A L P H A B E T I C A L
B Y
A U T H O R
Adams, Richard
Watership Down
One of the few books I've read three times, Richard Adams'
story of
rabbits (yes, rabbits) has it's own mythos, legends and
even language in
some areas. Very well-done and even believable to an
extent because of
the extent to which Adams' prepared and populated his
world with legends...
a rabbit version of Middle Earth in the sense of
well-researched and
documented. You can easily tell that Adams wrote this
during the Cold War:
the socio-economics and control of the populace are very
intrinsic to governments.
- Marcus Pan
Bradley, Marion Zimmer
The Mists of Avalon
[Feminist Paganist Arthurian novel, HOTLY debated, another
love-it-or-hate-it]
Brust, Steven
Agyar
Gypsy
Jhereg
The Phoenix Guard
Bull, Emma
Finder
Constantine, Storm
Wraeththu
Science fiction dealing with magic, sexual ambiguity,
and the
reconciliation of the shadow self. - blueviolet
[Here because it's more likely to be found as "Fantasy"
and doesn't
really have a SF "feel"... debatable.]
The Grigori
(Stalking Tender Prey, Scenting Hallowed
Blood, etc)
[Said to far surpass the Wraeththu books, but not yet
available in the U.S.]
Cooper, Louise
The Time Master Trilogy
(The Initiate, etc.)
Sweetness and light doesn't win out. Very well portrayed
sympathetic "dark"
characters. - ~E.V.
Cooper, Susan
The Dark Is Rising sequence
DeLint, Charles
Memory and Dream
okay, look. ;) It's shlocky fantasy, I know... but it
was just un-shlocky
enough to remind me of myself and feed my fantasies.
It's a damn good
day-read. - Leanan Sidhe
Donaldson, Stephen R.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
(six books)
Mordant's Need
(consists of The Mirror of Her Dreams and A
Man Rides Through)
Ende, Michael
The Neverending Story
A unique fantasy for readers of all ages, and perhaps
a particular delight
for those of us who preferred exercising our imaginations
to excelling in
gym class. The story stars Bastian Balthazar Bux, a chubby
and unpopular
boy who "borrows" a mysterious storybook. He holes up
in the attic of his
school, and begins reading about the adventures of bold
Atreyu, a young
native of Fantastica who is sent on a quest to save the
dying Childlike
Empress. Bastian himself becomes involved in the fate
of Fantastica in ways
beyond his imagination. The Neverending Story
has been a worldwide
bestseller for many years, and I'd particularly recommend
finding a hardcover
copy printed in red and green ink--it adds even more
magic to the tale.
-
Merciful
Feist, Raymond
Faerie Tale
Gaiman, Neil
anything, but particularly
Good Omens (w/ Terry Pratchett)
Neverwhere
The Sandman
[Another goth favorite and general must-read. A series
of graphic novels
about "athropomorphic personifications" of universal
concepts - Destiny,
Death, Dream, the Prodigal, Desire, Despair, Delirium
- this story mostly
focuses on Dream. Several miniseries have been released
focusing on the
other Endless.]
Stardust
Gentle, Mary
Golden Witchbreed
Rats and Gargoyles
Mary Gentle is one of my favourite authors and I wish
she was more
prolific, though seeing the work and apparent research
she puts into her
novels it's not surprising they take a long time. See
Rats & Gargoyles
(medieval alternate world fantasy) or Golden
Witchbreed (alien contact SF).
- Scott Promish
Goldman, William
The Princess Bride
Hand, Elizabeth
Winterlong
I cannot recommend this book enough. It would probably
be found in
fantasy, but it has distinctly sci-fi elements as well
as mythic themes. I
really love the way that she can mix the mythic with
the science fiction feel.
Also, I can really identify with the main character,
who is quite tragic.
- ~E.V.
Kay, Guy Gavriel
A Song for Arbonne
Tigana
King, Stephen
Eyes of the Dragon
King's first attempt at fantasy, [written] long before
the Dark Tower
trilogy. Eyes of the Dragon was extremely well written
and showed the
experimentation that King was doing at the time: going
from horror to a
more fantasy type of novel. I highly recommend it and
quite enjoyed the
different twists and turns. There are a few cliches in
it, of course (aren't
there always?), but they're not as blatant [as they might
be] in other fantasy
series, adding an other-worldly feel to the novel. -
Marcus Pan
Martin, George R.R.
A Game of Thrones
Fever Dream
McKillip, Patricia A.
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
Winter Rose
This is just so wonderfully written that I got absolutely
lost in it. Very poetic,
and just confusing and dream-like enough to completely
enthrall me. - ~E.V.
McKinley, Robin
Beauty
The Hero and the Crown
Deerskin
Moon, Elizabeth
The Deed of Paksenarrion
It is actually a trilogy, but I had the compiled edition.
If I remember
correctly the three books were Sheepfarmer's
Daughter, Divided
Allegiance, and Oath of Gold. This is the
best fantasy book I have ever
read, far better than any of the Dragonlance and Forgotten
Realms crap.
- imx
Moorcock, Michael
Elric of Melnibone [and any other Elric books]
The Fortress of the Pearl [another Elric book]
Gloriana
[Moorcock won the World Fantasy Award for this tribute
to Mervyn
Peake based on an alternate Elizabethan England and/or
Spenser's
"The Faerie Queene" - T.]
Peake, Mervyn
The Gormenghast Trilogy
Titus Groan
Gormenghast
Titus Alone
[Recommendations too numerous to mention, may be *the*
definitive "goth
novel". About a bizarre isolated castle and its eccentric
inhabitants. Begins
with the birth of its hero, Titus Groan; the first book
covers the first year
of his life, the second takes him through childhood.
Mervyn Peake was
very ill during the writing of Titus Alone, and the
majority consensus is
that it is inferior in quality to the first two books.
In the US, the trilogy is
available as a large trade paperback from Tusk/Overlook
Press for $25.
People from Robert Smith to Michael Moorcock have in
some way paid
tribute to Peake in their work.]
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Lord of the Rings
White, T.H.
Mistress Masham's Repose
The Once and Future King
[MANY recommendations, probably the classic Arthurian
novel of the
20th century, basis for Disney's The Sword in the
Stone and for the musical
Camelot. There is an alternate version of The
Sword in the Stone, which is
published in a slim volume under its own name, and a
sequel, called The Book
of Merlyn; the version of The Sword in the Stone
which makes up the
first volume of The Once and Future King is a
combination of the two.]
Zelazny, Roger
A Night in the Lonesome October
A familiar's eye view of the Secret Doings of two rival Cabals. The
plot
culminates in a ritual combat on October 31st, the outcome of which
will
determine the fate of the world. The canine protagonist, Snuff, and
his
master Jack (knife collector), meet and interact with such characters as
The Great Detective, The Mad Monk, and The Count. Great campy
fun.
Interesting illustrations by Gahan Wilson. - Buboe the Rat
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