There's just five this time around. These authors are linked by using rather weird strains in their fiction and either deconstructing many tropes and topics taking for granted or addressing and exploring the very nature of fantasy itself. The results are some of the most unique experiments in the genre.



DAVID LINDSAY (1876-1945)

Something of a "missing link" between his fellow Scot George MacDonald and the modern day surrealists (in Scotland), Lindsay is best remembered for a single work: A Voyage to Arcturus, a philosophical sci-fi/fantasy mindbender recounting one man's journey to an alien world orbiting the star Arcturus, where philosophical concepts take physical form. It has since become something of an underground classic, having earned high praise from the likes of Lewis and Tolkien. Other notable works include The Haunted Woman, in which a secret room in an old house leads to another dimension in space, and Devil's Tor, where a talisman split into two pieces might forebode an apocalyptic return of a goddess.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lindsay_(novelist))
TV Tropes - A Voyage to Arcturus (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/AVoyageToArcturus)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=lindsay_david)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/lindsay_david)
Violet Apple: The Life and Works of David Lindsay (http://www.violetapple.org.uk/index.php)



CHARLES WILLIAMS (1886-1945)

Just as Clark Ashton Smith languishes somewhat in the shadow of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, Charles Williams doesn't really have the immediate recognition of his fellow Inklings, Lewis and Tolkien. However, he was nonetheless a great author in his own right, turning out a number of "supernatural thrillers" focusing on themes such as the intersection of the spiritual world and the physical world and the dangerous, sometimes beneficial, nature of power. His most famous works include the novels War in Heaven (the Grail appears in modern England and is pursued by both good and evil parties), Many Dimensions (an antiquarian finds and exploits the Stone of Suleiman), The Place of the Lion (Britain is invaded by living Platonic archetypes), The Greater Trumps (the original Tarot deck is discovered to possess great metaphysical powers), Descent into Hell (a distant academic unleashes a succubus, amidst other acts of selfishness and substitutional love), and All Hallows' Eve (which traces the demise of an unscrupulous black magician). He was also a respected essayist, dramatist and poet, publishing two volumes of Arthurian poetry in his lifetime, among many other works.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Williams_(British_writer))
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/CharlesWilliams)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=williams_charles)
The Charles Williams Society (http://www.charleswilliamssociety.org.uk/)



STEPHEN R. DONALDSON (1947- )

While he's written a few other series - the two-part Mordant's Need, which follows a woman through a mirror into a medieval setting where she engages in self-discovery; The Man Who, a set of mystery novels; and The Gap Cycle, a science-fiction series - Donaldson's greatest claim to fame comes from The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, a rather bleak, psychologically heavy deconstruction of high fantasy, in which the fate of an enchanted world, threatened by a fearsome Satan-like figure, is placed in the hands of a curmudgeonly and anti-heroic leper, of whom "the Land" may or may not be an extension of his own mind. It's a large series, covering three series and having finished only recently, and its morbid tone may not be for everyone. But for the patient reader, it may hold quite a few surprises.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_R._Donaldson)
TV Tropes - Thomas Covenant (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=donaldson_stephen_r)
Official website (http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com/)



JOHN CROWLEY (1942- )

He began by writing three science fiction novels of considerable note (The Deep, Beasts, and Engine Summer), but Crowley really made a name for himself with the outstanding fantasy Little, Big, which follows an eccentric American family whose ordinarily sized house is a portal to the expansive and unpredictable world of Fairy; it is regarded as one of the most significant fantasy novels, garnering praise from the likes of famous literary critic Harold Bloom. His other major work is the four-volume Ægypt, a metafictional story of a historian writing a manuscript on Hermeticism (at least that's how I can best describe it at this time).

Offside resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Crowley)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=crowley_john)
John Crowley's LiveJournal (http://crowleycrow.livejournal.com/)
Black Gate - In Praise of Little, Big (https://www.blackgate.com/2014/02/03/in-praise-of-little-big/)
Black Gate - John Crowley's Aegypt Cycle, Books One and Two (https://www.blackgate.com/2016/10/17/john-crowleys-aegypt-cycle-books-one-and-two/)
Conceptual Fiction - Little, Big (http://www.conceptualfiction.com/littlebig.html)



ROBERT HOLDSTOCK (1948-2009)

Like Crowley, Holdstock began with science fiction before breaking onto the scene with a sequence of novels centered in the imaginary English woodland of Ryhope Wood, a microcosm in which the mythic archetypes of humanity's collective subconscious come to life. The series - Mythago Wood; Lavondyss; The Bone Forest; The Hollowing; Merlin's Wood [UK only]; Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn; and Avilion - is a Jungian exploration of the nature of fantasy itself, associated with the subgenre of mythic fiction, which draws from the tropes and settings of myths and fairy tales. Holdstock himself is regarded as one of the best practitioners of post-Tolkien fantastic fiction.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Holdstock)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=holdstock_robert_p)
Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood (http://robertholdstock.com/)




That's all for now. Comments aren't necessary but are appreciated when provided. As usual, the forum topic is found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html

I consider myself as much a fan of horror as I am of fantasy, and some of my favorites of both blend each genre's elements in a subtle and effective way. Subsequently, these next authors are cited many times by many critics as contributors to the development of fantastic literature, and I feel I would be doing a disservice if I didn't include them here as well. They might not always be writing outright horror, but they all have horrific elements, and sometimes, they only hint at the fantastic, as if they are just starting to cross a door into a larger world.



J. SHERIDAN LE FANU (1814-1873)

A native Irishman, Le Fanu was the most well-regarded writer of ghost stories in the Victorian era, as well as a number of Gothic sensational novels. His work was designed to induce psychological terror rather than cheap shock, often employing an indirect approach to the subject matter which allows room for a natural explanation while keeping the door of the supernatural open. Among his most revered novels are Uncle Silas, The House by the Churchyard, and Carmilla - the first great modern vampire tale; some of his most effective short stories include "Green Tea", "The Familiar", and "Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter."

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheridan_Le_Fanu)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=le_fanu_j_sheridan)
M. R. James on J. S. Le Fanu (http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pardos/ArchiveLeFanu.html)
The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/aug/28/sheridan-le-fanu-two-centuries-birth-vampire-ghost-stories)
Victorian Web (http://www.victorianweb.org/books/suicide/06d.html)
The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11048229/Sheridan-Le-Fanu-the-father-of-modern-horror-at-200.html)



E. T. A. HOFFMANN (1776-1822)

The son of Prussian jurists, Hoffmann is one of the leading individuals in the German Romantic movement, as well as a composer, a music critic and a caricaturist. His stories and novels are flavored with the macabre seeping into everyday life, which would influence such later luminaries such as Dickens, Baudelaire, Kafka, Poe, and even George MacDonald. He is the originator of the famous Christmas story, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", as well as suck dark tales as "The Sandman", "The Golden Bowl", and "Mademoiselle de Scuderi"; noteworthy novels include The Devil's Elixirs and The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._T._A._Hoffmann)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=hoffmann_e_t_a)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/E-T-A-Hoffmann)
NPR.org - No Sugar Plums Here: The Dark Romantic Roots of "The Nutcracker" (https://www.npr.org/2012/12/25/167732828/no-sugar-plums-here-the-dark-romantic-roots-of-the-nutcracker)
GoogleSites: German Literature (https://sites.google.com/site/germanliterature/19th-century/hoffmann)



WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON (1877-1918)

Author, photographer, and bodybuilder, Hodgson was an early practitioner of "cosmic horror" with his two most famous novels - The House on the Borderland (in which the signature abode transports an unnamed narrator to another dimension) and The Night Land (a vision of the future of humanity in a time where the sun has gone out and the world is teeming with horrors). His other two novels (The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" and The Ghost Pirates) and many of his short stories draw from his experiences as a sailor, associating the ocean with haunting dread. He is also known for creating the occult detective Thomas Carnacki and the smuggler Captain Gault. His career was cut rather short due to his death on the battlefield in WWI.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hope_Hodgson)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=hodgson_william_hope)
The Night Land - a website dedicated to celebrating and expanding upon Hodgson's novel (http://nightland.website/)
Alan Gullette on William Hope Hodgson (http://alangullette.com/lit/hodgson/)
WordPress blog devoted to Hodgson (https://williamhopehodgson.wordpress.com/)
Great Science-Fiction and Fantasy Works (http://greatsfandf.com/AUTHORS/WilliamHopeHodgson.php)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/WilliamHopeHodgson)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers in the Great War (https://fantastic-writers-and-the-great-war.com/the-writers/william-hope-hodgson/)



ALGERNON BLACKWOOD (1869-1951)

Hailed as one of the finest early writers of the weird tale, Algernon Blackwood's work is comprised of chilling ghost stories and explorations of the awe of nature, as well as some science fiction subjects (he believed humans have latent psychic abilities). Aside from creating one of the best-known occult detectives, John Silence, two of his most outstanding stories are "The Willows", in which two men discover unseen forces crossing over into our dimension, and "The Wendigo", where a party in the wilderness is assailed by an unidentified, nebulous creature.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algernon_Blackwood)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=blackwood_algernon)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/blackwood_algernon)
Weird Fiction Review (http://weirdfictionreview.com/2013/01/wfrs-101-weird-writers-19-algernon-blackwood/)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/AlgernonBlackwood)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers in the Great War (https://fantastic-writers-and-the-great-war.com/the-writers/algernon_blackwood/)



ARTHUR MACHEN (1863-1947)

Machen (pronounced MACK-en), a Welshman, was convinced that the material world around us is only a veil behind which a larger spiritual world of ecstasy and terror awaits; this philosophy informs much of his fiction, such as the fixup novel The Three Impostors and the legendary novella The Great God Pan. Some of his other important works include the story "The White People" and the partly autobiographical novel The Hill of Dreams; he is also primarily responsible for the British legend of the Angels of Mons. He is regarded as one of the finest writers of modern horror and fantasy by many scholars today, having influenced may of the greatest writers in the fields.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Machen)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=machen_arthur)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/machen_arthur)
The Friends of Arthur Machen (http://www.arthurmachen.org.uk/)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers in the Great War (https://fantastic-writers-and-the-great-war.com/the-writers/arthur-machen/)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/ArthurMachen)
Victoria Gothic - Arthur Machen: An Ecstasy of Fear (http://www.victoriangothic.org/arthur-machen-an-ecstasy-of-fear/)
Christ & Pop Culture - "In Memoriam Arthur Machen: Celebrating 150 Years of Horror and Ecstasy" by Geoffrey Reiter (http://christandpopculture.com/in-memoriam-arthur-machen-celebrating-150-years-of-horror-and-ecstasy/)
The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/sep/29/arthur-machen-tartarus-press)
Barnes & Noble Review - "Beyond the Veil: The Fiction of Arthur Machen" by Michael Dirda (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/review/beyond-the-veil-the-fiction-of-arthur-machen)



