What books describe a good magical world?
- Thread starter Khanedur
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Comic books are another rich vein of 'heroes' coming back from the dead so often that it's a running gag with some of them. (Jean Grey being the classic example, but given that her codename is Phoenix, I don't consider her the worst offender.)
I do think it cheapens the notion of death, and sacrifice, when other characters in the story (such as Beast, the White Queen and Cyclops himself) are joking about the inevitable return of a deceased loved one. Ironically, this is a setting that doesn't have a set technique for resurrection. Cyclops comes back the dead one way, Jean another, Colossus still a third, his sister Ilyanna an entirely different way. I don't even remember how Superman came back to life, but it's hardly the first time he's died and come back (although they usually don't make a year long event out of it). The only commonality is that a new creative team wants to use a 'dead' character and invents a way to bring them back.
Zelazny's books often dealt with immortal protagonists, but the one that most dealt with resurrection would be Lord of Light, where the main characters transferred their spirits into new bodies at the drop of a hat, and at least one character develops a technique to exist outside of their body.
I do think it cheapens the notion of death, and sacrifice, when other characters in the story (such as Beast, the White Queen and Cyclops himself) are joking about the inevitable return of a deceased loved one. Ironically, this is a setting that doesn't have a set technique for resurrection. Cyclops comes back the dead one way, Jean another, Colossus still a third, his sister Ilyanna an entirely different way. I don't even remember how Superman came back to life, but it's hardly the first time he's died and come back (although they usually don't make a year long event out of it). The only commonality is that a new creative team wants to use a 'dead' character and invents a way to bring them back.
Zelazny's books often dealt with immortal protagonists, but the one that most dealt with resurrection would be Lord of Light, where the main characters transferred their spirits into new bodies at the drop of a hat, and at least one character develops a technique to exist outside of their body.
Dr. Strangemonkey
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Dune?
TarionzCousin
Second Most Angelic Devil Ever
Nobody has yet mentioned the Thraxas series by Martin Scott. Thraxas is a pot-bellied fighter, but he's heavily involved with powerful sorcerers.
I'll also recommend the Curse of Chalion. That was a great book.
I'll also recommend the Curse of Chalion. That was a great book.
While it doesn't have any examples of raise dead, it does have examples of many other so-called 'game-breaking' abilities: The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. (Yeah, I know, not everybody's cup of tea, but I find them quite enjoyable, especially the early books and the final three.) There's examples of divination, domination effects, polymorph, speak with dead... probably many others too, that I can't think of off the top of my head.
Yep. Though the setting is pretty low-magic with an excellent medieval feel the story is brilliant and well thought-out. It's among the best fantasy books I've read in recent years; it also reinforced my opinion that SF authors write the best fantasy.TarionzCousin said:
The other fantasy novel that really impressed me in recent years: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
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