Subject: Recommended Fantasy Authors List - Part 4/5
Supersedes: <fantasy/recommended-authors/part4_823941563@rtfm.mit.edu>
Date: 12 Mar 1996 14:11:37 GMT
References: <fantasy/recommended-authors/part1_826639623@rtfm.mit.edu>
Summary: Listing of fantasy authors recommended by readers of
            the alt.fan.eddings newsgroup. Contains descriptive
            listings on more than 150 authors, forthcoming
            titles, book news, and numbers of recommendations.
X-Last-Updated: 1996/03/11

Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 1996/03/10
Version: 2.4

        THE RECOMMENDED FANTASY AUTHORS LIST - ver. 2.4
                          Part 4 of 5

Fred Saberhagen (b. 1930)
     "The Books of the Swords" - The First Book of Swords; The
        Second Book of Swords; The Third Book of Swords
     "The Books of the Lost Swords" - Woundhealer's Story;
        Sightblinder's Story; Stonecutter's Story; Farslayer's
        Story; Coinspinner's Story; Mindsword's Story;
        Wayfinder's Story; Shieldbreaker's Story
            _Each of the "Lost Swords" titles is actually
            preceded by 'The First Book of Lost Swords:', 'The
            Second Book...' etc. I believe that most of the
            "swords" books can be read as stand-alones_
     "Empire of the East" - The Broken Lands; The Black
        Mountains; Changeling Earth
            _A prequel to the 'Swords' books, taking place in
            the same world_
     "Dracula books" - The Dracula Tapes; The Holmes-Dracula
        File; An Old Friend of the Family; Thorn
            _More tales of Dracula_
        Merlin's Bones
            _Yet Another Version of Authur and Company_

R.A. Salvatore (b. 1959)
     "Icewind Dale" - The Crystal Shard; Streams of Silver; The
        Halfling's Gem
     "Dark Elf Trilogy" - Homeward; Exile; Sojourn
     "Dark Elf Trilogy II" - Legacy; Starless Night; Siege of
        Darkness
            _"Icewind Dale" & "Dark Elf" and "Dark Elf II" take
            place in the TSR Forgotten Realms setting. I've had
            several people mention that 'Dark Elf II' shows a
            real drop in quality, although several others loved
            it as much as the first two trilogies_
        Passage to Dawn (forthcoming August 1996)
            _A final Forgotten Realms from Salvatore, as he
            finishes out his contract with TSR. I have no idea
            how (or if) this relates to his other series -
            anyone care to enlighten me?_
     "The Cleric Quintet" - Canticle; In Sylvan Shadows; Night
        Masks; The Fallen Fortress; The Chaos Curse
            _Another TSR series - this one follows a young man
            as he grows from a raw acolyte to a powerful priest_
     "The Spearwielder's Tales" - The Woods Out Back; The
        Dragon's Dagger; Dragonslayer Returns
            _Open-ended fantasy series that ISN'T part of any of
            the TSR gaming worlds._
     "The Crimson Shadow Trilogy" - The Sword of Bedwyr;
        Luthien's Gamble
            _New series about a young lord and a halfling
            battling to free Eriador from the grip of the
            tyrannical Wizard-King Greensparrow._

Elizabeth Scarborough (b. 1947)
        Song of Sorcery; The Unicorn Creed; Bronwyn's Bane; The
        Christening Quest
            _More humor. I read these long ago, and I don't
            really remember much about them, but I _think_ they
            are all standalones that take place in the same
            world with some of the same characters. These are
            all long out of print_
     "The Fairy Godmother stories" - The Godmother; The
        Godmother's Apprentice
            _An overwhelmed social worker in modern Seattle gets
            a (slightly inept) fairy godmother. The publicity
            blurb calls it "a tale of modern magic"_

Michael Scott (b. 1959)
     "Tales of the Bard" - Magician's Law; Demon's Law; Death's
        Law
            _According to Paul, this is about a powerful bard
            who uses his knowledge and magic on an epic quest to
            help the old gods overcome new gods. He gives the
            trilogy very high marks, and recommends it highly.
            Scott is currently co-authoring the "Arcana" series
            with Morgan Llywelyn._

