Great Authors that AREN'T in Appendix N.

[Elf Witch]

Oh, the changes in SF are screamingly huge. I pick up older copies of the Years Best SF when I can, and the change in just 20 years is striking, let alone 30 or 40. Fantasy has trends that come and go in prominence, but it's...different.


Urban fantasy just never caught me. If it's close to "modern-day", I prefer sf, steampunk, or something similar. There are exceptions - I picked up a tpb of "Little, Big" yesterday, which means I have at least two copies, and possibly three - but that is an exception.

Our differences are what make us interesting.

My favorite fantasy is high fantasy with epic quests and characters with a destiny. I know a lot of people are not fond of that style today.

I do enjoy urban fantasy but I feel the market has become over saturated with it. And everyone is trying to do a vampire but different , demon but different, magic but different you get the gist it gets to the point that it is no longer interesting. I think it is time for some other kind of fantasy to be center stage for awhile.

 

[grodog]

Great idea for a topic, Nathan! Here are my suggestions:

Douglas Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy"
Robert Aspirin, editor - Thieves World, Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn, and Shadows of Sanctuary especially, but the rest of the series and the spin-off novels are worth reading too
Algernon Blackwood - included in the original version of the Appendix N listing in TD#4, but not in the DMG list
Jorge Luis Borges - in general
C. J. Cherryh - the Morgaine cycle
Umberto Eco - Name of the Rose
Neil Gaiman - Sandman comics, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), etc.
Frank Herbert - Dune, et al; The Dosadi Experiment, et al
Robert Holdstock - Mythago Wood, et al
John Eric Holmes - The Maze of Peril and associated short stories
Mervyn Peak - Titus Groan trilogy
Dan Simmons - Hyperion Cantos
CAS (already mentioned)

Yes there were articles on it. I have the magazines if they were not packed I would tell you the issue.

Dragon 78.

 

[Nellisir]

Appendix EN to date (43 entries, plus 2 for Top Secret):

Abercrombie, Joe: “First Law” series​

Adams, Douglas: “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” series​

Adams, Robert: “Horseclans” series​

Aspirin, Robert, editor: Thieves World, Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn, and Shadows of Sanctuary especially, but the rest of the series and the spin-off novels are worth reading too.​

Blackwood, Algernon: included in the original version of the Appendix N listing in TD#4, but not in the [FONT=&quot]DMG[/FONT] list​

Borges, Jorge Luis​

Bradley, Marion Zimmer: “Darkover” series​

Brooks, Terry: “Shannara” series​

Brust, Steven: “Vlad Taltos” series​

Bujold, Lois​

Cherryh, C.J.: “Morgaine” cycle; “Ealdwood” stories​

Clark, Susanna: JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORREL; et al.​

Cook, Glen: "The Black Company" series, et al​

Cornwell, Bernard: "Warlord" series
Dumas, Alexandre: THE THREE MUSKETEERS; et al.​

Eco, Umberto: NAME OF THE ROSE​

Eddings, David: “Belgariad” series; et al.​

Erikson, Steven: “Malazan” series​

Feist, Raymond E.: “Magician” series; “Empire” series​

Flanagan, John: “Ranger's Apprentice” series​

Gaiman, Neil: “Sandman” series; AMERICAN GODS; et al.​

Gemmell, David: “Drenai” series; “Rigante” series; et al. ​

Goodkind, Terry: “Sword of Truth” series​

Herbert, Frank: “Dune” series; et al.​

Hobb, Robin: "Farseer" trilogy; "Tawny Man" trilogy; "Soldier Son" trilogy; et al. ​

Holdstock, Robert: “Mythago Wood” series; et al
Holmes, John Eric: The Maze of Peril and associated short stories
Jacques, Brian: “Redwall” series​

Jemisin, N.K: "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" series​

Jordan, Robert: “Wheel of Time” series; et al.​

Kay, Guy Gavriel: TIGANA; "Fionavar Tapestry" trilogy
Keyes, J. Gregory: "Fool Wolf" stories; "Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone" series; "Chosen of the Changeling" series​

Kurtz, Katherine: “Deryni” series​

Lynch, Scott: "Gentleman Bastard" series​

Martin, George R.R.: “Game of Thrones” series​

McKillip, Patricia: "The Riddle-Master of Hed" trilogy; et al.
Mieville, China: "Bas-Lag" series​

