS LIST - ver. 3.0
Part 2 of 5
NOTICE OF MAJOR CHANGE TO LIST
Beginning with the March, 1998 posting, only those authors with
six or more recommendations will have detailed listings. THE
FULL LIST, WITH TITLES AND COMMENTS ON *ALL* RECOMMENDED
AUTHORS, is available at the list web site:
http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Unfortunately, the Recommended Fantasy Author List has just
gotten too large to continue posting the entire thing.
Pamela Dean (b. 1953)
"The Secret Country" - The Secret Country; The Hidden Land;
The Whim of the Dragon
_Another series usually found in the children's
section of your library._
The Dubious Hills
_Set in the same world as _The Secret Country_, but
featuring different characters. An unusual book,
this one is not geared toward children._
Tam-Lin
_The college setting of this one makes it quite
popular with the academic crowd. Stand-alone
contemporary retelling of the Tam-Lin legend. Part
of the 'Fairy Tale' series._
Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary (forthcoming June '98)
_This was originally scheduled for July, 1997._
L. Sprague de Camp (b. 1907)
"The Reluctant King" - Goblin Tower; The Clocks of Iraz;
The Unbeheaded King; The Honorable Barbarian
_Classic. Fast-paced heroic adventure with an added
dash of humor_
The Complete Compleat Enchanter (co-author Fletcher
Pratt)
_Great series of novelettes! Published in a variety
of configurations, the above title is the U.S.
edition that contains all the stories. In the U.K.,
look for _The Intrepid Enchanter_. Harold Shea
travels to a variety of magical worlds, finding
love, adventure, and poetry._
The Exotic Enchanter (co-author Christopher Stasheff)
_de Camp continues Harold Shea's adventures with a
new co-author. There has also been at least one
collection of short stories in this series_
Charles de Lint (b. 1951)
"Jack of Kinrowen" - Jack the Giant Killer; Drink Down the
Moon (Omnibus edition with JoK title available from Tor)
__Jack the Giant Killer_ was originally published as
part of the 'Fairy Tale' series._
"Newford series" - Our Lady of the Harbor; Paperjack; The
Wishing Well; Memory and Dream
_Standalones taking place in the fictional town of
Newford. Most (if not all) of the short stories in
the two collections mentioned below take place in
Newford also._
"Short story collections" - Dreams Underfoot; The Ivory and
the Horn
_de Lint's short story collections are a good
introduction to the author - if you don't like
these, you won't like his novels._
Greenmantle
The Little Country
Trader
Someplace To Be Flying (forthcoming Feb. '98)
_He's written many books, with a fair number only
available in small press editions. Most are
stand-alone (although related to each other), all
are good. The best-known and most productive author
in the 'urban fantasy' sub-genre. Can be difficult
to find in U.S. (this is changing - Tor, his
publisher, is showing their good taste and really
pushing his work), readily available in Canada &
U.K._
**Stephen Donaldson (b. 1947)
"Thomas Covenant - First Chronicles" - Lord Foul's Bane;
The Illearth War; The Power That Preserves
_VERY highly recommended. This is a powerful
trilogy, and you should read it._
"Thomas Covenant - Second Chronicles" - The Wounded Land;
The One Tree; White Gold Wielder
_The Covenant books can be *quite* grim &
depressing, but they are well written and worth your
time. Those who love Donaldson's work describe
Covenant as a flawed but decent human struggling to
come to terms with both his illness and his power.
Others with less charity in their souls consider
Covenant to be whiny, self-pitying, and a poor
excuse for a hero. Give the Chronicles a try & see
which category you fall into._
"Thomas Covenant - Final Chronicles" - ?? (forthcoming
maybe someday)
_Yep, you read that right. Donaldson confirmed in a
recent (September 1997) interview that "I already
have all the ideas for the grand scheme so the
second chronicles is ready for the last chronicles."
However, he didn't give any hints as to when he
would actually start writing down the ideas, so
don't get your hopes up yet. He just finished up a
five-book SF series with characters that make the
folks in the Covenant books look cheerful and
well-adjusted._
"Mordant's Need" - The Mirror of Her Dreams; A Man Rides
Through
_Several people have remarked that, although the
Covenant books weren't their cup of tea, *this*
duology was very enjoyable, and nowhere near as
gloomy as his usual (although the heroine has more
than her share of self-image problems...)_
*Dave Duncan (b. 1933)
"Seventh Sword" - The Reluctant Swordsman; The Coming of
Wisdom; The Destiny of the Sword
_His first work. Has some ragged edges, but moves
right along._
"A Man of His Word" - The Magic Casement; Faery Lands
Forlorn; Perilous Seas; Emperor and Clown
_A stableboy sets forth on a quest, and ends up with
a (need I say it?) great destiny._
"A Handful of Men" - The Cutting Edge; Upland Outlaws; The
Stricken Field; The Living God
_Follows the same characters as 'A Man of His Word'
series._
"Omar the Storyteller" - The Reaver's Road; The Hunter's
Haunt
_Described as being 'a little lighter' than Duncan's
epic fantasies, this on-going series features Omar
the storyteller. The books are completely self-
contained, and stand alone._
The Cursed
_Stand-alone about a land afflicted by changes
brought about by the baleful influence of certain
stars. Duncan also has a new book out under the
pseudonym Ken Hood titled _Demon Sword_._
"The Great Game" - Past Imperative; Present Tense; Future
Indefinite
_This looks interesting - in 1914, a young man
suffering from amnesia and accused of murder ends up
at Stonehenge, where he is transported to an
alternate reality._
Lord Dunsany (1879-1957)
The King of Elfland's Daughter
_Early fantasy. Dunsany was very influential in the
field. The above is probably his most accessible
book for modern readers (although I like _The
Charwoman's Shadow_ too, but then, I've got a
definite fondness for early fantasy). It should be
available at most larger libraries_
**David Eddings (b. 1931)
"The Belgariad" - Pawn of Prophecy; Queen of Sorcery;
Magician's Gambit; Castle of Wizardry; Enchanter's End
Game
_Eddings' fantasy debut, and, my, was it successful.
The forces of dark and light are rushing toward a
climatic confrontation, and young farm boy Garion is
swept into the battle._
"The Malloreon" - Guardians of the West; King of the
Murgos; The Demon Lord of Karanda; The Sorceress of
Darshiva; The Seeress of Kell
_Continuing the adventures of Garion and Company._
"The Prequels" - Belgarath the Sorcerer; Polgara the
Sorceress
_Yep, two more books about our favorite sorcerer and
his daughter. These are both prequels to the events
of the Belgariad, and should finally answer such
burning questions as: Why did Poledra have to
pretend she'd died? and How exactly DID the orb get
onto the shield?_
"The Elenium" - The Diamond Throne; The Ruby Knight; The
Sapphire Rose
_Eddings creates a new world and characters. The
hero Sparhawk sets off to save his queen and
country._
"The Tamuli" - Domes of Fire; The Shining Ones; The Hidden
City
_More adventures of Sparhawk (Eddings does like to
get a lot of use out of his characters).
Eddings is by far the most highly recommended author
on the List (hardly surprising, as the list
originated in the alt.fan.eddings newsgroup)._
Teresa Edgerton (b. 1949)
"The Green Lion Trilogy" - Child of Saturn; The Moon in
Hiding; The Work of the Sun
_Celtic-inspired fantasy in a complex, well-realized
world._
"Kingdom of Celydonn trilogy" - The Castle of the Silver
Wheel; The Grail and the Ring; The Moon and the Thorn
_More about the world of the "Green Lion" trilogy.
Dwayne says the two books he's read are excellent,
and I agree, although ^Castle^ is a trifle slow-
moving in spots. The final book was recently
released, and it is a satisfying conclusion to the
trilogy._
Goblin Moon; The Gnome's Engine
_Jonathan says these are "just awesome - full of
intrigue and suspense." Not part of the Celydonn
series, the world of these books is built more along
Victorian lines._
Phyllis Eisenstein (b. 1946)
"Cray the Sorcerer" - Sorcerer's Son; The Crystal Palace
_Stand-alones about Cray, a sorcerer._
"Tales of Alaric the Minstrel" - Born to Exile; In the Red
Lord's Reach
_Two books so far, the first is episodic and has the
feel of a short story collection, second is a novel.