M. R. JAMES (1862-1936)

Medievalist scholar and provost of both King's College at Cambridge and Eton College, James is known to the world at large as one the greatest writers of ghost stories ever put to page; his deliberately constructed antiquarian tales - collected originally in four volumes and meant as Christmas Eve entertainments - eschew much of the of Gothic trappings for a contemporary setting, relying on a slow build of dread to an unsettling climax. His works are so well regarded that they are regularly adapted by the BBC for radio and television.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._R._James)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=james_m_r)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/MontagueRhodesJames)
Ghosts & Scholars (http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pardos/GS.html)
Thin-Ghost.org (http://www.thin-ghost.org/)
The New Yorker - "Fright Nights: The Horror of M. R. James" by Anthony Lane (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/02/13/fright-nights-2)
New Statesman - "How M. R. James's Ghost Stories Became a Christmas Institution" by John Sutherland (https://www.newstatesman.com/2013/12/come-all-ye-fearful)



H. P. LOVECRAFT (1890-1937)

Virtually unknown in his lifetime, now a name so synonymous with horror that it has become a subgenre unto itself, Lovecraft is considered to be the spiritual successor of Edgar Allan Poe and one of the most influential 20th century authors of horror and fantasy. Drawing on the older traditions as well as modern discoveries, his major contribution was creating horrors on a cosmic scale, with ancient beings from deep space - regarded as "gods" by older peoples - awaiting the opportunity to reclaim the earth for themselves, with humanity an insignificant bystander in the grand scheme. While his prose could often become purple, and his materialistic philosophy and strong racist views are problematic for both Christian and secular audiences, his importance to the development of speculative fiction cannot be overstated.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft)
The H. P. Lovecraft Archive (http://www.hplovecraft.com/)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=lovecraft_h_p)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/lovecraft_h_p)
The Wall Street Journal - "Here's Why H. P. Lovecraft Matters More Than Ever" by Michael Calia [must have a subscription to read the full article] (https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/10/13/heres-why-h-p-lovecraft-matters-more-than-ever/)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/HPLovecraft)
Christ & Pop Culture - "From Cthulhu to Christ: Why H. P. Lovecraft's Cosmic Despair Is Still Worth Reading" by Geoffrey Reiter (http://christandpopculture.com/from-cthulhu-to-christ-why-hp-lovecraft-cosmic-despair-still-worth-reading/)



ROBERT E. HOWARD (1906-1936)

Being a close friend of Lovecraft through literary correspondence, there is a streak of cosmic horror in his work, but the legendary Texan pulp writer - the creator of one of the most iconic characters in pop culture, Conan the Barbarian - is best known for nearly singlehandedly creating the subgenre of sword and sorcery with his tales of high adventure in exotic "historical" periods; filled with a grand eloquence and breakneck pacing, Howard's stories are outstanding exercises in mythopoeia, and while many have imitated him, he is rarely equaled. From the splendor of the ancient lands of the Atlantean exile Kull, to the last stand of the last king of the Picts, Bran Mak Morn, against the invading Roman legions, down to the moody crusades of the Puritan wanderer Solomon Kane, Howard's works have lost none of their original fire. And his poetry isn't half bad, either.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Howard)
The Robert E. Howard Foundation (http://www.rehfoundation.org/)
Texas State Historical Association: Robert E. Howard (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fho92)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/RobertEHoward)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/howard_robert_e)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=howard_robert_e)
National Review - The Fantastic Robert E. Howard (https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2019/07/29/the-fantastic-robert-e-howard/?fbclid=IwAR2naYczz47WX7zOZwkSS50JPZBdhh1AQn_MH6m_Soz4iXIO-54ujFvG_O0)



CLARK ASHTON SMITH (1893-1961)

Alongside Lovecraft and Howard, California native Smith was one of the best writers for the influential pulp magazine Weird Tales, weaving tales of wildly exotic locations with both cosmic horror and a dark sense of humor. He was also an accomplished poet, painter, and sculptor. However, his fame has never reached the heights that Lovecraft and Howard attained, though that is not to say that he was disregarded entirely. His ornate construction of language and his total immersion in the wildness of his locations have won him as many admirers as there are detractors.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith)
Alan Gullette on Clark Ashton Smith (http://alangullette.com/lit/smith/)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/smith_clark_ashton)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=smith_clark_ashton)
Black Gate - The Fantasy Cycles of Clark Ashton Smith: Part I (https://www.blackgate.com/the-fantasy-cycles-of-clark-ashton-smith-part-i-the-averoigne-chronicles/)
Black Gate - The Fantasy Cycles of Clark Ashton Smith: Part II (https://www.blackgate.com/the-fantasy-cycles-of-clark-ashton-smith-part-ii-the-book-of-hyperborea/)
Black Gate - The Fantasy Cycles of Clark Ashton Smith: Part III (https://www.blackgate.com/the-fantasy-cycles-of-clark-ashton-smith-part-iii-tales-of-zothique/)
Black Gate - The Fantasy Cycles of Clark Ashton Smith: Part IV (https://www.blackgate.com/the-fantasy-cycles-of-clark-ashton-smith-part-iv-poseidonis-mars-and-xiccarph/)
Christ & Pop Culture - "Dream Builder: Recognizing Clark Ashton Smith's Legacy in Fiction" by Geoffrey Reiter (http://christandpopculture.com/dream-builder-recognizing-clark-ashton-smiths-legacy-fiction/)


I'll leave you here, for now. May these works leave an excellent impression upon you. Until then, the forum topic may be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html

This next list is more of a continuation of the last one, not necessarily anything too new. Still, it's not meant to be indicative of lesser works. A couple names will be common knowledge, to some extent, while the others may not be all that familiar to casual readers, though I encourage everyone to look up these people further.



DAVID GEMMELL (1948-2006)

After working through several jobs including journalism, Gemmell came onto the scene with Legend, which told of the defense of a large fortress from barbarian hordes and of an aging axeman called to make one last stand. From there on out, he was a master of pseudo-historical fantasy dealing with themes of honor, loyalty and age. His work is considerably violent, though he attested his Christian beliefs to providing both an anchor and a self-imposed limitation for himself. Legend became the first novel in a series about the entire imaginary nation and the great men within it. Today, an award named after him is still given out to outstanding work in heroic fantasy.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=gemmell_david_a)
Drenai.com - A Guide to the Drenai Saga (http://www.drenai.com/)



GUY GAVRIEL KAY (1954- )

One of the most successful Canadian fantasists, his career began when he was hired by Christopher Tolkien to assist in editing The Silmarillion while he was still a university student; during the process, he drew ideas for his own work, studying Tolkien's style in order to assimilate his strengths while filtering out some of his weaknesses. The result became The Fionavar Tapestry, an amalgam of Tolkienian high fantasy, Anglo-Saxon mythology and Arthurian folklore in which five ordinary students are drawn into "the first of all worlds" and find themselves pitted against the mad god - the Unraveller - who wishes to destroy that world, thus unmaking all worlds. The three books which comprise it (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road) have been wideley praised as being near equal to Tolkien's work and one of the most original homages, though more than simply a pastiche. The rest of his output also has received considerable praise, being "historical fantasies" set in fantastic parallels of real famous Eurasian locales and time periods such as medieval France (A Song for Arbonne and Ysabel) and Spain (The Lions of Al-Rassan), Byzantium (The Sarantine Mosaic [2 books]), Renaissance Italy (Tigana), the Viking conquests (The Last Light of the Sun), 16th century Croatia (Children of Earth and Sky) and 8th century Tang Dynasty China (Under Heaven and River of Stars).

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Gavriel_Kay)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=kay_guy_gavriel)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/GuyGavrielKay)
Bright Weavings: The Worlds of Guy Gavriel Kay (http://brightweavings.com/ggk/)



JAMES STEPHENS (1880-1950)

An Irish novelist and poet, Stephens's witty retellings of native fairy tales and verse are well regarded, though his most famous and reprinted work may be The Crock of Gold, in which a philosopher tries to save the woman Cáitilin Ni Murrachu from Pan himself.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stephens_(author))
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Stephens-Irish-writer)



L. FRANK BAUM (1856-1919)

The most famous children's author in his day, Baum produced a remarkable output of fantasy stories, such as The Master Key, Queen Zixi of Ix, and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Of course, his most treasured creation is the Land of Oz and that original classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Despite the film having permeated popular culture with images and concepts that may be taken for granted, the original story is extremely enjoyable and unforgettable in its own right, having lost none of its charm and warmth; though it was intended to be a self-contained story, 13 sequels followed, with their own unique charm.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Frank_Baum)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=baum_l_frank)
The International Wizard of Oz Club (http://ozclub.org/)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website (http://thewizardofoz.info/)



J. M. BARRIE (1860-1937)

He wrote a great number of successful plays focusing on the current society, and some of those works are still being printed. However, Barrie is known at large for one story - the legendary Peter Pan. While his other work shouldn't be neglected, the story of Pan and Neverland is genuinely good, simply told for children and yet still engaging for adults. At its most basic element, it's simply a fun tale, though there may be some hidden messages beneath the narrative which lead to a rather bittersweet interpretation.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._Barrie)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=barrie_j_m)
Official website authorized by Great Ormond Street Hospital (http://www.jmbarrie.co.uk/)


The next installment will cover something a bit odd for what's expected of fantasy - horror. Until then, the topic can be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html

So far, we've looked at those who have "built the industry," so to speak, thus providing a sort of framework on which to build a concise history of fantasy, if one wishes. Now, we'll start looking on variations on this framework. Of course, these authors are definitely not of lesser quality - some are considered titans of the genre, and others have made addictively fun cult classics not to be missed. Let's give them their due, shall we?