Michael Shea (b. 1946)
        Nifft the Lean
            _Dark series of short stories. Republished in a
            limited hardcover edition by Darkside Press in
            November '94. Shea is reportedly working on a new
            book about Nifft. If you can find this, try it
            (although I should note for the queasy that,
            although it has been years since I last read it,
            there are several scenes from Nifft's trip to Hell
            that tend to replay on dark and lonely evenings...)_

Josepha Sherman
        The Shining Falcon
            _Corinne says that if you like the Slavic influence
            of Stephen Brust and the heroines of Robin McKinley,
            try this book. Other, more recent fantasies by
            Josepha Sherman include:_
        King's Son, Magic's Son
        A Strange and Ancient Name
        The Shattered Oath; Forging the Runes (forthcoming)

James Silke
     "Deathdealer series" - Prisoner of the Horned Helm; Plague
        of Knives; Tooth and Nail
            _Inspired by Frazetta's paintings of Death Dealer
            (that's the dude with the incredible muscles, HUGE
            axe, and rather impractical helmet). There are
            currently four books out._

Robert Silverberg (b. 1936)
     "Majipoor Chronicles" - Lord Valentine's Castle; Majipoor
        Chronicles: A Novel; Valentine Pontifex; The Mountains
        of Majipoor; Sorcerers of Majipoor (Dec. '96)
            _This is another series that pushes the boundaries
            between SF and fantasy, but since Nathan brought
            them up, I'll list 'em. The first book is great fun,
            but I haven't been as impressed with the subsequent
            books._

Midori Snyder
     "Oran trilogy" - New Moon; Sadar's Keep; Beldan's Fire
            _The land of Oran has been ruled by the tyrant Fire
            Queen Zorah for two hundred years. Her four
            granddaughters seek to come into their own powers
            and free the land._

Zilpha Keatley Snyder (b. 1927)
     "Green Sky Trilogy" - Below the Root; And All Between;
        Until the Celebration
            _Peaceful world is torn apart when its government is
            revealed as being a scam. Cyradis liked it a lot.
            You'll generally find it in the children's section
            of the library_
            _Snyder has written many stand-alone Young Adult
            books, including the fantasies _Black and Blue
            Magic_, _The Witches of Worm,_ and _The Changeling,_
            as well as mysteries and novels. I have very fond
            memories of her from my long-ago adolescence, but I
            admit that I haven't tried re-reading her as an
            adult._

Nancy Springer (b. 1948)
     "The Chronicles of Isle" - The White Hart; The Silver Sun;
        The Sable Moon
            __The Silver Sun_ is a re-write of her first
            published work. These books are standalones_
     "The Book of Vale" - The Black Beast; The Golden Swan
            _The Science Fiction Book Club published a combined
            edition of these two under the series title._
     "The Sea King Trilogy" - Madbond; Mindbond; Godbond
            _David says that Springer's works are 'lyrical,
            gentle, romantic, amazing fantasies of love,
            friendship and loyalty.'_
        Wings of Flame
        Chains of Gold

Christopher Stasheff (b. 1944)
     "Warlock series" - Escape Velocity; The Warlock In Spite of
        Himself; King Kobold Revived; The Warlock Unlocked; The
        Warlock Enraged; The Warlock Wandering; The Warlock is
        Missing; The Warlock Heretical; The Warlock's Companion;
        The Warlock Insane; The Warlock Rock; Warlock and Son
            _Open-ended humorous adventure series that is now
            beginning to focus on descendents of the original
            hero, Rod Gallowglass (see following listings). The
            rationale of this series is really fairly science-
            fictional, but the tone is fantasy, and you'll
            generally find them marketed as fantasy_
     "The Warlock's Heirs" - M'Lady Witch; The Quicksilver
        Knight
            _The adventures of the three younger children of Rod
            and Gwen Gallowglass_
     "Rogue Wizard" - A Wizard in Absentia; A Wizard in Mind; A
        Wizard in War; A Wizard in Peace (forthcoming Sept. '96)
            _Another open-ended series in the 'Warlock'
            universe. These feature Magnus, Rod's oldest son.
            Note that Stasheff's books have focused more on
            adventure and less on humor as the series has
            progressed._
     "A Wizard in Rhyme" - Her Majesty's Wizard; The Oathbound
        Wizard; The Witch Doctor; The Secular Wizard
            _Open-ended series. Matt Mantrell is transported
            into an alternate world where rhymes have magical
            powers._
     "The Star Stone" - The Shaman; The Sage (forthcoming July
        '96)
            _Another new series. This has no connection to his
            Wizard or Warlock series._