Alaric is gifted with the magical ability of
teleportation._
**Raymond Feist (b. 1945)
"Riftwar Saga" - Magician: Apprentice; Magician: Master;
Silverthorn; A Darkness at Sethanon
_Fast-paced adventure, and full of action. The first
two books were originally published in one volume
under the title _Magician_._
"Midkemia series" - Prince of the Blood; The King's
Buccaneer
_Technically, these two are stand-alone books,
although they feature characters and situations
introduced in the Riftwar Saga, and set up
situations that are due to be resolved in the
Serpentwar saga._
"The Serpentwar Saga" - Shadow of a Dark Queen; Rise of a
Merchant Prince; Rage of a Demon King; Shards of a
Broken Crown (title originally announced as 'The Honor
of a Bastard Knight', forthcoming April '98)
_A new Midkemia series._
Faerie Tale
_NOT a Midkemia book. A dark, modern fairy tale._
Boy's Adventure (forthcoming late '98/early '99)
_Standalone dark fantasy._
"Krondor series" - Betrayal at Krondor (forthcoming);
Return to Krondor (forthcoming)
_Novelizations of Feist's 'Krondor' CD-ROM game.
Feist is the second most highly recommended author
on this list (after Eddings, of course) - his work
definitely strikes a chord with most Eddings fans._
Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts
"Daughter of the Empire trilogy" - Daughter of the Empire;
Servant of the Empire; Mistress of the Empire
_Loosely related to Riftwar saga (they take place on
the other side of the Rift)._
Alan Dean Foster (b. 1946)
"Spellsinger" - Spellsinger; The Hour of the Gate
_These are the initial duology. A young man ends up
in a world where music has magic. It has become an
open-ended series. Foster is an entertaining and
competent writer (I've enjoyed his SF books about
Flinx and Humanx Commonwealth), however, I've
received reports that the later books in this series
have fallen off quite a bit in quality._
C.S. Friedman (b. 1955)
"The Coldfire Trilogy" - Black Sun Rising; When True Night
Falls; Crown of Shadows
_Sorta SF, but it takes place on a world where magic
works, and it's not a really pleasant place for
humans...."Extremely well written, interesting, and
a lot different than the typical "sword & sorcery"
type book...I would recommend this series to
anyone." Her sf novel _In Conquest Born_ has also
been mentioned by several recommenders. Doug would
like to add the warning that Friedman makes Stephen
Donaldson look like a comedy writer, and that
depressed persons should avoid these books._
*David Gemmell (b. 1948)
"The Drenai" - Legend; King Beyond the Gate; Quest For Lost
Heroes; Waylander; Waylander II; The First Chronicles of
Druss the Legend; Second Chronicles of Druss the Legend;
The Legend of Deathwalker
_The Drenai books are good, solid standalone fantasy
adventures that take place in the same world.
Gemmell is a retailing phenomenon in England, with
a publishing imprint named after his first book.
Only the first four Drenai books have been published
in the U.S. - the final four won't start appearing
in the U.S. until late 1998._
"The Lion of Macedon" - Lion of Macedon; Dark Prince
_Fantasy version of the life of Alexander the Great.
History purists be warned - Gemmell plays fast and
loose with Greek history and mythology. Only
available in trade paperback in the U.S._
"The Stones of Power" - Ghost King; Last Sword of Power;
Wolf in Shadow; The Last Guardian; Bloodstone
_The second first two books take place in a vaguely
Arthurian past, and the others feature Jon Shannow,
and take place in the far future. The connecting
feature of the two eras are the Sipstrassi, the
stones of power._
Knights of Dark Renown
_A stand-alone. It is out in the U.S._
Morningstar
_Another stand-alone._
"The Hawk Queen" - Ironhand's Daughter; Hawk Eternal (both
are only out in the U.K.)
_The Gemmellites don't seem to be particularly
enthusiastic about this particular duology
(commentary has ranged from the lukewarm to the
tepid)._
Dark Moon
The Winter Warriors
Echoes of the Great Song
_Gemmell's work is very popular in Britain, but he's
still relatively unknown in the U.S. He IS worth
looking up - an entertaining author who tells a
fast-paced story. Fairly traditional fantasy, with
heroic heroes (who have flaws, but overcome them
when the chips are down) and dastardly villains._
William Goldman (b. 1931)
The Princess Bride
_A fast-paced, funny romp through every fantasy
cliche you can think of (watch out for the rodents
of unusual size). Written by an author best known
for his screenplays (think ^Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid^), which may be why the movie actually
does a good job of capturing the tone of the book._
Terry Goodkind (b. 1948)
"The Sword of Truth" - Wizard's First Rule; Stone of Tears;
Blood of the Fold; Temple of the Winds; more forthcoming
_Goodkind's debut novel made a big splash, and he
quickly followed it up. Mikey REALLY likes _First
Rule_ and highly recommends it. Goodkind has sold
five books in the series to Tor, so there's at least
one more in the pipeline. Do note that these contain
a fair amount of graphic torture and s&m._
Simon Green (b. 1955)
Blue Moon Rising
_"My favorite new book this year....standard fantasy
with enough of a twist to keep me interested,"
reports Nathan. Your FAQMaster agrees - it moves
quickly, the characters are standard types but still
manage to be interesting, and it kept me reading
straight through to the end._
Down Among the Dead Men; Blood and Honor
_Both set in the same world as _Blue Moon,_ but
they're not really sequels. "Down" takes place years
after, and features a totally different set of
characters, while "Blood" is about an actor who must
play the double of a prince during a crisis.
Action-packed adventure._
"Hawke and Fisher series" - Guard Against Dishonor; Hawke
and Fisher; The Bones of Haven; The God Killer; Winner
Take All; Wolf In the Fold
_Apparently the characters of Hawke and Fisher are
VERY similar to the two main characters of _Blue
Moon Rising_. This is early Green, and not readily
available in the U.S._
Shadows Fall
_Simon Green Gets Ambitious. Shadows Fall is the
town where legends go to die, and where the
apocalypse is about to occur. Not completely
successful, but worth reading, and it is always nice
to see an author trying to stretch his repertoire.
Green is currently in the midst of a galaxy-sweeping
space opera._
*Barbara Hambly (b. 1951)
"Darwath Trilogy" - The Time of the Dark; The Walls of Air;
The Armies of Daylight
_Another 'folks from our world cross into fantastic
realm,' but quite well done (especially considering
that this was Hambly's first fantasy) with
intelligent characters and some interesting twists._
"A New Darwath series" - Mother of Winter; Icefalcon's
Quest (forthcoming Feb. '98)
_Hambly returns to the world of Darwath, the setting
of her first fantasy trilogy, after a decade away._
Dragonsbane
_Standalone about a witch and hero, and a kingdom
that's in a lot of trouble. A good introduction to
Hambly's work._
"Windrose Chronicles" - The Silent Tower; The Silicon Mage;
Dog Wizard
_The first two are basically one book that got split
in two due to size. _Dog Wizard_ continues the plot,
and leaves a fair amount of dangling threads at the
end. This may be turning into an open-ended series_
Stranger at the Wedding (U.K. title - Sorcerer's Ward)
_A standalone set in same world as "Windrose
Chronicles," but featuring different characters. One
of Hambly's weaker offerings._
"Sun Cross duology" - Rainbow Abyss; The Magicians of Night
_Wizards cross from their world into ours, and end
up in Nazi Germany._
"Sun Wolf/Starhawk" - The Ladies of Madrigyn; The Witches
of Wenshar; The Dark Hand of Magic
_Although each of these is a separate, self-
contained story, they are best enjoyed in order, and
_Dark Hand of Magic_ does bring the series to a
fairly definite close._
"James Asher Chronicles" - Those Who Hunt the Night;
Traveling With the Dead
_Hambly does the vampire routine. And she does it
quite well - in fact, _TWHtN_ took the _Locus_
fantasy novel award the year it came out._
Bride of the Rat God
_Lots of fun - 1920's Hollywood and Chinese magic._
Robin Hobb (b. 1952)
"The Farseer Trilogy" - Assassin's Apprentice; Royal
Assassin; Assassin's Quest
_This is very good. A royal bastard is being trained
as an assassin, and is drawn deeply into court
politics and intrigue. It's being advertised as the
first work of a new author, but if you really like
it, you won't have to wait to try more of her work.
Hobb is a pseudonym for Megan Lindholm, and she has
a fair number of works out under her own name._
"The Liveships series" - Ship of Magic (forthcoming April
'98)
_This is set in the same world as 'Farseer',
although it a a new story and doesn't feature any of
the characters from the original trilogy._
P.C. Hodgell (b. 1951)
"Chronicles of the Kencyrath" - God Stalk; Dark of the
Moon; Seeker's Mask
_First two were published in mass-market paperback.
