After a year that has not been too special on the fantasy front, I really don’t know where to start off discussing the short term future of fantasy; there are simply too many great new things happening in the fantasy genre during 2011!
Novels that will surely be amazing, endings of series that have taken decades to create and have held millions in their grip. Blockbuster movies and a television series that can only blow our minds.
Here are my personal hightlights: the best and most anticipated fantasy titles of the year to come!
Books and Series
The novel I am looking most forward to is The Crippled God by Steven Erikson. It is the last installment of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series and should be several hundreds of pages filled with the resolution of all mysteries that Erikson has created during the series. Allthough, knowing Erikson a bit, much will probably remain unsolved.
Close second on my list, mostly because we will have to wait till the end of September before it will be released, is A Dance with Dragons, the fifth novel in George R.R. Martin‘s already legendary A Song of Ice & Fire series. Together with the first season of Game of Thrones (see below), this novel will put a huge spotlight on the fantasy genre.
Soon available (in March) is the latest book of Patrick Rothfuss called The Wise Man’s Fear. After the succes of The Name of the Wind, the anticipation for this new novel is very high.
Last book I want to mention is A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, the last installment in The Wheel of Time series. I somewhat lost interest in the series over the years but for many fans this novel will be the most anticipated of the year and it is bound to be high in the New York Times bestsellers list for a long time. It is expected for November 2011.
Movies
Several interesting fantasy movies will be released in theatres in 2011 so there is a lot to look forward to but none of them are guaranteed to be very good. The most promising one is the last movie in the Potter series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, set to premiere in July. I am not that much of a fan of the Potter movies but the first Deathly Hallows movie was quite good so I am expecting a lot from part II.
The comedy fantasy movie Your Highness can go either way. Or it will be a hilarious ridicule of fantasy movies or it will be a annoying succession of desperately-trying-to-be-funny fantasy scenes. Your Highness will be in theatres on April 8.
Another movie I am not so sure about is Thor, with a story based on the Marvel comics. There is a good chance of this being a movie solely revolving around action scenes with the story having no depth and the characters being flat. Thor will premiere late April/ early May.
Last in this category of doubtfull movies is the remake of Conan the Barbarian. They will have to make an extremely good movie to come near the “level” of the original movie and to shake of the criticism and cynicism that fans will surely have. We will have to wait a while for Conan as it will not be in theatres until August.
One movie I am personally definitely not looking forward to is the first of the two Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn movies that will be released in November 2011.
Game of Thrones
I simply cannot say it enough: Game of Thrones is starting in 2011! On April 17, the first episode will air on HBO in the US and on Sky in the UK and like almost everybody with a heart for fantasy, I love Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire series and am highly anticipating this television series.
As mentioned before, 2010 was not the greatest of years for the fantasy genre but 2011 will surely make us forget all about it. In addition, we will have the anticipation of the movie The Hobbit that is scheduled for 2012…
The start of a new year is a good time to glance back at the past year and try to make some sense of everything that happened. I will do this in a small way by summing up some of the major ripples in the pond called fantasy during 2010. This means that I have made an overview of the best fantasy novels, series, movies, TV series and games of the past year.
Perhaps this short overview will point out a movie you have not seen or remind you of a novel you should have read during last year. If not, it will at least help you form an opinion of the level of the fantasy media in 2010.
Fantasy books and series
First, a quick look at the most popular fantasy books of the pas year. Several novels stand out but in particular Towers of Midnight, the 13th novel in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series. It has been written by Brandon Sanderson and the general opinion is that he has done this quite well. This is also reflected by the number one position of the book in the New York Times Best Seller list and the fact that it remained high in this list and was sold in high numbers for many weeks.
Another novel that is absolutely worth mentioning is Under Heaven, written by Guy Gavriel Kay. Kay is probably best know for Tigana but has shown that he can become a stable and important author in the genre.
Last book I want to mention is the recently released Stonewielder. Written by Ian Cameron Esslemont and set in the Malazan world he has created with Steven Erikson, it is a great read that I will review in the near future.
