The following is me recommending a series of fantasy books I've been reading for about 20 years. If that sort of thing interests ya, please read on. Otherwise, I'll see you in a bit with another WoW post.Back in 1989, during my third year of college, a roommate brought in a book he owned but hadn't read: Daggerspell, by Katherine Kerr. It was a sword & Sorcery type of book, which I enjoyed, but it had a completely different take on things. This book was based in a Celtic universe, with feudal clans, the magic of Dweomer, and the reincarnation of souls through an 800 year saga of mistakes frustration and redemption. I was seriously hooked.
It, along with the 5 books that followed while I was still in school dealt with numerous intersting plots, races heroes and a villains. Maybe a *tad* more romantic that I normally like, the books had a depth to most of the characters that let them live and breath in your mind. While it may be a bit less "high literature" (which I feel Lord of the Rings is) the story, world and characters matches (maybe exceeds?) Tolkein's monumental work in a combination of depth and breadth. (in my most humble opinion) The writing style is easy to read, but the story is as complex and wonderful as a Celtic Knot
Over the following 20 years, I followed as books have been slowly published, and as of now, after a total 15 books, it seems that the saga may be over.
If you have the time, inclination and interest, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Here's the list:
Act one: Deverry
1.Daggerspell (1986)
2.Darkspell (1987) — later reissued in an "author's definitive edition"
3.The Bristling Wood (1989) — US title; issued in the UK as Dawnspell: The Bristling Wood
4.The Dragon Revenant (1990) — US title; issued in the UK as Dragonspell: The Southern Sea
Act two: The Westlands
1.A Time of Exile (1991)
2.A Time of Omens (1992)
3.Days of Blood and Fire (1993) — US title; issued in the UK as A Time of War
4.Days of Air and Darkness (1994) — US title; issued in the UK as A Time of Justice
Act three: The Dragon Mage
1.The Red Wyvern (1997)
2.The Black Raven (1998)
3.The Fire Dragon (2000)
Act four: The Silver Wyrm
1.The Gold Falcon (2006) - US title; issued in the UK as the fourth book of The Dragon Mage
2.The Spirit Stone (2007) - US title; issued in the UK as the fifth book of The Dragon Mage
3.The Shadow Isle (2008) - US title; issued in the UK as the sixth book of The Dragon Mage
4.The Silver Mage (2009) - US title; issued in the UK as the seventh book of The Dragon Mage
I hope you read, and I hope you enjoy!
Thanks for putting this together! Even though I am currently blogging a fantasy novel based on my WoW character, I actually haven't read too widely in the fantasy genre (I majored in comparative literature in college, but I went through mostly classic literature there, which means, stuff you can find in Penguin Classics =P). I'm always happy to get suggestions and I enjoyed your review of these works! I'll pick up the first one and see how it goes for me =)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I have met you in-game yet... it's hard to keep track of everyone and their alts! I only play as Ameilia, so if you ever see me on there, say hello =) I'm just trying to excavate as many fellow guildies' blogs as I can so I can add them to my roll...
Anyway, I look forward to keeping up with your posts! Take care =)
Amelia, Thanks for stopping by! I think if you rea the first book, and enjoy it, you should enjoy them all.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been on the SAN US server (Argent Dawn, Allliance) very much lately, but I haven't beenin-game much either. I play Balthazario there, as well as my home realm, Velen.