Current works are only available through Hypatia
Press, a small press in Oregon which is currently
having financial problems, so finding her books is
problematic at best. Hodgell is a cult favorite over
on r.a.sf.w., and reportedly outlined a fourth Jaime
book, but has put it aside to work on other
projects._
Barry Hughart (b. 1934)
"Master Li and Number Ten Ox series" - The Bridge of Birds;
The Story of the Stone; Eight Skilled Gentlemen
_Open-ended series set in ancient China. HIGHLY
recommended by your FAQ maker (especially the first
one)._
Brian Jacques (b. 1939)
"Redwall series" - Redwall; Mossflower; Mattimeo; Mariel of
Redwall; Salamandastron; Martin the Warrior; The
Bellmaker; The Outcasts of Redwall; The Pearls of Lutra;
The Long Patrol (out in U.K., forthcoming in U.S. Feb.
'98)
_These are fun. I buy them for my niece, and always
read them myself before I give them to her. Redwall
is an Abbey run by a group of mice, and this series
of standalone books details their adventures. They
are geared toward the children's market (and are
incredibly popular - ask your local children's
librarian about how quickly they fly off the shelves)._
Diana Wynne Jones (b. 1934)
"The Dalemark Sequence" - Drowned Ammet; Cart and Cwidder;
The Spellcoats; The Crown of Dalemark
_Young adult standalone novels all taking place in
Dalemark. The first three books all stand alone, and
can be read in any order, but the final book ties
them all together, and will be best enjoyed if
you've read all of the others._
"Crestomanci books" - The Lives of Christopher Chant;
Charmed Life; Witch Week; The Magicians of Caprona
_Stand-alones that all have the magician Crestomanci
involved somehow._
"The Magician Howl series" - Howl's Moving Castle; Castle
in the Air
_The second book of this one is hard to find in the
U.S. - Books of Wonder in New York stocks most of
Jones' work, and they are good place to look if you
can't find a fix anywhere else._
The Homeward Bounders
_Standalone about a boy doomed to wander between
worlds._
Archer's Goon
A Sudden Wild Magic
_This one is fairly recent and is being marketed as
an adult book, making it the most widely available
book of hers in the U.S. Alas, it is also one of her
weakest offerings, so look up any of her other books
before you decide on her abilities._
Time of the Ghost (published Sept. '96 in the U.S, but
it's been out for more than a decade in Britain)
_Most of Jones' work is geared toward the Young
Adult market, but don't let that stop you. I
particularly liked _Archer's Goon_, _The Homeward
Bounders_ and _Howl's Moving Castle_, Eriond likes
_Dogsbody_ the best, but he reads everything of hers
he can find (so do I)._
**Robert Jordan (b. 1948)
"The Wheel of Time" - The Eye of the World; The Great Hunt;
The Dragon Reborn; The Shadow Rising; The Fires of
Heaven; Lord of Chaos; A Crown of Swords; The Path of
Daggers (forthcoming); plus at least two more
_Jordan recently stated that he thinks it should
take about three more books to complete the series,
but he isn't making any promises. Many a.f.e.
regulars are passionately devoted to this series.
Huge (all the books are 500+ pages), sprawling, and
madly complex._
The Conan Chronicles
_For the Joradanites who need a fix while awaiting
the next volume of The Wheel of Time, this omnibus
edition collects Jordan's Conan novels._
**Guy Gavriel Kay (b. 1954)
"The Fionavar Tapestry" - The Summer Tree; The Wandering
Fire; The Darkest Road
_Bad Things Can Happen To Good People in Kay's
books. Be forewarned, but read them anyway. This is
yet another take on Arthurian legend._
Tigana
_A standalone about a land under a particularly
nasty curse, and the inhabitants' fight to end it.
Complex, very well written. Your FAQmaker tried it
after receiving numerous glowing recommendations,
and now adds her voice to the chorus_
A Song for Arbonne
_Another excellent standalone from Kay. The fantasy
world is loosely based on medieval France
(specifically Eleanor of Aquitaine's Court of
Love)._
The Lions of Al-Rassan
_Kay's latest, set in a time and place reminiscent
of Moorish Spain. Wow, do I like his stuff - great
characters, marvelous story, vivid world. He just
gets better and better. The fantasy content of Kay's
work is shrinking, and it is virtually non-existent
here. Kay has just started on a new book (no details
on the content as yet) which should see print
sometime in 1998._
*Katharine Kerr (b. 1944)
"Deverry" - Daggerspell; Darkspell; The Bristling Wood
('Dawnspell' in the U.K.); The Dragon Revenant
('Dragonspell' in the U.K.)
__Daggerspell_ has recently been re-released in the
U.S. The new edition has been re-edited by the
author, however this consisted mainly of tightening
some passages and some grammatical cleanup. NO
scenes were added or taken out. _Darkspell_ has also
been reissued by Bantam Spectra, and it too has been
re-edited by the author, and, according to Katharine
Kerr, "...there are 5 or 6 changes to the action
along the way..." Sarcyn's character undergoes the
most significant changes. A *fine* author - her
readers (and that includes the FAQmaster) recommend
her highly._
"The Westland Cycle" - A Time of Exile; A Time of Omens;
Days of Blood and Fire ('A Time of War' in the U.K.);
Days of Air and Darkness ('A Time of Justice' in the
U.K.)
_More about Deverry._
"The final Deverry tetralogy" - The Red Wyvern; The Black
Raven (forthcoming); 2 more
_The final tetralogy that will complete the story of
Deverry. She intersperses SF novels with her fantasy
output, and they're worth reading, too._
Stephen King (b. 1946)
The Eyes of the Dragon
_Good standalone fantasy (there are so few of those
out there these days...) I enjoyed it, and I am
*not* a Stephen King fan._
"Dark Tower series" - The Gunslinger; The Drawing of the
Three; The Waste Lands; Wizard and Glass
_Eriond says this is a great series that is
improving as it goes along. "It's about a gunslinger
who's seeking his father's murderer, picks up an
"adopted" son and three companions, and is slowly
losing his mind." Eriond also says to skip _The
Gunslinger_ - "it's wretched! You don't really need
to read it to understand [the series]" (although
another recommender strongly disagrees with him)._
*Katherine Kurtz (b. 1944)
"Deryni Chronicles" - Deryni Rising; Deryni Checkmate; High
Deryni
_The first published Deryni books. Although these
are not first in the internal chronology of the
series, Kurtz herself has recommended that new
readers start with these. Takes place in a
Wales-like alternate world where a portion of the
population (the Deryni) have magical abilities_
"Camber of Culdi" - Camber of Culdi; Saint Camber; Camber
the Heretic
_Jumps back in time to examine the history that lead
to the world of the "Deryni Chronicles."_
"The Histories of King Kelson" - The Bishop's Heir; The
King's Justice; The Quest for Saint Camber
_Picks up where the "Chronicles" left off._
"Heirs of Saint Camber" - The Harrowing of Gwynedd; King
Javan's Year; The Bastard Prince
_Apparently, Bad Things *Regularly* Happen to Good
People in the later books of Katherine Kurtz. Her
fans are quite dedicated, and she has a newsgroup at
alt.books.deryni._
King Kelson's Bride (forthcoming)
_A standalone continuation of the Deryni saga. Kurtz
is reportedly hard at work on it, but at this point
speculation on the publication date stills falls
into the realm of fantasy._
Two Crowns for America
_A non-Deryni book. This one takes place in an
alternate history colonial America._
Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris (b. 1951)
"The Adept series" - The Adept; The Lodge of the Lynx; The
Templar Treasure; Dagger Magic; Death of an Adept
_Set in modern day Scotland, Kheldar says "I
recommend them to everybody, not just readers of
Sci-Fi/Fantasy." Harris also has several books of
her own out, listed under her name._
Amy Sheldon
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 1998/03/01
URL: http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Version: 3.0
THE RECOMMENDED FANTASY AUTHORS LIST - ver. 3.0
Part 3 of 5
NOTICE OF MAJOR CHANGE TO LIST
Beginning with the March, 1998 posting, only those authors with
six or more recommendations will have detailed listings. THE
FULL LIST, WITH TITLES AND COMMENTS ON *ALL* RECOMMENDED
AUTHORS, is available at the list web site:
http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Unfortunately, the Recommended Fantasy Author List has just
gotten too large to continue posting the entire thing.
