Fantasy Works To Explore and Discover

INTRODUCTION

After last week's land mine strewn path, I am avoiding the subject of flawed creative talents for the foreseeable future. I've also had massive issues with sleep and pain, and just can't concentrate to give the works I have been writing reviews of, a fair reading. I apologize for that, but I promise to make up for it.  I am aware some people think reading books, comics and games for review is easy to do, and maybe it is, but for me, receiving product, digital or in print form, means someone trusts you enough for you to share with others. While it is true that life has been difficult for me over the last 18 months, I can't assume it isn't the same for others. So, I am trying to do more than simply endure, I want to thrive.

AUTHORS OF FANTASY BOOKS WORTH EXPLORING

I'm aware that some readers of speculative fiction think that the genre of Fantasy is a waste of time. To them, Science Fiction with the many concepts and ideas about the future and technology and lives lived far from the present gives them a session of reading that inspires them or makes them appreciate the level of intellect required to have written such a work. I'm OK with that, we all have different reasons for our taste and interests. But I'm moved far more by Fantasy.  Now, you might say, everyone has taste so why bother saying that, but that isn't the point that I'm trying to make.  Fantasy is a genre that I've seen get treated as being a weak partner in the realm of Speculative fiction.

 
Dennis McKiernan didn't begin his prose life writing fantasy.  He was interested in it but only came to the genre when he had time following a devastating injury by accident (a dirt bike he was riding was hit by a  car, and he was in full body cast.) During his convalescence he was able to weave a story, and did so in a way that was interesting and fun. The Iron Tower Trilogy and the Silver Call Duology were written as a narrative description to create a fictional setting where future stories occurred.  He was prolific, and his tales went from well written homage towards the work of JRR Tolkien, to becoming original and consistently worth the time and money invested in them. (The covers shown above feature art by Alan Lee, a great artist).  If you choose to be annoyed by a writer who chooses to swim in the same waters as a writer such as Tolkien, then you might well dislike it. I, however, always thought that the expanse and vision of Tolkien was great, but Tolkien's characters were almost all written similar to a male of his era, show no emotions, nor variance between characters in terms of their sanity, madness, hope and despair.   And mind you, I'm ok with that, but whatever I found missing in JRRTolkien I found inside the works of Dennis McKiernan.

Elizabeth Moon writes fantasy with a military edge, due to her being former military and a former EMT.  A result of that is the scenes featuring action feel real, with pacing and description being far better than most fantasy.  I like the people who let the reader fill in the blank too, but Moon has no problem whatsoever showing combat for what it is. The damage from battle, whether by accident or deliberate attack is very well done, and that impact makes for stories that have depth beyond the normal read.

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, Lord Dunsany I've read that people either love or hate Dunsany and I think that I understand why.  He came from an era where poets were expected to bring out larger words, archaic words, and using much of the idiosyncrasies of sentence structure and punctuation. Despite writing prose the work bears evidence that the author was telling stories from a poetic mindset.  I remember my first experience reading Dunsany and I read the same page 3 times just so that I wouldn't miss anything.  It was good, but it was clear to me that this was a nearly unique work, in that, if the sentences were long, if the words were archaic, the combination of all elements made his work lush and worthwhile to read.

 
Juliet Marillier based Daughter of the Forest upon historically beloved stories The Children of Lir and The Six Swans.  And within the world she wrote her fantasy tales about, she uses factual settings of Ireland, the island of Britain. And places the story between the culturally significant but dying Celtic paganism and the rise of Christian beliefs.  So, to begin with, this work resonates well, for anyone with more than a passing interest of the past, and functions as romance as well as historical fiction and fantasy.  Her later works further expand upon the limits of historical fiction, and aims at telling stories within known cultures, from new perspectives.

Katherine Kurtz's series of the Deryni explores religion, race, politics, fantasy and places two races in a rivalry, humans and the Dernyi, elves, within an mythic medieval or dark ages Britsh isles. However, what makes this especially good, is the depth of setting, the understanding of religious cultural influences, and an intelligent refusal to have stereotypical good versus evil racial biases. Kurtz's work is worth diving deeply into, as fantasy goes it is very intelligently presented.

William Morris wore many hats, as artist, as poet, as author, and designer.  However talented he was, I think that his works might not succeed in the both the reader ear and imaginative mind of a modern audience.  He was talented, and I like his work very much.  But like Beowulf to a modern poet who has barely read recent poetry, his words and writing style is somewhat archaic.  I've heard similar things regarding Lord Dunsany, but Dunsany wrote in lush detail for a purpose, he used words to create depth and layers.  I think William Morris is more a writer than poet, but he describes more than creates.  This might be wrong, I know people who love his work, and who simultaneously hate Dunsany, so what the hell do I know?

Ursula K. Le Guin was a fantastic writer, broad thinker, and world builder, in ways most people don't imagine, let alone present to others in fiction. I say this not in any way meant to impugn other writers, as we all have our strengths and flaws. But every time I read her works they were quite new, rarely using elements of fantasy beyond the initial starting point.  Her initial Earthsea trilogy moved me, and the works she added later were as good, or better. Her characters have real emotions, live in amazing settings, and every story I've read by her feels like it matters. For people who want familiar tropes, there are writers to provide that, but Le Guin was original, and anything she wrote about had weight of verisimilitude with it, along with deep and intelligent, and emotionally intelligent stories.

BUY MY STUFF

As a result of not having conventions working for me, as well as world issues, I'll be selling more from home.  Not only am I trying to sell my own works, but those I've read once and need to sell If you are interested in my books, poetry, prose or comics, write me@ AlexanderNess63@Gmail.Com and have a subject line of sales offers and books. I have a list of all of my credited published works at this link. Perhaps don't assume all books are print, but many are. I only send to US addresses, due to past issues with Canada post and the horrific costs of mailing to the EU and the UK, or elsewhere.

GETTING ME TO REVIEW YOU

First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Styled Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis and other Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com 

I have an email list for my poetry blog, AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com  If you are interested please send me an email asking to join the list.  I have 3 new poems appearing daily.  When or if I have new books, the first people to know will be on the list, and I offer deals there for new products. Send an email toAlexanderness63@gmail.com to join the list.  I promise never to sell the list or share it.