Modern fantasy has remained fairly monolithic for the past decade, consisting primarily of High Fantasy – castles, kings and queens, dragons, and sorcerers – usually arranged in trilogies, and almost always with a medieval style setting, though not in our historical past. There have always been exceptions, of course, perhaps, most notably, writers like Jim Butcher and Simon R. Green who have fathered extended series of fantasies set in the contemporary world. The occasional historical fantasy has provided some variation, and sword and sorcery thrives after a fashion in the world of gaming tie-ins, chiefly from Wizards of the Coast and in Black Library’s Warhammer series.
Dead Reign by T.A. Pratt
This year saw a dramatic change in the mix, the seeds of which had begun to emerge over the past two or three years. The most significant is the rise of paranormal romances using fantasy themes, almost always set in the contemporary world or one close to it. The boundaries of this new form are ill defined and range from the occasionally humorous other world adventures as in T.A. Pratt’s novels set in the city of Felport to the more realistic world depicted by Kat Richardson, Charlaine Harris, Devon Monk, and others. Many of these involve vampires and other supernatural creatures and could also be read as horror novels. Although trilogies still appear, most series have become much longer or even open ended. In fact, almost every fantasy novel published during 2008 was part of a series. Fantasy has become very successful for young adults and children as well, and part of this is no doubt carryover from the very popular Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. Many of these are written with a degree of sophistication missing from much other fiction targeted at this age group, and like Rowling’s novels, many of them have also found an appreciative audience among adults.
Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
One of the best fantasy novels for younger readers this year was Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke, the concluding volume in a trilogy that opened with Inkheart in 2003 and continued with Inkspell in 2005. The first volume will be appearing as a motion picture in 2009. The premise is that a fantasy world created by a writer has become real, and the protagonists find themselves caught up in it. The concept of characters trapped inside a book is not new – L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt wrote the Harold Shea series with a similar premise during the 1940s – but Funke gives the concept her own twist. The series is quite complex, with over one hundred characters, but the results are worth rising to the challenge. Bruce Coville also concludes a trilogy this year, one which began with Into the Land of the Unicorns in 1994, and continued in Song of the Wanderer in 2001. Dark Whispers consists of two parallel quest stories which will converge to reveal not only the fate of the main characters but finally explain the source of the animosity between the people of Coville’s magical realm and the unicorns who share their land.
A third exceptional children’s fantasy is Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish, sequel to last year’s Foundling. The protagonist is an orphan in a world that vaguely resembles Victorian England. He is taken in by the lamplighters whose job is to provide the illumination that protects people from the creatures who live in darkness. The arrival of the first girl to enter their order upsets everyone involved. Witty prose and an inventive imagination are evident here. A concluding volume will follow. One other notable young adult fantasy novel appeared in 2008, one with dark themes and a sexual subtext that is likely to make it controversial. Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels features a protagonist who has been raped and molested by her father and who has fled their pre-industrial civilization into a closed universe where she and her baby can live a life of peace and tranquility. Unfortunately, the barrier protecting her is not absolute and visitors from the other reality will cause fresh heart break and pain.
Urban fantasy was well represented, led by T.A. Pratt’s Dead Reign, third in an ongoing series set in the mythical city of Felport and featuring Marsha Mason, the city’s chief magician, who in this adventure has to outwit Death in physical form, a manifestation of the Lord of the Underworld who takes over the city. Mason responds by invading Hell in this witty, often humorous, and very clever adventure story. Newcomer Devon Monk opens a rather different series with Magic to the Bone, set in a fantasy version of Portland, Oregon. The protagonist has a rare talent. Exposed to the results of a curse, she can psychically backtrack to its origin and find out who is responsible. An abused child appears to have been cursed by his own father, but the truth turns out to be much more complicated. Monk has developed an unusual magic system for his fantasy world which suggests that everything has consequences, and shifting those to another party can be more appalling than the act itself.
Perhaps the best single fantasy novel of the year was Knights of the Cornerstone by James P. Blaylock, his first book in several years. The protagonist visits his aunt and uncle in a remote community in northern California and finds himself caught up in the battle between two forces for control of certain sacred artifacts. As always, Blaylock introduces his fantastic elements in such a matter of fact manner that the reader is willing to accept even the most outrageous events. The best quasi-historical fantasy this year was Swiftly by Adam Roberts, set in an alternate world where Gulliver‘s adventures actually happened. When war breaks out between England and France, the Lilliputians and Brobdingnabians choose opposite sides. The novel is clever and inventive.
High fantasy may have been in decline, but that doesn’t mean that no one was writing fine stories in that form. Dennis L. McKiernan has been chronicling events in his mythical world of Mithgar for several years. City of Jade is probably his best single book, although familiarity with some of the earlier volumes would make the plot of this intricate novel somewhat less dense. It is cast as a kind of retelling of Jason and the Argonauts, describing the mustering of a crew for a ship bound to explore remote regions of a magical world. Episodic in structure, it has a strong central story to bind it together. Kage Baker returns with a sequel to The Anvil of the World. The House of the Stag follows a young man from youth to adult as he deals with his half-human heritage, survives a stint as a gladiator and matures into a more thoughtful person. The novel deals with matters of conscience and faith as well as providing high adventure and even moments of genuine humor. Baker’s already enviable reputation as a science fiction writer is likely to widen to include fantasy as well.