*Mercedes Lackey (b. 1950)
"The Valdemar Books" - titles follow
_Each of the following is a separate series, but
they all take place at various points in the history
of the world of Velgarth (which contains the country
of Valdemar). There is also at least one stand-alone
(_By the Sword_) about Valdemar. Her fans are as
dedicated as the Jordanites and they have their own
newsgroup at alt.books.m-lackey_
"The Last Herald-Mage" - Magic's Pawn; Magic's Promise;
Magic's Price
_Introduces the Herald-Mages and their equine
Companions._
"Vows and Honor" - The Oathbound; Oathbreakers
_A sorceress and a swordswoman are bound together
with a blood oath that may be impossible to
fulfill._
"Queen's Own" - Arrows of the Queen; Arrow's Flight;
Arrow's Fall
_The story of Talia, the herald to the Queen._
"Mage Winds Trilogy" - Winds of Fate; Winds of Change;
Winds of Fury
_Princess Elspeth of Valdemar becomes caught up in
the Tayledras' war against an evil mage._
"Mage Wars Trilogy (co-authored by Larry Dixon)" - The
Black Gryphon; The White Gryphon; The Silver Gryphon
_The early history of the land of Valdemar._
"Mage Storm Trilogy" - Storm Warning; Storm Rising; Storm
Breaking
_The most recent series. Valdemar and Karse are old
enemies, but they are forced into an alliance when
they are both threatened by a greater foe._
Owlflight
_A Valdemar standalone that takes place after the
Mage Storms. This one is described as a young adult
book._
"Diana Tregard Investigations" - Burning Water; Children of
the Night; Jinx High
_Supernatural mysteries, featuring Diana Tregard._
"Bardic Voices" - The Lark and the Wren; The Robin and the
Kestrel; The Eagle and the Nightingale
_The books in this series do stand alone. NOT part
of the Valdemar series._
"Bardic Choices" - A Cast of Corbies (co-author Josepha
Sherman)
_A new series in the Bardic Voices world._
The Fire Rose
_A standalone. A 'Beauty and the Beast' style tale
set in pre-earthquake San Francisco._
Firebird
_A standalone, based on Russian folktales. As you
can see, Lackey is a wildly prolific author, co-
authoring books with everyone under the sun._
Stephen Lawhead (b. 1950)
"The Pendragon Cycle" - Taliesin; Merlin; Arthur;
Pendragon; Grail; Avalon (forthcoming)
_Once again, we return to Camelot..."The quality
disintegrated after the first two books - _Arthur_
was disappointing..." according to one recommender._
"The Dragon King Trilogy" - In the Hall of the Dragon King;
The Warlords of Nin; The Sword and the Flame
_A separate trilogy._
"The Paradise War" - The Song of Albion; The Silver Hand;
The Endless Knot
_Doug noted that even though he isn't particularly
a fan of celtic fantasy, these books really appealed
to him._
Byzantium
_'Joining a select band of monks to present a book
to the Holy Roman Emperor himself, Aidan jouneys to
the farthest reaches of the known world,' sez the
advertising released by HarperPrism publishing._
*Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)
"Earthsea" - A Wizard of Earthsea; The Tombs of Atuan; The
Farthest Shore; Tehanu
_Your FAQmaker says: Read these. _Tehanu_ was
written 15 years after _The Farthest Shore_ - it's
very different in tone from the first three, and
several recommenders specifically DIDN'T recommend
it (But I do. I'll tell you what to do - wait until
you are at least 25 before reading _Tehanu_. Age
seems to be the real separating factor between those
who like it and those who don't). These books are
true classics of the genre, beautifully written,
tightly plotted, and engrossing._
Fritz Leiber (1910-1992)
"Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser" - Swords and Deviltry; Swords
Against Death; Swords in the Mist; Swords Against
Wizardry; Swords Against Lankhmar; Swords and Ice Magic;
Knight and Knave of Swords
_Ya wanna know who invented the term 'Sword &
Sorcery'? This is the guy. The series is made up of
short stories, novellas, novelettes, and one novel
(the final book). The above-listed 7 books contain
all the stories, arranged in chronological order,
with _Swords and Deviltry_ featuring the Hugo-award
winning "Ill Met in Lankhmar." Note that the final
two books (_Swords & Ice Magic_ & _Knight & Knave of
Swords_) show, IMHO of course, a real drop in
quality._
*C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)
"Chronicles of Narnia" - The Magician's Nephew; The Lion,
the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage
of the Dawn Treader; The Horse and His Boy; The Silver
Chair; The Last Battle
_Classic! Look for them in the children's sections.
Most bookstores will have boxed sets available. Note
that _The Magician's Nephew_ was actually the 6th
book written, and for many years in the U.S. the
series was printed with it as book six. However,
Lewis preferred that the books be read in the above
order, and recent reprints have respected his
wishes._
"The Space Trilogy" - Out of the Silent Planet; Perelandra;
That Hideous Strength
_Lewis' adult version of a Christian-allegory
fantasy._
Megan Lindholm (b. 1952)
"A Saga of the Reindeer People" - The Reindeer People;
Wolf's Brother
_Prehistoric fantasy with a minimum of magic._
"Ki and Vandien series" - Harpy's Flight; The Windsingers;
The Limbreth Gate; Luck of the Wheels
_Straightforward fantasy series about a pair of
wanderers in a well-constructed world where humans
are only one of a number of intelligent races. The
fans who have discovered Lindholm via her works
under the pen name 'Robin Hobb' will find these
books the closest in tone and subject to what
they're used to._
Cloven Hooves
_Standalone dark fantasy set in present day Alaska
and Washington state._
Wizard of the Pigeons
_Urban fantasy that has a strong cult following.
Many people consider this to be her best work, and,
of course, it is out of print and difficult to
find._
R.A. MacAvoy (b. 1949)
Tea With the Black Dragon
_Out of print, but worth looking up. This was her
first book - its sequel (_Twisting the Rope_) is
nowhere near as good._
"Damiano trilogy" - Damiano; Damiano's Lute; Raphael
_Fantasy in Renaissance Italy_
"Lens of the World trilogy" - Lens of the World; King of
the Dead; Belly of the Wolf
_MacAvoy is fond of creating heroes who remain
stubbornly innocent to the point of idiocy. Some
readers find this annoying (yeah, I'm one of them),
but she is a good writer, and always tells an
interesting story._
*Julian May (b. 1931)
"The Saga of the Pliocene Exiles" - The Many-Colored Land;
The Golden Torc; The Nonborn King; The Adversary
_Set six million years in the past. I'm told this is
kinda like 'elves and dinosaurs.' It is related to
May's SF series, "The Galactic Milieu," so if you
like her you've got more books to look for._
**Anne McCaffrey (b. 1926)
"Dragonriders of Pern" - Dragonflight; Dragonquest; The
White Dragon
_Yeah, they're SF, but they're included here by
popular request. Lots more have been published since
the first trilogy, and they've gotten more and more
SFnal as they've gone along._
"Harper's Hall trilogy" - Dragonsong; Dragonsinger;
Dragondrums
_Geared more toward the Young Adult market, your
FAQmaker considers this trilogy to be the most
fantasy-based of the Pern books._
Dennis McKiernan (b. 1932)
"The Iron Tower Trilogy" - The Dark Tide; Shadows of Doom;
The Darkest Day
_Well, McKiernan wanted to write a sequel to 'Lord
of the Rings', but the Tolkien estate refused
permission. So he recreated Middle Earth in "The
Iron Tower Trilogy" with just enough differences to
keep from violating copyright and has continued from
there. A decent writer, and his later books about
the world of Mithgar are much more original and
quite enjoyable_
"Silver Call duology" - Trek to Kraggen-Cor; The Brega Path
_This was intended to be one book, so you definitely
don't want to read it unless you have both parts in
hand._
Tales of Mithgar
_11 short stories set in Mithgar._
Dragondoom
The Eye of the Hunter
Voyage of the Fox Rider
The Dragonstone
"Hel's Crucible duology" - Into the Forge; Into the Fire
(forthcoming Sept. '98)
_These books stand alone, but take place in Mithgar,
the world of the "Iron Tower" trilogy. McKiernan's
latest book, _The Caverns of Socrates,_ is SF_
Patricia McKillip (b. 1948)
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
_Received the World Fantasy Award when it was
published in 1975. A marvelous novel and highly
recommended. It recently (July '96) was returned to
print in the U.S. by Harcourt Brace under their
"Magic Carpet" imprint. Hooray!_
The Throme of the Erril of Sherill
_Her first published fantasy, and it's hard to find,
but well worth looking for. A revised edition came
out in the mid-80's._
"The Riddlemaster of Hed" - The Riddlemaster of Hed; Heir
of Sea and Fire; Harpist in the Wind
_Excellent trilogy. Your FAQmaker sez: Get these and
read them. Beautifully written._
The Changeling Sea
_A young-adult standalone, with a young peasant girl
saving a prince. Lyrical and moving._
Something Rich and Strange
_A standalone, part of Brian Froud's Faerielands
series of novels based on his illustrations. Very
atmospheric, quite short, involving a contemporary
couple living on the western seacoast and their
encounter with magic._
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
_Standalone about a powerful wizard whose attempt to
stop a war has unexpected (and disastrous) results._
"Cygnet" - Sorceress and Cygnet; Cygnet and Firebird
_The first book in this series is well equipped with
McKillip's usual lyric prose, but the actual plot is
a bit obscure. Enjoyable, but not her best work._
Winter Rose
_Another small gem from McKillip. Faerie and reality
meet, with results that may be fatal for Rois
Melior's sister Laurel._
Song of the Bsilisk (forthcoming Sept. '98)
_A new standalone from McKillip._
Robin McKinley (b. 1952)
Beauty
_Charming retelling of Beauty & the Beast. Her first
novel-it's out of print now, but worth looking for.
