Contrary to almost all other well-known fantasy series, the Shannara trilogy is set in the distant future. However, all other classic elements of fantasy stories are present: strange lands and races, magic and a fight between good and evil.
Author Terry Brooks has written many Shannara series after the original trilogy, many of them best sellers, making him one of the most successful fantasy authors.
Story & Setting
After the destruction of the world as we know it, several races (men, elves, dwarves and trolls) fight each other for world domination. A group of elves, known as the Druids try to prevent war and defeat evil, as do the members of the Shannara family, who are from mixed heritage of elf and man.
Magic plays an important part but throughout the series technology is also being used.
Conclusion
With a storyline and races comparable to those of The Lord of the Rings, some say this series is a simplified copy of LoTR. To me, that statement is cutting corners a bit. However, I also feel that the series is a nice and easy read but not much more than that. Then again, Shannara has a lot of fans and has been an introduction to fantasy for many so I felt I had to include it in the list of best fantasy series.
There have been plans to make a movie based on the Shannara novels (Warner Bros had to rights to do so until 2010) but so far this has not happened.
As of yesterday (March 1, 2011) a second novel of Patrick Rothfuss in the Kingkiller Chronicles is available, called The Wise Man’s Fear.
Based on what I have heard so far about the book, it is of at least the same level as the first novel, The Name of the Wind, one of the best fantasy novels of the last decade. That means that The Wise Man’s Fear will contain a complex and intriguing story and will be an amazing read.
The next installment in the series will be called The Doors of Stone. If Rothfuss continues like this, the Kingkiller Chronicles will definitely earn it’s place among the best fantasy series ever, making him one of the best fantasy authors around.
Official summary
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
An escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe discovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King’s road.
All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived. Under her tutelage, Kvothe learns much about true magic and the ways of women.
In The Wise Man’s Fear Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.
Review of the fantasy series The Belgariad. Written by David Eddings, the series consists of a total of five novels (see below).
The novels are a nice read but they are definitely not ground-breaking in my opinion. The overall story is quite straightforward and the characters are not very complex. Simplicity is not always a bad thing but it is one of the reasons why The Belgariad is not a series I will read for a second time.
On the other hand, many people have read the series and like it, making The Belgariad one of the most influential fantasy series.
Story
The young orphan Garion finds out he is a descendant of a powerful sorcerer and goes on a quest to find and protect an orb that has the power to rule the world.
Over the course of the series Garion finds out he too as special powers but still needs the help of his family and friends to fulfill the ancient prophecy. Garion has to battle the followers of the evil god Torak and even will even have to face the god himself.
Themes & Setting
The Belgariad is classical high fantasy. Set in a completely imaginary world, magic comes in many forms in The Belgariad, with a lot of characters who have supernatural abilities.
There are gods with almost supreme power, sorcerer who can teleport and create things with nothing more than their imagination and wizards who can summon demons. Interesting enough, no one has the power to undo/ unmake things.
The different races and characters are clearly different, each with their unique trademarks, specialties and weaknesses.
Books
1. Pawn of Prophecy (1982)
2. Queen of Sorcery (1982)
3. Magician’s Gambit (1983)
4. Castle of Wizardry (1984)
5. Enchanters’ End Game (1984)
A five book sequel called The Malloreon was also written by David Eddings.
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!
The Sword of Truth is a fantasy series written by Terry Goodkind consisting of 11 novels.
The story of The Sword of Truth is a familiar one: a boy turns out to be legendary hero, destined to face evil enemies with incredible powers and of course he gets help from an old wizard and a beautiful girl.
However, as most of the well-known and influential fantasy series, The Sword of Truth is well written and has quite a few innovative ideas and angles to it.
Story
Richard Cypher is a boy growing up the Westland, where no magic exists due to a barrier with the Midlands created long ago. But Richard turns out to be the Seeker of Truth, a champion of good with a great destiny. He is found by the Confessor Kahlan and aided by the wizard Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, who has watched over him all of life.
Over the course of the series, Richard discovers his powers and falls in love with Kahlan, who by then has become the Mother Confessor. He first takes on the evil Darken Rahl, ruler of D’Hara. Richard discovers that Darken Rahl is father and, after killing him, becomes ruler of D’Hara. Then a new foe arises and Richard Rahl has to face the dream walker Emperor Jagang of the Old World who intends to take over the New World.