Carol Stevermer (b. 1955)
        Sorcery and Cecilia (with Patricia Wrede)
            _Amusing stand alone. A combination of regency
            romance, adventure, and fantasy. Hard to find, it is
            (if I remember correctly) an epistolary novel, with
            the action described in the letters exchanged
            between the two main characters._
        A College of Magics
            _Takes place in an Edwardian-period world that has
            magic, too. Witty, amusing, and a very enjoyable
            little period piece. Plus, it stands alone, so
            you're not committing yourself to nine zillion
            sequels._

Mary Stewart (b. 1916)
     "Merlin Trilogy" - The Crystal Cave; The Hollow Hills; The
        Last Enchantment; The Wicked Day
            _One of the earlier Arthur novelizations. It was
            quite popular, and should be easy to find in the
            library. These focus on Merlin and aim more at the
            historical rather than magical. The fourth book
            retells the story from Mordred's point of view, and
            isn't all that good._
        The Prince and the Pilgrim
            _Just published in January 1996, this is set in
            Arthur's England, but isn't part of her earlier
            Arthurian series._

Judith Tarr (b. 1955)
     "The Hound and the Falcon" - The Isle of Glass; The Golden
        Horn; The Hounds of God
            _Corinne describes this as "a truly brilliant series
            set in Richard the Lion Heart's England bordered on
            the Elflands"_
        Alamut; The Dagger and the Cross
            _Standalones set in the same world as "The Hound and
            the Falcon" trilogy_
     "Avaryan Rising" - The Hall of the Mountain King; The Lady
        of Han-Gilen; A Fall of Princes; Arrows of the Sun;
        Spear of Heaven
            _The story of a war between kingdoms in a world of
            mages_
        A Wind in Cairo
        Ars Magica
        Lord of the Two Lands
        Throne of Isis
            _Hey, it's Cleopatra!_
        Eagle's Daughter
        Pillar of Fire
            _This takes place in the Middle East during Moses'
            time._
        King and Goddess (forthcoming May '96)
            _Tarr's specialty is historicals with just a dollop
            of magic. The size of the dollop varies, and many of
            her books are sold as straight historicals._

Roger Taylor
     "Chronicles of Hawklan" - The Call of the Sword; The Fall
        of Fyorlund; The Waking of Othlund; Into Narsindal
            _Not available in the U.S., this series has been
            described as "a pretty good read" and "highly
            recommended"_
        Dreamfinder
            _Set in the same world as Hawklan_
        Whistler
            _A standalone_
     "Nightfall series" - Farnor; Valderin
            _This is also set in the same world as Hawklan, and
            is about a priest who must fight a dark power that
            has entered a colleague. Paul highly recommends it_
        Ibyren
            _A standalone. "Count Ibyren, fighting a guerilla
            war after being driven from his lands, is suddenly
            swept away from his people to an unknown world and
            destiny."_

Sheri Tepper (b. 1929)
     "The Land of True Game" - King's Blood Four; Wizard's
        Eleven; Necromancer Nine (1st series)
        Jinian Footseer; Dervish Daughter; Jinian Star-Eyed (2nd
        series)
        The Song of Mavin Manyshaped; The Flight of Mavin
        Manyshaped; The Search of Mavin Manyshaped (3rd series)
            _Series made up of three separate trilogies. Her
            earliest work - can be difficult to find. Ace is
            reprinting this series in the U.S. in trade
            paperback format, with the first trilogy due out in
            June '96)_
     "The Marianne Trilogy" - Marianne, the Magus, and the
        Manticore; Marianne, the Madame, and the Momentary Gods;
        Marianne, the Matchbox, and the Malachite Mouse
            _I believe that the books in this rather light-
            hearted trilogy are actually fairly independent of
            each other_
        Beauty
            _Now primarily known as a SF author, Tepper returns
            to her roots and gives a very different slant on the
            fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. Sardonic and grim are
            descriptive terms I've heard about this one_

