I checked out The King of Elfland's Daughter because I was curious to get a look at what pre-Tolkien fantasy was like, and I really loved it. Although the writing style comes across as odd by modern standards, you quickly get used to the rhythm of it, and then it takes on, as you said, a poetic quality. A big part of that had to do with the repeated phrases you mentioned--like "beyond the fields we know" and "told of only in song"--which gave the book a very distinct overall aesthetic that I'd describe as deeply melancholy, but at the same time a bit playful. Even though the style of the narrative was somewhat distant--it didn't really try to put you directly inside the characters' heads like most modern writing does--it still felt immersive in its own way, and the characters still felt compelling. Ziroonderel was a fun take on the wise old helper. The three generations of the royal family of Erl were all compelling in their own ways, with their distinct obsessions. The trolls, well they were just silly little guys, and made for a very amusing side story. And Lirazel, she had one of my favorite scenes, after the Christians of Erl told her not to blaspheme by worshiping the stars (whose beauty she'd never witnessed since it's always twilight in Elfland) and so, not understanding their reasoning, she goes to the river to worship the stars' reflections instead. I don't know why, but I found that scene oddly touching. And the very final scene of the book, what an image that invoked, one of my favorite endings I've ever read.
That was just an Amazing comment! Reading it reminded me ( that I have to check the dates ) of how much the arts and crafts movement and the writings of William Morris contributed to this new art form of protracted fairy tales in a novel format. I believe Dunsany and George MacDonald, (and What was her name?) were following in his creative footsteps.
yeah this is really nice to hear and makes me want to read it thank you - i need to put down the watching sports and pick it up more notches on the reading lol!
I really loved how otherworldly and irreproachable Lirazel is depicted, as a fae she is at odds with the mundane world; laughing at funerals, paying obeisance to the stars, never ageing...
So cool to see how the production value has gone up on this channel in terms of video and lighting quality and how you show the book covers. Awesome man.
I appreciate your review of “Wizard of Earthsea”, and I’m quite happy that I both read the book at a ‘right age’ and that I had spent quite a bit of time journeying on a small wooden sailboat.
Matt, excellent video and critique. Your enthusiasm for James Blish’s work has really spilled over to me quite effectively. I’m completely hooked and I never would have been had I not discovered your reviews of his work. The hard part of that is that finding quality editions of his work inexpensively, which is next to impossible. But I am enjoying the hunt. By the way, that shirt is absolutely fabulous.
I paused the vid, flipped over to eBay, and was mortified to find a battered paperback for the "low, low" price of $18 😬. Champagne taste this lad has 😏
@@JackMyersPhotography You know it! I wish there was a more affordable digital version. I prefer a book in my hand, but when they get pricey I'll go for the bits & bytes.
I'm also not a big fantasy reader, but E R Edison's The Worm Ouroboros and the tangentially related trilogy following that work, the "Zimiamvian Trilogy" is breathtaking in its beautiful prose and world building. Mistress of Mistresses, A Fish Dinner In Memison, and The Mezentian Gate are the books in the trilogy, and they inhabit time and space in a very wonderful way.
I really enjoy the prose in Earthsea, I found it unique from what i've read and it made it seem like an old fable. It would be interesting for you to continue the series as its focus and themes change and there is such a large time gap between when she wrote them.
Oh yeah, dude! The King of Elfland's Daughter is a masterpiece and like you said, beautiful prose. The book inspired me to compose a classical work for nylon string called 'In Fields We Know', as well as use 50/50 mix of the book's words with my own to form the lyrics of a prog-metal song I wrote called 'Elfland's Daughter'.
It's possibly worth noting that _Swords and Deviltry,_ although now published as the beginning of the series, is actually more in the mode of a prequel, that is they are origin stories for characters that were already long established.
I just finished the king of elflands daughter as well and I agree 100% about the prose. I'd call it lyrical. I actually found a 1970's concept album about this book on youtube.
I've read quite a bit of fantasy and Zelazny's Amber books are my favorite. One of the few series I've read twice. I've even played the Amber Diceless RPG. The characters are the best part of the series. They are powerful and yet never really knowing what is going on completely. The first series, the Corwin books, is better than the second, the Merlin books. Both are worth reading though.
The Left Hand of Darkness was published the year after Earthsea. It's not a matter of LeGuin evolving as a writer between the two. LeGuin essentially created the YA book form with Earthsea having simpler writing intentionally targeting a younger audience. It may seem a bit cliché now but when published it fundamentally changed the writing industry.
Back then there was significant encouragement to write well for the younger age groups. Then, to me it feels as though there was a gap before the glittery vampires came along
I believe it is the 1st and 3rd books in Earthsea series have brief significant adult wisdom. I think the line in 3rd book is experienced wizard telling novice something like “you make think I have power and can do whatever I wish, but as I have grown in power and wisdom I find the way grows narrower until there is only one thing I can do [in each situation]”. True wisdom .
yes and the "wisdom" that the Way provides is wisdom that is "useful" necessarily and as the first book demonstrates, one just has to experience it and no one wishes for the experience nor would it be wished upon a worthy apprentice. But oh is a great story! The next two, especially the last, are meant to grow with the reader. Not the normal thing that YA fantasy does.
Having read most of these when I was a teenager, the two books that I still remember well are Black Easter & Nine Princes. I read through the earthsea novels when I was 13 or 14 but only remember the first one in any detail. The problem I have found is now in my 50's, revisiting the books somehow devalues those memories. They were great at the time, but time has moved in terms of intellect & preferences. TLDR they were great 1st time reading when I was young. 😮 Post Game of Thrones, I feel the Amber series could really work - rather than hashing out variations on the same 5 stories that Hollywood like to do.
If you haven't already, you should get Doctor Mirabilis by Blish - it's in the same set of books with Black Easter and A Case of Conscience. Blish was really a fine writer, and had some really deep themes and concepts in his stuff. I'm glad you've put him out there for more readers to discover.
@@chocolatemonk I would not start there. The order I read them (and it may be purely based on when I found them), was A Case of Conscience, then the Black Easter / Day After Judgment, then Doctor Mirabilis. Frankly, Mirabilis is the first chronologically, but the novels are really only on related themes, not a trilogy / tetralogy in the normal sense.
@@chocolatemonk Just so you know, it's sort of historical fiction. I really liked it, but it's a bit of a slow read, as I recall; slower than the others, anyway. Enjoy!
Great video, as usual. I will get the Dunsany book (I have The Land of Time And Other Stories, by Dunsany, that Penguin published) and the two by Blish. I have Le Guin's works in the LOA editions, but I never liked her style (or topics). The Dispossessed was a chore to me that I read for a class about 25 years ago. Thanks again for reading these books and commenting on them.
You need to read the first two "Gormenghast" books. I do not know what happened to the third, the author died before it was complete, and it is a mass. But the first two books are some of the finest "fantasy" books i have ever read. Not a high fantasy by any means, but a story stuffed with wonderful Dickensian characters living in a huge and ancient castle-grounds which stands as the world entire.
Interesting thoughts on Swords and Deviltry - I found "The Snow Women" dull and somewhat insufferable, and thought it made Fafhrd unlikeable in an unpleasant way, while I enjoyed "The Unholy Grail" and "Ill-Met in Lankhmar" quite a bit more. I do think that the subsequent (and earlier-written) volumes of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are a lot more fun, though mostly less serious than these late stories.