Do NOT confuse it with Sherri Tepper's _Beauty_ -
they are VERY different books._
"Damar series" - The Blue Sword; The Hero and the Crown
_She only wrote two books set in Damar (and they are
standalones), and has since gone on to other
subjects._
The Outlaws of Sherwood
_Guess who this one's about._
Deerskin
_I like McKinley, but most of her work is fairly
lightweight. This isn't. Based on the uncensored
version of Perrault's classic fairytale
'Donkeyskin', it tackles the subject of incest_
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories
_Short story collection. Two of the five stories in
the book mention Damar._
Rose Daughter
_McKinley returns once again to the story of Beauty
and the Beast. _Publishers Weekly_ calls this one a
'heady mix of fairy tale, magic and romance.' This
is being peddled to the Young Adult market, so
you'll need to leave the sf section of your
bookstore to find it._
L.E. Modesitt Jr. (b. 1943)
"Recluce" - The Magic of Recluce; The Towers of the Sunset;
The Magic Engineer; The Order War; The Death of Chaos;
Fall of Angels; The Chaos Balance; The White Order
(forthcoming July '98)
_This is open-ended - books are listed above in the
order they were published, and does NOT follow the
internal chronology of the series. You should try to
read _The Magic of Recluce_ first (some of the plot
twists are more effective if you aren't aware of how
magic works in Recluce), and _The Death of Chaos_ is
a direct sequel to _tMoR_. However the other books
all stand alone and can be read in any order._
"Dutch Republic series" - Of Tangible Ghosts; The Ghost of
the Revelator (forthcoming Sept. '98)
_Fantasy taking place in alternate universe that
features ghosts and an East India Company that
stayed the dominant economic power in the world._
"Song and Magic" - The Soprano Sorceress; The Spellsong
War; one final book
_A trilogy that will introduce a world where magic
is accessed through music._
Elizabeth Moon (b. 1945)
"The Deed of Paksenarrion" - Sheepfarmer's Daughter;
Divided Allegiance; Oath of Gold
_Rousing adventure about the soldier and hero
Paksenarrion. Moon has said that among the themes
she worked on in the books was "the cost of courage,
the cost of being a hero." She has written two
prequels to the trilogy, _Surrender None_ and
_Liar's Oath_, which are quite a bit darker in tone,
and several of the recommenders who prefer happy
endings have advised against reading them. Lately
Moon has been mainly producing SF._
*Michael Moorcock (b. 1939)
"Elric" - Elric of Melnibone; The Fortress of the Pearl; A
Sailor on the Seas of Fate; The Weird of the White Wolf;
The Vanishing Tower; The Revenge of the Rose; The Bane
of the Black Sword; Stormbringer
_There is also at least one book of short stories
about Elric (I'm taking the word of one
correspondent about where the two later books -
tFotP and tRotR - fit in the cycle. I've only read
the original sextet)._
"Runestaff (Hawkmoon)" - The Jewel in the Skull; The Mad
God's Amulet; The Sword of the Dawn; The Runestaff
_If you don't like the way this tetralogy ends, be
sure and track down the 'Count Brass' trilogy, which
brings all the characters back for another go
'round._
"Count Brass" - Count Brass; Champion of Garathorn; The
Quest for Tanelorn
_The Runestaff/Count Brass books are my favorites in
the Eternal Champion cycle. Dorian Hawkmoon suffers
less from angst than the Moorcock's usual Tortured
Hero._
"Corum" - The Knight of Swords; The Queen of Swords; The
King of Swords; The Bull and the Spear; The Oak and the
Ram; The Sword and the Stallion
_Moorcock's entire (well, just about entire - there
are a few bits & pieces that the rights weren't
available) Eternal Champion cycle is being reprinted
in 14 omnibus volumes by White Wolf Publishing_
"John Daker (Erekose)" - The Eternal Champion; Phoenix in
Obsidian ('The Silver Warriors' in earlier U.S.
editions); The Dragon in the Sword
_All of these books -plus others- comprise the
'Eternal Champion' cycle. Quality varies, and hard
core fantasy fans won't like some of the liberties
Moorcock takes with the genre, but if you like 'em,
there sure are a LOT of 'em to keep you busy._
The War Hound & The World's Pain
_Takes place in the 30-Years War time frame. Jim
considers it to Moorcock's best non-Eternal Champion
book (although, if you ask Moorcock, he'll tell you
that ALL of his books are part of the Eternal
Champion cycle)._
Andre Norton (b. 1912)
"Simon Tregarth" - Witch World; Web of the Witch World
_The duology that started the Witch World. Readers
who were introduced to Witch World through the later
books are often surprised by the SF trappings of
these books. The villains use high-tech weapons, the
witches' powers are treated as psi rather than
magic, and Simon arrives via a machine that opens
doors to parallel worlds._
"The Children of Simon Tregarth" - Three Against the Witch
World; Warlock of the Witch World; Sorceress of the
Witch World
_Simon Tregarth's kids get a trilogy of their own,
and the Witch World is thoroughly launched. It was
also with these books that Norton made the choice to
move the Witch World strictly into the fantasy
genre._
"Witch World series" - Year of the Unicorn; The Crystal
Gryphon; Gryphon in Glory; The Jargoon Pard; Zarsthor's
Bane; The Warding of Witch World; many more
_It went from an Open-Ended Series to a Shared
World, but the first 20 or so books are all Andre
Norton's. And they're good, too. Most are stand-
alones. Particular favorites that were specifically
mentioned are _Year of the Unicorn_ and _The Crystal
Gryphon_, and Stephen casts his vote for _The
Jargoon Pard_._
"The Halfblood Chronicles (with Mercedes Lackey)" -
Elvenbane; Elvenblood
_Unrelated to the Witch World books, these involve
a world where humans are enslaved by elves, and a
prophecy about a half-breed who will lead the humans
to freedom. At least two more books are due in this
series._
Mirror of Destiny
_A non-Witch World standalone about a wise woman's
apprentice seeking to avert a war between humans and
the inhabitants of a mystical forest._
Tim Powers (b. 1952)
The Drawing of the Dark
_Powers' earliest fantasy, and I'm told that it is
back in print. A different look at the Arthur legend
(in 16th century Vienna, of all places)._
The Anubis Gate
_All of Powers' books are great, but this is my
favorite. The book that made his reputation. A wild
romp through time with gypsies, Dog Faced Joe, a
hideously evil clown, Egyptian gods, dopplegangers,
a disguised heroine, Samuel Coleridge and oh so much
more. Try it._
On Stranger Tides
_Blackbeard and voodoo - oh my!_
The Stress of Her Regard
_Those muses certainly are jealous mistresses..._
Last Call
_The Fisher King in Las Vegas._
Expiration Date
_Yet Another Neat Book. This takes place in a modern
Los Angeles much like our own, except that ghosts
exist there._
Earthquake Weather (originally listed as 'Extreme
Unction')
_Characters from both _Last Call_ and _Expiration
Date_ appear in this novel. According to his editor,
Powers "begs to inform the world [that this] is the
only time anyone will ever see anything remotely
resembling a series from him."_
**Terry Pratchett (b. 1948)
"Discworld" - titles follow
_Your FAQmaker loves these books, and so do enough
other a.f.e. readers to make him an official Highly
Recommended Author. Humorous series, over 15 books
now, and recent books are as good as the first. The
books divide up based on their main characters, but
can all standalone (except the original Rincewind
duology)._
"Rincewind" - The Color of Magic; The Light Fantastic;
Sourcery; Eric; Interesting Times; The Last Continent
(forthcoming May '98 in the U.K.)
_The first two are the duology that introduced
Discworld. Rincewind is an incredibly incompetent
wizard who gets mixed up with Discworld's first
tourist._
"Granny Weatherwax" - Equal Rites; Wyrd Sisters; Witches
Abroad; Lords and Ladies; Maskerade
_Granny and her fellow witches are the favorites of
many Pratchett fans. Unlike Rincewind, Granny is
FRIGHTENINGLY competent._
"Death" - Mort; Reaper Man; Soul Music; Hogfather (out in
the U.K., out who-knows-when in the U.S.)
