Tired of the usual stuff? Here’s five fantasy classics that you may have missed.
Jirel of Joiry, by C. L. Moore. If you love Red Sonja, Jirel is the heroine for you, worthy of company with Conan or Imaro. Indiana-born Moore was one of the first women to write in the sword and sorcery genre.
Tomoe Gozen, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. Another strong woman is embodied in Tomoe Gozen, a samurai in the first of a trilogy set in a richly-realized and fabulous 12th century Japan.
Unquenchable Fire by Rachel Pollack. Beautiful and ornate, set in an alternate America that seems sadly unlikely, this is a fabulous take on spirituality today.
Monday Begins on Saturday, by Arkadi and Boris Strugatski. A young computer programmer is recruited for a Russian Institute devoted to the paranormal in a book that’s more Office Space than X-Files. One of my top ten favorite books of all time.
Green Phoenix, by Thomas Burnett Swann. Swann is sadly neglected and all of his books are worth picking up, but this is one of the lovelier ones. He does more interesting things with classic mythology than most authors.
I’ve actually read the Jirel book, and, in fact re-read not long ago. I *think* I’ve read Tomoe Gozen but am not really sure. Haven’t read the others though I have read some other Swann. I’ll be on the look out for Green Phoenix now. I don’t suppose it’s out as an ebook…
Jirel of Joiry was one of my first female fantasy introductions. Nostalgia makes me wish they were available for my kindle, because I’d buy them in a second.
The author of Imaro also wrote stories about a female warrior named Dossouye (some were published in early Sword & Sorceress books, which is how I discovered them) and those are fantastic as well (and re-released recently I think by a small press, but again, not for my kindle, sigh).
Oh yes, I followed the Tomoe Gozen books nose-down like a basset hound back in the day. Like all books I love, I remember exactly the how, why and where I first came across them. They are superb books.
Want access to a lively community of writers and readers, free writing classes, co-working sessions, special speakers, weekly writing games, random pictures and MORE for as little as $2? Check out Cat’s Patreon campaign.
Want to get some new fiction? Support my Patreon campaign.
"(On the writing F&SF workshop) Wanted to crow and say thanks: the first story I wrote after taking your class was my very first sale. Coincidence? nah….thanks so much."
~K. Richardson
You may also like...
You Should Read This: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Charlie is one of the great characters of SF and the story resonates with his voice. If you're interested in finding out more about how to write great dialogue, check out my Speaking in Another's Voice: Dialogue online class tonight, 7-8 PM PST. Cost is $29.99 ($19.99 for former and current students) For more details, click on "Take an Online Class with Cat" at the top of this page.Flowers for Algernon was originally a short story by Daniel Keyes that appeared in 1959 in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and won the Hugo Award the following year. Seven years after the story’s publication, it appeared in novel form under the same name, and shared that year’s Nebula Award with Samuel R. Delany’s Babel-17.
What: The story is told by Charlie Gordon and involves intelligence experiments being done on both Gordon and the title character Algernon, who is a white mouse.
Who: Anyone who wants to be decently well read in science fiction should read this book. It’s a classic, and one referenced and discussed elsewhere. One of my favorite stories by Susan Palwick, the title story in The Fate of Mice, is told from Algernon’s POV.
Why: Read it because you will want to know Charlie, to hear him tell his story, and to see a master use the device of an unreliable narrator in a way that takes your heart and breaks it over the book’s knee. Read it to discover a story that has survived the test of time and will, I strongly believe, continue to do so.
When: Read this when you’re thinking about things like how a character gets the reader on their side, as well as how what a character doesn’t say is sometimes as telling as what they do. Read this when you are ready to sit down and read it in one full sitting, preferably, which is doable for faster readers since it’s a slender book.
Where and how: Read it where you won’t mind weeping; public spaces (like airplanes) are unsuitable because you will have to have a heart as hard as winter to not tear up some. This is, in fact, one of the best examples of a fabulous tearjerker of a story that I know.
#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; }
/* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.
We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
A Hat of an Unknown Color: The Podcast I Work With
One thing about me that many people don’t know is that one of the things I’ve been doing since the beginning of 2020 is working with the If This Goes On (Don’t Panic) podcast, which I helped co-found. I love doing this because I get to talk with such interesting people! Here’s the episodes from 2024 where I co-interviewed with the excellent Alan Bailey, who is the reason the podcast keeps going.
7 Responses
Mercedes Lackey’s song “Jirel of Joiry” (performed by Leslie Fish) appears on MURDER, MYSTERY, AND MAYHEM. Fun song.
I’ve actually read the Jirel book, and, in fact re-read not long ago. I *think* I’ve read Tomoe Gozen but am not really sure. Haven’t read the others though I have read some other Swann. I’ll be on the look out for Green Phoenix now. I don’t suppose it’s out as an ebook…
Thanks for the suggestions!
MKK
I couldn’t find -any- of the Swann as an ebook, alas.
Jirel of Joiry was one of my first female fantasy introductions. Nostalgia makes me wish they were available for my kindle, because I’d buy them in a second.
The author of Imaro also wrote stories about a female warrior named Dossouye (some were published in early Sword & Sorceress books, which is how I discovered them) and those are fantastic as well (and re-released recently I think by a small press, but again, not for my kindle, sigh).
Wow. I haven’t read any of those, and I thought I was pretty up on my fantasy. Thanks for the list. Maybe I’ll put the Steampunk down for a while.
Oh yes, I followed the Tomoe Gozen books nose-down like a basset hound back in the day. Like all books I love, I remember exactly the how, why and where I first came across them. They are superb books.
I, too, knew and loved Jirel… none of the others, though!
Tara Maya
The Unfinished Song: Initiate