As mentioned in other comments, these stories were actually written well into the series, and suffer a bit from being retroactive origin stories for the characters. Reading the stories in publication order produces a quite different (and I think better) experience than the chronological sequence they've been collected in.
I'm not a lover of Tolkienesque fantasy (what is now called 'fantasy'), and thought KING OF ELFLAND's the best fantasy of that sort I've read. Can't say I want to read more, but it's The Fantasy Novel for People Who Don't Like Fantasy Novels.
Wizard of Earth sea was a pivotal book for me, but then I was 9 when I first read it. Absolutely shaped the way I have viewed and consumed literature, film and media for the last two decades. Did another reread very recently at the age of 28 and it still has a powerful nostalgia for me. While not as complex as the stuff I read these days it still takes me back to a place where it a began for me
The Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories WERE groundbreaking when they were written. Along with Conan, they set the stage for sword and sorcery fantasy. These days, anyone who touches on that genre is using the concepts and tropes developed by Leiber and Howard.
And I love Howard and the conan stories, but Leiber's characters are kind of on another level. There's a lot more diversity anda lot more fun to be had. If you read the stories in the way that theyr'e published nowadays in those anthologies with the linking pieces Leiber wrote later, it really does feel like you grow up with these characters and grow fond of them just as they frustrate you often with their bad behavioura nd foolishness.
@@DamnableReverend to be fair leiber lived almost three robert e. howard lifetimes. in other words a normal lifespan. you wonder how howard would have grown as a writer had he lived that long.
@@meesalikeu Oh yeah, I think about that all the time, as something of a Howard fan, too. What if he'd beena ble to travel more, later in life, visiting some of the kind of places all over the world he loved to set aventures in.
I read Nine Princes in Amber when it came out so I didn't notice the hipster lingo. I had to wait a year or two between books, and couldn't wait for the next installment. I recommend you continue with the series - one of my favorites of all time.
Bingo with the Jung influence on Earthsea. I read that at university in a class run by a lecturer who was into Jungian literary criticism. The first book of Earthsea is clearly an exploration of the shadow archetype.
@@waltera13 but also normal for the course for those more adventerous days. remember this was the era where, for example, wonder woman lost her powers for a few years and opened a mod clothing shop lol.
Swords Against Death is probably the best Fafhrd & Grey Mouser collection, and highly recommended (check out "Bazaar of the Bizarre"). I still love Ill Met in Lankhmar for its noir-ish atmosphere, and yes, that story was heavily influential in the early development of D&D - this is where the thief class comes from (basically to allow you to play the Mouser) as does the whole concept of the Thieve's Guild you find in any major city in any D&D universe.
For a wonderfully written fantasy, with a more contemporary setting, you can't do better than "Little, Big", by John Crowley. Filled with quirky settings, a generations-long story and a surprising ending; it's wonderful. It plays with the ideas of "worlds within worlds" and the creation of myth cycles in everyday life. It would come under the classification of "urban fantasy", exploring the mystery and mythos of contemporary life. I just bought my 2nd copy, as I've worn out the first one.
I’m sad you did not enjoy A Wizard of Earthsea. I understand that you may come to the book too late. However, I strongly recommend that you persevere through the five main volumes and the collected short stories. The third volume has a wonderful pay off to what came before. The fourth, Tehanu and the Fifth, The Other Wind, are two of the great books of fantasy. They follow Sparrowhawk /Ged into his Kate middle age and old age as he deals with the loss of his power. They also deal with gender politics within Earthsea and the differences in men’s and women’s magic.
Love the way you review books and this is a great delve into an area you often avoid. (I think) You have definitely persuaded me to look for the Elfman’s Daughter, which I have wondered about for decades. The others are books I know and I was fascinated by your take on them. Great video Matt, as always.
I really enjoyed the Amber series. I'm with you on some the slang verbiage but I also enjoyed it to an extent. As a guilty throwback pleasure. In a way it grounded the story for me in a shadow earth of the 1970s. Which seemed to fit with the story. Good book overview. You definitely put Lord Dunsany on my 'To Read' list.
One of the major influences on Moorcock is Fletcher Pratt's The Well of the Unicorn which is itself an unauthorized sequel to another Dunsany book (I believe a play actually). I can't really recommend it because the plotting plods along and the language is archaic without the poetry of a Dunsany or an Eddison. Broken Sword by Poul Anderson (which I do recommend) is another influence on Elric which is much more clearly where Moorcock drew elements like his descriptions of elves and gods and Stormbringer.
I was eager to see your criticism of these respected fantasy stories. Felt a bit disappointed that you did not like them as much as I did. About half-way through, I noticed that I was much younger when I read them. My take-away is that I should reread Blish's stories now that I am a bit more mature.
Wow, Great feedback. I LOVE that you challenged yourself w/ fantasy & that you (very reasonably) picked books that were key, and worth exploring, regardless of sub-genre. Hmm, I'm not sure that came out right, but "Classics", Icons, watershed books, books people in the comments will yell at you to read anyway. I had the same let down with the Earthsea books myself. "Finally" got around to them in my twenties, after older things and a lit degree & *instatnly* felt the "I shoulda read this at 12" vibe. I persevered and it was worth it, but it was bittersweet , like this *could've* been a foundational work, and now I'll never be that balanced. Doesn't talk down to the young reader. There's a lot of quiet, passive wisdom in the book. @nd book's mostly about a female character.
Yes, I read the first Earthsea book when I was 11, and it was definitely a foundational work for me. Read the quartet in my teens. I have re-read them multiple times, and recapture some of the magic from that early reading experience. But as I have grown older, I also have a new perspective on the female character and her choices (and lack thereof). I now appreciate the way LeGuin basically did a feminist reconstruction of her own work in the fourth book.
@@TheLeniverse Oh Definitely. It's great to hear LeGuin discuss this in interviews as well. That's part of why I was telling Matt he should read them anyway.
I like that there are things about books that really irritate you but that can't be easily articulated. I get that a lot too from different things, I'll just absolutely hate something, but can't explain why. It's nice to know I'm not alone, it almost makes up for not properly appreciating Banks.
OK! you convinced me of the Blish and Dunsany. currently really enjoying Shadow and Claw. went to the library looking for the last two but no luck, so i snagged The Redemption of Time to contemplate Three Bodies a bit more. hope to find Sword and Citadel soon. Blish reminds of George Turner's career. a favorite.
Linguistic anachronisms pull me out of a story fast in both book and tv. Seeing a 17th century woman say “you think?” as a response to someone stating something obvious ruined the entire scene, and stuck with me for over a decade (I can even name the actor, the tv show, and probably the episode). When they happen in books I can overlook it if not common, but repeated out of place phrases ruin the reading experience. “Why are you using California Valley Girl speech patterns in Victorian era Scotland!?” The Lockland novels had some similar issues with two of the characters sounding like they were from 21st century. Still enjoyed the books though by gritting my teeth and powering through those speech patterns. James Blish was one of my favourite authors along with the usual big names back in the 70s. I went through all his books in the school library.
Anachronisms in speech and behavior are only acceptable when it's a clue that the character is not, in fact, from the time and place they're currently in. You can be a Valley Girl in Victorian Scotland if that's what you actually are, but the locals had better react to your weird foreign ways appropriately. "Appropriately" might include imitation or adoption of your anachronisms if you're popular/powerful/impressive enough, of course - which could lead to other spacetime-displaced characters tracking you down through random natives peppering their speech with "fer sher!" and "totally!" "I think we're getting close to our time-crime suspect. That innkeeper just asked me if I wanted to super-size my meal."