_Yes, Death is a regularly appearing character, with
a horse named Binky and taste for curry._
"Carrot" - Guards, Guards; Men At Arms; Feet of Clay; Jingo
(out in the U.K., forthcoming May '98 in U.S.)
_And then there's Carrot, the six-foot-tall dwarf
(he's adopted), who has come to Ankh-Morpork to make
his fortune... The latest book has Ankh-Morpork and
Klatch preparing to go to war._
Moving Pictures; Pyramids; Small Gods
_These are all standalones about Discworld, and all
good._
Good Omens (with Neil Gaiman)
_NOT a Discworld book, this one is about the End Of
The World. It is due to be reprinted in the U.S. in
1996._
Amy Sheldon
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 1998/03/01
URL: http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Version: 3.0
THE RECOMMENDED FANTASY AUTHORS LIST - ver. 3.0
Part 4 of 5
NOTICE OF MAJOR CHANGE TO LIST
Beginning with the March, 1998 posting, only those authors with
six or more recommendations will have detailed listings. THE
FULL LIST, WITH TITLES AND COMMENTS ON *ALL* RECOMMENDED
AUTHORS, is available at the list web site:
http://www.sff.net/people/Amy.Sheldon/listcont.htm
Unfortunately, the Recommended Fantasy Author List has just
gotten too large to continue posting the entire thing.
**Melanie Rawn (b. 1954)
"The Dragon Prince Trilogy" - Dragon Prince; Star Scroll;
Sunrunner's Fire
_This and the following trilogy take place on the
same world._
"Dragon Star Trilogy" - Stronghold; The Dragon Token;
Skybowl
_Doug sez, "When I finished this series I felt a
real sense of loss. Her description of some of the
female characters in the series made me almost fall
in love with them, and the use of magic as she
describes it is new and innovative."_
"Exiles Trilogy" - The Ruins of Ambrai; The Mageborn
Traitor; The Captal's Tower (forthcoming)
_New trilogy set in a different world from the
"Dragon" books._
The Diviner (forthcoming Dec. '97)
_I have no idea what this one is about._
Mickey Zucker Reichert (b. 1962)
"The Last of the Renshai" - The Last of the Renshai; The
Western Wizard; Child of Thunder
_This is a trilogy, so you'll want to have all the
books in hand before you start reading._
"The Bifrost Guardians" - Godslayer; Shadow Climber;
Dragonrank Master; Shadow's Realm; By Chaos Cursed
_Loosely based on Norse mythology._
The Legend of Nightfall
_Standalone fantasy. Sorcerers are a wicked bunch in
this world, and they obtain more power in a
particularly nasty way._
"The Renshai Chronicles" - Beyond Ragnarok; Prince of
Demons; The Children of Wrath (forthcoming June '98)
_Start of a new trilogy that continues the Renshai
story. The balance between Law and Chaos hinges on
the finding of an heir to the Bearnian throne._
Anne Rice (b. 1941)
"Vampire Chronicles" - Interview with the Vampire; The
Vampire Lestat; Queen of the Damned; Tale of the Body
Thief; Memnoch the Devil
_Horror/fantasy series. "Vampire" books are mainly
about the bisexual vampire Lestat and his lover
Louis who are struggling with their vampirism and
their apparent immortality. Be warned - they're
fairly graphic, both sexually and violently
(although nowhere near the latest splatterpunk
offerings from Poppy Z. Brite & her ilk.) These are
usually classified as horror, but Rice is popular
enough that I'm forced to give them a mention on the
list._
"Chronicles of the Mayfair Family" - Witching Hour; Lasher;
Taltos
_More of Rice's usual mixture of dark fantasy, sex
(kinky and otherwise), and pseudo-intellectual
conversation between shallow (but fashionable!)
immortals. Your faqmaster does not particularly care
for this author._
Jennifer Roberson (b. 1953)
"Chronicles of the Cheysuli" - Shapechangers; The Song of
Homona; Legacy of the Sword; Track of the White Wolf; A
Pride of Princes; Daughter of the Lion; Flight of the
Raven; A Tapestry of Lions
_The Cheysuli are shapechangers, and I believe that
the books in this series can stand alone._
"Tiger and Del series" - Sword Dancer; Sword Singer; Sword
Maker; Sword Breaker; Sword Born (forthcoming April
'98); Sword Sworn (forthcoming)
_The first four in the series were recently
reprinted by Daw Publishing, so if you're missing
any of them, keep your eyes open._
Lady of the Forest
_Robin Hood, from Maid Marian's point of view._
Lady of the Glen
_A Scottish historical romance, with little or no
magic._
Michael Scott Rohan (b. 1951)
"Winter of the World trilogy" - The Anvil of Ice; The Forge
in the Forest; The Hammer of the Sun
_A blacksmith gets to save the world._
"Spiral series" - Chase the Morning; The Gates of Noon;
Cloud Castles
_We're living in the Core, but if you look at the
world just the right way, you can sail out into the
Spiral, where all times and places mingle._
Lord of the Middle Air (forthcoming)
_Stand-alone historical fantasy, taking place in the
Scottish borderlands in the 13th century. It's out
already in the U.K., but I don't have a date yet for
the U.S. release._
Maxie's Demon (forthcoming April '97 in U.K., not out in
the U.S.)
_Another standalone, taking place in the world of
the Spiral series._
A Spell of Empire (with Allan Scott)
_The young wizard Volker joins three other travelers
on a dangerous journey._
Joel Rosenberg (b. 1954)
"Guardians of the Flame (1st series)" - The Sleeping
Dragon; The Sword and the Chain; The Silver Crown
_One of the first of the 'Gamers jump for real into
a fantasy world' series, and one of the best._
"Guardians of the Flame (2nd series)" - The Heir Apparent;
The Warrior Lives
_Continuing the first series with a new generation._
The Road to Ehvenor; The Road Home
_Set in the world of "The Guardians of the Flame"
and featuring many familiar characters - this story
features Walter Slovotsky_
"D'shai" - D'Shai; Hour of the Octopus
_Open-ended fantasy/detective series. In the same
vein as Glen Cook's 'Garrett' books, only more of an
homage to Rex Stout rather than Raymond Chandler_
"Keepers of the Hidden Ways" - The Fire Duke; The Silver
Stone
_A new series from Rosenberg, once again involving
people from our world crossing over into another.
This world is Norse-based, with lots of daring deeds
and sword fighting._
Sean Russell
"Asian duology" - The Initiate Brother; Gatherer of Clouds
_Oriental mysticism in a strong first novel (and
this is very definitely one book, split in two only
because 1,000+ page novels are hard to hold.)_
"Moontide and Magic Rise duology" - World Without End; Sea
Without a Shore
_Marvelous books. Sean Russell is tremendously
talented. I'm looking forward to more of his work.
This is fantasy of the 'lush verbiage and
magnificently realized world' variety - sword and
sorcery fans might not be quite as enthusiastic._
"The River Into Darkness duology" - Beneath the Vaulted
Hills; In Memory's Dream (forthcoming Aug. '98)
_Oh goody, something new on the horizon from Mr.
