Like most authors, my love for writing grew from a love for reading. In particular, Iāve always loved stories with captivating storyteller voices. Thereās a huge variety of subgenres in fantasyāwith endless combinations of imaginative worlds, magic, heroes, monsters, and villainsābut at the end of the day, what draws me in are fantasy novels with bold voices that are clearly in control of the story and immediately take you to another place. Those are the types of novels I like to read, and always aim to write.
This fantasy adventure is a classic for good reason. From page one, Le Guin whisks you away to a faraway island in a storm-racked northern sea where we meet Ged, a soon-to-be wizard bound for greatness. Le Guinās storyteller voice makes you feel like a kid again, hearing the first fairy tale that truly captured your imagination. Add to that the non-stop adventure and subtle philosophical undertones that set this novel apart from male-written fantasy classics, and A Wizard of Earthsea is a timeless story.
The first book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore and Tehanu
With illustrations from Charles Vess
'[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking' Neil Gaiman
'Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it' David Mitchell
Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.
Maybe itās because Iāve experienced Neil Gaiman read in person, but every time I read the opening pages of Stardust, I hear it in Gaimanās rich voice. You donāt even have to wait for the first line. That quintessential British storyteller voice comes out in the title of the first chapter itself: āIn Which We Learn of the Village Wall, and of the Curious Thing That Occurs There Every Nine Years.ā While the other fantasy novels in this list all take place in secondary fantasy worlds, Stardust is set on Earth and has all the charm and wonder that perennially draws readers to fantasy lore set in the British Isles.
Now a major motion pictureāthis charming fairy tale by the #1 New York Times bestselling author, weaves a magical story set long ago in the tiny English village of Wall, a place where things are not quite what they seem.
Go and catch a falling star . . .
Tristran Thorn promises to bring back a fallen star for his beloved, the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Foresterāand crosses the wall that divides his English country town from another, more dangerous world of lords and witches, all of them in search of the star. Rich with adventure and magic, Stardust is oneā¦
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 theā¦
I have to be honest, I was a little off-put when I first read the opening lines ofThe Fifth Season, which are written in second-person: āYou are she. She is you. You are Essun.ā One of the first things I learned in Creative Writing 101 was to avoid writing in second person, and I had to push past that bias. Iām so glad I did. Jemisin is a masterful storyteller, and the way she intertwines the primary storyline with the backstory by alternating between a present-tense second-person viewpoint and a more traditional past-tense third-person viewpoint is remarkableāgiving life to a breathtaking adventure set in a wholly unique fantasy world.
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times)
This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
Donāt get me wrong, I adore Tolkienās Lord of the Rings trilogy, but where the writing in those latter books is often dense and slow, the voice in The Hobbit is light and bristling with energy. Tolkien brings the full power of an omniscient narrative to play here, unflinchingly jumping from one characterās inner thoughts to anotherās, from one far-off place to another, often within the same chapter, giving The Hobbit an epic scope thatās truly remarkable seeing as how itās only a couple hundred pages long.
Special collector's film tie-in hardback of the best-selling classic, featuring the complete story with a sumptuous cover design inspired by THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and brand new reproductions of all the drawings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End.
But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raidā¦
One summer night in a small prairie city, 18-year-old Gabriel Reece accidentally outs himself to his redneck brother Colin, flees on his motorcycle, and gets struck by lightning on his way out of town.
Heās strangely fine, walking away from his melted pile of bike without a scratch. Thereās noā¦
Blaylock may be an unknown name to many traditional fantasy readers, and if thatās the case for you, considerThe Elfin Ship as your gateway drug to his work. This fantasy novel is very much in the vein of The Hobbit in that it has dwarves, elves, and a good bit of pipe smoking, but it does so with Blaylockās one-of-a-kind voice that shines with understated American wit and humor. It also has airships! (Which crossover into Blaylockās more well-known steampunk works.) The adventure is both action-filled and hilarious, never taking itself too seriously but at the same time embracing the traditional tropes that make fantasy so fun to read.
A trilogy sets sail with a novel thatās ācharming, light-hearted and funnyĀ .Ā .Ā . Feels a little like The Hobbit or The Wind in the Willowsā (Fantasy Literature). Ā James P.Ā Blaylockās debut novel The Elfin Ship has become a classic of whimsical fantasy. With echoes of Kenneth Graham and Mark Twain, itās a gentle, eccentric, and hilarious novel that will delight readers of all ages. Ā Trading with the elves used to be so simple. Every year Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing would send his very best cheeses downriver to traders who would eventually return with Elfin wonders for the peopleā¦
In a world shrouded by soot and smoke, young Makarria has literally been forbidden to dreamā¦
Legend has foretold that a young sorcerer will bring about Emperor Guderianās demise. When Guderianās minions discover the presence of a dreamwielderāMakarriaāon a seaside farmstead, Makarria is forced to flee and embark on an epic journey. Dogging her every step is the part-wolf, part-raven sorcerer, Wulfram, but Makarria soon discovers she is not alone. With the help of her new friendsāa dishonored prince, an underground sorcerer, and a nightflying airship captaināMakarria discovers the power growing within her and their only hope to defeat Guderian.
From Pulitzer Finalist Laurie Sheck (A Monster's Notes), a new speculative literary fiction in the spirit of Italo Calvino, Umberto Ecco and Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto that enacts an incisive and moving exploration into what it means to be human in the age of AI and increasing inhumanism.ā¦
Singularity Channel viewers may recognize Hollywood actress Shiloh Rush who plays Ensign Tara Guard in the sci-fi TV series Bulwark, but nobody knows Shiloh is leading a double life.
Haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her beloved older brother, Shiloh hopes to track him down by following in his footstepsā¦