Going to have to keep my eye out for Black Easter! You got me very excited to read it, but all the copies I find online are very very expensive unfortunately. I need to get into fantasy, always looking for good bridges between sci-fi or horror and fantasy.
Should you find yourself returning to the well of fantasy, I would highly recommend The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake. An atypical story beautifully written.
I too really liked the Gormenghast Trilogy. The language is dense, no doubt, like a mating of Charles Dickens and Samuel Becket. I can understand why it wouldn’t appeal to all tastes, but it’s well worth looking into.
11:00 That's a criticism I agree wholeheartedly with you on regarding Zelazny's writing. It occurs in many of his works, and always struck me as 1940s speech patterns, not 1970s. It's like something from a "Humphrey Bogart as private eye" movie. I enjoyed the Amber books, but feel Zelazny was better with the "big picture ideas" when doing sci fi. Some of his short stories are awesome, and of course, "Lord of Light" are worth the time despite the occasional awkward prose passages.
I feel sorry that you didn't connect with "A Wizard of Earthsea". Yes, there is a strain of Jungian allegory in the tale; along with Le Guin's Daoist sensibilities - and because these are both sources of real wisdom, I can return to this book and its sequels as an adult and still receive nourishment. Moreover, the prose is beautifully spare, in keeping with the setting, and worth the price of admission on its own; and the characters are wonderfully drawn and convincing. Not to mention a great 'soft' magic system, for connoisseurs of the genre. And in my edition, also some great line drawings too!
That was fun, Matt. I'm sure others have said this before, but I feel the important thing with the Leiber and LeGuin is context - the first 'Swords' stories started appearing at the very end of the 1930s and were not foxed up into books until much later, so they['re seminal when it comes to the establishment of the form of S&S (which is why they feel like D&D scenarios- they're taproot works). LeGuin's series were actually more 'middle grade' aimed and for me it's the simplicity alongside the focus on magic being in words that I like - the sophistication grows in 'Tehanu'. Re Zelazny, I like 'Nine Princes' and like that suspense to fantasy shift. I find the way Zelazny meshes the 'hip' stuff with the anachronistic material deeply enjoyble, personally, I find he has real facility with this that most other writers couldn't pull off - though clearly it didn't work for you. Agree totally re Banks, as ever. For many years now, I've had a Fantasy reading rule (for anything published after 1977 with a few exceptions): Read volume one, then quit. Take care, man.
All the Earthsea books are worth reading. The first three were written fairly close together; then she came back to Earthsea years later and wrote three more books (one of them a collection of short stories). Those later books are more adult, and have a noticeably different, less condensed writing style.
I've never heard you mention John Crowley or M John Harrison, both the best living fantasy / sci-fi / whatever they fancy writers in my crappy opinion.
thumbs up for this comment! I'm not familiar with Little, Big by Crowley but know it's super important. And Harrison is perfect reading in genre or out, I've gone back over The Committed Men, Viriconium, The Centauri Device on my shelf just recently, totally slots into the British end of 70s New Wave stuff to start ... high recommendation for anything Harrison past or present
Strongly recommend Little, Big. A beautifully crafted story of a family enchanted by Fairy to enact revenge on humanity. It has for me the most lyrical final paragraph I have ever read
@@markphillips3186 I started Little, Big and loved it, but as the book continued on I just couldn't stay interested and stopped reading at about halfway. I think people need to understand that it's a very pastoral novel about a family and it certainly isn't going to appeal to many. But your comment about the end does make me want to go back to it... some day.
Fafrd & Grey Mouser are great characters who keep giving. . . . until they don't. But the stories were written over soo many years. Ill Met in Lankhmar was older than youo'd think, and there little gems strewn about the series characters that are, understated good writing that have a lot to say about the characters and the world. Great Movie line: "What do you say, even split - 60/60?"
Meh....Meh.... I think Black Easter is good, but I dont hold it in as high regard as you do..But thats cool. A Case Of Conscience may be my favorite by him..:)
Great selection to assess! You are correct about Leiber and D&D, no literature influenced the themes, tone, and atmosphere of the original game more than Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. But calling it cliche is unfair for this very reason -- Leiber invented it. We have dozens of phrases in English that are cliches now, but were perfectly fresh when Shakespeare originally wrote them. Credit where credit is due.
I absolutely love the third book in the Earthsea cycle. I think you should give the series a chance, I don't feel too strongly about the first one either. They're different enough.
There is a line I think from 3rd one of great wisdom, something like [master sage talking to student] you think we can do anything, but as we grow in power and wisdom the way grows narrower until we can only do one thing.
One of my favorite books of any genre is Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. I highly recommend it if you want to try more fantasy. Unfortunately it kind of resonates today with what’s happening in Ukraine. One of the most well written villians you will find, imo.
Has anybody read the short book by Roger Zelazny called Jack of Shadows? I am not sure whether I could objectively call it a "good book". THe book is short so it feels almost like a long short story. I read it in my teenage childhood in the early 90s and I remember being very impressed by it. I have read it again recently after finding it in a book box and I still like it. If he used the 60s "cool" lingo in it it did not affect me since the first time I read it it was in my first language which is Russian. I have lived more of my life speaking English in the United States than speaking Russian, so reading it in English felt more natural to me since English is the language I think in now. It still impresses me with the way the world is presented in it which is fantasy, but it is also such a crazy world, it is as if it took place in a parallel dimension or another planet.
Lord Dunsany an influence on Tolkien? Never would have been aware without your insight, BP. Top shelf! Always wondered what his inspiration might have been. Black Easter is on my winter TBR list thanks to you, big Blish fan here. Thanks so much for your ongoing dedication to the SF and Sci Fantasy community. Absolutely brilliant. Cheers.
yeah, the storie are mentioned, along with vance's Dying Earth, in the appendices to one of the early D&D editions. It's a"recommended reading" section, basically, where they tout their influences.
Also mate, I can strongly recommend Damnation Alley by Zelazny. It’s a really simple A to B story that I read in an afternoon when I need a palate cleanser from chewing through ‘harder’ stuff. My favourite Zelazny book by a mile.
Sorry, Have to disagree. I read Zelazny's Creatures of Light and Darkness and the short story A Rose for Ecclesiastes in my late teens and loved both of them and somewhat later read Home is the Hangman, also good. When I was about twenty-one, I read Damnation Alley expecting a lot and was very disappointed. It just seems to be a B-movie plot potboiler to me. Maybe it was the time I read it: I was then trying to read more 'serious' literature and SF, from War and Peace, Gormenghast, Thomas Hardy etc. through to James Blish and Ursula K. LeGuin and I wasn't in the right place for something that probably would have made a great ''Mad Max' style movie. I still intend to read Lord of Light and Nine Princes sometime.
Huh, I took those little 70’s things as being the main character being a guy from the 70’s. He isn’t just a member of the royal family of Amber, he is also the person we first met at the beginning of the book. But I started it as teen so may have enjoyed that humor more.
I was more than gob-smacked to find out the Blish books were mostly over $60 US - just for the used PBs! Wish you'd mentioned that. Now, was this a GW "deal"? Or did you pay those kind of prices? If you found THIS as a GW buy you scored. But still think you should warn watchers when you are raving on a mostly OOP and pricey book.