WILLIAM GOLDMAN (1931-2018)

A talented novelist and screenwriter, Goldman is responsible for the scripts to such classic films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, and Misery; one of his most famous novels, which he also adapted to the screen, is the taught thriller Marathon Man. But probably his most fondly remembered work - and I think I speak for everyone when I say this, let alone fantasy fans - is The Princess Bride (which, again, he also wrote the screenplay for). Despite some minor changes which may feel less memorable than Rob Reiner's wonderful film, the book is still just as charming and whimsical as what lies in the public consciousness.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Goldman)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=goldman_william)
Article on The Daily Beast - American Dreams, 1973: The Princess Bride (https://www.thedailybeast.com/american-dreams-1973-the-princess-bride-by-william-goldman)
Tor.com - Meta, Irony, Narrative, Fromes, and The Princess Bride (https://www.tor.com/2015/12/24/meta-irony-narrative-frames-and-the-princess-bride/)
The SF Site Review - The Princess Bride (https://www.sfsite.com/04a/pb54.htm)



HOPE MIRRLEES (1887-1978)

Author of two historical novels and a set of poetry (which has recently undergone a re-evaluation), this friend of Virginia Woolf is best remembered for her underrated third novel, Lud-in-the-Mist, a tale of a city on the border of the world of Faerie and the results of the interaction with its inhabitants. It is highly regarded as a forgotten masterpiece.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Mirrlees)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=mirrlees_hope)
Tor.com - Next-Door to Fairyland: Mope Mirrlees' Lud-in-the-Mist (https://www.tor.com/2010/10/06/next-door-to-fairyland-hope-mirrlees-lud-in-the-mist/)
Hope Mirrlees on the Web (http://hopemirrlees.com/)
The Lady Who Wrote Lud-in-the-Mist - by Michael Swanwick (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/introduces/mirrlees.htm)
Black Gate - The Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series: Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees (https://www.blackgate.com/2014/12/27/the-ballantine-adult-fantasy-series-lud-in-the-mist-by-hope-mirrlees/)



URSULA K. LE GUIN (1929-2018)

One of the most influential voices in science fiction, tackling environmental and sociological themes, she is also famous for the Earthsea Cycle, a young adult series situated in a watery world filled with numerous islands and a unique magic system based on the balance of nature; it is held by some fans just as fondly as Middle-Earth and Narnia. The series consists of A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, and The Other Wind, plus a collection of short stories. Ged Sparrowhawk, the protagonist of the first book who journeys from naïve child to experienced wizard, figures in roles of various importance in most of the books.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_K._Le_Guin)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=le_guin_ursula_k)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/le_guin_ursula_k)
The Official Website of Ursula K. Le Guin (http://www.ursulakleguin.com/)
Biographical Sketch (http://www.ursulakleguin.com/BiographicalSketch.html)
The New Yorker - The Fantastic Ursula K. Le Guin (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/17/the-fantastic-ursula-k-le-guin)
The Guardian - David Mitchell on Earthsea: A Rival to Tolkien and George R. R. Martin (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/david-mitchell-wizard-of-earthsea-tolkien-george-rr-martin)



POUL ANDERSON (1926-2001)

Much like Le Guin, Anderson's reputation rests mostly on his science fiction works, filled with heroic blustery characters and high adventure. His smaller fantasy work, however, is still considered just as outstanding, two novels in particular regarded as definite classics. The Broken Sword (published around the same time as The Lord of the Rings) is a Nordic tale set during the encroachment of Christianity which recounts the life of Skafloc, a mortal raised among the elves, and his changeling counterpart Valgard, as they are inevitably drawn into the war between the elves and the trolls, into which plays a strange sword broken in two which will set in motion the events leading to Ragnarok. The other is Three Hearts and Three Lions, in which an American-Danish engineer during WWII is pulled into a fantasy world in which the Matter of France is true and conflict is rising between the forces of Law and Chaos. Other notable works include Hrolf Kraki's Saga, A Midsummer Tempest, and The Merman's Children.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poul_Anderson)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/anderson_poul)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=anderson_poul)
FantasyLiterature.com (http://www.fantasyliterature.com/fantasy-author/andersonpoul/)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/PoulAnderson)
Black Gate - Broken in Two: Poul Anderson's Two Versions of The Broken Sword (https://www.blackgate.com/broken-in-two-poul-andersons-two-versions-of-the-broken-sword/)
Black Gate - The Whole Northern Thing: Hrolf Kraki's Saga by Poul Anderson (https://www.blackgate.com/2013/12/03/the-whole-northern-thing-hrolf-krakis-saga-by-poul-anderson/)
Black Gate - Poul Anderson and the Northern Mythic Tradition: An Introduction (https://www.blackgate.com/2015/02/11/poul-anderson-and-the-northern-mythic-tradition-an-introduction/)
Black Gate - Chaotic and Lawful Alignments in Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions (https://www.blackgate.com/2015/02/25/chaotic-and-lawful-alignments-in-poul-andersons-three-hearts-and-three-lions/)
Black Gate - Northern Matter in Poul Anderson's "Middle Ages" of The Broken Sword and in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (https://www.blackgate.com/2015/03/04/northern-matter-in-poul-andersons-middle-ages-of-the-broken-sword-and-in-j-r-r-tolkiens-middle-earth/)
Black Gate - The Parallel Worlds of Poul Anderson's Operation Chaos (https://www.blackgate.com/2015/04/15/the-parallel-worlds-of-poul-andersons-operation-chaos/)
Black Gate - Sex and Violence in Poul Anderson's Rogue Sword (https://www.blackgate.com/2015/04/08/sex-and-violence-in-poul-andersons-rogue-sword/)
Tor.com - Swiftly Goes the Swordplay: The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson (https://www.tor.com/2010/12/31/swiftly-goes-the-swordplay-poul-andersons-the-broken-sword/)



PETER S. BEAGLE (1939- )

Author of the screenplay of the late 70s animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, he also wrote the introduction to the Del Rey editions of the books. However, I have found that he is also a respected writer in his own right, penning such works as A Fine and Private Place (his first novel, greatly regarded by many), The Innkeeper's Song, The Folk of the Air, and Tamsin. But his most famous work, one of the most beloved works in the fantasy genre, is The Last Unicorn, a comical, thoughtful, somewhat self-aware and ultimately bittersweet story of a unicorn who sets out to discover the mystery of her kind's disappearance and the wild and wonderful characters she meets along the way. Its animated adaptation is probably the best thing ever put out by Rankin/Bass (yes, the puppet holiday special company).

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_S._Beagle)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=beagle_peter_s)
The Green Man: Interviews, Reviews, Essays, etc. (http://thegreenmanreview.com/gmr/oneoffs/peterbeagle.html)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/PeterSBeagle)
Christ and Pop Culture - "In a World That Holds Such Beauty": Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn Turns 50 (https://christandpopculture.com/in-a-world-that-holds-such-beauty-peter-s-beagles-the-last-unicorn-turns-50/)
The Atlantic - One of the Best Fantasy Novels Ever Is Nothing Like The Lord of the Rings (https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/11/last-unicorn-peter-beagle-50th-anniversary-reality-magic/575641/)
Tor.com - "Haven't You Ever Been in a Fairy Tale Before?": Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn (https://www.tor.com/2014/01/28/havent-you-ever-been-in-a-fairy-tale-before-peter-s-beagles-the-last-unicorn/)



MERVYN PEAKE (1911-1968)

Born to missionary parents in China and influenced by the works of Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson, he began work as a painter and illustrator of considerable acclaim, eventually adding nonsense poetry to his repertoire. The work for which he is most appraised is a surreal Gothic fantasy-of-manners trilogy detailing the life of Titus Groan, 77th heir to the Earldom of the ancient city of Gormenghast, a monolithic stone structure filled with bizarre inhabitants, governed by ancient customs and traditions which have long since lost their meaning; within the ancient, dust-shrouded halls, a shrewd, manipulative kitchen boy schemes to overthrow the system, while the young Earl yearns for the freedom of the outside world. It was meant to be part of a larger cycle, but Peake's deteriorating health and ultimate death from dementia and Parkinson's put an end to it. The trilogy - Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone - while underappreciated in his lifetime, has never been out of print and has been regarded by many as one of the definitive fantasy texts, sometimes comparable in status to Tolkien though vastly different in style.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mervyn_Peake)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=peake_mervyn)
Mervyn Peake, the Official Site (http://www.mervynpeake.org/)
TV Tropes - Gormenghast (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Gormenghast)
Black Gate - The Centenary of Mervyn Peake (https://www.blackgate.com/2011/07/03/the-centenary-of-mervyn-peake/)



EVANGELINE WALTON (1907-1996)

Much like T. H. White, Evangeline Walton is best known for retelling an ancient legend for the 20th century - in her case, the Mabinogion, the entirety covered in four books: Prince of Annwn, The Children of Llyr, The Song of Rhiannon, and The Island of the Mighty (arranged chronologically). Other noteworthy titles include the horror novel Witch House and the historical The Cross and the Sword. Many of her works remain unpublished, though her estate is working on rectifying the situation.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangeline_Walton)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=walton_evangeline)
Official website (https://evangelinewalton.wordpress.com/)



RICHARD ADAMS (1920-2016)

Richard Adams has an interesting body of work, but his fame really stems from one novel -  his first, Watership Down, one of the best written animal fantasies ever made, concerning a warren of rabbits and their search for a new burrow after the old one is destroyed by land development. Part of the fantastic element comes from the rabbits having their own mythology about the creation of the world and the rise and adventures of a precocious folk hero. Other notable titles include The Plague Dogs (a pair of dogs escape a laboratory and are subsequently pursued), Shardik (a bear in a fictional empire is taken to be the representation of the power of God, but his hunter still pursues him), The Girl in a Swing (a young antiques/ceramics collector with latent psychic abilities and his new bride are haunted by a mysterious supernatural presence), and Traveller (a historical recount of the exploits of Robert E. Lee told from the viewpoint of his horse).

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Adams)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=adams_richard)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Adams)



Next time, even more blanks will be filled. The forum topic can still be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html

I believe you can't have a proper discussion of fantasy in Western culture without bringing up at some point the Matter of Britain, of which King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are of chief importance. The last post, among other things, touched upon a few central figures who have been influential in shaping the conception of Camelot, both ancient and modern; today, I'm going to draw attention to five more figures just as essential to the development of the Matter and deserving of further inquiry for modern fantasy fans.



GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH (c. 1100 - c. 1155)

Arguably the entire Matter began here with this (allegedly) Welsh cleric, who is also a central figure in the development of British historiography. The work in question is Historia Regum Britanniae, or, in colloquial English, History of the Kings of Britain, a chronicle of British history from its founding by a descendent of Aeneas of Troy to the 7th century. Granted, most scholars accept it as more fiction than fact, embellished with extraordinary flourish, but there seems to be little doubt that it laid most of the foundations from which the chief concepts of Arthur and Merlin have been developed, providing inspiration for later writers like de Troyes and Malory.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_of_Monmouth)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Geoffrey-of-Monmouth)
Bartleby.com - Excerpt from Latin Chroniclers from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries (http://www.bartleby.com/211/0909.html)
Encyclopedia Mythica (http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/geoffrey_of_monmouth.html)
The Camelot Project - Introduction by Emily Rebekah Huber (http://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/geoffrey)



WOLFRAM VON ESCHENBACH (c. 1160/80 - c.1220)

The Matter is also expanded upon by German poets, and Wolfram von Eschenbach is regarded as one of the greatest, though little is known about the man himself. His contribution to Arthurian lore is to finish what de Troyes could not with the epic Parsival, following the life of the titular character from birth to ignorant youth to keeper of the Holy Grail; arguably considered the greatest medieval German epic poem, and having introduced the Grail story into German literature, it is an original story in itself, not wholly dependant on de Troyes's unfinished work, and meditative on themes of sympathy, compassion, love and spirituality. In modern times, it would achieve further immortalization through Richard Wagner's opera of the same name. Von Eschenbach is also the author of two other works, Willehalm and Titurel, both unfinished.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfram_von_Eschenbach)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wolfram-von-Eschenbach)
Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15683a.htm)
Monsalvat - The Parsival Home Page (http://www.monsalvat.no/wolfram.htm)
Background and Summary of Parsival (http://mcgoodwin.net/pages/otherbooks/we_parzival.html)
Oxford Bibliographies (http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195396584/obo-9780195396584-0163.xml)



