Dragonlance
“This book was one of my earliest introductions to fantasy and thus to the limits (or lack of limits) of the imagination. I read Dragonlance before I read Tolkien, and was just amazed by...
Tagged: fantasy
Fantasy and myth
Will linked us to this piece by James Bowman earlier. Bowman writes: I mention this difference between the fantastical as it existed in olden times and today, which some may think a trivial one,...
World Building
Via Alan Jacobs, here’s an interesting critique of modern fantasy writing from The New Atlantis:
A list of books from my childhood
Tyler Cowen and Peter Suderman have both compiled (non-definitive) lists of books which have influenced them the most over the years. I have thought about this some, and come to the decision that the...
Why don’t Jews write fantasy?
Via First Thoughts, here’s a great essay on Jewish faith and fantasy writing. One of the authors featured, Lev Grossman, was interviewed by our very own E.D. Kain not too long ago.
The Art of Magic in Fiction: An Interview with Lev Grossman
Fantasy is a genre dominated by sword-and-sorcery epics, mysterious dragons, and tyrannical sorcerers. Few fantasy novels have joined the ranks of ‘great’ literature, and fewer still have crossed over into the contemporary literature aisle. The...
Washington & The Emerald City
Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is an excellent read, and its sequels – Son of a Witch & A Lion Among Men – are as well. They should be on your to-read list, and not just...
quote for the afternoon
“Every time you hear some version of the imperative “Believe!” cringe and fear for the future. It is the clearest symptom that we live in a culture of wilful delusion–one that actively encourages billions...
The Darkness That Comes Before
How did I never hear of this book before? R. Scott Bakker’s first novel and the first in The Prince of Nothing series is, for lack of a better word, tremendous. I’m only about...
Real Fantasy
I stumbled across this short essay from February by Richard Morgan whose book, The Steel Remains, I am currently reading. (And it’s good so far, and very dark, and very adult.) Anyways, Morgan takes...
books
I think most of the books I’ve read and loved were written by conservatives or libertarians – the fantasy I’ve read was written largely by conservatives, I think because good fantasy plays on themes...
a reading list for fantasy enthusiasts (II)
My initial reaction to E.D.’s latest post was something along the lines of “oh dear, I’m not sure we need a comprehensive rundown of our favorite erotic fiction.” Fortunately, he’s talking about the other...
a reading list for fantasy enthusiasts
So in the comments to this post, I received a lot of reading suggestions for good fantasy. They are listed below with updates to follow…
the art of magic in fiction
The other day I was sitting around drinking beers with a friend and talking about magic. Specifically, we were discussing the abuse or misuse of magic in fantasy writing. It is my theory that,...
George R.R. Martin is not your bitch.
Well, it looks like HBO will begin shooting the pilot episode for George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones in October in Northern Ireland. I am gripped with excitement and trepidation. And at...
an ocean full of paper boats
“I may as well admit that I have been more influenced (as a person) by my childhood readings of Tolkien and Lewis than I have been by any philosophers I read in college and...