I’ll recommend Lois McMaster Bujold’s Sharing Knife series as a fantasy you may enjoy. Her Penric and Desdemona series is another, more high fantasy series you may enjoy.
Moorcock wasn't a big fan of Dunsany, I believe he liked George MacDonald more, but Elric's chief genesis was Poul Anderson's "The Broken Sword" as well as a Norse Myth with a Magic Sword who's name escapes me. I'll drop it in a reply when I find it. Love the video, Loved the choices! Great to hear about the Blish!
I kid of hate that "Epic Pooh' essay from Moorcock, though it's certainly interesting and something I often refer to in discussions. Just seems so pett and bitter, even though he states that his reasons are basically political. It's something I feel a writer of his quality should be above doing. Maybe I am a little attached to Tolkien because of his part in my childhood, but I don't think he's above criticism or anything -- just feels like Moorcock was maybea little jealous and wanted to take down a fantasy titan with weird accusations about borderline fascist parochialismy
@@DamnableReverend Moorcock himself is really, really far from petty. However for a good 30 years every time he was up for winning a fantasy award, and people would interview him, the only other fantasy writer they knew to talk to him about was Tolkien - and let me tell you being compared to a writer that you don't personally care for, for 20 or 30 years is enough to make anyone chomp at the bit a little.
@@waltera13 I suppose that's somewhat understandable. i still found it sort of laughable, like he just had let all this resentment build up till it splurged all over the page. Some of the things he levelled against TOlkien 9and to an extent, Dunsany) seem really excessive. it's his right not to enjoy those writers, but I felt i was being harangued.
Great reviews dear sir. Dunsany has always blown my mind everytime I read him. Another pair of great early and super ahead of their time, trendsetting novels are A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay and Lilith by George MacDonald. I am fuckin stoked to read Black Easter. Gonna hunt that sucker down asap!
Gotta stop in the very beginning and say that I believe you missed the entire point of The Wizard of Earthsea - it’s written for young adults and LeGuin wasn’t particularly interested in writing for this age group. Nevertheless, what she wrote was something that is pivotal in adolescence: You have to accept and incorporate all of yourself in order to be whole. Also, LeGuin is a genius and never once have I felt that I needed to be in a “zen” place to appreciate her. Stick with hard Sci-fi.
Interesting your opinion on Zelazny, because I am just finishing reading Lord of Light which has the same thing, but in that book the use of contemporary language every so often is intentional to give you a hint of what is really going on. Although I did think that he did it a little too much.
I felt the same about 9 Princes… and for me the two issues combined to ruin the book. The imagery felt referential rather than symbolic, and the whole thing became capricious. Then I couldn’t enjoy it for what it was because dated phrases got in the way of suspension of disbelief. I think I’ll give him another try with something else.
Just in case, you were planning on reading any more fantasy, I highly recommend "The Traveller in Black" by John Brunner to you. Brunner himself has written some really good scifi stuff, but this book is just great. Love the prose and the worldbuilding. 🙏 Never heard of Black Easter, definitely going to check it out :)
A fantastic recommendation! If I recall correctly, it made me teary-eyed at, of all things, a lamp being blown out! So many ideas were being played with back then in remarkably novel ways!
Surprised to see Lord Dunsany mentioned here. I've not read a lot by him and I am only aware of him because of HP Lovecraft but this one has me intrigued to read.
For the longest, I did think James Blish was a hack because of all the novelization of Star Trek he'd written. I think I had a couple of those novels even though I've never read any of them.
Although not every book appealed to your taste, I really enjoyed listening to your thoughts on all of them! I'm going to have to pick up The King of Elfland's Daughter. I can't believe I haven't heard much about that book given the influence it's had on Tolkien and possible Moorcock. Thanks!
great recommendations thanks! i read blood music by grear bear which was a 8/10 for me and roadside picnic which was a 9/10 for me because of your videos. i think i will give the james blish book a try next
I had a similar experience, trying to read the Earthsea novels in my thirties. I tried again in my late 50s and loved them. Put it in your google calendar. ; )
Another influence on Tolkien may have possibly been "The Princess and the Goblin" and "the Princess and Curdie" by George MacDonald written in 1872 and 1883 respectively.
I was expecting some trash fantasy, but BP subverted expectations. I think he deliberately picked good writers. Suspicious. Earlier this year, I walked away from A Wizard Of Earthsea after about 30 pages. Not because I didn’t like it (it seemed ok), but because my TBR stack is out of control and I didn’t want to get into a fantasy trilogy right now. WFT is going on with the prices on James Blish - Black Easter on eBay?
![Battle of the Hard Sci-Fi Classics [100 Book Challenge #35-40]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Kr-mbyb1Z3M/mqdefault.jpg)
It's really nice that your videos get to the point immediately without drawn out intros or outros.
Glad to see that you may be warming up to the fantasy genre next comes 70's prog rock and 20 sided dice
I look forward to hearing your opinion about Camel and Genesis’ concept albums
I checked out The King of Elfland's Daughter because I was curious to get a look at what pre-Tolkien fantasy was like, and I really loved it. Although the writing style comes across as odd by modern standards, you quickly get used to the rhythm of it, and then it takes on, as you said, a poetic quality. A big part of that had to do with the repeated phrases you mentioned--like "beyond the fields we know" and "told of only in song"--which gave the book a very distinct overall aesthetic that I'd describe as deeply melancholy, but at the same time a bit playful. Even though the style of the narrative was somewhat distant--it didn't really try to put you directly inside the characters' heads like most modern writing does--it still felt immersive in its own way, and the characters still felt compelling. Ziroonderel was a fun take on the wise old helper. The three generations of the royal family of Erl were all compelling in their own ways, with their distinct obsessions. The trolls, well they were just silly little guys, and made for a very amusing side story. And Lirazel, she had one of my favorite scenes, after the Christians of Erl told her not to blaspheme by worshiping the stars (whose beauty she'd never witnessed since it's always twilight in Elfland) and so, not understanding their reasoning, she goes to the river to worship the stars' reflections instead. I don't know why, but I found that scene oddly touching. And the very final scene of the book, what an image that invoked, one of my favorite endings I've ever read.
That was just an Amazing comment! Reading it reminded me ( that I have to check the dates ) of how much the arts and crafts movement and the writings of William Morris contributed to this new art form of protracted fairy tales in a novel format. I believe Dunsany and George MacDonald, (and What was her name?) were following in his creative footsteps.
yeah this is really nice to hear and makes me want to read it thank you - i need to put down the watching sports and pick it up more notches on the reading lol!
I really loved how otherworldly and irreproachable Lirazel is depicted, as a fae she is at odds with the mundane world; laughing at funerals, paying obeisance to the stars, never ageing...
I too was inspired by the book...
ua-cam.com/video/Gdmw9Ss-cZo/v-deo.html
So cool to see how the production value has gone up on this channel in terms of video and lighting quality and how you show the book covers. Awesome man.
I appreciate your review of “Wizard of Earthsea”, and I’m quite happy that I both read the book at a ‘right age’ and that I had spent quite a bit of time journeying on a small wooden sailboat.
Matt, excellent video and critique. Your enthusiasm for James Blish’s work has really spilled over to me quite effectively. I’m completely hooked and I never would have been had I not discovered your reviews of his work. The hard part of that is that finding quality editions of his work inexpensively, which is next to impossible. But I am enjoying the hunt. By the way, that shirt is absolutely fabulous.
Thanks Jack.