HARTMANN VON AUE (c. 1160/70 - c. 1210/20)

Following a similar path as von Eschenbach, Hartmann von Aue also adapted work by de Troyes and made it his own - in this case, Erec, in which the German Arthurian legend is introduced, and Iwein, a courtly romance. Other works of importance are Gregorius, which follows an il-born child into the papacy, and Der arme Heinrich, in which a knight afflicted with leprosy can only be cured by a willing virginal sacrifice. Von Aue's style is considered more inclined to impart morality than any great stylistic elegance, compared to other writers, but this has not prevented him from being considered one of the three great epic poets of medieval German literature.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartmann_von_Aue)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hartmann-von-Aue)
Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07146c.htm)



GOTTFRIED VON STRASSBURG (? - c. 1210)

The third and final great German epic poet, of whom little is known beyond his name, Gottfried von Strassburg's major work is the unfinished Tristan, a German retelling of the famous Tristan and Iseult legend carefully constructed with symmetrical workmanship and ironic narrative; it is ranked alongside Parsival and the legendary Nibelungenlied as one of the greatest German masterpieces. His vision seems to be derived more from Christian mysticism than the traditional knightliness of his contemporaries.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_von_Strassburg)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gottfried-von-Strassburg)
Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06680a.htm)



SIR THOMAS MALORY (c. 1415/18 - 1471)

Except for T. H. White, perhaps no other writer's version of Arthur has been more influential or well-received as that of Sir Thomas Malory and his Le Morte d'Arthur, which compiles most of the previously known tales regarding the story of Camelot into a single work. Malory himself is believed to be from Newbold Revel in Warwickshire, having served as a knight himself and a member of Parliament as well as being accused of numerous ill deeds. The Morte itself is has been called an idealistic parallel to his own time, the rise and fall of Arthur's court serving to give warning to the higher powers of the dangers of infighting. It has served to cement most of what has become common knowledge of the Matter of Arthur, serving as inspiration for both White himself as well as Tennyson's poem cycle Idylls of the King.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Malory)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Malory)
Arthurian Legend (https://www.arthurian-legend.com/sir-thomas-malory/)
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature (http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/malory.htm)



That's all for now. Next time will be further entries previously found on the forum topic, which can be found here, as always: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html

In response to my own posts, Raven submitted a few more of his own. While these authors may not always technically be fantasy as it's generally understood, they nevertheless have great significance to the genre in both style and substance; some, in my opinion, are absolutely essential to the core foundations of fantasy, both literally and in experiment. Without much further ado, here they are.



MICHAEL ENDE (1929-1995)

Born to a surrealist painter, influenced by Rudolf Steiner's philosophy of anthropsophy, and also skilled in theater direction, Michael Ende's fame has surpassed his native Germany into 40 other languages, writing, much like MacDonald, not specifically for children but for the childlike in all of us. Among his more famous works are the natively popular Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (currently unavailable in English) and the surreal time fantasy Momo. But arguably his greatest work, and the one for which he is most remembered, is what may be one of the most unique single novels in the genre - The Neverending Story, a metafictional exploration of the enduring power of stories and, in a sense, the core concepts of fantasy itself, in which a boy discovers a strange book that contains a fantastic world of extraordinary creatures kept alive by the collective imagination of humankind. It was adapted into a very good movie in the 80's, but it must be noted that it is a loose adaptation and only contains half (maybe less) the magic of its source material.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ende)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=ende_michael)
Official website (http://www.michaelende.de/)



CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES (unspecified/late 12th century)

Little is known of the life of this French poet, save for a few speculated details (coming from Troyes and serving at the court of Marie of France, Countess of Champagne), but the work he left behind is considered some of the best medieval literature composed as well as important cornerstones in the development of the Matter of Arthur, introducing many characters and concepts that today's readers may take for granted. There are five chief epics on which the bulk of his reputation rests - Erec and Enide, a story of courtly love; Cligès, which paints an unflattering portrait of adultery in a style parodic of the Tristan and Isolde romances; Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, generally considered his masterpiece, chronicling the heroic exploits of the titular knight-errant; Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, in which the legendary Knight of the Round Table and his tragic affair with Queen Guenevere is first introduced; and the unfinished Percival, the Story of the Grail, the earliest account of the legend of the all-important Grail, the Fisher King and the virtuous knight whose correct questions can heal the stricken land.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chr%C3%A9tien_de_Troyes)
Medieval Spell: Chrétien de Troyes' Influence on Literature and Courtly Love (http://www.medieval-spell.com/Chretien-de-Troyes.html)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chretien-de-Troyes)



T. H. WHITE (1906-1964)

Although he wrote other tales of interest such as sci-fi tales like Earth Stopped and Gone to Ground as well as children's fantasies like Mistress Masham's Repose and The Elephant and the Kangaroo, T. H. "Tim" White's greatest contribution to fantasy, if not literature in general, is a 20th century update of the Matter of Arthur which is considered one of the definitive versions of the story - The Once and Future King, a series of four books (The Sword in the Stone, The Queen of Air and Darkness, The Ill-Made Knight, and The Candle in the Wind) with a posthumously published coda (The Book of Merlyn). A work of considerable psychological depth, the series takes the commonly known stories and legends and deconstructs them, meditating on the nature of humanity, the extent of the necessity of war, and the loss of innocence in an increasingly cynical world.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._H._White)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=white_t_h)
"England Have My Bones" - The T. H. White Website (http://www2.netdoor.com/~moulder/thwhite/)



ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-1992)

While primarily considered an author of children's fiction, Rosemary Sutcliff's work has a style and depth of such considerable significance that she has acquired an equally invested adult audience. These works are not technically fantasies, being more historical fiction, but they retain a fantastic quality by exploring the historical context of ancient Celtic and Saxon legends. Her best known work is a series focusing on England in its youth during Roman and Germanic occupations, chronologically arranged by the narrative's timeline as follows: The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, Frontier Wolf, The Lantern Bearers, Sword at Sunset, Dawn Wind, Sword Song, and The Shield Ring.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Sutcliff)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=sutcliff_rosemary)
Official website (https://rosemarysutcliff.com/)
Rosemary Sutcliff: An Appreciation (http://blueremembered.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/historical-novel-society-article-for.html)
Of the Minstrel Kind - A Tribute by Margaret Meek (http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/64/childrens-books/articles/other-articles/of-the-minstrel-kind)
Green Man article - synopses and discussions (http://thegreenmanreview.com/gmr/book/book_sutcliff_romanbritain.html)



JOHN WHITE (1924-2002)

A reconnaissance photogropher during WWII, and later a Bible smuggler behind the Iron Curtain for a time, John White was challenged by his children to give them a fantasy in the vein of Lewis's Narnia. The result was The Archives of Anthropos, which consists of The Sword Bearer, Gaal the Conqueror, The Tower of Geburah, The Iron Sceptre, Quest for the King, and The Dark Lord's Demise. White has acknowledged the deliberate connection to Lewis, though he insisted that the series took on a life of its own as it went on.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_White_(Christian_author))



ROBERT C. O'BRIEN (1918-1973)

Pen name of Robert Leslie Carroll Conly, arguably the most well-remembered work by this author is Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, in which a mother mouse discovers an enclave of superintelligent rats; most will probably remember the loose but excellent adaptation, Don Bluth's 1982 animated classic The Secret of NIMH. After his death, his daughter continued the story in two sequels. His other published works are The Silver Crown, in which a young girl finds the titular object and is subsequently harassed by the agents of a sinister machine; A Report from Group 17, a thriller involving resurgent Nazism and biochemical warfare; and Z for Zachariah, a post-apocalyptic story where a teenager on a farm spared from disaster must struggle with a disturbed stranger's increasing dominance.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_C._O%27Brien_(author))
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/obrien_robert_c)



BRIAN JACQUES (1939-2011)

The reputation of Brian Jacques (pronounced "Jakes") rests chiefly upon the Redwall series, which follows a band of forest animals in an abbey established as a safe haven and the continuing threat of malicious outsiders; further adventures recount the history of the land and its now-vaunted heroic champions. A total of 22 books in the series has been released (the 22nd being posthumous), and it remains one of the most highly praised children's fantasies on the market.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Jacques)
The Official Brian Jacques Website (http://www.redwallabbey.com/)
The Redwall Encyclopedia - covers everything up to the 16th book, no longer updated (http://www.sullivanet.com/redwall/)


There's enough for now. Next time, before I go back to some of the authors I've already listed in the forum, I'd like to give some attention to other epic poets and writers concerned with the Matter of Britain.

Remember, the topic of discussion can be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html?

Now these are my contributions to the list. These six authors appeared in the same general period and may or may not have provided a significant influence on both Tolkien and Lewis in some cases (MacDonald's is a bit more eclectic). In some cases, they are unfairly neglected, but they remain important for building the basic groundwork on which nearly all fantasy afterwards constructed itself.




WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896)

One of the most well-regarded figures of the Victorian era, a committed socialist in the second half of his life, Morris is known today for his textiles as well as his wallpaper, fabrics and other interior decorations influenced by the Neo-Gothic revival movement. But he was chiefly regarded in his time as a poet and a writer - drawing upon Icelandic sagas, he delivered acclaimed pieces such as The House of the Wolfings, The Roots of the Mountain, The Story of the Glittering Plain, The Wood Beyond the World, The Well at the World's End, The Water of the Wondrous Isles, and The Sundering Flood; he also dabbled in sci-fi/utopian themes with the novella News from Nowhere. It is reported that Morris is perhaps the greatest influence upon Tolkien in prose style, as he greatly admired these romances and even felt he couldn't outdo them.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morris)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=morris_william)
William Morris: The Soul of Arts and Crafts (http://williammorristile.com/articles.html)
The William Morris Society in the United States (http://www.morrissociety.org/index.html)



E. R. EDDISON (1882-1945)

A Norse scholar, civil servant, and close liaison of the Inklings, Eric Rücker Eddison is remembered, especially by both Tolkien and Lewis, for one of the earliest examples of otherworldly high fantasy - The Worm Ouroboros, a dense epic deliberately constructed in an archaic style reminiscent of Elizabethan drama, Icelandic sagas and Jacobean prose, chronicling the conflict on the planet Mercury (yes, that Mercury) between the nations of Demonland and Witchland. In close relation to this was his ultimately incomplete cycle concerning the world of Zimiamvia: Mistress of Mistresses, A Fish Dinner in Memison, and The Mezentian Gate.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_R%C3%BCcker_Eddison)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=eddison_e_r)
The Official E. R. Eddison Website (http://www.ereddison.com/)
Black Gate - "It Is Neither Allegory Nor Fable but a Story to Be Read for Its Own Sake": E. R. Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros, and Zimiamvia (https://www.blackgate.com/2014/11/24/it-is-neither-allegory-nor-fable-but-a-story-to-be-read-for-its-own-sake-e-r-eddison-the-worm-ouroboros-and-zimiamvia/)