Theme and Setting
The novels of The Sword of Truth contain clear cut stories of good versus evil with a strong focus on morality. Each of the novels in the series are constructed around a wizard’s rule, which is a moral lesson to be heeded if one wants to be a good wizard or human being in general. This is in line with the focus on the growth of the characters, especially those of Richard and Kahlan. Combined with the epic fight against evil, this makes the series as a clear example of high fantasy with heroic elements.
The overall story and underlying themes and plots will therefore often sound somewhat familiar and repetitive but they are well written. Also, Terry Goodkind has been able to include original (fantasy) elements in his books.
Criticism
Some love the series, some hate it: let’s say that The Sword of Truth is not exactly my cup of tea. The first couple of books were pretty good but I have to admit that I stopped reading after 5the Soul of the Fire. The story became a bit too romantic and tedious for my taste. I can handle a bit of romance and morality in a series but it is not the main thing I am looking for when reading fantasy. On the other hand, millions have read Terry Goodkinds books and it is one of the few fantasy series that has been turned in a television series.
The Books
1994 – Wizard’s First Rule
1996 – Stone of Tears
1997 – Blood of the Fold
1998 – Temple of the Winds
1999 – Soul of the Fire
2001 – Faith of the Fallen
2002 – The Pillars of Creation
2003 – Naked Empire
2005 – Chainfire
2005 – Phantom
2007 – Confessor
The Farseer Trilogy is fantasy series written by Robin Hobb, one of the few successful female fantasy authors. It consists of the novels Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest.
It is a pretty classic story with a hero who at first is quite insignificant and becomes more and more important but it is written well and has original elements, which is why it is in my list of favorite fantasy series.
Story
The series tells the tale of a nameless, young boy, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry, who gets the name Fitz (or FitzChivalry). He makes a pact with his grandfather, king Shrewd, to get shelter and safety in turn for absolute loyalty.
Fitz is taught the ways of an assassin and puts his telepathic Skills to use by defending the kingdom of the Six Duchies throughout the three novels against the Red-Ship Raiders and political ploys at the court.
Style & Themes
Robin Hobb, perhaps because she is a woman, puts a lot of emotion in her writing and the main characters in her books really come to life and develop themselves throughout the series. I believe this is one of the main reasons why her books are that popular and why she is on the list of best fantasy authors.
The story does contain action and magic but is also very much focused at political ploys and intrigues. The focus on character building and the relatively minor role of magic clearly makes The Farseer Trilogy as a more low fantasy series than a high fantasy one.
Conclusion
The Farseer series may not be very action-oriented, but it is well written, has great story lines and plot twists and very solid character building. Hobb has written several other major series like The Liveship Traders Trilogy and The Tawny Man Trilogy but The Farseer Trilogy remains my favorite.
A lot of Malazan news these days. Bantam Press has announced the release dates for the last novel in Steven Erikson‘s The Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It will be available on February 15, 2011 in the US and on February 21, 2011 in the UK and in Europe.
I cannot wait!
Synopsis
Savaged by the K’Chain Nah’Ruk, the Bonehunters march for Kolanse, where waits an unknown fate. Tormented by questions, the army totters on the edge of mutiny, but Adjunct Tavore will not relent. One final act remains, if it is in her power, if she can hold her army together, if the shaky allegiances she has forged can survive all that is to come. A woman with no gifts of magic, deemed plain, unprepossessing, displaying nothing to instill loyalty or confidence, Tavore Paran of House Paran means to challenge the gods — if her own troops don’t kill her first.
Awaiting Tavore and her allies are the Forkrul Assail, the final arbiters of humanity. Drawing upon an alien power terrible in its magnitude, they seek to cleanse the world, to annihilate every human, every civilization, in order to begin anew. They welcome the coming conflagration of slaughter, for it shall be of their own devising, and it pleases them to know that, in the midst of the enemies gathering against them, there shall be betrayal. In the realm of Kurald Galain, home to the long lost city of Kharkanas, a mass of refugees stand upon the First Shore. Commanded by Yedan Derryg, the Watch, they await the breaching of Lightfall, and the coming of the Tiste Liosan. This is a war they cannot win, and they will die in the name of an empty city and a queen with no subjects.
Elsewhere, the three Elder Gods, Kilmandaros, Errastas and Sechul Lath, work to shatter the chains binding Korabas, the Otataral Dragon, and release her from her eternal prison. Once freed, she will be a force of utter devastation, and against her no mortal can stand. At the Gates of Starvald Demelain, the Azath House sealing the portal is dying. Soon will come the Eleint, and once more, there will be dragons in the world. And so, in a far away land and beneath indifferent skies, the final cataclysmic chapter in the extraordinary ‘Malazan Book of the Fallen’ begins.