I paused the vid, flipped over to eBay, and was mortified to find a battered paperback for the "low, low" price of $18 😬. Champagne taste this lad has 😏
@@awabooks9886 I think in the case of Blish, it’s money well spent. I just have to plan the spending a little better. 🧐
@@JackMyersPhotography
You know it! I wish there was a more affordable digital version. I prefer a book in my hand, but when they get pricey I'll go for the bits & bytes.
I'm also not a big fantasy reader, but E R Edison's The Worm Ouroboros and the tangentially related trilogy following that work, the "Zimiamvian Trilogy" is breathtaking in its beautiful prose and world building. Mistress of Mistresses, A Fish Dinner In Memison, and The Mezentian Gate are the books in the trilogy, and they inhabit time and space in a very wonderful way.
I really enjoy the prose in Earthsea, I found it unique from what i've read and it made it seem like an old fable. It would be interesting for you to continue the series as its focus and themes change and there is such a large time gap between when she wrote them.
I agree. Tombs of Atuan is my favourite, but I love her world and magic system, so The Other Wind holds a special place for me.
Oh yeah, dude! The King of Elfland's Daughter is a masterpiece and like you said, beautiful prose. The book inspired me to compose a classical work for nylon string called 'In Fields We Know', as well as use 50/50 mix of the book's words with my own to form the lyrics of a prog-metal song I wrote called 'Elfland's Daughter'.
You've got me quite excited to find my way to some Blish novels now. Thanks for another wonderful round of reviews.
It's possibly worth noting that _Swords and Deviltry,_ although now published as the beginning of the series, is actually more in the mode of a prequel, that is they are origin stories for characters that were already long established.
Yes. The other books in the series are, if not better, at least more typical or representative.
I just finished the king of elflands daughter as well and I agree 100% about the prose. I'd call it lyrical. I actually found a 1970's concept album about this book on youtube.
Dunsany's prose is something special. But, as a story, I liked his other fantasy novel, The Charwoman's Shadow, better.
I've read quite a bit of fantasy and Zelazny's Amber books are my favorite. One of the few series I've read twice. I've even played the Amber Diceless RPG. The characters are the best part of the series. They are powerful and yet never really knowing what is going on completely. The first series, the Corwin books, is better than the second, the Merlin books. Both are worth reading though.
The Left Hand of Darkness was published the year after Earthsea. It's not a matter of LeGuin evolving as a writer between the two. LeGuin essentially created the YA book form with Earthsea having simpler writing intentionally targeting a younger audience. It may seem a bit cliché now but when published it fundamentally changed the writing industry.
Back then there was significant encouragement to write well for the younger age groups. Then, to me it feels as though there was a gap before the glittery vampires came along
I believe it is the 1st and 3rd books in Earthsea series have brief significant adult wisdom. I think the line in 3rd book is experienced wizard telling novice something like “you make think I have power and can do whatever I wish, but as I have grown in power and wisdom I find the way grows narrower until there is only one thing I can do [in each situation]”. True wisdom .
@@Scottlp2 - one example of a number where Le Guin's Daoist perspective emerges - and all in service of the tale.
yes and the "wisdom" that the Way provides is wisdom that is "useful" necessarily and as the first book demonstrates, one just has to experience it and no one wishes for the experience nor would it be wished upon a worthy apprentice. But oh is a great story! The next two, especially the last, are meant to grow with the reader. Not the normal thing that YA fantasy does.
Having read most of these when I was a teenager, the two books that I still remember well are Black Easter & Nine Princes. I read through the earthsea novels when I was 13 or 14 but only remember the first one in any detail.
The problem I have found is now in my 50's, revisiting the books somehow devalues those memories. They were great at the time, but time has moved in terms of intellect & preferences. TLDR they were great 1st time reading when I was young. 😮
Post Game of Thrones, I feel the Amber series could really work - rather than hashing out variations on the same 5 stories that Hollywood like to do.
If you haven't already, you should get Doctor Mirabilis by Blish - it's in the same set of books with Black Easter and A Case of Conscience. Blish was really a fine writer, and had some really deep themes and concepts in his stuff. I'm glad you've put him out there for more readers to discover.
is Mirabilis a place to start this series. . .? seems a lack of online discussion or I have yet to find one. . . .i am not on reddit
@@chocolatemonk I would not start there. The order I read them (and it may be purely based on when I found them), was A Case of Conscience, then the Black Easter / Day After Judgment, then Doctor Mirabilis. Frankly, Mirabilis is the first chronologically, but the novels are really only on related themes, not a trilogy / tetralogy in the normal sense.
@@GrandTeuton well I have Mirabilis so I might as well start there thx;!!!!
@@chocolatemonk Just so you know, it's sort of historical fiction. I really liked it, but it's a bit of a slow read, as I recall; slower than the others, anyway. Enjoy!
Great video, as usual. I will get the Dunsany book (I have The Land of Time And Other Stories, by Dunsany, that Penguin published) and the two by Blish. I have Le Guin's works in the LOA editions, but I never liked her style (or topics). The Dispossessed was a chore to me that I read for a class about 25 years ago. Thanks again for reading these books and commenting on them.
Your Shirt is EPIC. I remember when all my male gradeschool teachers wore shirts like that.
I'm pretty sure I bought that shirt at Zayres in 1979.
Btw, Dunsany being a better writer than Tolkien is your most gigachad opinion
You need to read the first two "Gormenghast" books. I do not know what happened to the third, the author died before it was complete, and it is a mass. But the first two books are some of the finest "fantasy" books i have ever read. Not a high fantasy by any means, but a story stuffed with wonderful Dickensian characters living in a huge and ancient castle-grounds which stands as the world entire.
0:02 The cover art is La Belle Dame sans Merci from John William Waterhouse (1893). ❤
Interesting thoughts on Swords and Deviltry - I found "The Snow Women" dull and somewhat insufferable, and thought it made Fafhrd unlikeable in an unpleasant way, while I enjoyed "The Unholy Grail" and "Ill-Met in Lankhmar" quite a bit more. I do think that the subsequent (and earlier-written) volumes of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are a lot more fun, though mostly less serious than these late stories.
As mentioned in other comments, these stories were actually written well into the series, and suffer a bit from being retroactive origin stories for the characters. Reading the stories in publication order produces a quite different (and I think better) experience than the chronological sequence they've been collected in.
I'm not a lover of Tolkienesque fantasy (what is now called 'fantasy'), and thought KING OF ELFLAND's the best fantasy of that sort I've read. Can't say I want to read more, but it's The Fantasy Novel for People Who Don't Like Fantasy Novels.
Wizard of Earth sea was a pivotal book for me, but then I was 9 when I first read it. Absolutely shaped the way I have viewed and consumed literature, film and media for the last two decades. Did another reread very recently at the age of 28 and it still has a powerful nostalgia for me. While not as complex as the stuff I read these days it still takes me back to a place where it a began for me
The Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories WERE groundbreaking when they were written. Along with Conan, they set the stage for sword and sorcery fantasy. These days, anyone who touches on that genre is using the concepts and tropes developed by Leiber and Howard.
And I love Howard and the conan stories, but Leiber's characters are kind of on another level. There's a lot more diversity anda lot more fun to be had. If you read the stories in the way that theyr'e published nowadays in those anthologies with the linking pieces Leiber wrote later, it really does feel like you grow up with these characters and grow fond of them just as they frustrate you often with their bad behavioura nd foolishness.