Patrick Tilley (b. 1928)
     "The Amtrack Wars" - Cloud Warrior; First Family; Iron
        Master; Blood River; Death Bringer; Earth Thunder
            _Donal says these are good, so I'll certainly be
            giving them a try. Its just that I can't seem to
            find them anywhere...Apparently, only the first
            couple were published in the U.S. Going by
            commentary on the Net, these are about a post-
            apocalyptic society with magic and suchlike. In the
            U.S., the second book was titled _Sand Burrower_._

**J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)
        The Hobbit
            _Prelude to _The Lord of the Rings_ - should be read
            prior to starting them, but it isn't absolutely
            necessary. Written as a children's book, and some
            readers find it a little simplistic (not me!)_
     "The Lord of the Rings" - The Fellowship of the Ring; The
        Two Towers; The Return of the King
            _Oh, come on now - how can you claim to be a fantasy
            fan and not read this? If not for tLotR, Eddings
            would still be writing about deer hunting. THE
            classic work of fantasy._
        The Silmarillion
            _From Tolkien's writings on the background of the
            world of tLofR, this is more of a history than a
            story_
        The Tolkien Reader
            _Anthology of poetry and short stories_
            _Due to the INCREDIBLE popularity of _Lord of the
            Rings,_ virtually every scrap of paper that Tolkien
            doodled on has found its way into print, which is
            why you will find many other Tolkien works besides
            the above._

Trillium series by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, and Andre
Norton
     "Trillium" - Black Trillium (by all three); Blood Trillium
        (by Julian May); Golden Trillium (by Andre Norton); Lady
        of the Trillium (by Marion Zimmer Bradley); Sky Trillium
        (by Julian May, forthcoming July '96)
            _An interesting mutation of the 'shared world' idea.
            The first book was written by all three, further
            books are being written by the individual authors_

Harry Turtledove (b. 1949) 
     "Videssos Cycle" - The Misplaced Legion; An Emperor for the
        Legion; The Legion of Videssos; Swords of the Legion
            _Legion from Republican Rome meets Byzantine empire.
            "Highly recommended" sez Mark_
     "The Tale of Krispos" - Krispos Rising; Krispos of
        Videssos; Krispos the Emperor
            _Continuing the story of Videssos with a prequel to
            the "Cycle" tetralogy_
     "The Time of Troubles" - The Stolen Throne; Hammer and
        Anvil (forthcoming)
            _Start of a new series, prequel to "The Tale of
            Krispos"_
        Agent of Byzantium
            _Basil Argyros, spy for an alternate-history
            Byzantine empire, in series of adventures that
            originally appeared as separate novelettes. There
            are some hints of magic, but this is basically
            alternate-history SF._
        The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump
            _Humor/adventure taking place in an alternate Los
            Angeles where magic works._

Jack Vance (b. 1916)
     "Lyonesse trilogy" - Suldren's Garden; The Green Pearl;
        Madouc
            _Best known for his SF, Vance is an interesting
            writer in any genre._
     "Dying Earth" series - The Dying Earth; The Eyes of the
        Overworld; Cugel's Saga; Rhialto the Marvelous
            _The first two are genuine fantasy classics, and
            Cugel the Clever is a great character (hey, I like
            rogues). These are all stand-alones._

Paula Volsky
        The Luck of Relian Kru
            _"Almost as good as its title," according to one
            recommender. Out of print and very difficult to
            find._
     "Sorcerer Trilogy" - The Sorcerer's Lady; The Sorcerer's
        Heir; The Sorcerer's Curse
            _About the leader of a wizard's guild and his
            descendents. Takes place in the world of Relian Kru,
            and are also out of print._
        The Gates of Twilight (forthcoming March '96)
            _Two enemies brave a revolution and apocalyptic
            magic to open the long sealed portal between heaven
            and earth._