LORD DUNSANY (1878-1957)

An avid chessman and supporter of animal rights, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, is one of the earliest worldbuilders, his style influenced by both the King James Bible and his native Irish dialect, among other influences. Long before The Silmarillion was started, Dunsany created a cycle of linked stories concerning the gods and history of Pegâna, as well as other stories of fantasy and horror; even his plays and poetry are tinged with elements of the fantastic. He is also regarded for his novels, chief among them being The King of Elfland's Daughter, The Blessing of Pan, and The Curse of the Wise Woman.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Plunkett,_18th_Baron_of_Dunsany)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=dunsany_lord)
Lord Dunsany: The Potency of Words and the Wonder of Things (http://pweb.jps.net/~sangreal/ld.htm)
Great Science-Fiction and Fantasy Works - Lord Dunsany (http://greatsfandf.com/AUTHORS/LordDunsany.php)



JAMES BRANCH CABELL (1879-1958)

Sort of a fantastic contemporary of Mark Twain and H. L. Mencken, Cabell is known primarily for The Biography of the Life of Manuel, a large cycle of novels regarding the imaginary French medieval country of Poictesme and the antiheroic character of Dom Manuel and his descendants. These are definitely fantasy works, but they are also severe satires of the mores and values of his native Virginia and its society. The most famous of his works is Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice, which follows an amorous fool through a fantastically absurd cosmic journey; it only increased in fame after being the subject of an obscenity trial in the 1920s.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Branch_Cabell)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=cabell_james_branch)
James Branch Cabell: Overview and Personal Notes (http://www.cadaeic.net/cabell.htm)



KENNETH MORRIS (1979-1937)

Unrelated to William Morris, this Welsh Theosophist is known both for his stories published under several pseudonyms as well as his own name, ranging over a wide spectrum of mythologies, and for his own personal retelling of the First and Third Branches of the Mabinogion over two respective books - The Fates of the Princes of Dyfed and Book of the Three Dragons - as well as an Aztec fantasy, The Chalchihuite Dragon. Aside from being well regarded for his particular prose style, it would seem that he remains a rather enigmatic figure outside of Theosophical circles.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Morris_(author))
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=morris_kenneth)
Theosophical University Press - The Fates of the Princes of Dyfed, Full Text (http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dyfed/fates-hp.htm)
Theosophical University Press - The Chalchihuite Dragon, Full Text (http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dragon/dragon-hp.htm)



H. RIDER HAGGARD (1856-1925)

A contemporary of Rudyard Kipling and Robert Louis Stevenson, Haggard is one of the pioneers of the "Lost World" story, mostly the ancient civilizations of newly colonized Africa, and a chief influence on mythopoeia. His most treasured works are the adventure story King Solomon's Mines, a prototype of Indiana Jones in which an elephant hunter is roped into a search for the lost African treasure hoard of Solomon, and She, a gothic fantasy highly regarded by Tolkien and Lewis as well as psychologists Freud and Jung in which a lost African kingdom ruled by a capricious white queen with occult powers is discovered. Other works well remembered are Nada the Lily, a historical novel of a Zulu prince and his tragedy in love, and Eric Brighteyes, a Viking epic.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Rider_Haggard)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=haggard_h_rider)
The Rider Haggard Society (https://www.riderhaggardsociety.org.uk/)
Visual Haggard (http://www.visualhaggard.org/)


Next time, I'll give a few more that Raven managed to come up with. To directly reach the forum topic this was taken from, go here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html

Considering that Raven was really the one that got me hooked on fantasy (I've always loved it, but it really took off through him), it would make sense to begin this introspection on the three authors he considers the backbone of his interest. During the time of the old website, these three were the inaugural entries, but it never went any further - and this blog is a means to rectify that. Much of what you see on Lost Pathway can be traced here, and though it's already archived, I feel it wouldn't hurt to clarify them again.




GEORGE MACDONALD (1824-1905)

A Scottish minister of Universalist leanings; acquaintance of many of the great names of the contemporary literati such as Longfellow, Tennyson, Dickens, Whitman, Trollope, and Thackeray; mentor of the great Lewis Carroll; and muse of the later C. S. Lewis (both of whom will also be addressed), MacDonald is primarily a master of fairy tale fantasy, exploring the human condition through fable and entertainment in such short works as "The Golden Key", "The Light Princess", and "The Wise Woman" as well as novels like The Princess and the Goblin, its sequel The Princess and Curdie, and At the Back of the North Wind. The culmination of his fantasy work, and perhaps his most remembered novels, lie in the metaphysical Phantastes and the haunting Lilith. He was also commended as one the first Scottish realist writers in his other non-fantasy work, though most of it has been unfortunately left by the wayside.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_MacDonald)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=macdonald_george)
The George MacDonald Society (http://www.george-macdonald.com/)
The George MacDonald Informational Web (http://georgemacdonald.info/)



J. R. R. TOLKIEN (1892-1973)

He may not be the first word in fantasy, nor is he the last, but there can be little doubt that the legendary Oxford professor/philologist and WWI veteran is one of the most revered names in the history of the genre. His gifts to the world are the wonderful adventure romp The Hobbit and its more ambitious sequel The Lord of the Rings, whose three parts - The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King - constitute a benchmark in the construction of world-building and tale-telling that has been and will be homaged and imitated continuously. Even more amazing is the fact that after his passing, the world discovered the true extent of his self-described "lengendarium" through the sweeping cosmic history The Silmarillion and his other writings which, even today, are still being released. On a side note, one of his other great contributions to modern literature is the recognition of the epic Old English poem Beowulf as a scholarly work of art.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=tolkien_j_r_r)
The Tolkien Estate Website (http://www.tolkienestate.com/en/home.html)
The Tolkien Society (https://www.tolkiensociety.org/)
Conceptual Fiction - The Hobbit (http://www.conceptualfiction.com/the_hobbit.html)



C. S. LEWIS (1989-1963)

One of the foremost Christian intellectuals of his day, and still highly regarded by many,  Lewis is valued as much for his allegorical fantasies as he is his numerous apologetics. Chief among them is the children's classic The Chronicles of Narnia, a seven-part story (chronologically arranged as The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle) telling of an "other world" where animals talk and mystic creatures abound, led by the (intentionally) godlike lion Aslan. Of more interest to adults is a curious trilogy of science fiction novels (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength) as well as single works like The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and Till We Have Faces. A close friend of Tolkien, both of them members of a loose organization of literary companions calling themselves "the Inklings", Lewis's importance to the development of fantasy, particularly Christian fantasy (and some reactionary counterparts), cannot be overstated.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=lewis_c_s)
The Official Website of C. S. Lewis (http://www.cslewis.com/us/)
The C. S. Lewis Foundation (http://www.cslewis.org/)
Conceptual Fiction - The Chronicles of Narnia (http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html]http://www.conceptualfiction.com/chronicles_of_narnia.html[/url)


Let that be enough for now. Next time, I'll introduce my own submissions for consideration.

The topic of discussion in question can be found here: [url=http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html]http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html

When Raven first set up Lost Pathway, there was a section that covered fantasy authors, and it seemed as if it was going to get expanded upon. For one reason or another, it didn't get very far. Now that the site has been revamped, I feel that it's time to put that back into motion. I have already started a thread in the forum, but now that this blog is running, I think I'm going to move those entries over here, both to put some ease on the forum and because it's better suited for blog entries.

These are the authors who I feel have made significant contributions to the fantasy genre - they have produced outstanding works that have stood the test of time and have set the standards for brilliance (think TCM's "The Essentials"). Now I must clarify that I have not read all these authors, unfortunately, but much of my knowledge has been culled from popular compilations from fans and professionals, as well as various books and websites that focus on the genre. Think of this as a starting point for those who want to explore, as well as a narrowing down in an overwhelming market. Anyone is free to comment and/or share any experience you've had with these authors; feel free to recommend some of your own in case you feel that I've missed any.

I'd also like to point out that I view this as a continual work in progress, so if anything seems underdeveloped, it could be subject to change. I hope to make this as thorough as an under-amateur "researcher" can make it.

Onward!

Just found this quiz today, and I thought that it might pertain to some of the interests here. Granted, I've never heard of this site, and there were a couple times when it took me away to some spam. If you don't feel it's trustworthy, just get out of there. Otherwise, there's 30 questions in total.

I got Scimitar.

https://www.zoo.com/quiz/what-kind-sword-should-you-wield

See, there's this channel on YouTube - AWE me - that has several types of videos, but based on the interests of Raven, as seen in several of his topics related to research projects, I'd like to draw attention to Man at Arms, in which a team of blacksmiths actually make real working replicas of various swords and weapons from film, video games, and television. I admit that it may be more suited to my own past interests, considering that it has little historical value - if you're not saturated in the popular media at large, it probably won't hold much interest. Still, it's pretty cool to see them put so much professional work into making it actually real, no matter how impractical it may seem. Anyone interested in the actual forging aspect will probably find this extremely informative.

Here's the complete series so far released, divided by seasons. New episodes are released every other Monday.

Season 1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUUGFk1wE5OGC2aiE5jhvE4lvo7I2hYKc

Season 2: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUUGFk1wE5OHxpJzzHKxFWZNTl_jSFVHl

Season 3: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUUGFk1wE5OFzJNb17KKGaTjP6yG6OKE4

Here's something that has been making some waves for a bit. It's a site started by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his brother back in 2005 that originally began as a means of getting viewer feedback on videos but eventually evolved into a collaborative online community. There are entries of writing and re-writing, poetry, graphic design, animation, music, and much more. Basically, it's the 80,000+ members of this online community coming together and making something creative that everybody can participate in. As an extra bonus, it looks like contributors are actually paid for their work! As a community experiment, this looks creatively interesting, and I encourage you to check it out.

Here's a link to the main webpage: https://www.hitrecord.org/

For biographical information, here's the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HitRecord

As a companion piece to the recent "Favorite Authors" topic I made, which was also hosted on the old site, I thought I might add something slightly original.

I know we already have a topic on fantasy movies, but that can range from the excellent to the atrocious, and then only on fantasy. Therefore, I'd like to have everyone discuss their all-time favorite movies here, and as an extra, you may even list what particular directors you gravitate towards - anyone with a particular body of work of significant achievement or just plain fun. Have you discovered anything or anyone new recently? What are some childhood favorites? How about guilty pleasures? Have they influenced you in any way? Why exactly do you like them?

Genre doesn't need to be an issue, nor does it have to be a sophisticated deconstruction on a technical basis - meaning you don't have to go into too much detail if you don't want to. This isn't a college course. Just have fun with it!

I'm making this topic as an attempt to brink all talk about authors under one roof, although I still encourage contribution to topics such as "Fantasy Authors." This was a thread back on the old website - one which I did not have the pleasure of participating in - and I would very much like to give it a second life here, if possible. Besides, we could always use more discussion.

