Extollager
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- Aug 21, 2010
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LARS WALKER
Several of Walker’s books were issued by the prominent sf/fantasy publisher Baen. They were:
a.The Year of the Warrior – This plump paperback is the first two books of the saga of Erling Skalgsson, and includes Baen’s earlier release, Erling’s Word. The Year of the Warrior exhibits Walker’s command of authentic medieval sources such as the Heimskringla (Erling was a real person). Cleverly, the narrator is an impostor Irish monk, a fellow no more heroic than most of us. The book could be described as sword-and-sorcery come of age. It’s good entertainment but meaningful & makes you want to delve into the sagas that Walker knows and loves so well. I will list further installments of Erling’s saga below.
b.Wolf Time – A near-future thriller in which the sorcerer-god Odin returns as a charismatic cult leader. Some satirical material includes a “Christian” terrorist group.
c.Blood and Judgment – The title from Shakespeare’s Hamlet suggests the novel’s deft synthesis of Shakespeare and his source, science fiction, and popular thriller. If you are new to Walker, this might be a good one to start with. I included this in a college course once and it was well received.
Walker’s subsequent novels include three further books of Erling’s adventures:
West Oversea
Hailstone Mountain
The Elder King
The Erling books may be read in isolation, but they are being published in chronological order, so I would start with The Year of the Warrior.
Walker has also published:
Troll Valley
Death’s Doors
I have probably read all of them except the most recent, The Elder King, at least twice. Walker is working on the next Erling book and I look forward to it. Walker blogs at Brandywine Books, mostly with reviews of detective stories and crime fiction.
GEORGE MACDONALD
He was one of the very greatest of the Victorian fantasists. The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie are obviously written for children but have won the admiration of adult readers. He wrote some literary fairy tales of the highest quality, such as "The Golden Key" and "Photogen and Nycteris." At the Back of the North Wind is a combination of realistic novel and fantasy. Highly recommended. MacDonald was likely influenced by German romantics and Coleridge, himself a writer with Christian themes in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Christabel."
EUGENE VODOLAZKIN
This Russian medievalist wrote Laurus, about which there is a thread here at Chrons. In my view this should probably have won the Mythopoeic Society award for new fiction. I’ve read it perhaps three times and included it in a college course on Russian literature in translation. Vodolazkin’s novel The Aviator is borderline sf, about a Russian who went into suspended animation shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution and returned to consciousness in modern times. I’m looking forward to reading it again. These are books for mature readers.
JOHN MARK REYNOLDS
Chasing Shadows: Back to Barterra was a good sf-fantasy adventure that I would need to read again before offering firsthand comments. I liked it.
CHARLES WILLIAMS
Williams has already been mentioned by Teresa, as well he might be! Of his seven novels, the one I usually suggest for a first-time reader is The Place of the Lion. His last two novels, Descent into Hell and All Hallows’ Eve, are more profound than the earlier ones, one or two of which (such as Shadows of Ecstasy) are for completists only.
STEPHEN HAYES
The Year of the Dragon was an “occult thriller” like those of Charles Williams, but with an intriguing modern South African setting. As I recall there was a suggestion of evil spirits involved in that country’s apartheid arrangement. I thought the novel could have profited by some editing as there was unrealized potential, but as is it was good, one to reread.
ARTHUR MACHEN
Best known for classic horror stories showing little or no obvious Christian belief, Machen’s later stories “The Great Return” (a story of the Grail in modern times) and The Terror do suggest Christian themes.
DAVID C. DOWNING
As I recall, Looking for the King was a mild-mannered adventure of a modern couple connecting with King Arthur’s world.
JOY CHANT
Red Moon and Black Mountain was issued by Tolkien’s British publisher Unwin, who clearly thought they had here a book in Tolkien’s tradition. I need to reread it. It won the Mythopoeic Society Award for new fiction. In America, Red Moon and Black Mountain appeared in the Ballantine Fantasy Series edited by Lin Carter and was one of the (I believe) few releases that was reprinted. Look for the original release with a beautiful Bob Pepper cover design. Frazetta collectors will want the SF Book Club hardcover release.
SANDERS ANNE LAUBENTHAL
Excalibur was a novel somewhat in the Charles Williams manner, set in Mobile, Alabama, but involving medieval British contact with the New World. My memory is that I enjoyed my first reading, but I haven’t found myself able to reread it. I mention it in case it would be a good choice for someone. Like Chant’s book, it was a Ballantine Fantasy Series release.
ELEANOR BOURG NICHOLSON
A Bloody Habit is an attempt to write a vampire novel with a Victorian setting; I thought it was so-so, might be a good choice if you are in the right mood.
CHRISTOPHER BRYAN
Night of the Wolf was a decent work in the Charles Williams vein.
RUSSELL KIRK
Ancestral Voices is a collection of ghost stories, most of which were published by Arkham House before this Eerdmans release, and some of which reflect Kirk's eventual Roman Catholic beliefs. "'There's a Long, Long Trail a-Winding'" won an International Fantasy Award, as I recall.