Several of the very best of the year’s fantasy novels draw upon some elements of high fantasy, but set them in far more original worlds, some where the very laws of nature are different, others closely resembling our own. Alan Campbell returns to the world of 2007’s Scar Night for Iron Angel, set in a surreal future city which is the battleground between the ruler of a league of mystical wizards and a pantheon of godlike beings. The novel’s vivid settings and bizarre juxtapositions of events is complex and rewards close attention, although it ends disappointingly with a cliffhanger setting up the next and perhaps final volume in the series. An even more original world is revealed in Jay Lake’s Escapement, sequel to Mainspring. Lake mixes a quasi-Victorian civilization usually associated with the Steampunk movement to a unique world, one operated through elaborate and oversized mechanisms. In both of these novels, the setting is so fascinating in its own right that it tends at times to over shadow the characters and conflicts that advance the plot.
Sarah A. Hoyt has been writing first rate historical fantasy for a few years now. She switched to a more contemporary setting for Draw One in the Dark last year and this year she followed up with a sequel, Gentleman Takes a Chance. It resembles paranormal fantasy in that the magical creatures – in this case people who can assume a variety of animal forms – are living secretly among us. The protagonist is a were-panther who finds herself torn between two worlds, and unable to devote time to resolving that conflict because of a series of murders. Since all of the victims were shape shifters, members of that community decide to act on their own, even if that means open warfare between the two species.
The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick
British writer Robert V.S. Redick’s The Red Wolf Conspiracy also borrows from high fantasy, but most of the story is set aboard a vast sea-going vessel, centuries old, which is engaged on a mission to negotiate a peace between two rival kingdoms. The ship is a self-contained world in itself, with internal conflicts, long hidden secrets, and even a small tribe with a separate culture within a culture. This was easily the best first fantasy novel of the year. Holly Phillips’ The Engine’s Child is also set at sea because it takes place on a world almost completely covered with water. The protagonist is a relative innocent who gets caught up in the struggle among various secretive groups to gain certain ends, including the development of a technology that will allow its owners to locate the rare spots of solid land. Although the main character is not an admirable person, the world she inhabits is fascinating and the prose is smooth and entertaining.
Richard Morgan is the author of several highly praised science fiction novels, and The Steel Remains was his first foray into fantasy. Morgan also borrows from high fantasy; his protagonist is a wizened veteran of a magical war who has fallen on hard times and lives in his own memories. He and two companions embark on what appears to be a typical fantasy quest, but their adventures are transformed by a kind of gritty realism and intensity rarely found in such adventure stories. Patricia A. McKillip, on the other hand, has carved out a small niche for herself, a brand of fantasy that might include high adventure but which has characters who are familiar seeming people rather than heroic figures. In The Bell at Sealey Head, a small town in a rural otherworld is troubled by the pealing of a phantom bell that no one can see. There is also a delightful mansion full of unexpected magic and unusual events. A mysterious visitor and a dying woman will contribute to the solution of the mystery.
Although traditional sword and sorcery has not produced a notable novel in some time, 2008 also saw a new, multi-volume reissue of Michael Moorcock’s classic “Elric” stories. These novels and short stories feature one of the earliest fantasy anti-heroes. Elric is in a sense possessed by his own sword, which compels him to spill blood so that it can devour human souls. His exploits changed tone over the years from high adventure to more intellectual struggles. The series has become nearly as popular as Robert E. Howard’s Conan tales and a series of movies based on them is currently being developed.
Recommended Titles:
The titles listed below reflect the dramatic changes which appear to be transforming contemporary fantasy. Although there was considerable short fantasy fiction this year, there was only one collection that stood out. Some of the titles listed below are from the first half of the year and were covered in the previous volume in this series.
The House of the Stag by Kage Baker
The Knights of the Cornerstone by James P. Blaylock
Iron Angel by Alan Campbell
The Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish
Dark Whispers by Bruce Coville
Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
The Gentleman Takes a Chance by Sarah A. Hoyt
Escapement by Jay Lake
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
City of Jade by Dennis L. McKiernan
The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip
Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk
The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
The Engine’s Child by Holly Phillips
The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick
Swiftly by Adam Roberts
– Don D’Ammassa has been reading science fiction since 1960 and reviewing it since 1970. He edited the Hugo nominated fan magazine Mythologies and has written scores of articles about the field for encyclopedias and other publications. He is also the author of several science fiction novels and dozens of short stories, including Narcissus, Haven, and Scarab. He has very eclectic tastes and savors the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.G. Ballard, Robert A. Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon, and H.P. Lovecraft, each in its own way. He is also the author of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror, and The Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction.
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