I'd say the rules are still the same as on the old thread: respond with names of authors, some things they've written, why exactly you like them, and how they've influenced you. Don't feel confined to just one genre or even that some genres need not apply. Is there any nonfiction voices that you find particularly interesting? How about poetry?

Now I know a few of Raven's choices, as he's spoken of it before, so he doesn't need to repeat it if he doesn't feel like it (that doesn't mean he's not free to participate, of course), but if anyone else is interested, I'd be more than happy to hear from you.

NOTE: I hope you don't take this as isolating you, Raven. You don't have to repeat yourself if you don't want to, but if you want to join in the spirit of conversation for the heck of it, you're always welcome. It IS your site, after all. Feel free to tell me if I'm being too repetitive with my topics.

This essay will probably be familiar to the administrator of this site, but as I have already shared a couple essays on fantasy theory, I figured it would only be fair to include this important title from one of the great original masters of fantasy (and a particular favorite of the administrator). Simply put, it is MacDonald's definition of a fairytale and is uses and implications. Enjoy.

http://www.george-macdonald.com/etexts/fantastic_imagination.html

In addition to contributing to the currently trending topics (and possibly reviving some that aren't), I thought I would share something with you all. I make and collect quite a lot of lists, partly as a hobby and probably also as a developmental quirk - I just want to keep them where I'll remember them. Based on a few conversations with Raven, I figured that I would share some of these lists with you, as they pertain to many of our frequently discussed topics. As you can probably tell, a LOT of them are about books, and for now, so as not to overwhelm you, I'll just post a few that are fantasy related. If you would like to see more, feel free to let me know.

The first list I want to talk about isn't really a list in the typical sense, at least as I would put it - it's a book series. The importance of this series, it seems, is quite substantial. In the late 60's-early 70's, as The Lord of the Rings began to take off in popularity and revived the fantasy genre after its decline following WWII, publishers began looking for the next big thing to capitalize on the craze. Ballantine Books, which published Tolkien's works officially, sought to meet the demand, and after a short run of titles both old and new, they decided to release a line solely dedicated to fantasy. This series, edited by Lin Carter, may not have been a bestseller - it only ran until the original company heads, Ian and Betty Ballantine, transferred ownership to Random House - but it has subsequently proved influential to both readers and writers of fantasy, bringing many out-of-print classics and forerunners back into public knowledge. Here's a longer, better evaluation from Black Gate:

https://www.blackgate.com/2013/11/21/lin-carter-and-the-ballantine-adult-fantasy-series/

To get the full list, as well as links to information on individual titles, here is the link to the Wikipedia article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballantine_Adult_Fantasy_series

I was going to copy the whole thing out right here, but I feel that you may be better served by checking out on official source with more information. Suffice to say, being interested in the history of fantasy, I highly enjoyed finding out about this series. Some of these titles have actually not been reprinted, to my knowledge, while others are available in one form or another. Many of the authors listed will eventually find their way to the blog (in theory, at least). Hopefully, this will further provoke an interest in the fantasies of yesteryear and the building blocks of today's industry.

Here's something you can think about for fun.

I think that a story should hook you straight from the first sentence to the last. Sure, there are exceptions that take their time, but it takes an extra bit of cleverness to draw you in right from the beginning. So here's a thought: what are some of the best opening sentences to novels and stories that you've read or heard of? What are some truly memorable lines that hook you right from the start, the ones that immediately make you want to find out what happens next?

Now, as I've indicated, both long and short form of fiction apply - it can be a novel or a short story. In some cases, if it's really necessary, it can even be a paragraph. I don't want to be too stingy with criteria, so I'll just say that it either has to draw you into the story right from the get-go (why is this happening? what happens next? what led us to this point?) or it can simply be a cleverly worded turn of phrase that sticks in your mind afterwards.

If you want to be even more creative, what are some opening sentences that you can think up yourself? Can you tell the beginning of a captivating story in a single sentence? Can you hook me/a reader almost immediately?

Hey, I know - let's make it a real challenge. Let's list the opening sentences BUT not identify where they come from, if only to intensify the allure of these sentences. You're allowed to guess, of course, and the one who provided the line eventually has to say where it comes from. I'm not entirely set on how many guesses you can have, but we can work that out eventually.

I'll start to set an example:

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."

Of course, not everyone has such a sparkling appreciation of Tolkien and his ideas. Enter Michael Moorcock, prolific and renown sci-fi/fantasy writer and political/philosophical pragmatic anarchist. One of the chief figures of the "New Wave" of science fiction, he's the creator of an entire multiverse surrounding a concept termed "The Eternal Champion", in which, across numerous realities, a Hero arises to preserve the balance between Law and Chaos, and you  can bet that he will eventually get an entry on the Masters of Fantasy blog (when I get to it....). He has some strong opinions about Tolkien's brand of fantasy, and in the spirit of discussion, in contrast to Tolkien's own "On Fairy-Stories", I give you his lengthy essay/critique of high fantasy, "Epic Pooh."

I present this in good nature, without condoning or condemning it; I leave you to formulate your own opinions. Personally, I find it to be rather healthy to seek out dissenting opinions, so maybe this will sharpen your own judgment positively. One can only hope.

NOTE: Click on the "Continued..." at the bottom of the page to proceed to the next page.

http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.php?id=953

Chances are that the creator of the site has already read this piece, but for the enjoyment of everyone else (and with no offense intended towards our generous host), I present, in full, J. R. R. Tolkien's dissertation on the importance and resonance of "fairy-stories" - in effect, fantasy in general. I believe this is one of the earliest defenses for fantasy in its current form, but I may be wrong.

Like Ursula K. Le Guin's "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie", this is a valuable piece to both aspiring writers and students of fantasy theory, as it lays bare Tolkien's thought process for what went into his works, why fantasy is important as well as relevant, the disassociation from what's perceived as children's stories, and the relation to the Christian faith. It's a piece that ought to be seriously studied by anyone who considers themselves Tolkien buffs, let alone critical lovers of fantasy..

NOTE: Due to its length and the possibility of formatting errors duplicating it in full on the site itself, I have chosen to provide a link to a decent presentation of the essay in digital format. There's an option to zoom in and out on this PDF which I would highly recommend using, as the text is rather small. This is the best that I could get that contains both the text of the essay itself as well as supplementary notes for further clarification.

http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/fairystories-tolkien.pdf

Sometimes, there are characters who just don't fit into the category of either hero or villain. They aren't wretched enough to be completely despicable, and they aren't heroic enough to be outstanding examples to follow. They're brooding or pathetic, weak or strong, the best AND the worst that life can offer. They're antiheroes, and we love them just the same.

Of course, sometimes, the antihero may become the hero, but he/she may just as well become the villain. Life isn't totally black and white, and they have enough of both to fill their own category. So who are some of the best written of these perplexing characters? From what books protrude the deepest shades of grey? Who are the protagonists we love because they can be so against the grain, or the antagonists who have such traces of nobility about them?

For assistance, according to Wikipedia, the traits of an antihero are:
-imperfections that separate them from typically heroic characters (selfishness, ignorance, bigotry, etc.)
-lack of positive qualities such as "courage, physical prowess, and fortitude", and "generally feel helpless in a world over which they have no control"
-qualities considered dark traits, usually belonging to villains, (amorality, greed, violent tendencies, etc.) that may be tempered with more human, identifiable traits that blur the moral lines between the protagonist and antagonist.

I love villains......but that can be unhealthy if abused. And while the villain may be interesting, sometimes it's the hero that may be the most complex character. As important as it is to see what we could become, it is also beneficial to recommend what can be the best of us, so this complementary topic will be about the most shining examples of goodness in literature.

Heroes and villains complement each other in fiction - the greater the hero, the greater the villain, and vice versa. Heroes are also examples of what we could be, or rather, what we SHOULD be. Through will and effort (and God's grace), we could all be what our heroes could be, and it's good to have characters in which we see ourselves - our struggles, our vices, and our virtues. And most often, the hero is simply the main character. So who are your favorites among heroes and protagonists in literature? Who have been the most resonant with you? Who have you consistently enjoyed journeying with again and again, however sentimental such travels may be? Whom do you look up do? Whom do you wish you could be?

On the old forum, I once put up an open topic on the greatest villains in video games. As video games are a rather sticky subject for the present audience, I thought I would try again but with a different source. This time, I want to focus on some of the best rascals from books throughout the years - I think the reception may be better.

I love villains. As problematic as it may be, I'm fascinated with the nature of evil, and I always enjoy the depths that fictional characters go to. Oftentimes, the villain is simply a more interesting character than the hero, perhaps because he/she does all the things we secretly wish we could do but know to be wrong. It's living out a fantasy. Maybe it comes from being raised on Disney movies and other animated features (which is part of an altogether separate topic for another day). Considering the age of the medium, I think it is safe to say that the villains of movies and video games wouldn't be here without the precedents set forth in literature, so this topic is devoted to discussing the best of them. They can be either the rottenest of the rotten or simply a personal obstacle for the protagonist, varying in degrees of technical evil. Heck, they may not be evil at all, just mean-spirited or other forms of antagonism. So who are your favorites? Who have been the finest examples of villainy on the printed page, and why?

I apologize that I post a lot of topics on books and reading, as it appears that I am quite single-minded. Regardless, here's another one.

This time, the subject is particularly focused - the classics, being those reputable books by famous authors that have come to be "enshrined" in the great literary canon of the world. I'm curious as to what you have read and, if I may pry, what you thought of them. I know it's similar to "What Are You Reading Now?", but, if possible, this a place for slightly more detailed analyses on what most people consider to be indispensable. Are there any classics that you have found to be overrated, not worth the praise heaped on them? Do any of them still hold up to this day? Is there any that you would consider to be among your favorites?

From my own personal collection (in no particular order), I have read:

-Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
-Candide by Voltaire
-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
-A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
-Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
-The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
-Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
-The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
-Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
-Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
-Dracula by Bram Stoker
-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
-To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
-Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
-The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
-King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
-Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
-The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

That's all that I can think of that I feel rather strongly about; I have read more in my life, but some were so long ago that I would need to reread them to refresh my opinion, and even the ones listed have some considerable amount of time between the first reading and now. Thus, my own personal opinions are subject to change over time, and the best that I can give are my immediate feelings, or at least what I can recall of them.

-Treasure Island is quite simply one of my favorite books - I can't state enough how much I enjoyed this. It's perfectly plotted, perfectly characterized, and perfectly long enough. It may not be Shakespearean, but everything about it is so vivid and impressionable; the images remain long after putting it down. It gets my wholehearted recommendation as a book you should read at least once in your life. It's a standard to which I would judge almost all other books (I recognize the unfairness in that, so you can take that as an exaggeration).

-Being the only piece of work that I've read of him, Voltaire seems like an amiably witty writer judging by Candide. It's a comparatively short satire and thus a real quick one. It's been some time, but I remember eating up the first few chapters and then feeling things slow down from the middle onward. It's definitely worth a reread.