Fantasy movies, TV series and games
The major fantasy event on the screen in 2010 must have been the latest Harry Potter movie The Deathly Hallows: Part I. This penultimate movie in the Potter Series was of course very popular and successful and, I have to admit, quite good. I will review the movie sometime in the coming weeks.
Of course there were more new fantasy movies in 2010, like Twilight: Eclipse and Clash of the Titans. Both are entertaining films but not ones you will remember as a classic.
Looking at fantasy television series, there was the news of the cancellation of Legend of the Seeker which is a shame but not that big a loss as this TV series had dwindling viewer ratings and simply wasn’t that good. Hopefully, HBO can fill the gap and show how a fantasy TV series should be made when Game of Thrones airs on April 17, 2011!
On the game front there has not been much fantasy activity worth mentioning. The World of Warcraft expansion pack Cataclysm was very successful but that was hardly surprising.
Looking back, I would say it was a pretty decent year for the fantasy genre but not a great one. In one of the next posts I will look ahead and will explain what the year 2011 has to offer and boy, that will be something!
HBO has released yet another teaser trailer of the highly anticipated upcoming fantasy television series Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones is based on George R.R. Martins series A Song of Ice & Fire, one of the greatest fantasy series ever written. The first episode of Game of Thrones will air on HBO exactly three month from now, on April 17 2011!
Baldur’s Gate I and II are fantasy role-playing games made by BioWare. These highly acclaimed games have a dark setting and involve demon hunting and puzzle solving, with the ultimate goal of stopping the followers of Bhaal, the Lord of Murder.
The games are comparable to Diablo game series but then somewhat less action-orientated.
Another differentiator of Baldur’s Gate is that the games are licensed to make use of the Dungeons and Dragons rules-set and also contain several of the Forgotten Realms characters.
Story
The story of the game revolves around the main character fighting demons, evil gods, vampires and the like in and around the city of Baldur’s Gate with as the ultimate goal to stop the followers of Bhaal, the Lord of Murder.
In the original Baldur’s Gate, the player searches for the killer of his or her foster father and tries to find out what causes metal to crumble into dust.
In the second game, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the player is imprisoned but escapes into the city of Athkatla, the capital of Amn and tries to figure out why he has been captured.
Games & Gameplay
The Baldur’s Gate games are RPGs (role-playing games) based on the rule set of the Forgotten Realms role-playing setting, using the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. The game is played in real-time and not turn-based.
The player begins as a weak character but obtains new and more powerful weapons, armour, and spells during the game. Also, experience points can be gained by killing monsters and completing quests.
The following games make up the Baldur’s Gate series:
- Baldur’s Gate (1998)
- Baldur’s Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (expansion pack, 1999)
- Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000)
- Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (expansion pack, 2001)
- The Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance (unrelated plot and only game to be released on game consoles, 2001)
Conclusion & Future
With over 5 million copies sold, Baldur´s Gate I and II have been very successful. However, it is unclear if a third game will ever be made. It has been mentioned many times in the past, both by BioWare and by license holder Atari but currently there is nothing but rumours.
An insight in the life and works of Stephen R. Donaldson, author of the fantasy series “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant”.
His novels and series are in general not an easy read, containing dark themes and ethical questions, but they have definitely made a impact in the genre. Donaldson writes very intensely and, although set in an fantasy world, his stories have great depth and loads of morality, making him one of the major fantasy authors of our time.
Known for his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (the unbeliever), Donaldson’s world and characters are even seen by many as rivaling those of Tolkien.
Biography
Stephen R. Donaldson was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1947 but lived in India (his father was a missionary) until 1963. He received his M.A. in English in 1971 but, when doing his Ph.D. afterwards, he decided to quit and start writing. He made his debute with the first novel in the now famous “Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” series in 1977.
Donaldson has kept on writing since, although he has not written that many novels. He now lives in New Mexico and is working on finishing “The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant”. Interesting to note is that Donaldson also has a Doctor of Literature degree and a black belt in Shotokan karate.
