The thirteenth essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter (1924), a fairy tale mixed with a heroic romance that offers a cautionary tale of what happens when you invite magic in.
Tag: Pub Decade: 1960s
Ballantine Adult Fantasy: Reading “The Blue Star” by Fletcher Pratt
The twelfth essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at Fletcher Pratt's The Blue Star (1952), an impressive, short novel of "rational" fantasy about power, gender, and why you should not cheat on your witch girlfriend.
Ballantine Adult Fantasy: Reading “The Mezentian Gate” by E.R. Eddison (Zimiamvia 3)
The eleventh essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at E.R. Eddison's final novel in the Zimiamvia trilogy, The Mezentian Gate (1958).
Ballantine Adult Fantasy: Reading “Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings” by Lin Carter
The tenth essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at Lin Carter's curious non-fiction study Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings (1969), a book that helped pave the way for the BAF series.
Ballantine Adult Fantasy: Reading “A Fine and Private Place” by Peter S. Beagle
The ninth essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at Peter Beagle’s first novel, A Fine and Private Place (1960), a rather dull novel about people dealing with death.
Reading “Moondust” by Thomas Burnett Swann
Thomas Burnett Swann’s Moondust (1968) is the author's third novel: a bizarre, partial retelling of the Battle of Jericho that revolves around a society of evil, telepathic fennecs.
Ballantine Adult Fantasy: Reading “A Voyage to Arcturus” by David Lindsay
The eighth essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at David Lindsay’s A Voyage to Arcturus (1920): a philosophical science fantasy novel about big existential questions, like “who the fuck is Crystalman?!”
Reading “The Weirwoods” by Thomas Burnett Swann
Thomas Burnett Swann’s The Weirwoods (1967) is his second novel, a story of slavery and freedom, of love and grief, set at the waning of Etruscan power in ancient Italy. Come for the ancient historical fantasy, stay for the achingly beautiful meditations on love, loss, and belonging.
Ballantine Adult Fantasy: Reading “Titus Alone” by Mervyn Peake (Gormenghast 3)
The seventh essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at Mervyn Peake’s Titus Alone (1959), the much maligned third and final novel in the Gormenghast series.
Reading “Day of the Minotaur” by Thomas Burnett Swann
Thomas Burnett Swann’s Day of the Minotaur (1966) is his first novel, a sometimes messy, sometimes saccharine, sometimes poignant novel about the final days of the prehuman mythic beings as human civilization pushes them to extinction.
Genre Fantasies 