-It's been a long time since I picked up Dorian Gray, but I do remember liking it. There's obviously some subtext and references of Wilde's that escape me, but as a horror story, let alone an allegory (if that's what it is), it's quite effective. I'm gonna have to reread this one too.

-I'm rather ashamed to say that A Christmas Carol is really the only work of Dickens that I can say I've read thoroughly; there were a couple assigned texts in high school, but those didn't sit well with me, so I'll have to go back. The story and dialogue should be quite familiar to anyone who's even seen the most rudimentary adaptation, but it still holds up as a fine piece of its own. It's uplifting and sentimental - and no one should take that as a bad thing!

-I was sort of forced to read Uncle Tom's Cabin, so I didn't start out liking it, but I remember that as I read more of it (under pressure of a deadline), I grew to enjoy it more and more. Some time has passed, so I'll have to reread it, but I say this fairly romanticized tale still has a place in contemporary society.

-G. K. Chesterton is one of my favorite intellectual figures, and Thursday is a superior achievement. Religious without being preachy, humorously warm, and fascinatingly entertaining, this story is simply good all around. I recommend it to everyone, especially the thinking man and the lover of paradox.

-Tarzan is an incredibly paced piece, very vibrant and energetic. The story sucks the reader in and moves relentlessly along. Unfortunately, it would appear that there is some racist subtext to the novel, but I didn't find it to be too incredibly offensive, not to the point that it marred the narrative in any fashion. However, stuff like that often escapes me, so I recommend caution.

-Baum's original tale of Oz is a wonderfully fun read – it reads with the simplicity of a fairy tale and the joy of childhood wonderment. In many ways, there's a depth to this story that's left out of almost every adaptation; the 1939 film is still good, but it unfortunately overshadows the richness of the original text.

-Peter Pan is another wonderfully fun read, regardless of age group. Though there is no really deep characterization, being essentially a simple children's story, the characters are still quite vivid and transcendent of the pages on which they're written (Captain Hook may be one of my favorite literary villains, being painted in such broad strokes). Of course, there may be some deeper meaning to it that only the adult will truly understand.

-Frankenstein is an engrossing text that I read faithfully; as both a horror story and a primary example of Gothic fiction, I fell that it has lost none of its power to chill the blood or evoke strikingly moody images. The persons of Victor Frankenstein and his Creature are psychologically rich and deftly memorable.

-Now since I made the mistake of going into it immediately after Frankenstein, I remember Dracula being a slower read by comparison. However, I plan on rereading it knowing what I do now. The structure of the text itself is really innovative for its kind, effectively conveying the perspectives of multiple narrators, and the descriptions of the vampire are still vibrant and striking.

-Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an effective tale of mystery and horror, although I admit that something is lost with the outcome of the story being public knowledge. Still, Stevenson remains a master storyteller whose entertainment value is of the highest caliber, acieving the perfect blend of elegant prose and thrilling pace.

-If Treasure Island is one of my favorite "fun" books (although I will argue its literary merit), then To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of my all-time favorite "serious" books. I know I've said it before, but it's just simply GOOD – good prose, good characters, good pace, good message, etc. Atticus Finch is one of the most exemplary human beings ever put to paper, and although he may be flat on a technical level, in Mrs. Lee's hands he is the standard to which all other goodness is measured.

-I didn't find Kidnapped to be as engrossing as Treasure Island – I read it considerably slower and more forcedly – but to its credit, I hadn't grown up with it as I had the latter book. It was certainly a step outside my usual comfort zone, being about a decisive incident in Scottish history of which I had little previous knowledge. However, the more I think about it, the more some of the key episodes of the tale remain engraved in my mind. I'll definitely have to reread this one; I'm seriously considering purchasing a different edition of it, one based on a slightly different manuscript.

-The Wind in the Willows is a quaint, fast read that's highly enjoyable. It abounds with a deep respect of nature and its inhabitants, and its characters are both wild and whimsical. It's another example of children's fiction being smartly written for the equal enjoyment of adults.

-King Solomon's Mines, arguably the first "Lost World" story, is quite a thrilling adventure. Some of it reads like fantasy – possibly anticipating the development of later fantasy works – but it's mostly an exciting treasure hunt. Again, like with Tarzan, there may be some unfortunate racial profiling, despite Haggard's best intentions.

-It's been years since I've read Milne's Pooh books, but I can distinctly remember them being some of the funniest children's works I ever set eyes on. They're wonderful primers on dry English wit, regardless of being told for children; the best moments, even if long forgotten, will leave a steady impression on your mind.

-My latest read, The Scarlet Pimpernel is the precursor to the modern comic book, a thrillingly paced adventure story that retains all of its intrigue even in modern times. The story works best when you know little about it so as not to spoil any of the twists and turns it takes. As a piece of historical fiction and a daring potboiler (although that sort of does it an injustice to call it that), it comes solidly recommended.



I apologize that these are rather brief opinions that don't really do justice to the stories. I thought I could tell it better, but ultimately, I can only give you vague impressions. I can only hope that others will do better. If there's anything that you've read that I've already mentioned in that list (plus a few others that I haven't, which I know for sure that you have read - you know who I'm talking about), let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear them. Eventually, we'll probably end up disagreeing, but that's what these topics are about.

My discussions have got me thinking some about the different storytelling techniques and themes of radically opposing cultures. I don't want to be accused of being unfaithful or wanting in Christian faith, but I don't want to condemn cultures for being different from my own, even in spiritual matters (at least initially). What I would wish to do is understand before I pass judgment, and that entails thoroughly exploring and evaluating a subject on its own terms as well as Christian standards.

Here's a blog entry on the differences between Western and Eastern storytelling that may be of interest:
https://blog.tkmarnell.com/east-asian-storytelling/

It's an interesting discussion, but at the risk of overreacting and sounding "close-minded", I have to ask whether there are simply too many irreconcilable differences between the styles of fiction. Does that make Eastern fiction and values un-Christian and therefore dangerous? Should it be ultimately rejected? How dangerous is this cultural dissonance, and how should Christians react to it?

I ask this because, on some level, Eastern (particularly Asian) fiction has a devout, sizable following, and it permeates a lot of the present day culture as well as the reaction to it. Therefore, there is a significant danger if this fascination is wrapped up in matters that the faithful should have nothing to do with, and that goes for the whole of the culture, not just a small part. So what should be our response?

A recent discussion on an untranslated Japanese book series has got me thinking. It's something that I'm seriously invested in, but it raises questions.

When does fantasy cross over into dangerous territory? When does it go from fun escapism into morally questionable ideology?

Try the occult, for instance - a very sticky topic that carries quite a bit of baggage. Under ordinary circumstances, anything would seem like fair game, but when you start working in real life dark spiritual practices, things may start to blur. Spiritually ambivalent practices - or even downright Satanic practices - may end up strangling whatever is trying to be told in the mire of bad religion, at the least, or introducing an impressionable audience to darker paths, at the worst.

When should darker material be portrayed and, for that matter, how should it be shown? Does the fun stop being fun when you start dabbling in the real world? How do you recognize what should be avoided and what can be accepted? What are the limitations and how far can they - or should they - be pushed?

I apologize beforehand, as this will be a bit of shameless self-promotion.

As a few who know me will probably attest to, I like all things Japanese. I can attribute that to growing up on anime in my impressionable years; one in particular, Rurouni Kenshin, hooked me on the history and culture of Japan, being set in the influential Meiji era, when the country opened up to the West and abandoned its feudal system to become a world power. I also have an abiding fascination with history and literature, so I'm keen on sampling many of Japan's literary works. The country has its own set of fantasy and science fiction titles, some that are being translated today and reaching our shores gradually. There's one in particular that I'm interested in checking out, being a cross-section of history, fantasy, and a generational epic.

TEITO MONOGATARI, closely translated as "The Tale of the Imperial Capital", written by natural historian Hiroshi Aramata, is a sprawling reinterpretation of Japan's modern history through an occult perspective, drawing on ancient Asian and local folklore, particularly surrounding the real life figure of Taira no Masakado, who led one of the largest rebellions of his time – the Heian era (794-1185) – against the leading authorities; he has since been revered as an ambivalent guardian spirit of Tokyo, both protector and destroyer. The main action of the story centers around Yasunori Katō, a lieutenant of the Imperial Army who is in actuality an oni spirit, who seeks to bring the capital to ruin through occult means; this brings him into conflict with various Japanese historical figures of the 20th century, including famous authors, scientists, industrialists, and politicians. The novel, published in 10 volumes originally, plus an additional 2 as supplemental material upon republication, sparked a craze in onmyōdō (Japanese occult/divination), introducing tropes and motifs now taken for granted; it remains a bestseller with an important legacy to this day.

There's just one hang-up with it - it hasn't been translated into English, and that's what I want to change. I'm friends with the editor of the Wikipedia page of the book, and together, we're co-administrators of a small group on Facebook seeking to raise awareness and interest in it. I think my friend has been told by a couple translators that the work is "too Japanese" for American audiences, but I personally find that rather silly. Being so steeped in another culture shouldn't mean that it can't be read by other cultures; that would be like saying, say, Les Misérables is "too French" for English-speaking readers. I sincerely believe that there is an audience for TEITO MONOGATARI on American soil, and I relish the chance to partake in it. We're not sure where to go next or what steps to take, but we're seeking out anyone who's interested in picking it up. If anyone knows any avenues that we can take, I would appreciate it very much.

Here is the Wikipedia page for more information of the book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teito_Monogatari

Here also is the link to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Translate-TEITO-MONOGATARI-into-English-122760147810664/

It may be a long shot, but we're willing to take it. I hope that this small sampling will also entice you to check this impressive work out further.

I apologize if this topic seems repetitive, but I felt I might give it a go with the right subject matter in mind. inspired by Raven's comments on my "Favorite Non-Fantastic Writers" page, I'd like to know what it is that you like to read and why you like it. This is not focused on writers by name but on broad genres and/or subjects, and it's open to everyone, not just Raven and myself.

Personally, my favorite genre is fantasy, although I could say that speculative fiction in general, encompassing all manner of subjects pertaining to non-realism, is my preferred taste. I can't exactly say why, though, if only because I'm not sure what I want out of it myself. I don't want to say that I'm trying to retreat from reality, but having lived with it every day, I prefer my leisure activities to be true flights of imagination; I like reading about other worlds, or even worlds within our own, where the rules that seem so steadfast are completely broken. For that reason, I like horror just as much, because I love to experience the dark side of wonder, the terrifying vistas of imagination. Science fiction is rather mixed for me; I like it, but I think I prefer the "soft" variety (subjects of social sciences like philosophy, sociology, psychology, etc.) to the more "hard" types (astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry, etc.).

However, I've always found history to be one of my favorite subjects, so I can say I'm fond of historical fiction, as well as stories so entrenched in a particular time and place as to be period pieces, whether intentional or not. As opposed to realism, I am quite attracted to Romantic literature, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. Heck, if it were good enough, I could even take in a Western. I am also interested in finding the "Great American Novel", wherever that may be, as well as other national epics.

So what do you like to read and why?