Style & Themes
The novels of Donaldson have a strong focus on the personality of the characters, especially the dark side of human nature. His stories involve many ethical choices and mistakes made by characters. Often psychological questions are addressed but not necessarily answered. A good example from the Covenant Chronicles is Thomas’ act of raping a girl in what he believes to be an imaginary world. Apart from being unsure wether or not the world is real, the question can be asked what this act says about Thomas and what the ethicial consequences are. Also, most of time the protagonist Thomas is unbalanced and moody to say the least. This results in him being quite an unlikeable person who is often difficult to relate to.
All together, this makes the books of Donaldson often difficult to read but at the same time also sets them apart and makes them all the more interesting. They are definitely not the standard high fantasy good versus evil stories we have grown used to.
Most important works
Stephen R. Donaldson made fame with his Thomas Covenant saga, describing the struggles of a leper who becomes an reluctant hero on alternate, fantasy world called The Land. Written in the seventies, the first two trilogies (The First and the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever) of this series have become landmarks in the fantasy genre.
Currently, Donaldson is in the process of writing the Last Chronicles, which will finalize the story of Thomas Covenant.
As you will see below, Donaldson has also written several other novels over the years, most of them part of three other series he has created. These series also have fantasy or science-fiction settings.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever
The First Chronicles
1. Lord Foul’s Bane (1977)
2. The Illearth War (1978)
3. The Power That Preserves (1979)
The Second Chronicles
1. The Wounded Land (1980)
2. The One Tree (1982)
3. White Gold Wielder (1983)
The Last Chronicles
1. The Runes of the Earth (2004)
2. Fatal Revenant (2007)
3. Against All Things Ending (2010)
4. The Last Dark (to be released: 2013)
The Gap Series
1. The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story (1991)
2. The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge (1991)
3. The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises (1993)
4. The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Order (1994)
5. The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die (1996)
Mordant’s Need
1. The Mirror of Her Dreams (1986)
2. A Man Rides Through (1987)
The Man Who… series
* The Man Who Killed His Brother (1980)
* The Man Who Risked His Partner (1984)
* The Man Who Tried to Get Away (1990)
* The Man Who Fought Alone (2001)
Official website of Stephen R. Donaldson
Written by the great George Lucas, directed by Ron Howard and starring the likes of Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer, the fantasy movie Willow is a definite must-see for all those who like fantasy.
The movie was not a big success when it was released in theaters in 1988 but appreciation for it has grown over the years.
Willow may look somewhat outdated and the story slow and childish but the visual effects were very good for the time and the story is interesting and funny enough to keep you entertained. This is also why Willow can be found in the ranking of teh best fantasy movies ever made.
Story
Afraid of a prophecy according to which she will be brought down by a baby, the evil queen Bavmorda imprisons all pregnant women in her kingdom. The child of the prophecy is born in her dungeons but before Bavmorda has a chance to kill the baby, the midwife manages to escape with it. She is caught but puts the baby on a raft in the river. It ends up in the hands of the dwarf Willow who is reluctant at first but then starts caring for the baby.
When the town is attacked by servants of Bavmorda looking for the baby, Willow is sent on a quest to bring back the baby (who’s name turns out to be Elora Danan) to the world of the large people. On his way he is helped by the warrior Madmartigan, the brownies Franjean and Rool, queen of the forest Cherlindrea, the goat-sorceress Fin Raziel and an army that also happens to want to fight queen Bavmorda. After a lot of magic, fighting and cunning tricks, Willow and his friends manage to stop Bavmorda from killing the baby Elora.
Themes & Reception
Developed an produced by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, Willow was much anticipated. This was even more increased by the breakthrough use of CGI resulting in great visual effects. But when Willow was released in May 1988, it became a box office disappointment, receiving negative reviews from critics. They found the “good versus bad” and “reluctant hero” themes of the movie (the story is typical high/ heroic fantasy) too cliché for adults and deemed it too dark for children.
I do agree with this criticism but on the other hand, Willow did receive two Academy Award nominations and the film gave a boost to the careers of Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer. Over the years, the movie also became more and more appreciated by fans of the genre.
