This will be a long list! I'm not sure if I will end up taking this series all the way through 1999 because the books multiply exponentially. But below is a list (at least somewhere to start) of classic fantasy from 1950-1974.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Blue Star by Fletcher Pratt
Voyage to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron
The Golden Apples of the Sun by ray Bradbury
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Half Magic by Edward Eager
The Children of Green Knowe by L. M. Boston
The Wonderful O by James Thurber
The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope
A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
James the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
The Stealer of Souls (Elric Saga) by Michael Moorcock
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Witch World by Andre Norton
The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydian) by Lloyd Alexander
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Snow White by Donald Barthelme
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
A Wizard or Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Swords in the Mist (Gray Mouser Series) by Fritz Leiber
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffery
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Creatures of Light and Darkness by Roger Zelazny
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Nine Princes in Amber (Amber series) by Roger Zelazny
Deryni Rising (Deryni series) by Katherine Kurtz
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Darkover Landfall (Darkover series) by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
And that is the list. So, which classics on this list do you love? Are there any others you think I should include that aren't on there now? It's amazing how much fantasy is out there, past as well as present.
This list was compiled with the help of Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination and A Short History of Fantasy.
NEXT UP: My look at A Wizard of Earthsea.
Writing, Fantasy, Gaming, Life.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 07, 2011
Review: Once Upon A Time - Pilot
I know I'm a couple episodes behind, but hopefully everyone has now watched the Pilot of Once Upon A Time (for those like me that DVR everything and watch when there is time). There are of course spoilers in this review.
Since both Once Upon A Time and Grimm are new fantasy TV shows this season, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at both while the season passes. I always get excited when I see the networks taking a chance on fantasy.
The Pilot of Once Upon A Time pleased me, overall. However, I was left with a few questions that kind of felt like plot holes.
I loved it that Emma Swan's profession was a bounty hunter. It was unexpected, and unexpected is always good, especially if it fits nicely into the story. Her profession was utilized a little bit in the first episode, but I'm hoping that it will be used throughout the series. As long as the writers didn't just make her a bounty hunter and forget about it in the long run, it was a great choice.
I also liked how she was the type of person to spot a lie. It was nicely done at the end how she asked Henry's "mom" if she loved him - Emma obviously saw it was a lie, but instead of outright telling us that's what she saw, the writers showed us that she saw the lie by having her check into the inn instead of leaving town.
The clock re-starting was a little predictable, but it is hard to get away from some predictability.
However, as I mentioned earlier, there were a couple of things that didn't make much sense. First, Emma's name. She claims she was abandoned on the side of a highway (obviously where she came through via the wardrobe). How exactly did whoever found her or the foster care system know her name? We know there was no note attached to the child. Was her blanket embroidered with her name? If so, I totally missed that, but it does seem like a bit of a hiccup.
The second thing that bugged me was Henry. Supposedly, he's Pinocchio. So then, why didn't he immediately have the curse on him and exist in Storybrooke like the others? How was he then born to Emma Swan? And if bad things happened whenever anyone left Storybrooke, how was HE able to leave Storybrooke without consequences? Some of it just seems a bit shaky or big leaps in suspending disbelief to me.
There was one more thing I wanted to comment about. Now, I haven't watched any further episodes yet (although I hope to this week), but from this one episode it really felt like the writers have a horribly negative view on our own world. Our world has been portrayed as a place where there can never be any happy endings. I do like the darkness that surrounded the first episode. After all, I'm all for the dark fantasy, as you know. I'm just wondering if it was too heavy handed for some people in the first episode with such a negative view on our own world.
I do look forward to watching the next episode of Once Upon A Time, though! That's a good sign - just like the desire of wanting to turn to the next page in a book.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
NEXT UP: Classic Fantasy from 1950-1974 (I promise this time, really).
Since both Once Upon A Time and Grimm are new fantasy TV shows this season, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at both while the season passes. I always get excited when I see the networks taking a chance on fantasy.
The Pilot of Once Upon A Time pleased me, overall. However, I was left with a few questions that kind of felt like plot holes.
I loved it that Emma Swan's profession was a bounty hunter. It was unexpected, and unexpected is always good, especially if it fits nicely into the story. Her profession was utilized a little bit in the first episode, but I'm hoping that it will be used throughout the series. As long as the writers didn't just make her a bounty hunter and forget about it in the long run, it was a great choice.
I also liked how she was the type of person to spot a lie. It was nicely done at the end how she asked Henry's "mom" if she loved him - Emma obviously saw it was a lie, but instead of outright telling us that's what she saw, the writers showed us that she saw the lie by having her check into the inn instead of leaving town.
The clock re-starting was a little predictable, but it is hard to get away from some predictability.
However, as I mentioned earlier, there were a couple of things that didn't make much sense. First, Emma's name. She claims she was abandoned on the side of a highway (obviously where she came through via the wardrobe). How exactly did whoever found her or the foster care system know her name? We know there was no note attached to the child. Was her blanket embroidered with her name? If so, I totally missed that, but it does seem like a bit of a hiccup.
The second thing that bugged me was Henry. Supposedly, he's Pinocchio. So then, why didn't he immediately have the curse on him and exist in Storybrooke like the others? How was he then born to Emma Swan? And if bad things happened whenever anyone left Storybrooke, how was HE able to leave Storybrooke without consequences? Some of it just seems a bit shaky or big leaps in suspending disbelief to me.
There was one more thing I wanted to comment about. Now, I haven't watched any further episodes yet (although I hope to this week), but from this one episode it really felt like the writers have a horribly negative view on our own world. Our world has been portrayed as a place where there can never be any happy endings. I do like the darkness that surrounded the first episode. After all, I'm all for the dark fantasy, as you know. I'm just wondering if it was too heavy handed for some people in the first episode with such a negative view on our own world.
I do look forward to watching the next episode of Once Upon A Time, though! That's a good sign - just like the desire of wanting to turn to the next page in a book.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
NEXT UP: Classic Fantasy from 1950-1974 (I promise this time, really).
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
NaNoWriMo 2011
It's that time of year again! Writers are going crazy to push out 50,000 words. Ah, NaNoWriMo, you daunt me and drive me all at the same time. I have never successfully completed a NaNo novel, but at least I've gotten a decent amount of words done trying.
This year, I'm going to be a Rebel again! That's nothing new for me. Projects that need finishing before I can start new ones. I will be completing the rough draft of Dead As Dreams (so close!), and then I'll be continuing Daina's Dance: Rhythm novel. There should be more than 50,000 words between those two projects, but I am going to allow myself to set a goal of 25,000 instead. I do still have the toddler to chase around and an online class to complete this month. I will attempt to post weekly updates on my blog, and I will be Tweeting the results of my writing sessions.
Also, don't forget about Writing Quest - November! You can join Writing Quest in concert with NaNoWriMo. =)
My Word Count Meter for the month is below. I will attempt to change out the emoticons everyday, but no promises. I've already gotten in an hour of writing time already today! Next session will start right after I post this!
NEXT UP: Wherever my whims take me! (Either the Classic Fantasy Reading Lists continued or a review of Once Upon A Time.)
Also, don't forget about Writing Quest - November! You can join Writing Quest in concert with NaNoWriMo. =)
My Word Count Meter for the month is below. I will attempt to change out the emoticons everyday, but no promises. I've already gotten in an hour of writing time already today! Next session will start right after I post this!
NEXT UP: Wherever my whims take me! (Either the Classic Fantasy Reading Lists continued or a review of Once Upon A Time.)
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