Karl Edward Wagner (1945-1994)
     "Kane series" - Darkness Weaves with Many Shades; Death
        Angel's Shadow; Bloodstone; Dark Crusade; Night Winds;
        The Book of Kane
            _This open-ended series is from the mayhem and magic
            school of fantasy. Kane is for those who like their
            sword and sorcery "dark". Wagner was a good writer,
            and Kane is an interesting creation. Karl Wagner
            died 10/14/94 at age 48, and will be missed by the
            fantasy community._

Evangeline Walton (b. 1907)
     "The Mabinogi" - The Prince of Annwm; The Children of Llyr;
        The Song of Rhiannon; The Island of the Mighty
            _This may be hard to find, but it's included for the
            more serious fantasy fan. Heavily researched,
            classic retelling of the Welsh folklore cycle known
            as the Mabinogin. Many fantasy authors have mined
            this for themes._

Freda Warrington
     "Blackbird novels" - A Blackbird in Darkness; A Blackbird
        in Twilight; A Blackbird in Amber; A Blackbird in Silver
            _Nathan found that the first book held his
            attention, and he's working his way through the rest
            of the series. These aren't available in the U.S.,
            and I'd appreciate confirmation of the reading
            order. She also has at least one horror series out._

Lawrence Watt-Evans (b. 1954)
     "The Lords of Dus" - The Lure of the Basilisk; The Seven
        Altars of Dusarra; The Sword of Bheleu; The Book of
        Silence
     "Ethshar series" - The Misenchanted Sword; With a Single
        Spell; The Unwilling Warlord; Blood of a Dragon; Taking
        Flight; The Spell of the Black Dagger
            _Open-ended series. I'm told that the Ethshar books
            are standalones and can be read in any order. The
            above is the order they were published in._

**Margaret Weis (b. 1948) & Tracy Hickman (b. 1955)
     "Dragonlance Chronicles" - Dragons of Autumn Twilight;
        Dragons of Winter Night; Dragons of Spring Dawning
            _The series that turned TSR into from a gaming
            company that published tie-ins to a real publisher.
            Still in print, and still selling well._
     "Dragonlance Legends" - Time of the Twins; War of the
        Twins; Test of the Twins
            _EVERYONE who recommended these books included a
            warning that other Dragonlance books by other
            authors should be avoided. There is also a book of
            short stories titled _Dragonlance: The Second
            Generation_. All but two of the stories are reprints
            from other Dragonlance collections._
     "Dragonlance Chronicles IV" - Dragons of the Summer Flame
            _They're baaaaack. Weis & Hickman return to the
            world of Dragonlance with a new novel that takes the
            characters and stories from the novella collection
            _Dragonlance: The Second Generation_ and continues
            onward ever onward with them._
     "Darksword Trilogy" - Forging the Darksword; Doom of the
        Darksword; Triumph of the Darksword
            _A non-Dragonlance limited series._
     "Rose of the Prophet Trilogy" - The Will of the Wanderer;
        The Paladin of the Night; The Prophet of Akhran
            _The Epic Tale of the Great War of the Gods!_
     "Death Gate Cycle" - Dragon Wing; Elven Star; Fire Sea;
        Serpent Mage; The Hand of Chaos; Into the Labyrinth; The
        Seventh Gate
            _This is a limited series - be sure and have all
            seven books, and read 'em in order._

Angus Wells (b. 1943)
     "The Kingdoms" - Wrath of Ashar; The Usurper; The Way
        Beneath
     "Godwars" - Forbidden Magic; Dark Magic; Wild Magic
            _"Kingdoms" and "Godwars" are not related to each
            other or to his most recent novel. Richard likes
            "Godwars," but Michael prefers "The Kingdoms"
            trilogy (Richard asks me to point out that he hasn't
            read "The Kingdoms" yet, which makes it difficult
            for him to compare them)_
        Lords of the Sky
            _To quote Carolyn Cushman of _Locus_ magazine: "For
            once, a sprawling medieval fantasy epic that's self-
            contained!"_
        Exile's Children; Exile's Challenge (Dec. '96)
            _Completists should note that Angus Wells co-
            authored (along with Robert Holdstock) a series in
            the late '70's under the name 'Richard Kirk' about
            Raven, the Swordmistress of Chaos_

