I’ve loved fantasy and science fiction all my life. At its best, it has a numinous quality rarely seen in other books. I’ve read many of the classic fantasy novels written before fantasy was a genre. The beauty of those old books is that the writers received their inspiration from stories not influenced by The Lord of the Rings, so there’s a refreshing originality to their work. I love modern fantasy as well, especially those demonstrating new, inventive ideas.
This is one of the most delightful books on the planet.
Ostensibly written for children, it’s more fun for adults. A story of two wizards, Prospero and Roger Bacon (and not the ones you’re thinking of), and their quest to find the evil destroying the world.
It’s scary and funny, and I only wish Bellairs had written a couple more such books. The rest of his work, while well-done, can’t compare to this one.
A fantasy classic by the author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls—basis for the Jack Black movie—and “a writer who knows what wizardry is all about” (Ursula K. Le Guin).
A richly imaginative story of wizards stymied by a power beyond their control, A Face in the Frost combines the thrills of a horror novel with the inventiveness of fairy tale–inspired fantasy.
Prospero, a tall, skinny misfit of a wizard, lives in the South Kingdom—a patchwork of feuding duchies and small manors, all loosely loyal to one figurehead king. Along with his necromancer friend Roger Bacon, who…
The Earth has stopped spinning; magic rules on the night side, science on the light.
Not all of Zelany’s work holds up, but this one, a tale of Jack, a denizen of the dark side, is perhaps his best novel. I love the world Zelazny creates here.
It’s a slender book that drew me through from beginning to end.
In a world half of light, half of darkness, where science and magic strive for dominance, there dwells a magical being who is friendly with neither side. Jack, of the realm of shadows, is a thief who is unjustly punished. So he embarks on a vendetta. He wanders through strange realms, encountering witches, vampires, and, finally, his worst enemy: the Lord of Bats. He consults his friend Morningstar, a great dark angel. He is pursued by a monstrous creature called the Borshin. But to reveal any more would be to spoil some of the mindboggling surprises Jack of Shadows has…
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
If I died, went to the edge of Heaven, and then returned, how would I be different? That’s what happens to a young boy named Diamond.
I love the premise, which wasn’t obvious until I realized the Back of the North Wind represents death. This is supposedly a children’s book, but the original is 300 pages long.
I love the sophistication and insights of the dialogue, the gorgeous passages, and the depictions of the god-like North Wind as a tall, beautiful woman. As the book progressed, I was introduced to a little girl, Nanny, Diamond’s companion in adventure.
MacDonald’s works radiate a deep respect for life, and especially for women. This may well be his best book.
George MacDonald's best-known fantasy has enchanted generations of children and adults since it was first published in London over a century ago. Considered to be a landmark in the development of the children's novel, this enthralling fairy tale is just as endearing today.
Modern readers will thrill to the story of little Diamond and the tall, majestic North Wind-the lady whose dark eyes blazed and whose glistening black hair streamed around behind her. They and their fantastic tale are vividly portrayed in eight full-color paintings by Jessie Willcox Smith, one of America's most beloved illustrators.
I love the mysterious quality of this book, which is actually collected short stories about the Traveler in Black, an entity given the task of making the newly-formed universe less chaotic by imposing order. I was fascinated by the concept.
Brunner is a famous science fiction writer, but I prefer it when his work leans toward the fantastic.
This is a collection of stories of the Traveller in Black. It is set in a world where chaos rules. One man - the man with many names, but one nature - is charged with creating order out of the warring forces of nature.
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
I read this book at sixteen and fell in love with it.
A romance written in 1912, it’s a story of adventure, action, and love. The sun has died; humanity dwells in an enormous pyramid surrounded by Forces of Evil, awaiting its force field to die, so they can feed on both the inhabitants’ bodies and souls. The hero’s long-lost love has been reborn in another, dying pyramid across the Night Land. He must travel to rescue her.
One of the Great Books, it’s marred by the archaic language the writer chose to employ. But it’s beautiful, awesome, and magnificent.
I loved it so much, I rewrote it in more modern language years ago. Mine’s available, but if you can get through the original, I highly recommend it.
William Hope Hodgson's classic and genre-combining work of horror and science fiction. Set mainly in the far future after the sun has gone out, The Night Land explores a futuristic nightmare world in which the last humans have taken refuge inside an enormous metal pyramid, threatened by unknown monstrous creatures outside. H.P. Lovecraft called The Night Land "one of the most potent pieces of macabre imagination ever written". Hodgson introduces many concepts in what became the genre of dying Earth fiction. It's a tale of reincarnation, telepathy, alien monsters, and love. Written in faux-17th century prose as a framing device,…
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe. The lamps must be lit, or stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles. When Carter Anderson finds himself Steward of Evenmere, he must learn the strange rules of the house and travel its winding corridors and secret passages to the myriad countries lying within its walls.
He has little time to act. Anarchists have stolen the Master Keys and are seizing control of the house; the Black River is rising; the Eternity Clock is running down. What Carter does will determine the fate of Reality. But his enemies are strong, and the Room of Horrors is never far from him.