@@DamnableReverend to be fair leiber lived almost three robert e. howard lifetimes. in other words a normal lifespan. you wonder how howard would have grown as a writer had he lived that long.
@@meesalikeu Oh yeah, I think about that all the time, as something of a Howard fan, too. What if he'd beena ble to travel more, later in life, visiting some of the kind of places all over the world he loved to set aventures in.
And yes, they were cited as source material in D&D
Joe Abercrombie has made a career merging Howard and Leiber.
I read Nine Princes in Amber when it came out so I didn't notice the hipster lingo. I had to wait a year or two between books, and couldn't wait for the next installment. I recommend you continue with the series - one of my favorites of all time.
Bingo with the Jung influence on Earthsea. I read that at university in a class run by a lecturer who was into Jungian literary criticism. The first book of Earthsea is clearly an exploration of the shadow archetype.
Which is kinda amazing in a kid's book from '68.
@@waltera13 but also normal for the course for those more adventerous days. remember this was the era where, for example, wonder woman lost her powers for a few years and opened a mod clothing shop lol.
Swords Against Death is probably the best Fafhrd & Grey Mouser collection, and highly recommended (check out "Bazaar of the Bizarre").
I still love Ill Met in Lankhmar for its noir-ish atmosphere, and yes, that story was heavily influential in the early development of D&D - this is where the thief class comes from (basically to allow you to play the Mouser) as does the whole concept of the Thieve's Guild you find in any major city in any D&D universe.
Yep, and TSR inked a big Lankhmar license in the early 80s for AD&D 2e.
@@awabooks9886 I have the whole Lankhmar set on my shelf (yes, I have no shame 😅).
@@DavideMana
😅. I've sold my AD&D 2e stuff, but I loved the Lankhmar boxed set and many of the mods. Good times 🤓
For a wonderfully written fantasy, with a more contemporary setting, you can't do better than "Little, Big", by John Crowley. Filled with quirky settings, a generations-long story and a surprising ending; it's wonderful. It plays with the ideas of "worlds within worlds" and the creation of myth cycles in everyday life. It would come under the classification of "urban fantasy", exploring the mystery and mythos of contemporary life. I just bought my 2nd copy, as I've worn out the first one.
Great selection of fantasy titles, including a few of my favorites! Your assessments are both enjoyable & insightful.
Found your channel through @theshadesoforange and already love it! Picked up a few recs and I'm anxious to commit to them sooner rather than later.
Great video! I’ve been eyeing Lord Dunsany’s works for a while, and your review bumped it up the ol’ TBR.
Putting James Blish in the queue. Havent gotten to him yet. Great vid as always.
I’m sad you did not enjoy A Wizard of Earthsea. I understand that you may come to the book too late. However, I strongly recommend that you persevere through the five main volumes and the collected short stories. The third volume has a wonderful pay off to what came before. The fourth, Tehanu and the Fifth, The Other Wind, are two of the great books of fantasy. They follow Sparrowhawk /Ged into his Kate middle age and old age as he deals with the loss of his power. They also deal with gender politics within Earthsea and the differences in men’s and women’s magic.
I also love James Blish. Right now I'm reading A.C. Clarke's The Fountains of Paradise. Keep up the pace and take care.
Love the way you review books and this is a great delve into an area you often avoid. (I think) You have definitely persuaded me to look for the Elfman’s Daughter, which I have wondered about for decades. The others are books I know and I was fascinated by your take on them. Great video Matt, as always.
Black Easter being marketed toward fans of Rosemary’s Baby you say? Sign me up!
I really enjoyed the Amber series. I'm with you on some the slang verbiage but I also enjoyed it to an extent. As a guilty throwback pleasure. In a way it grounded the story for me in a shadow earth of the 1970s. Which seemed to fit with the story. Good book overview. You definitely put Lord Dunsany on my 'To Read' list.
One of the major influences on Moorcock is Fletcher Pratt's The Well of the Unicorn which is itself an unauthorized sequel to another Dunsany book (I believe a play actually). I can't really recommend it because the plotting plods along and the language is archaic without the poetry of a Dunsany or an Eddison.
Broken Sword by Poul Anderson (which I do recommend) is another influence on Elric which is much more clearly where Moorcock drew elements like his descriptions of elves and gods and Stormbringer.
I was eager to see your criticism of these respected fantasy stories. Felt a bit disappointed that you did not like them as much as I did. About half-way through, I noticed that I was much younger when I read them. My take-away is that I should reread Blish's stories now that I am a bit more mature.
Wow, Great feedback. I LOVE that you challenged yourself w/ fantasy & that you (very reasonably) picked books that were key, and worth exploring, regardless of sub-genre. Hmm, I'm not sure that came out right, but "Classics", Icons, watershed books, books people in the comments will yell at you to read anyway. I had the same let down with the Earthsea books myself. "Finally" got around to them in my twenties, after older things and a lit degree & *instatnly* felt the "I shoulda read this at 12" vibe. I persevered and it was worth it, but it was bittersweet , like this *could've* been a foundational work, and now I'll never be that balanced. Doesn't talk down to the young reader. There's a lot of quiet, passive wisdom in the book. @nd book's mostly about a female character.
Yes, I read the first Earthsea book when I was 11, and it was definitely a foundational work for me. Read the quartet in my teens. I have re-read them multiple times, and recapture some of the magic from that early reading experience. But as I have grown older, I also have a new perspective on the female character and her choices (and lack thereof). I now appreciate the way LeGuin basically did a feminist reconstruction of her own work in the fourth book.
@@TheLeniverse Oh Definitely. It's great to hear LeGuin discuss this in interviews as well. That's part of why I was telling Matt he should read them anyway.
I like that there are things about books that really irritate you but that can't be easily articulated. I get that a lot too from different things, I'll just absolutely hate something, but can't explain why.
It's nice to know I'm not alone, it almost makes up for not properly appreciating Banks.
OK! you convinced me of the Blish and Dunsany. currently really enjoying Shadow and Claw.
went to the library looking for the last two but no luck, so i snagged The Redemption of Time to contemplate Three Bodies a bit more. hope to find Sword and Citadel soon.
Blish reminds of George Turner's career. a favorite.
Linguistic anachronisms pull me out of a story fast in both book and tv. Seeing a 17th century woman say “you think?” as a response to someone stating something obvious ruined the entire scene, and stuck with me for over a decade (I can even name the actor, the tv show, and probably the episode). When they happen in books I can overlook it if not common, but repeated out of place phrases ruin the reading experience. “Why are you using California Valley Girl speech patterns in Victorian era Scotland!?”
The Lockland novels had some similar issues with two of the characters sounding like they were from 21st century. Still enjoyed the books though by gritting my teeth and powering through those speech patterns.
James Blish was one of my favourite authors along with the usual big names back in the 70s. I went through all his books in the school library.
Anachronisms in speech and behavior are only acceptable when it's a clue that the character is not, in fact, from the time and place they're currently in. You can be a Valley Girl in Victorian Scotland if that's what you actually are, but the locals had better react to your weird foreign ways appropriately. "Appropriately" might include imitation or adoption of your anachronisms if you're popular/powerful/impressive enough, of course - which could lead to other spacetime-displaced characters tracking you down through random natives peppering their speech with "fer sher!" and "totally!"
"I think we're getting close to our time-crime suspect. That innkeeper just asked me if I wanted to super-size my meal."
Going to have to keep my eye out for Black Easter! You got me very excited to read it, but all the copies I find online are very very expensive unfortunately.