Martha Wells (b. 1964)
        The Element of Fire
            _Excellent debut fantasy. A complex, fast-moving
            plot, intelligent characters, a well-thought-out
            world - this one's a keeper. Wells has sold two more
            books to Avon that will be set on this world, but
            they will take place at a different time and won't
            be sequels to "Element"._
        City of Bones
            _Another winner. Not related to her first book, it
            takes place in a desert world. Action and adventure,
            a great setting, excellent characterization - I
            actually bought this one in hardcover, and am glad
            I did._

T.H. White (1906-1964)
        The Once and Future King
            _THE classic retelling of the Arthur legend. And,
            yeah, it's the source of both Disney's _The Sword in
            the Stone_ and Lerner & Lowe's _Camelot._ The
            original quartet of novels are being reprinted in
            England._
        Mistress Masham's Repose
            _Did you ever wonder what happened to those
            Lilliputians that followed Gulliver back to
            England?_

Jack Whyte 
     "The Camulod Chronicles" - The Sky Stone; The Singing Sword
        (forthcoming Sept. '96); ??
            _Return yet again to the days of King Arthur...this
            retelling intertwines the Roman Empire of the fifth
            century and Arthurian legend. The original
            recommender told me this was a trilogy with the
            overall title of "A Dream of Eagles", and that all
            the books were already out in Canada, however Tor
            (the U.S. publisher) is advertising it as a six book
            series, and now I read in _Publishers Weekly_ that
            it is a FOUR book series._

Elizabeth Willey
     "Kingdom of Argylle" - The Well-Favored Man; A Sorcerer and
        a Gentleman; The Price of Blood and Honor (forthcoming
        Sept. '96)
            _It looks like this is scheduled to be an open-ended
            series. The first book features a kingdom created
            out of Chaos by the family patriarch, young Prince
            Gwydion left as regent after his parents have
            debunked, a royal family made up of warriors and
            magicians all busily plotting and counter-
            plotting...Elizabeth calls this 'the best new
            author's book I've read in years' and recommends it
            very highly. I enjoyed it, too, but one Net-wit's
            comment that it should have been titled _Nice
            Princes in Amber_ does capture a lot of the book's
            flavor. The new book is a prequel._

*Tad Williams (b. 1957)
        Tailchaser's Song
            _Williams' first fantasy novel - Tailchaser is a
            cat_
     "Memory, Sorrow & Thorn" - The Dragonbone Chair; Stone of
        Farewell; To Green Angel Tower
            _At first glance, very similar to "The Belgariad"-
            immature-boy-grows-to-fill-heroic-role. Williams'
            vision is a bit darker, however, and the secondary
            characters get a lot more fleshing out. Slow moving
            at points, but worth your time. Paperback version of
            _To Green Angel Tower_ is published in two volumes_
        Child of an Ancient City (with Nina Kiriki Hoffman)
            _Stand-alone young adult novel_
        Caliban's Hour
            _Takes up where Shakespeare left off. Caliban shows
            up years later to take his revenge on Miranda.
            Williams' next will be a 4-volume SF series with the
            overall title of "OTHERLAND." According to Katharine
            Kerr, he has 'sworn a mighty vow that he'll never
            write about Osten Ard [the world of "MS&T"] again'_

Gene Wolfe (b. 1931)
     "The Book of the New Sun" - The Shadow of the Torturer; The
        Claw of the Conciliator; The Sword of the Lictor; The
        Citadel of the Autarch
            _This is a single novel broken into four parts.
            Intricate and ambitious, it takes place on a Dying
            Earth and follows the complex destiny of Severian._
        The Urth of the New Sun
            _A sequel to "The Book of the New Sun"._

