A New Book and The Science Fiction Novel - Fantasy Worlds

I went out yesterday to get vanilla Danishes in Courtenay so stopped off at 2nd Page Books while I was in town. I found a Philip K. Dick novel while there so picked that up. I've already highlighted Dick's work in a previous BLog thread in my look at the Science Fiction novel (see this link) His books can sometimes be difficult to find so I was glad to pick this one up, for the low price of $3.00. I'll provide the synopsis for it and then get on with my look at the Science Fiction novel, with two authors who have created amazing Fantasy worlds.

New Books

1. The Penultimate Truth by Philip K. Dick (1964).

"World War III is raging - or so the millions of people crammed in their underground tanks believe. For fifteen years, subterranean humanity has been fed on daily broadcasts of a never-ending nuclear destruction, sustained by a belief in the all powerful Protector. But up on Earth's surface, a different kind of reality reigns. East and West are at peace. Across the planet, an elite corps of expert hoaxers preserve the lie"

The Science Fiction Novel - Fantasy Worlds
In previous entries in this ongoing look at Sci-Fi, I have highlighted some authors / series that might fall under this category. For example you've got Stephen King's Gunslinger series or Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series. There are differences between the two authors I will highlight below and King's and Donaldson's series. In the Gunslinger and Covenant series, you have a person(s) from our 'real' world, Earth, being somehow transported to a fantasy world or other reality and having to survive or save that world. The two worlds below are unique in their own right and are not 'invaded' by anyone from our 'world'. Are they based on this world and by what the author's see in our reality? Well, yes I'd say so but that is the basis of most Sci-Fi / Fantasy, that exploration of the problem's of reality in another world. 

Anyway, let's take a look at these two author's worlds

J.R.R.R. Tolkien

1. J.R.R.R. Tolkien (the Middle Earth).  I first became aware of Tolkien's wonderful creations in high school, Grade 13 to be exact. Our English teacher was one of my favorites over the years and loved to inspire us to new things; Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung (I bought an album with the Ride of the Valkyries on it), egads, poetry, etc. I even enjoyed Shakespeare for one of the first times. During his classes, some of the students told us how much they enjoyed The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I finally decided to try the books, starting with The Hobbit, which I ended up reading to my younger brother, as I recall (after I had read it myself) and then The Lord of the Rings, which I would read at my summer job as night clerk at the Continental hotel. It just blew me away. 

Tolkien lived from 1892 - 1973. His experiences during the First World War greatly influenced his writing, especially wars described in The Lord of the Rings. The world he created, of elves, hobbits, dwarves, man, monsters was so rich. He added songs, languages, magic and fantastic creatures and adventure. I readily admit that I only read the two books. I tried The Silmarillion, which was published posthumously by his son Christopher, but never finished it. I should try again, shouldn't I? Anyway, to explore this amazing world, check out the two books below

a. The Hobbit (1937). I know longer have my copy of this (at least I think I don't), but this was the edition I believe that I read. It's an introduction to Hobbits and the whole world of the Middle Earth and helps explain the beginning of the adventures in Lord of the Rings.










"'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.'

Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent."

b. The Lord of the Rings (3 books / The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954) / The Return of the King (1955). The photo is of the edition that I originally purchased in 1974ish and still have to this day. It's a little worse for the wear as it's travelled with me all over the world. I still have the family trees that I copied from some other book of the various hobbit families. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I began reading it while working as a night desk clerk at a local hotel in North Bay. It helped me stay awake during the long nights. The first book was an excellent introduction, took awhile to get going as I recall but once you got into the flow of the book and used to the characters, it just kept getting better and better. Some day I will read again.

"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom."

The complete listing of Tolkien's works can be found at this link.

Shannara

Before I get into my next author's world, there has been another series that I tried (first book only) that seemed to me, at the time, to create a Middle Earth lite. I read the first book in the series, The Sword of Shannara (1977) by American author Terry Brook but never bothered to continue with it. As I just said, it seemed to take a lot from Lord of the Rings, just didn't seem quite as good. Now my opinion on this means nothing, as the series has lasted for a number of years since this first book and even spawned a TV series and graphic novels. So if you'd like to check it out, this is a link to all of Brooks' works.

George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin (Songs of Fire and Ice). American author Martin was born in Bayonne, NJ in 1948. He is written more than just the Fire and Ice series (see this link) but for my purposes will be best known for this amazing world he created; the subject of five books and a highly successful HBO TV series that just finished in 2019. People keep waiting for the latest books but in my mind, are they even necessary as the TV series seems to have eclipsed the books, carrying on beyond the events shared in the books. Martin created a world of knights, wars, dragons, witches, white walkers, beings in the frozen North, etc. It was fascinating, emotionally draining at times and, even for their great length, each book was a page - turner.

I started reading after watching Season 1 of the TV series, then it was a race to try and stay ahead with the books.

a. A Game of Thrones (#1/ 1996).

"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones." (4 stars)

b. A Clash of Kings (1998).

"Absolutely loved this story, the sequel to Game of Thrones. Excellent story telling, fascinating world and exciting characters. The story revolves around various characters that were introduced in Book 1, Daenerys, Jon, Catelyn, Sansa, Arya and also focuses on some other characters, Bran and Davos to name a few. Martin is definitely not precious about his characters, who lives and who dies. There are characters that you hate, Joffrey comes to mind and some that you want to go on and on, Tyrion, Arya, etc. It's such a great world that has been created and the story has developed more and more from the first book. I look forward to getting into the next book, A Storm of Swords to see where the story leads next.. Great stuff. If you love an adventure, a fantasy, a sword and sorcery series, this one is for you! (4 stars)"

Synopsis - "A comet the colour of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk at night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles."

c. A Storm of Swords (2000).

"Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces maneuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords..." (4 stars)

d. A Feast of Crows (2005).

"I can understand other peoples' frustrations with the book. It does deal more with lesser characters, or rather, with a limited scope, focusing mainly on the Westeros folks. I still enjoyed very much, but at times wondered where it was all going.. I guess it was going to Book 5.. lol.. 

There were many momentous events taking place, but often they seemed to be happening off-screen and once again, Mr. Martin has demonstrated that he doesn't feel any particular character is untouchable. All in all, I enjoyed the book, I liked the focus on characters like Jaime and Sansa and Brianne and the chance to develop them more. It's a great series and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment and watching Season 3... What a great world Martin has created! (3 stars)"

Synopsis - "Bloodthirsty, treacherous and cunning, the Lannisters are in power on the Iron Throne in the name of the boy-king Tommen. The war in the Seven Kingdoms has burned itself out, but in its bitter aftermath new conflicts spark to life.

The Martells of Dorne and the Starks of Winterfell seek vengeance for their dead. Euron Crow's Eye, as black a pirate as ever raised a sail, returns from the smoking ruins of Valyria to claim the Iron Isles. From the icy north, where Others threaten the Wall, apprentice Maester Samwell Tarly brings a mysterious babe in arms to the Citadel.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory will go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel and the coldest hearts."

e. A Dance With Dragons (2011).

"In the aftermath of a colossal battle, Daenerys Targaryen rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way east--with new allies who may not be the ragtag band they seem. And in the frozen north, Jon Snow confronts creatures from beyond the Wall of ice and stone, and powerful foes from within the Night's Watch. In a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics lead a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skin changers, nobles and slaves, to the greatest dance of all." (4 stars)

If you've never seen the series, give the books a try. What an intro to Fantasy!