I need to get into fantasy, always looking for good bridges between sci-fi or horror and fantasy.
Should you find yourself returning to the well of fantasy, I would highly recommend The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake. An atypical story beautifully written.
I wanted more from Gormenghast than it gave. The language was overly flowery for me and dense.
I too really liked the Gormenghast Trilogy. The language is dense, no doubt, like a mating of Charles Dickens and Samuel Becket. I can understand why it wouldn’t appeal to all tastes, but it’s well worth looking into.
11:00 That's a criticism I agree wholeheartedly with you on regarding Zelazny's writing. It occurs in many of his works, and always struck me as 1940s speech patterns, not 1970s.
It's like something from a "Humphrey Bogart as private eye" movie.
I enjoyed the Amber books, but feel Zelazny was better with the "big picture ideas" when doing sci fi. Some of his short stories are awesome, and of course, "Lord of Light" are worth the time despite the occasional awkward prose passages.
These reviews always have something I need to check out, Black Easter definitely goes to my TBR list!
I feel sorry that you didn't connect with "A Wizard of Earthsea". Yes, there is a strain of Jungian allegory in the tale; along with Le Guin's Daoist sensibilities - and because these are both sources of real wisdom, I can return to this book and its sequels as an adult and still receive nourishment. Moreover, the prose is beautifully spare, in keeping with the setting, and worth the price of admission on its own; and the characters are wonderfully drawn and convincing. Not to mention a great 'soft' magic system, for connoisseurs of the genre. And in my edition, also some great line drawings too!
That was fun, Matt. I'm sure others have said this before, but I feel the important thing with the Leiber and LeGuin is context - the first 'Swords' stories started appearing at the very end of the 1930s and were not foxed up into books until much later, so they['re seminal when it comes to the establishment of the form of S&S (which is why they feel like D&D scenarios- they're taproot works). LeGuin's series were actually more 'middle grade' aimed and for me it's the simplicity alongside the focus on magic being in words that I like - the sophistication grows in 'Tehanu'.
Re Zelazny, I like 'Nine Princes' and like that suspense to fantasy shift. I find the way Zelazny meshes the 'hip' stuff with the anachronistic material deeply enjoyble, personally, I find he has real facility with this that most other writers couldn't pull off - though clearly it didn't work for you. Agree totally re Banks, as ever.
For many years now, I've had a Fantasy reading rule (for anything published after 1977 with a few exceptions): Read volume one, then quit. Take care, man.
The second book of the Earthsea series was my favourite of them, I can recommed that.
All the Earthsea books are worth reading. The first three were written fairly close together; then she came back to Earthsea years later and wrote three more books (one of them a collection of short stories). Those later books are more adult, and have a noticeably different, less condensed writing style.
I agree. "The Tombs of Atuan" is by far my favorite of the three from the original trilogy.
I'd be interested in your take on Zelazny's "Jack of Shadows." I prefer it to any of Zelazny's other works that I have read.
Your criticism of 9 Princes in Amber reminds me the same criticism of the recent tv series of Willow and yes it grates the few who watched it as well.
At last someone else has said it out loud. Dunsany is better than tolkein. I was blown away by The elf Kings daughter.
I've never heard you mention John Crowley or M John Harrison, both the best living fantasy / sci-fi / whatever they fancy writers in my crappy opinion.
thumbs up for this comment! I'm not familiar with Little, Big by Crowley but know it's super important. And Harrison is perfect reading in genre or out, I've gone back over The Committed Men, Viriconium, The Centauri Device on my shelf just recently, totally slots into the British end of 70s New Wave stuff to start ... high recommendation for anything Harrison past or present
M John is the greatest. Crowley is no slouch either - but these are guys working well above the level of the commercial end of things, right.
Strongly recommend Little, Big. A beautifully crafted story of a family enchanted by Fairy to enact revenge on humanity. It has for me the most lyrical final paragraph I have ever read
@@markphillips3186 I started Little, Big and loved it, but as the book continued on I just couldn't stay interested and stopped reading at about halfway. I think people need to understand that it's a very pastoral novel about a family and it certainly isn't going to appeal to many. But your comment about the end does make me want to go back to it... some day.
This is the first list I've seen by this guy and I've actually seen 4/5 of the books. Weird.
Fafrd & Grey Mouser are great characters who keep giving. . . . until they don't. But the stories were written over soo many years. Ill Met in Lankhmar was older than youo'd think, and there little gems strewn about the series characters that are, understated good writing that have a lot to say about the characters and the world. Great Movie line: "What do you say, even split - 60/60?"
Meh....Meh.... I think Black Easter is good, but I dont hold it in as high regard as you do..But thats cool. A Case Of Conscience may be my favorite by him..:)
Do you have an opinion of Clarke Ashton Smith?
Haven't read him yet
@@Bookpilled Cripes, fix that. If you liked Dunsany and Vance, you'll find something to like in CAS.
The Fafrd&Grey Mouser stories were actually a major pillar for the design of D&D. Like Conan they fall into the adventure category
Great selection to assess! You are correct about Leiber and D&D, no literature influenced the themes, tone, and atmosphere of the original game more than Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. But calling it cliche is unfair for this very reason -- Leiber invented it. We have dozens of phrases in English that are cliches now, but were perfectly fresh when Shakespeare originally wrote them. Credit where credit is due.
Man props for getting through Fafrd and Grey Mouser. I couldn’t finish it. Just didn’t work for me.
Amber gets better honestly, he does the "multiverse" concept well with the shifting between dimensions. At least that was my take.
Have you read Zelazny's Hugo winner Lord of Light? I think it's his best.
The absolute best novel by Zelazny is Lord of Light
Black Easter is one of my favorite blish books the other is and all the stars a stage.
I absolutely love the third book in the Earthsea cycle. I think you should give the series a chance, I don't feel too strongly about the first one either. They're different enough.
There is a line I think from 3rd one of great wisdom, something like [master sage talking to student] you think we can do anything, but as we grow in power and wisdom the way grows narrower until we can only do one thing.
In the Earthsea trilogy, the 2nd book was the best: The Tombs of Atuan. Much more literary than the first book.
Definitely going to check out James Blish now.
One of my favorite books of any genre is Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. I highly recommend it if you want to try more fantasy. Unfortunately it kind of resonates today with what’s happening in Ukraine. One of the most well written villians you will find, imo.
I think your Earthsea critique is fair. I enjoyed it as a teenager, tried it again in my 50s...nope. Leave the pleasant memories where they were 😌
I have a whole stack of books like this. Can't bear to get rid but daren't read them again just in case it ruins the feelings
Has anybody read the short book by Roger Zelazny called Jack of Shadows? I am not sure whether I could objectively call it a "good book". THe book is short so it feels almost like a long short story. I read it in my teenage childhood in the early 90s and I remember being very impressed by it. I have read it again recently after finding it in a book box and I still like it. If he used the 60s "cool" lingo in it it did not affect me since the first time I read it it was in my first language which is Russian. I have lived more of my life speaking English in the United States than speaking Russian, so reading it in English felt more natural to me since English is the language I think in now. It still impresses me with the way the world is presented in it which is fantasy, but it is also such a crazy world, it is as if it took place in a parallel dimension or another planet.
The quintet of Earthsea is amazing.