…..I’m sure more books for this thread will come to mind.
Several of Walker’s books were issued by the prominent sf/fantasy publisher Baen. They were:
a.The Year of the Warrior – This plump paperback is the first two books of the saga of Erling Skalgsson, and includes Baen’s earlier release, Erling’s Word. The Year of the Warrior exhibits Walker’s command of authentic medieval sources such as the Heimskringla (Erling was a real person). Cleverly, the narrator is an impostor Irish monk, a fellow no more heroic than most of us. The book could be described as sword-and-sorcery come of age. It’s good entertainment but meaningful & makes you want to delve into the sagas that Walker knows and loves so well. I will list further installments of Erling’s saga below.
b.Wolf Time – A near-future thriller in which the sorcerer-god Odin returns as a charismatic cult leader. Some satirical material includes a “Christian” terrorist group.
c.Blood and Judgment – The title from Shakespeare’s Hamlet suggests the novel’s deft synthesis of Shakespeare and his source, science fiction, and popular thriller. If you are new to Walker, this might be a good one to start with. I included this in a college course once and it was well received.
Walker’s subsequent novels include three further books of Erling’s adventures:
West Oversea
Hailstone Mountain
The Elder King
The Erling books may be read in isolation, but they are being published in chronological order, so I would start with The Year of the Warrior.
Walker has also published:
Troll Valley
Death’s Doors
I have probably read all of them except the most recent, The Elder King, at least twice. Walker is working on the next Erling book and I look forward to it. Walker blogs at Brandywine Books, mostly with reviews of detective stories and crime fiction.
GEORGE MACDONALD
He was one of the very greatest of the Victorian fantasists. The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie are obviously written for children but have won the admiration of adult readers. He wrote some literary fairy tales of the highest quality, such as "The Golden Key" and "Photogen and Nycteris." At the Back of the North Wind is a combination of realistic novel and fantasy. Highly recommended. MacDonald was likely influenced by German romantics and Coleridge, himself a writer with Christian themes in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Christabel."
EUGENE VODOLAZKIN
This Russian medievalist wrote Laurus, about which there is a thread here at Chrons. In my view this should probably have won the Mythopoeic Society award for new fiction. I’ve read it perhaps three times and included it in a college course on Russian literature in translation. Vodolazkin’s novel The Aviator is borderline sf, about a Russian who went into suspended animation shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution and returned to consciousness in modern times. I’m looking forward to reading it again. These are books for mature readers.
JOHN MARK REYNOLDS
Chasing Shadows: Back to Barterra was a good sf-fantasy adventure that I would need to read again before offering firsthand comments. I liked it.
CHARLES WILLIAMS
Williams has already been mentioned by Teresa, as well he might be! Of his seven novels, the one I usually suggest for a first-time reader is The Place of the Lion. His last two novels, Descent into Hell and All Hallows’ Eve, are more profound than the earlier ones, one or two of which (such as Shadows of Ecstasy) are for completists only.
STEPHEN HAYES
The Year of the Dragon was an “occult thriller” like those of Charles Williams, but with an intriguing modern South African setting. As I recall there was a suggestion of evil spirits involved in that country’s apartheid arrangement. I thought the novel could have profited by some editing as there was unrealized potential, but as is it was good, one to reread.
ARTHUR MACHEN
Best known for classic horror stories showing little or no obvious Christian belief, Machen’s later stories “The Great Return” (a story of the Grail in modern times) and The Terror do suggest Christian themes.
DAVID C. DOWNING
As I recall, Looking for the King was a mild-mannered adventure of a modern couple connecting with King Arthur’s world.
JOY CHANT
Red Moon and Black Mountain was issued by Tolkien’s British publisher Unwin, who clearly thought they had here a book in Tolkien’s tradition. I need to reread it. It won the Mythopoeic Society Award for new fiction. In America, Red Moon and Black Mountain appeared in the Ballantine Fantasy Series edited by Lin Carter and was one of the (I believe) few releases that was reprinted. Look for the original release with a beautiful Bob Pepper cover design. Frazetta collectors will want the SF Book Club hardcover release.
SANDERS ANNE LAUBENTHAL
Excalibur was a novel somewhat in the Charles Williams manner, set in Mobile, Alabama, but involving medieval British contact with the New World. My memory is that I enjoyed my first reading, but I haven’t found myself able to reread it. I mention it in case it would be a good choice for someone. Like Chant’s book, it was a Ballantine Fantasy Series release.
ELEANOR BOURG NICHOLSON
A Bloody Habit is an attempt to write a vampire novel with a Victorian setting; I thought it was so-so, might be a good choice if you are in the right mood.
CHRISTOPHER BRYAN
Night of the Wolf was a decent work in the Charles Williams vein.
RUSSELL KIRK
Ancestral Voices is a collection of ghost stories, most of which were published by Arkham House before this Eerdmans release, and some of which reflect Kirk's eventual Roman Catholic beliefs. "'There's a Long, Long Trail a-Winding'" won an International Fantasy Award, as I recall.
…..I’m sure more books for this thread will come to mind.
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