Patricia Wrede (b. 1953)
        Snow White and Rose Red
            _Retelling of the classic fairytale, set in
            Elizabethan England. Part of the very highly
            regarded 'Fairy Tale' series_
     "Lyra series" - Shadow Magic; Daughter of Witches; The Harp
        of Imach Thyssel; Caught in Crystal; The Seven Towers;
        The Raven Ring
            _Open-ended series (the books truly are stand-alone
            and can be read in any order) set in a world of many
            different cultures and religions, as well as three
            non-human races._
     "The Enchanted Forest Chronicles" - Dealing with Dragons;
        Searching for Dragons; Calling on Dragons; Talking to
        Dragons
            _Open-ended series that has a lot of fun with usual
            fairytale conventions. You'll find it in the young
            adult section. I especially recommend this to anyone
            who is looking for books for adolescent girls (and
            then be sure to read it yourself)._
        Mairelon the Magician; Magician's Ward (forthcoming)
            _Set in an alternate England where magic works, lots
            of intrigue. Setting is related to the one in
            Stevermer's books._

Janny Wurts (b. 1953)
        Sorcerer's Legacy
            _Early standalone, first published in 1982 (it may
            be her first published work). Good luck in trying to
            find it._
     "The Cycle of Fire" - Stormwarden; Keeper of the Keys;
        Shadowfane
            _Her first trilogy. This was recently reprinted and
            should be widely available_
        The Master of the White Storm
            _A standalone. I have no idea how (or if) this
            relates to her other series_
     "The Wars of Light and Shadow" - The Curse of the
        Mistwraith; The Ships of Merior; Warhost of Vastmark
        (NOTE: U.S. hardcover edition of 'The Ships of Merior'
        INCLUDES 'Warhost of Vastmark' - the paperback edition
        is two separate books); Allliance of the Light
        (forthcoming)
            _Best known for her collaboration with Raymond Feist
            on the "Empire series" and her paintings, Wurts is
            a fine author in her own right_
        That Way Lies Camelot
            _Short story collection_

Jonathan Wylie
     "Servants of the Ark" - The First Named; The Centre of the
        Circle; The Mage-Born Child
     "The Unbalanced Earth" - Dreams of Stone; The Lightless
        Kingdom; The Age of Chaos
            _"Servants" and "Unbalanced Earth" are loosely
            related, with the events of "Servants" coming first.
            These two trilogies were published in the U.S. by
            Bantam, but are currently out of print_
        Dreamweaver
            _Stand-alone. Wylie has written one other stand-
            alone (_Shadowmaze_) which is NOT recommended_
     "Island and Empire" trilogy - Dark Fire; Echoes of Flame;
        The Last Augury
            _One recommender considers this trilogy the best of
            the three. It is the story of a tiny island's fight
            for independence from the cruel Xantic Empire. This
            work hasn't found a U.S. publisher yet (so far as I
            can find), so most of us are going to have to hunt
            for these. Thanks to Tarja for getting me the titles
            in this trilogy_
        Other Lands
            _A new stand-alone. This came out in Britain in June
            '95, and isn't out in the U.S. "A comatose Michael
            Glover somehow calls to his lover for help, and to
            save him she must break through to another,
            fantastic world." Wylie is a pseudonym for Mark and
            Julia Smith (and _Shadowmaze_ was published in the
            U.S. under their real names)_

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (b. 1942)
        Ariosto
            _Subtitled 'Ariosto Furioso, A Romance for an
            Alternate Renaissance'. Yarbro is best known for her
            series about the aristocratic vampire Saint-
            Germain._

*Roger Zelazny (1937-1995)
     "Amber - 1st series" - Nine Princes in Amber; The Guns of
        Avalon; The Sign of the Unicorn; The Hand of Oberon; The
        Courts of Chaos
            _Great fun. Corwin searches first for his memory,
            then for revenge, and finally for the key to save
            the multiverse._
     "Amber - 2nd series" - Trumps of Doom; Blood of Amber; Sign
        of Chaos; Knight of Shadows; Prince of Chaos
            _The 2nd series shows definite signs of exhaustion,
            and Merlin is not the man his father Corwin was. Do
            note that although _Prince of Chaos_ was supposed to
            be the series end, enough dangling plot threads were
            left to knit a sweater._
        Roadmarks
            _There's a highway through time (built by dragons),
            and there's a wreck waiting to happen at the last
            exit for Babylon...._
     "Dilvish stories" - Dilvish the Damned; The Changing Land
            _I'd really like to say more about Zelazny, but I'm
            still upset about his far-too-early death. Just read
            his books. Even his minor efforts are worthwhile,
            and the SF he wrote in the sixties is magnificent._


TOTAL NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS PER AUTHOR
The List contains every fantasy author recommended by two or
more readers of a.f.e. Some authors turned up on enough lists to
gain special status as either "Highly Recommended" or
"Recommended."

