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Fantasy Classics Challenge

July 9, 2007 at 9:50 pm · Filed under Book Reviews

Another new challenge: read 25 classic works of fantasy before June 30, 2008.

My motivation is pretty much the same as for the Sci-Fi Classics Challenge: to get to know the “classics” of the fantasy genre.

Naturally, there are a few restrictions, and again, they’re the same as for the Sci-Fi Challenge. No more than two books by any one author. Novels published in the 21st century will not be included, and very few, if any, from the 1990’s. I’m going to try to read an author’s most famous book(s), or the first book in his or her most famous series. In-progress series will not be included, not even if the first book can stand on its own. I’m trying not to include juvenile or YA fiction unless the book made a significant impact on the genre.

Read so far:

  1. The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (1971)
  2. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (1987)
  3. Three Against the Witch World by Andre Norton (1965)
  4. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)
  5. Beauty by Robin McKinley (1978)
  6. Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (1988)

The list of possibilities (books I’ve already read are in italics):

  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)
  • The Wood Beyond the World by William Morris (1894)
  • Lilith by George MacDonald (1895)
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)
  • The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton (1908)
  • A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912)
  • The Moon Pool by A. Merritt (1919)
  • Jurgen by James Branch Cabell (1919)
  • The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison (1922)
  • The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany (1924)
  • Tales of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft (1921 - 1935)
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)
  • Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (1946)
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954)
  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White (1958)
  • A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962)
  • Witch World by Andre Norton (1963)
  • The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (1964)
  • Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (1965)
  • Three Against the Witch World by Andre Norton (1965)
  • Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (1968)
  • The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (1968)
  • A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969)
  • Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny (1970)
  • The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (1971)
  • Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)
  • The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)
  • The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973)
  • The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip (1974) [world fantasy award]
  • Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976)
  • The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (1977)
  • The Stand by Stephen King (1978)
  • Beauty by Robin McKinley (1978)
  • The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1979)
  • Little, Big by John Crowley (1981) [world fantasy award]
  • Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (1982)
  • Magician by Raymond E. Feist (1982)
  • The Gunslinger by Stephen King (1982)
  • The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (1983)
  • Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (1983)
  • The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay (1984)
  • Perfume by Patrick Süskind (1985) [world fantasy award]
  • Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner (1987)
  • War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (1987)
  • Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (1988)
  • Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman (1988)
  • Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey (1989)
  • Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (1991)

Please feel free to make suggestions for changes or additions to the list.

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4 Comments »

Steve wrote, on July 11th, 2007 at 7:52 pm:

I’m not sure how a list like this could leave out John Crowley’s “Little, Big” (1981)

Poodlerat wrote, on July 11th, 2007 at 7:56 pm:

Thanks for the suggestion!

I’ve never heard of Little, Big, but then that’s the point of the challenge—to read some classic fantasy that I might never have even heard of, otherwise.

If you think of any other fantasy (or sci-fi) must-reads, please do suggest them, too!

samulli wrote, on July 13th, 2007 at 2:16 pm:

Uhm, not to be contrary or anything, but McCaffrey’s Dragonflight belongs to an ongoing series. She’s writing the books together with her son now, but they still belong in the Pern-series.
And do you really classify Perfume by Suesskind as fantasy? I mean, personally the only category I put it in would be crap. But personal taste aside what, except the main characters’ overdeveloped sense of smell, is fantasy in this book? It seemed pretty realistic to me otherwise.

Apart from that: very impressive list. I have never heard of some of them, and I’m afraid when I check them out my TBR-list will get a little bit longer again…

Poodlerat wrote, on July 13th, 2007 at 11:37 pm:

Oh, I didn’t realize McCaffrey’s series was ongoing—I actually know nothing about most of the books on the list. I’ll probably let it stand, though—the only point to the “no ongoing series” restriction was to leave out books that aren’t really classics yet. Since it’s from 1968, I think McCaffrey’s book has had time to make an impact on the genre. Since this is just a personal challenge, the rules are more like guidelines, to help me clarify for myself which books I want to include.

As for Patrick Süskind, Perfume is a book I’ve seen recommended a lot, sometimes by people whose taste I share. I’ve seen it recommended as both fantasy and straight fiction, so I included it on the list. If I read it and decide it doesn’t qualify as fantasy for me, I can always remove it.

TBR lists, like one-way streets, only go in one direction. They don’t shrink; they only grow.

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