Modesitt Jr., L.E: “Magic of Recluse” series​

Moon, Elizabeth: “Paksenarrion” series​

Peak, Mervyn: “Titus Groan” trilogy​

Pratchett, Terry: "Discworld" series, et al.
Pullman, Philip: "His Dark Materials" trilogy ​

Ramsey, Mark: “Falcon” series
Roberson, Jennifer: “The Chronicles of the Cheysuli” series​

Rothfuss, Patrick: NAME OF THE WIND; WISE MAN’S FEAR​

Rowling, JK: "Harry Potter" series​

Simmons, Dan: “Hyperion Cantos”​

Smith, Clark Ashton​

Verne, Jules
Weis & Hickman: "Dragonlance Chronicles", "Dragonlance Legends" (only). ​

Whyte, Jack: various Arthurian books.​

Wolfe, Gene: “Book of the New Sun” series; “Wizard/Knight” series; et al.

​

For Top Secret:
Ahern, Jerry: “Survivalist” Series
Pendleton, Don: “Mack Bolan” series​

 

[mach1.9pants]

[MENTION=1613]grodog[/MENTION]: how did I forget Thieve's World!??!

Mmm a couple more:

Mary Gentle's Ash
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn
Michael J Sullivan's Riyria Revelations

EDIT: And to push a Kiwi author (has done 2 trilogies, not read the 2nd)
Russell Kirkpatrick's Fire of Heaven trilogy

 

[scourger]

I will suggest Michael Crichton for the book The 13th Warrior (f/k/a Eaters of the Dead); also the film and the classic tale of Beowulf.

Homer, The Odyssey.

I am now surprised that more classical reading is not included in the original Appendix N.

 

[grodog]

[MENTION=1613]grodog[/MENTION]: how did I forget Thieve's World!??!

I walked down to my basement bookshelves to make sure I wouldn't forget a favorite, so I cheated

I will suggest Michael Crichton for the book The 13th Warrior (f/k/a Eaters of the Dead); also the film and the classic tale of Beowulf.

Crichton's _The Great Train Robbery_ is a wonderful record of historical Thieves Cant, and is well-worth reading if you're ever planning to run a thieves-guild-based campaign (as I've imagined for years, but haven't gotten around to yet ).

I am now surprised that more classical reading is not included in the original Appendix N.

I think Gary's assumes familiarity with fairy tales and mythology in general, which is why they're not called out specifically:

Inspiration for all of the fantasy work I have done stems directly from the love my father showed when I was a tad, for he spent many hours telling me stories he made up as he went along, tales of cloaked old men who could grant wishes, of magic rings and enchanted swords, or wicked sorcerors and dauntless swordsmen. Then too, countless hundreds of comic books went down, and the long-gone EC ones certainly had their effect. Science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies were a big influence. In fact, all of us tend to get ample helpings of fantasy when we are very young, from fairy tales such as those written by the Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang. This often leads to reading books of mythology, paging through bestiaries, and consultation of compilations of the myths of various lands and peoples. Upon such a base I built my interest in fantasy, being an avid reader of all science fiction and fantasy literature since 1950. The following authors were of particular inspiration to me. In some cases I cite specific works, in others, I simply recommend all their fantasy writing to you. From such sources, as well as just about any other imaginative writing or screenplay you will be able to pluck kernels from which grow the fruits of exciting campaigns. Good reading!

So, the list of names authors is far from an exhaustive list of Gary's influences. One day, I'd love to be able to "flip" through Gary's library titles in the same way we can HPL's via [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lovecrafts-Library-Catalogue-Revised-Enlarged/dp/0967321573"]Lovecraft's Library: A Catalog by S. T. Joshi[/ame].

 

[odinfellhammer]

What about Jim butcher? Alera & Harry Dresden series

 

[Nellisir]

D'oh.
Le Guin, Ursula K.: "Earthsea" series; et al.
Rohan, Michael Scott: "Winter of the World" series

 

[delericho]

Also, I think it was [MENTION=9037]Elf Witch[/MENTION] who mentioned Kurtz for psionics done right - based on her work I once tried redesigning psionics along those lines - they were still broken...

In the hands of a gamer, just about any 'real' magic would be broken...

 

[jmucchiello]

J.V. Jones: "The Book of Words" trilogy, "Sword of Shadows" series, The Barbed Coil
Brandon Sanderson: Mistborn Trilogy (If only it had influenced the magic system )
Michael Stackpole: "Age of Discovery" trilogy (not to mention his actual RPG authoring.)