Second on the list of Highly Recommended authors (appears on 20%
or more of the recommendation lists) is:
     Raymond Feist
Joining him are: Terry Brooks, Stephen Donaldson, Robert Jordan,
Anne McCaffrey, Terry Pratchett, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the
Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman combo. David Eddings is, of course,
in the number one spot with 127 recommendations (hardly
surprising, since the List originated in alt.fan.eddings).

Recommended authors (10% - 19%) are:
     Lloyd Alexander, Piers Anthony, Marion Zimmer Bradley,
     Susan Cooper, Dave Duncan, David Gemmell, Barbara Hambly,
     Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kerr, Katherine Kurtz, Mercedes
     Lackey, Ursula Le Guin, C.S. Lewis, Julian May, Michael
     Moorcock, Melanie Rawn, Tad Williams and Roger Zelazny

Following are the authors with recommendations from 5% (6 votes)
or more of those sending in lists and their total number of
recommendations (as of 2/1/96)

     Eddings, David. . . . 128
     Feist, Raymond. . . . .59
     Jordan, Robert. . . . .52
     Tolkien, J.R.R. . . . .48
     Donaldson, Stephen. . .41
     Brooks, Terry . . . . .35
     McCaffrey, Anne . . . .34
     Weis & Hickman. . . . .33
     Pratchett, Terry. . . .32
     Kay, Guy Gavriel. . . .25
     Williams, Tad . . . . .24
     Lackey, Mercedes. . . .23
     Rawn, Melanie . . . . .22
     Anthony, Piers. . . . .21
     Kerr, Katharine . . . .21
     Kurtz, Katherine. . . .21
     Le Guin, Ursula . . . .18
     Lewis, C.S. . . . . . .18
     Duncan, Dave. . . . . .16
     Bradley, Marian Zimmer.15
     Zelazny, Roger. . . . .14
     Gemmell, David. . . . .13
     Hambly, Barbara . . . .13
     May, Julian . . . . . .13
     Alexander, Lloyd. . . .12
     Cooper, Susan . . . . .12
     Moorcock, Michael . . .12
     Asprin, Robert. . . . .11
     Brust, Steven . . . . .11
     Salvatore, R.A. . . . .11
     Wurts, Janny. . . . . .11
     Card, Orson Scott . . .10
     McKillip, Patricia. . . 9
     Roberson, Jennifer. . . 9
     Tepper, Sheri . . . . . 9
     Cherryh, C.J. . . . . . 8
     Goodkind, Terry . . . . 8
     Lawhead, Stephen. . . . 8
     McKinley, Robin . . . . 8
     Vance, Jack . . . . . . 8
     Wells, Angus. . . . . . 8
     Cook, Glen. . . . . . . 7
     de Lint, Charles. . . . 7
     Eisenstein, Phyllis . . 7
     MacAvoy, R.A. . . . . . 7
     Modesitt, L.E.. . . . . 7
     Moon, Elizabeth . . . . 7
     Saberhagen, Fred. . . . 7
     Stasheff, Christopher . 7
     Beagle, Peter . . . . . 6
     Cook, Hugh. . . . . . . 6
     Cooper, Louise. . . . . 6
     de Camp, L. Sprague . . 6
     Edgerton, Teresa. . . . 6
     Jones, Diana Wynne. . . 6
     Norton, Andre . . . . . 6
     Taylor, Roger . . . . . 6

All of the other authors currently on the list have 5
recommendations or less.



-- 
Amy I. Sheldon 
ais3@po.cwru.edu