Source: Amazon
Stonewielder, the new Malazan novel by Ian Cameron Esslemont, is on its way to the stores and will be available soon!
In this latest novel, set in the work Esslemont created together with Steven Erikson, we will learn more about the legendary Greymane and the Empire’s Korelri campaign.
Personally, I thought that Esslemont’s previous novels, Night of Knives and Return of the Crimson Guard, were not yet completely at the same level as Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series but I thorougly enjoyed the books and he is getting there so I am really looking forward to his latest work.
Stonewielder will be published by Bantam Books on December 28, 2010.
Synopsis
Greymane believed he’d outrun his past. With his school for swordsmanship in Falar, he was looking forward to a quiet life, although his colleague Kyle wasn’t as enamoured with life outside the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. However, it seems it is not so easy for an ex-Fist of the Malazan Empire to disappear, especially one under sentence of death from that same Empire. For there is a new Emperor on the throne of Malaz, and he is dwelling on the ignominy that is the Empire’s failed invasion of the Korel subcontinent. In the vaults beneath Unta, the Imperial capital, lie the answers to that disaster. And out of this buried history surfaces the name Stonewielder. In Korel, Lord Protector Hiam, commander of the Stormguard, faces the potential annihilation of all that he holds dear. With few remaining men and a crumbling stone wall that has seen better days, he confronts an ancient enemy: the sea-borne Stormriders have returned. Religious war also threatens these lands. The cult of the Blessed Lady, which had stood firm against the Riders for millennia, now seeks to eradicate its rivals. And as chaos looms, a local magistrate investigating a series of murders suddenly finds himself at the heart of a far more ancient and terrifying crime – one that has tainted an entire land…”Stonewielder” is an enthralling new chapter in the epic story of a thrillingly imagined world.
Source: Amazon
The Dark Tower is the well-known fantasy series by the highly acclaimed “horror author” Stephen King. It is fantasy topped off with a spaghetti western sauce in such a way that some will not like but keeps me asking for more.
Story
The gunslinger Roland is on a quest to find the Dark Tower. He lives in a world, Mid-World, resembling somewhat the dark ages with aspects of the American wild west. However, there is also magic in this world and signs of a past technological civilization. Along the way Roland picks up several friends who together with him form the Ka-tet of the Nineteen and Ninety-nine. These friends have issues of their own but share in Rolands destiny and through many amazing, strange adventures, both on different worlds, including our own, and in different times, Ronald step by step gets nearer to The Dark Tower.
Themes & Styles
The Dark Tower contains both contemporary and dark fantasy elements. It is definitely somewhat of an odd one out on this website. The Dark Tower is not at all the typical high fantasy that characterizes the rest of the series in my list of best fantasy series. However, the story does contain magic and happens partially on imaginary worlds. Besides, it is so good that I simply couldn’t leave out and within this specific subgenre of fantasy it is by far the best ever made. On the other hand I have to admit that it is a difficult read which will cause many to put away the books.
Books
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982)
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)
Written by the legendary Stephen King, The Dark Tower is dark, mysterious, and disturbing: what more could you wish for?
We have established that the genre of fantasy originated long ago, has done well in the past and has thrived in the last decennium but what about its future?
Books, (TV) Series, Movies and Games
As stated in my post about the current state of fantasy, there are lots of good fantasy authors around, both old legends who are still writing and promising newcomers. For example, on the short run, I am really looking forward to the final part of The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. But also oldtimers like Martin, Pratchet and Feist are still alive and kicking, meaning that we can expected many more novels and series from them.
When talking about TV series and Movies two major events are expected for the foreseeable future. The first is the upcoming television series Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, which will start airing in 2011. The second is the movie The Hobbit, based on the classic novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is still unclear if the movie will really be made but there definitely plans for making it.
Lastly there are the fantasy computer games. More and better looking fantasy games can be expected in the future. Also, the influence of games will keep increasing as gaming has become more and more accepted.
World of Warcraft will remain huge, Final Fantasy and Zelda having new games coming out and the genre of fantasy will always be a very popular source of inspiration for game producers.
Conclusion
So it looks like we fantasy fans do not have to worry for the near future. Plenty of great fantasy books, TV series, movies and games can be expected for the years to come.
An alltogether different point to make is hoe technological developments will change our way of reading fantasy novels. Of course movies and games will become even more impressive with better visuals and graphics but what about books? Ebooks are already around and selling well but personally I really like to hold a real book in my hands. In the near future I will look into this.