As I mentioned on the "What Are You Reading Now?" thread, I've been reading the Bible steadily now for some time. Some of it is familiar, some of it new; I'm acquainted with most of the major stories, though I haven't necessarily read them in detail until now. I'm really interested in getting into the Writings and the Prophets, since I've never actually partaken of them at all, really.

It may seem a bit sacrilegious, but I'm trying to figure out what sort of relevance the Old Testament has to today's society, not merely in a secular sense but for the Christian community. I mean, if the New Covenant supersedes the Old Covenant, then what is the purpose of the Old Testament? What can I possibly get out of it? More specifically, how important is the Law of Moses in light of the New Testament, and what purpose does it serve? Now these questions are slightly rhetorical, as I believe part of the answer may be the old adage that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and I believe that all Scripture is divinely inspired; it's just still difficult for me to properly interpret it in light of Jesus.

Luckily, I'm reading from an Apologetics Study Bible, so I have extensive commentaries on many of the parts that would be quite tough for some to take in, as well as pointing out and correcting the perceived contradictions. I can't confess to a full understanding, but I admit that I've been given a greater insight into the many Biblical controversies.

As of this writing, I have reached 1 Kings. I'll give updates as I go along. If there's anything that you'd like to hear my opinion about in particular, let me know. I can't guarantee an answer, but I'll try.

I love fantasy. I would expect that most of the contributors to this site do, to some degree. Of course, it can be a difficult thing to find a place to start, but then it might be good to begin with short stories rather than jumping headfirst into long novels. With that in mind, I would suggest the Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories as a primer on the range and technique of fantasy. I loved reading this book, getting multiple voices from both well-known and out-of-print tales that cover a large chunk of the genre's contemporary history. Of course, this book itself is now out of print, but if you happen to have a copy in your local library, like I did, I would strongly recommend picking it up to get a sense of what I try to talk about on the blog. There are also some cheap used copies available at the moment on Amazon. Here's the link to the page:

https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Book-Fantasy-Stories/dp/019214216X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484260220&sr=1-1&keywords=the+oxford+book+of+fantasy+stories

To further whet your appetite, here are my own personal descriptions of the stories' synopses. I've tried to stay relatively spoiler-free to entice you to check it out yourself.



"The Demon Pope" (1888) by Richard Garnett – The Devil trades places with a new pope...and discovers that clerical officials are not as pious as they may seem.

"The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth" (1908) by Lord Dunsany – An evil sorcerer has returned to plague the dreams of a neighboring village, so a fearless warrior seeks out the sword which alone can kill the villain and his enchanted fortress.

"Through the Dragon Glass" (1917) by A. Merritt – During the plunder of the Forbidden City in China, one of the soldiers discovers a peculiar mirror which acts as a doorway to an ancient world, where he finds both true love and deep terror.

"The Nameless City" (1921[?]) by H. P. Lovecraft – Deep in the Arabic regions, a lone wanderer comes upon an ancient accursed city which one housed an ancient inhuman race – one which might not be so extinct as believed...

"The Wind in the Portico" (1928) by John Buchan – In researching some ancient Greek manuscripts, a man becomes suspicious of the strange building which his host has built adjacent to his house, where old rituals may still by practiced.

"The Tower of the Elephant" (1933) by Robert E. Howard – Conan, the Cimmerian warrior, seeks to conquer a mysterious tower in which a great jewel is claimed to reside. What he finds is a story of an ancient being enslaved by man, waiting for both freedom from bonds and revenge on its captor.

"Xeethra" (1934) by Clark Ashton Smith – A young goatherd stumbles into an enchanted valley, where the strange fruit of the trees awakens memories of another life as ruler of an ancient city. How far will he go, then, to reclaim that life?

"Jirel Meets Magic" (1935) by C. L. Moore – Seeking vengeance on a sorcerer, warrior-woman Jirel of Joiry enters the domain of a wily enchantress, where her defiance may bring either her own downfall or that of the cruel mistress.

"The Bleak Shore" (1940) by Fritz Leiber – Sword companions Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are called to the ends of the earth to seek their own deaths. Do they have what it takes to break their enchantment?

"Homecoming" (1947) by Ray Bradbury – A great Halloween family reunion is underway, and little Timothy is the odd man out. He so wishes to fit in, but it isn't his fault that he doesn't have wings or a taste for blood...

"See You Later" (1949) by Henry Kuttner – An ornery curmudgeon wants to get even with the whole world, and, due to a mishap, the Hogben family is obliged to help. However, they have a special surprise for such a mean old man.

"Liane the Wayfarer" (1950) by Jack Vance – An adventurer of questionable character tries to make a lover out of a witch and is subsequently drafted into stealing the other half of a magic tapestry. It seems simple enough, and he has enough enchantment of his own to protect himself from the guardian of the tapestry...doesn't he?

"The Desrick on Yandro" (1952) by Manly Wade Wellman – Silver John the balladeer is coaxed into helping a man find the abode on the mountaintop where his grandfather once abandoned his bride-to-be...and she's been waiting ever since.

"The Silken-Swift..." (1953) by Theodore Sturgeon – One woman uses a man wantonly out of spite. Another woman attends a small pond where the unicorn drinks. The man challenges the first woman to capture the unicorn to prove her purity, if she has any. Which shall the unicorn choose?

"Operation Afreet" (1956) by Poul Anderson – During the Second World War against the Islamic Caliphate, two conscripted officers – a werewolf and a witch, respectively – are tasked with breaking into occupied territory and securing the afreet [ifrit] which the enemy plans to unleash against the other magic divisions.

"The Singular Events Which Occurred in the Hovel on the Alley Off of Eye Street" (1962) by Avram Davidson – During the coronation of the new president of the country in 1961, "the year when the dragons were so bad," a member of Alchymy Ltd. of Canada is tested for a new position. The strength of this story (6 pages long) lies in the telling.

"The Sudden Wings" (1962) by Thomas Burnett Swann – Some time after the sack of Jerusalem, two Roman citizens are accompanying their uncle to secure the allegiance of the neighboring land of Petra. A mystical creature known as the Dragonfly becomes enamored of them and offers them a chance at new lives.

"Same Time, Same Place" (1963) by Mervyn Peake – Disenchanted with his home life, a young man runs away to Piccadilly Circus, where he falls in love with a strange woman at a restaurant. He may have stepped into more than he bargained for...

"Timothy" (1966) by Keith Roberts – Young Anita is bored, what with the dreary chores set by her Grandma, so she decides to have a bit of fun. What better fun for a witch than to bring a neighboring scarecrow to life! Of course, she'll have to build his personality over time – and he may have a bit too much, certainly more than intended...

"The Kings of the Sea" (1968) by Sterling E. Lanier – At an old house in Sweden, Brigadier Donald Ffellowes sees some strange furniture being moved. A subsequent strange encounter at a lake leads him to the master of the house and the discovery of a strange pact between old Viking ancestors and the original denizens of the land who still dwell there.

"Not Long Before the End" (1969) by Larry Niven – A barbarian warrior armed with a magic sword confronts a Warlock for the freedom of a young girl. But all is not as it seems, especially for the Warlock, who possesses a secret that weighs heavily on the future of his world.

"The Wager Lost by Winning" (1970) by John Brunner – After having enslaved an entire village on the eve of a wedding, a selfish lord obsessed with gambling makes a bet with a Traveller in Black, not realizing that the Traveller often grants people's desires at a heavy price.

"Lila the Werewolf" (1974) by Peter S. Beagle – Lila Braun has a strange hang-up: she's a werewolf. What's worse, she has a thing for killing other dogs for their blood. Her partner Farrell is taking it quite well, but one night, Lila is feeling particularly frisky and goes out for a night on the town, in the middle of New York City. Things will happen.

"Johanna" (1978) by Jane Yolen – Johanna's mother is ill. In order to fetch the doctor, she must venture into the wintry woods from which her relatives have never returned. What lies in those regions?

"The Erl-King" (1979) by Angela Carter – The mysterious master of the wood, the Erl-King, entices the nameless narrator to his abode. Is he a beneficial god offering respite or a malevolent deceiver building guilded cages?

"Beyond the Dead Reef" (1983) by James Tiptree, Jr. – An unintentional error in communication nearly leads the narrator to being abandoned out by a dead reef choked by human waste. The narrator's companion then explains how there are things in that reef that aren't so dead after all...living things that should never have been alive in the first place.

"Subworld" (1983) by Phyllis Eisenstein – A blind man selling peanuts in the subway strikes up a friendship with a young boy and his divorced father. One day, he invites them to share a secret which offers them the chance for escape from the troubles of the world. The father is hesitant, but the son is all too eager...

"Bite-Me-Not or Fleur de Fur" (1984) by Tanith Lee – A scullery maid is noted for being similar in appearance to the reigning duke's deceased daughter. All seems well until she meets the prince of the mountain vampire tribe, whom she is drawn irresistibly to.

"The Night of White Bhairab" (1984) by Lucius Shepard – An Indian collector in Kathmandu has acquired the fireplace of a purportedly haunted house in New England. His English companion and a girl with a shady past are then caught in a conflict between the spirit that dwells within the fireplace and the native spirits guarding their house.

"Thorn" (1986) by Robert Holdstock – During the erection of a new stone church, a local mason is called upon by an old god to secretly carve his likeness into the wall, in order to consecrate the church for the old ways. But is it still a secret if everybody knows? And why do they know?

"Troll Bridge" (1992) by Terry Pratchett – Cohen the Barbarian wants to defeat a troll at least once in his life. What he finds is just another poor soul struggling to make due in an ever-shrinking world.

I've been making a lot of posts on fantasy via the blog, but I'm also aware that there are a lot of other writers in other genres - or, more particularly, no genre at all. I'm curious if anyone has any favorites outside of genre. When you're not reading fantasy, if you do so, who are the writers who you find the most enjoyable? Who do you keep coming back to as an example of what it means to be a truly good writer? Who keeps you the most entertained, the most moved, the most in love with the written word?

It's a bit of a difficult question for myself, since I prefer fantasy and speculation over realism and the like, but just to try it out, I think one of my particular favorites is going to be Robert Louis Stevenson. I've already read a bit by him (some of which I will have to reread to refresh my memory), and I feel that he's a writer who just really knew how to write, how to tell a really good story for story's sake, and not get hung up on particulars or forms or conscientious art - it just came naturally. Based on what I've read of The Jungle Book, I think I might also be particularly fond of Kipling; I'll have to read more. Having read several of his fantasy/horror stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is also captivating; I'll have to read the Sherlock Holmes stories to make doubly sure.

It's not that I HATE realism, of course, because if I were to pick just one example of an exemplary writer, it would be Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is a "perfect" book - in quotations because something truly perfect may be quite unobtainable. But it's a book I would definitely read more than once. I actually tried reading it again - I ALMOST finished it, but it was a library book, and I ran out of time; I have since acquired my own personal copy. It's simply a classic in every sense of the word.

So what are yours? Any thoughts?