Russell. This is a prequel to the 'Moontide and
Magic Rise' books._
Fred Saberhagen (b. 1930)
"The Books of the Swords" - The First Book of Swords; The
Second Book of Swords; The Third Book of Swords
_The initial trilogy._
"The Books of the Lost Swords" - Woundhealer's Story;
Sightblinder's Story; Stonecutter's Story; Farslayer's
Story; Coinspinner's Story; Mindsword's Story;
Wayfinder's Story; Shieldbreaker's Story
_Each of the "Lost Swords" titles is actually
preceded by 'The First Book of Lost Swords:', 'The
Second Book...' etc. I believe that most of the
"swords" books can be read as stand-alones_
"Empire of the East" - The Broken Lands; The Black
Mountains; Changeling Earth
_A prequel to the 'Swords' books, taking place in
the same world._
"Dracula books" - The Dracula Tapes; The Holmes-Dracula
File; An Old Friend of the Family; Thorn
_More tales of Dracula_
Merlin's Bones
_Yet Another Version of Arthur and Company_
*R.A. Salvatore (b. 1959)
"Icewind Dale" - The Crystal Shard; Streams of Silver; The
Halfling's Gem
_Introduces Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark elf who has
turned his back on his bloody heritage._
"Dark Elf Trilogy" - Homeland; Exile; Sojourn
_Continues Drizzt's story._
"Dark Elf Trilogy II" - Legacy; Starless Night; Siege of
Darkness
_"Icewind Dale" & "Dark Elf" and "Dark Elf II" take
place in the TSR Forgotten Realms setting. I've had
several people mention that 'Dark Elf II' shows a
real drop in quality, although several others loved
it as much as the first two trilogies._
Passage to Dawn
_A final Drizzt story from Salvatore, as he finishes
out his contract with TSR._
"The Cleric Quintet" - Canticle; In Sylvan Shadows; Night
Masks; The Fallen Fortress; The Chaos Curse
_Another TSR series - this one follows a young man
as he grows from a raw acolyte to a powerful
priest._
"The Spearwielder's Tales" - The Woods Out Back; The
Dragon's Dagger; Dragonslayer Returns
_Open-ended fantasy series that ISN'T part of any of
the TSR gaming worlds._
"The Crimson Shadow Trilogy" - The Sword of Bedwyr;
Luthien's Gamble; The Dragon King
_New series about a young lord and a halfling
battling to free Eriador from the grip of the
tyrannical Wizard-King Greensparrow._
"Demon series" - The Demon Awakens; The Demon Spirit
(forthcoming April '98)
_A new series._
Christopher Stasheff (b. 1944)
"Warlock series" - Escape Velocity; The Warlock In Spite of
Himself; King Kobold Revived; The Warlock Unlocked; The
Warlock Enraged; The Warlock Wandering; The Warlock is
Missing; The Warlock Heretical; The Warlock's Companion;
The Warlock Insane; The Warlock Rock; Warlock and Son
_Open-ended humorous adventure series that is now
beginning to focus on descendents of the original
hero, Rod Gallowglass (see following listings). The
rationale of this series is really fairly science-
fictional, but the tone is fantasy, and you'll
generally find them marketed as fantasy_
"The Warlock's Heirs" - M'Lady Witch; The Quicksilver
Knight
_The adventures of the three younger children of Rod
and Gwen Gallowglass._
"Rogue Wizard" - A Wizard in Absentia; A Wizard in Mind; A
Wizard in War; A Wizard in Peace; A Wizard in Chaos; A
Wizard in Midgard (forthcoming June '98)
_Another open-ended series in the 'Warlock'
universe. These feature Magnus, Rod's oldest son.
Note that Stasheff's books have focused more on
adventure and less on humor as the series has
progressed._
"A Wizard in Rhyme" - Her Majesty's Wizard; The Oathbound
Wizard; The Witch Doctor; The Secular Wizard
_Open-ended series. Matt Mantrell is transported
into an alternate world where rhymes have magical
powers._
"The Star Stone" - The Shaman; The Sage; another
forthcoming
_Another new series. This has no connection to his
Wizard or Warlock series, and is more serious in
tone._
Judith Tarr (b. 1955)
"The Hound and the Falcon" - The Isle of Glass; The Golden
Horn; The Hounds of God
_Corinne describes this as "a truly brilliant series
set in Richard the Lion Heart's England bordered on
the Elflands"_
Alamut; The Dagger and the Cross
_Standalones set in the same world as "The Hound and
the Falcon" trilogy_
"Avaryan Rising" - The Hall of the Mountain King; The Lady
of Han-Gilen; A Fall of Princes; Arrows of the Sun;
Spear of Heaven
_The story of a war between kingdoms in a world of
mages_
A Wind in Cairo
Ars Magica
Lord of the Two Lands
Throne of Isis
_Hey, it's Cleopatra!_
Eagle's Daughter
Pillar of Fire
_This takes place in the Middle East during Moses'
time._
King and Goddess
Queen of Swords
_Tarr's specialty is historicals with just a dollop
of magic. The size of the dollop varies, and many of
her books are sold as straight historicals._
Roger Taylor (b. 1938)
"Chronicles of Hawklan" - The Call of the Sword; The Fall
of Fyorlund; The Waking of Othlund; Into Narsindal
_Not available in the U.S., this series has been
described as "a pretty good read" and "highly
recommended."_
Dreamfinder
_Set in the same world as Hawklan._
Whistler
_A standalone_
"Nightfall series" - Farnor; Valderin
_This is also set in the same world as Hawklan, and
is about a priest who must fight a dark power that
has entered a colleague. Paul highly recommends it_
Ibyren
_A standalone. "Count Ibyren, fighting a guerilla
war after being driven from his lands, is suddenly
swept away from his people to an unknown world and
destiny."_
Sheri Tepper (b. 1929)
"The Land of True Game" - King's Blood Four; Wizard's
Eleven; Necromancer Nine (1st series)
Jinian Footseer; Dervish Daughter; Jinian Star-Eyed (2nd
series)
The Song of Mavin Manyshaped; The Flight of Mavin
Manyshaped; The Search of Mavin Manyshaped (3rd series)
_Series made up of three separate trilogies. Her
earliest work - can be difficult to find. Ace is
reprinting this series in the U.S. in trade
paperback format and the first trilogy came out in
June '96. I haven't seen any word on when (or if)
the other six volumes will be reprinted._
"The Marianne Trilogy" - Marianne, the Magus, and the
Manticore; Marianne, the Madame, and the Momentary Gods;
Marianne, the Matchbox, and the Malachite Mouse
_I believe that the books in this rather light-
hearted trilogy are actually fairly independent of
each other._
Beauty
_Now primarily known as a SF author, Tepper returns
to her roots and gives a very different slant on the
fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. Sardonic and grim are
descriptive terms I've heard about this one_
**J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)
The Hobbit
_Prelude to _The Lord of the Rings_ - should be read
prior to starting them, but it isn't absolutely
necessary. Written as a children's book, and some
readers find it a little simplistic (not me!)_
"The Lord of the Rings" - The Fellowship of the Ring; The
Two Towers; The Return of the King
_Oh, come on now - how can you claim to be a fantasy
fan and not read this? If not for tLotR, Eddings
would still be writing about deer hunting. THE
classic work of fantasy._
The Silmarillion
_From Tolkien's writings on the background of the
world of tLofR, this is more of a history than a
story_
The Tolkien Reader
_Anthology of poetry and short stories.<BR> Due to
the INCREDIBLE popularity of _Lord of the Rings,_
virtually every scrap of paper that Tolkien doodled
on has found its way into print, which is why you
will find many other Tolkien works besides the
above._
Trillium series by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, and Andre
Norton
"Trillium" - Black Trillium (by all three); Blood Trillium
(by Julian May); Golden Trillium (by Andre Norton); Lady
of the Trillium (by Marion Zimmer Bradley); Sky Trillium
(by Julian May)
_An interesting mutation of the 'shared world' idea.
The first book was written by all three, further
books are being written by the individual authors._
Jack Vance (b. 1916)
"Lyonesse trilogy" - Suldren's Garden; The Green Pearl;
Madouc
_Best known for his SF, Vance is an interesting
writer in any genre._
"Dying Earth series" - The Dying Earth; The Eyes of the
Overworld; Cugel's Saga; Rhialto the Marvelous
_The first two are genuine fantasy classics, and
Cugel the Clever is a great character (hey, I like
rogues). These are all stand-alones._
Lawrence Watt-Evans (b. 1954)
"The Lords of Dus" - The Lure of the Basilisk; The Seven
Altars of Dusarra; The Sword of Bheleu; The Book of
Silence
_This is a limited series, and should be read in
order._
"Ethshar series" - The Misenchanted Sword; With a Single
Spell; The Unwilling Warlord; Blood of a Dragon; Taking
Flight; The Spell of the Black Dagger
_Open-ended series. I'm told that the Ethshar books
are standalones and can be read in any order. The
above is the order they were published in._
**Margaret Weis (b. 1948) & Tracy Hickman (b. 1955)
"Dragonlance Chronicles" - Dragons of Autumn Twilight;
Dragons of Winter Night; Dragons of Spring Dawning
_The series that turned TSR into from a gaming
company that published tie-ins to a real publisher.