Lord Dunsany an influence on Tolkien? Never would have been aware without your insight, BP. Top shelf! Always wondered what his inspiration might have been. Black Easter is on my winter TBR list thanks to you, big Blish fan here. Thanks so much for your ongoing dedication to the SF and Sci Fantasy community. Absolutely brilliant. Cheers.
yeah, the storie are mentioned, along with vance's Dying Earth, in the appendices to one of the early D&D editions. It's a"recommended reading" section, basically, where they tout their influences.
Also mate, I can strongly recommend Damnation Alley by Zelazny. It’s a really simple A to B story that I read in an afternoon when I need a palate cleanser from chewing through ‘harder’ stuff. My favourite Zelazny book by a mile.
Sorry, Have to disagree. I read Zelazny's Creatures of Light and Darkness and the short story A Rose for Ecclesiastes in my late teens and loved both of them and somewhat later read Home is the Hangman, also good. When I was about twenty-one, I read Damnation Alley expecting a lot and was very disappointed. It just seems to be a B-movie plot potboiler to me. Maybe it was the time I read it: I was then trying to read more 'serious' literature and SF, from War and Peace, Gormenghast, Thomas Hardy etc. through to James Blish and Ursula K. LeGuin and I wasn't in the right place for something that probably would have made a great ''Mad Max' style movie. I still intend to read Lord of Light and Nine Princes sometime.
Huh, I took those little 70’s things as being the main character being a guy from the 70’s. He isn’t just a member of the royal family of Amber, he is also the person we first met at the beginning of the book.
But I started it as teen so may have enjoyed that humor more.
it would be fun to get your take on all the books featured in Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials.
I was more than gob-smacked to find out the Blish books were mostly over $60 US - just for the used PBs! Wish you'd mentioned that. Now, was this a GW "deal"? Or did you pay those kind of prices? If you found THIS as a GW buy you scored. But still think you should warn watchers when you are raving on a mostly OOP and pricey book.
I’ll recommend Lois McMaster Bujold’s Sharing Knife series as a fantasy you may enjoy. Her Penric and Desdemona series is another, more high fantasy series you may enjoy.
Moorcock wasn't a big fan of Dunsany, I believe he liked George MacDonald more, but Elric's chief genesis was Poul Anderson's "The Broken Sword" as well as a Norse Myth with a Magic Sword who's name escapes me. I'll drop it in a reply when I find it.
Love the video, Loved the choices! Great to hear about the Blish!
I kid of hate that "Epic Pooh' essay from Moorcock, though it's certainly interesting and something I often refer to in discussions. Just seems so pett and bitter, even though he states that his reasons are basically political. It's something I feel a writer of his quality should be above doing. Maybe I am a little attached to Tolkien because of his part in my childhood, but I don't think he's above criticism or anything -- just feels like Moorcock was maybea little jealous and wanted to take down a fantasy titan with weird accusations about borderline fascist parochialismy
@@DamnableReverend Moorcock himself is really, really far from petty. However for a good 30 years every time he was up for winning a fantasy award, and people would interview him, the only other fantasy writer they knew to talk to him about was Tolkien - and let me tell you being compared to a writer that you don't personally care for, for 20 or 30 years is enough to make anyone chomp at the bit a little.
@@waltera13 I suppose that's somewhat understandable. i still found it sort of laughable, like he just had let all this resentment build up till it splurged all over the page. Some of the things he levelled against TOlkien 9and to an extent, Dunsany) seem really excessive. it's his right not to enjoy those writers, but I felt i was being harangued.
@@DamnableReverend You hadda been there. . . .
Is The Many Coloured Land, Julian May on any list? I guess not quite fantasy.
Haven’t read it yet
Great reviews dear sir.
Dunsany has always blown my mind everytime I read him.
Another pair of great early and super ahead of their time, trendsetting novels are A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay and Lilith by George MacDonald.
I am fuckin stoked to read Black Easter. Gonna hunt that sucker down asap!
Hahaha the bit about Zelazny peering through the hole he poked in the fourth wall made me laugh out loud. Primo content.
Gotta stop in the very beginning and say that I believe you missed the entire point of The Wizard of Earthsea - it’s written for young adults and LeGuin wasn’t particularly interested in writing for this age group. Nevertheless, what she wrote was something that is pivotal in adolescence: You have to accept and incorporate all of yourself in order to be whole.
Also, LeGuin is a genius and never once have I felt that I needed to be in a “zen” place to appreciate her. Stick with hard Sci-fi.
King of Elflands Daughter is in Project Gutenberg. Anybody can get that for free.
Interesting your opinion on Zelazny, because I am just finishing reading Lord of Light which has the same thing, but in that book the use of contemporary language every so often is intentional to give you a hint of what is really going on. Although I did think that he did it a little too much.
I felt the same about 9 Princes… and for me the two issues combined to ruin the book. The imagery felt referential rather than symbolic, and the whole thing became capricious. Then I couldn’t enjoy it for what it was because dated phrases got in the way of suspension of disbelief. I think I’ll give him another try with something else.
Cool shirt
Just in case, you were planning on reading any more fantasy, I highly recommend "The Traveller in Black" by John Brunner to you. Brunner himself has written some really good scifi stuff, but this book is just great. Love the prose and the worldbuilding. 🙏 Never heard of Black Easter, definitely going to check it out :)
A fantastic recommendation! If I recall correctly, it made me teary-eyed at, of all things, a lamp being blown out!
So many ideas were being played with back then in remarkably novel ways!
Seconded, or thirded. A very enjoyable read, and greatly underappreciated these days.
Surprised to see Lord Dunsany mentioned here. I've not read a lot by him and I am only aware of him because of HP Lovecraft but this one has me intrigued to read.
For the longest, I did think James Blish was a hack because of all the novelization of Star Trek he'd written. I think I had a couple of those novels even though I've never read any of them.
I know exactly what you mean. I read A Case of Conscience and was converted
I would say Poul Anderson is another well read author as much as or even more than Blish, and it shows in his fantasy.
they knew each other well - in the futurians and other nyc scifi clubs.
Although not every book appealed to your taste, I really enjoyed listening to your thoughts on all of them! I'm going to have to pick up The King of Elfland's Daughter. I can't believe I haven't heard much about that book given the influence it's had on Tolkien and possible Moorcock. Thanks!
great recommendations thanks! i read blood music by grear bear which was a 8/10 for me and roadside picnic which was a 9/10 for me because of your videos. i think i will give the james blish book a try next
If you like Greg Bear, but also like fantasy, he wrote a great book called Songs of Earth and Power.
roadside is a 10/10 for me and mite be my fav sci fi story. its one of them for sure.
thank you! great suggestions
I had a similar experience, trying to read the Earthsea novels in my thirties. I tried again in my late 50s and loved them. Put it in your google calendar. ; )
Another influence on Tolkien may have possibly been "The Princess and the Goblin" and "the Princess and Curdie" by George MacDonald written in 1872 and 1883 respectively.
Lord of Light is another great book by Zelazny.
I was expecting some trash fantasy, but BP subverted expectations. I think he deliberately picked good writers. Suspicious.
Earlier this year, I walked away from A Wizard Of Earthsea after about 30 pages. Not because I didn’t like it (it seemed ok), but because my TBR stack is out of control and I didn’t want to get into a fantasy trilogy right now.
WFT is going on with the prices on James Blish - Black Easter on eBay?
Seriously, BP recommends and prices SKYrocket! 😏
He's probably picked up quite a few fantasy recommendations and that helped him to decide what to try reading