Still in print, and still selling well._
"Dragonlance Legends" - Time of the Twins; War of the
Twins; Test of the Twins
_EVERYONE who recommended these books included a
warning that other Dragonlance books by other
authors should be avoided. There is also a book of
short stories titled _Dragonlance: The Second
Generation_. All but two of the stories are reprints
from other Dragonlance collections._
"Dragonlance Chronicles IV" - Dragons of the Summer Flame
_They're baaaaack. Weis & Hickman return to the
world of Dragonlance with a new novel that takes the
characters and stories from the novella collection
_Dragonlance: The Second Generation_ and continues
onward ever onward with them._
"More Dragonlance Books (by Weis & Don Perrin)" - The Doom
Brigade
_"A tale of two enemies - dwarves and draconians -
and how they must cooperate to survive a bitter
war." Presumably this takes place before the events
of _Summer Flame__
"Darksword Trilogy" - Forging the Darksword; Doom of the
Darksword; Triumph of the Darksword
_A non-Dragonlance limited series. Denis doesn't
like this particular series._
"More Darksword books" - Legacy of the Darksword
_Weis and Hickman return to the world of the
Darksword._
"Rose of the Prophet Trilogy" - The Will of the Wanderer;
The Paladin of the Night; The Prophet of Akhran
_The Epic Tale of the Great War of the Gods!_
"Death Gate Cycle" - Dragon Wing; Elven Star; Fire Sea;
Serpent Mage; The Hand of Chaos; Into the Labyrinth; The
Seventh Gate
_This is a limited series - be sure and have all
seven books, and read 'em in order._
"Starshield series" - The Mantle of Kendis-Dai; Nightsword
(forthcoming May '98)
_A new series begins - 'Civilization is on the brink
of extinction...A legendary relic holds the key to
salvation...A quest to a world of magic, mystery,
and madness is the only solution!'_
Angus Wells (b. 1943)
"The Kingdoms" - Wrath of Ashar; The Usurper; The Way
Beneath
_Wells' first fantasy triology under his own name._
"Godwars" - Forbidden Magic; Dark Magic; Wild Magic
_"Kingdoms" and "Godwars" are not related to each
other or to his most recent novel. Richard likes
"Godwars," but Michael prefers "The Kingdoms"
trilogy (Richard asks me to point out that he hasn't
read "The Kingdoms" yet, which makes it difficult
for him to compare them)_
Lords of the Sky
_To quote Carolyn Cushman of _Locus_ magazine: "For
once, a sprawling medieval fantasy epic that's self-
contained!"_
"Exiles series" - Exile's Children; Exile's Challenge
_Completists should note that Angus Wells co-
authored (along with Robert Holdstock) a series in
the late '70's under the name 'Richard Kirk' about
Raven, the Swordmistress of Chaos_
T.H. White (1906-1964)
The Once and Future King
_THE classic retelling of the Arthur legend. And,
yeah, it's the source of both Disney's "The Sword in
the Stone" and Lerner & Lowe's "Camelot". The
original quartet of novels are being reprinted in
England._
Mistress Masham's Repose
_Did you ever wonder what happened to those
Lilliputians that followed Gulliver back to
England?_
**Tad Williams (b. 1957)
Tailchaser's Song
_Williams' first fantasy novel - Tailchaser is a
cat._
"Memory, Sorrow & Thorn" - The Dragonbone Chair; Stone of
Farewell; To Green Angel Tower
_At first glance, very similar to "The Belgariad"-
immature-boy-grows-to-fill-heroic-role. Williams'
vision is a bit darker, however, and the secondary
characters get a lot more fleshing out. Slow moving
at points, but worth your time. Paperback version of
_To Green Angel Tower_ is published in two volumes._
Child of an Ancient City (with Nina Kiriki Hoffman)
_Stand-alone young adult novel._
Caliban's Hour
_Takes up where Shakespeare left off. Caliban shows
up years later to take his revenge on Miranda.
Williams' next will be a 4-volume SF series with the
overall title of "OTHERLAND." According to Katharine
Kerr, he has 'sworn a mighty vow that he'll never
write about Osten Ard [the world of "MS&T"] again'._
Gene Wolfe (b. 1931)
"The Book of the New Sun" - The Shadow of the Torturer; The
Claw of the Conciliator; The Sword of the Lictor; The
Citadel of the Autarch
_This is a single novel broken into four parts.
Intricate and ambitious, it takes place on a Dying
Earth and follows the complex destiny of Severian._
The Urth of the New Sun
_A sequel to "The Book of the New Sun"._
"The Soldier series" - Soldier of the Mist; Soldier of
Arete
_These novels are about Latro, a warrior in a land
similar to Classical Greece who has a peculiar form
of amnesia. One recommender noted that these are a
bit more accessible than the New Sun books._
Patricia Wrede (b. 1953)
Snow White and Rose Red
_Retelling of the classic fairytale, set in
Elizabethan England. Part of the very highly
regarded 'Fairy Tale' series_
"Lyra series" - Shadow Magic; Daughter of Witches; The Harp
of Imach Thyssel; Caught in Crystal; The Raven Ring
_Open-ended series (the books truly are stand-alone
and can be read in any order) set in a world of many
different cultures and religions, as well as three
non-human races. The first three books are being
reprinted by Tor in an omnibus edition titled
'Shadows Over Lyra'._
The Seven Towers
_A standalone, unrelated to her other series._
"The Enchanted Forest Chronicles" - Dealing with Dragons;
Searching for Dragons; Calling on Dragons; Talking to
Dragons
_Open-ended series that has a lot of fun with usual
fairytale conventions. You'll find it in the young
adult section. I especially recommend this to anyone
who is looking for books for adolescent girls (and
then be sure to read it yourself)._
"Mairelon series" - Mairelon the Magician; Magician's Ward
_Set in an alternate England where magic works, lots
of intrigue. Setting is related to the one in
Stevermer's books._
*Janny Wurts (b. 1953)
Sorcerer's Legacy
_Early standalone, first published in 1982 (it may
be her first published work). Good luck in trying to
find it._
"The Cycle of Fire" - Stormwarden; Keeper of the Keys;
Shadowfane
_Her first trilogy. This was recently reprinted and
should be widely available_
The Master of the White Storm
_A standalone._
"The Wars of Light and Shadow" - The Curse of the
Mistwraith; The Ships of Merior; Warhost of Vastmark
(NOTE: U.S. hardcover edition of 'The Ships of Merior'
INCLUDES 'Warhost of Vastmark' - the paperback edition
is two separate books); The Fugitive Prince; Grand
Conspiracy (forthcoming Oct. '98); Stormed Fortress
(forthcoming Oct. '99)
_Best known for her collaboration with Raymond Feist
on the "Empire series" and her paintings, Wurts is
a fine author in her own right._
That Way Lies Camelot
_Short story collection._
Jonathan Wylie
"Servants of the Ark" - The First Named; The Centre of the
Circle; The Mage-Born Child
_Wylie is a pseudonym for Mark (b. 1952) and Julia
(b. 1955) Smith (and _Shadowmaze_ was published in
the U.S. under their real names)._
"The Unbalanced Earth" - Dreams of Stone; The Lightless
Kingdom; The Age of Chaos
_'Servants' and 'Unbalanced Earth' are loosely
related, with the events of 'Servants' coming first.
These two trilogies were published in the U.S. by
Bantam, but are currently out of print._
Dreamweaver
_Stand-alone. Wylie has written one other stand-
alone (_Shadowmaze_) which is NOT recommended._
"Island and Empire trilogy" - Dark Fire; Echoes of Flame;
The Last Augury
_One recommender considers this trilogy the best of
the three. It is the story of a tiny island's fight
for independence from the cruel Xantic Empire. This
work hasn't found a U.S. publisher yet (so far as I
can find), so most of us are going to have to hunt
for these. Thanks to Tarja for getting me the titles
in this trilogy_
Other Lands
_Stand-alone. This came out in Britain in June '95,
and isn't out in the U.S. "A comatose Michael Glover
somehow calls to his lover for help, and to save him
she must break through to another, fantastic
world."_
Across the Flame
_A woman is confronted by a figure in a medieval
painting._
Magister
_Set in a contemporary world where magic is an just
another talent._
*Roger Zelazny (1937-1995)
"Amber - 1st series" - Nine Princes in Amber; The Guns of
Avalon; The Sign of the Unicorn; The Hand of Oberon; The
Courts of Chaos
_Great fun. Corwin searches first for his memory,
then for revenge, and finally for the key to save
the multiverse._
"Amber - 2nd series" - Trumps of Doom; Blood of Amber; Sign
of Chaos; Knight of Shadows; Prince of Chaos
_The 2nd series shows definite signs of exhaustion,
and Merlin is not the man his father Corwin was. Do
note that although _Prince of Chaos_ was supposed to
be the series end, enough dangling plot threads were
left to knit a sweater._
Roadmarks
_There's a highway through time (built by dragons),
and there's a wreck waiting to happen at the last
exit for Babylon...._
"Dilvish stories" - Dilvish the Damned; The Changing Land
_I'd really like to say more about Zelazny, but I'm
still upset about his far-too-early death. Just read
his books. Even his minor efforts are worthwhile,
and the SF he wrote in the sixties is magnificent._