Part VI: Gemmell/Kay/Stephens/Baum/Barrie

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Masters of Fantasy: Part VI

Photo: L. Frank Baum

This next list is more of a continuation of the last one, not necessarily anything too new. Still, it's not meant to be indicative of lesser works. A couple names will be common knowledge, to some extent, while the others may not be all that familiar to casual readers, though I encourage everyone to look up these people further.



DAVID GEMMELL (1948-2006)

After working through several jobs including journalism, Gemmell came onto the scene with Legend, which told of the defense of a large fortress from barbarian hordes and of an aging axeman called to make one last stand. From there on out, he was a master of pseudo-historical fantasy dealing with themes of honor, loyalty and age. His work is considerably violent, though he attested his Christian beliefs to providing both an anchor and a self-imposed limitation for himself. Legend became the first novel in a series about the entire imaginary nation and the great men within it. Today, an award named after him is still given out to outstanding work in heroic fantasy.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=gemmell_david_a)
Drenai.com - A Guide to the Drenai Saga (http://www.drenai.com/)



GUY GAVRIEL KAY (1954- )

One of the most successful Canadian fantasists, his career began when he was hired by Christopher Tolkien to assist in editing The Silmarillion while he was still a university student; during the process, he drew ideas for his own work, studying Tolkien's style in order to assimilate his strengths while filtering out some of his weaknesses. The result became The Fionavar Tapestry, an amalgam of Tolkienian high fantasy, Anglo-Saxon mythology and Arthurian folklore in which five ordinary students are drawn into "the first of all worlds" and find themselves pitted against the mad god - the Unraveller - who wishes to destroy that world, thus unmaking all worlds. The three books which comprise it (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road) have been wideley praised as being near equal to Tolkien's work and one of the most original homages, though more than simply a pastiche. The rest of his output also has received considerable praise, being "historical fantasies" set in fantastic parallels of real famous Eurasian locales and time periods such as medieval France (A Song for Arbonne and Ysabel) and Spain (The Lions of Al-Rassan), Byzantium (The Sarantine Mosaic [2 books]), Renaissance Italy (Tigana), the Viking conquests (The Last Light of the Sun), 16th century Croatia (Children of Earth and Sky) and 8th century Tang Dynasty China (Under Heaven and River of Stars).

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Gavriel_Kay)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=kay_guy_gavriel)
TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/GuyGavrielKay)
Bright Weavings: The Worlds of Guy Gavriel Kay (http://brightweavings.com/ggk/)



JAMES STEPHENS (1880-1950)

An Irish novelist and poet, Stephens's witty retellings of native fairy tales and verse are well regarded, though his most famous and reprinted work may be The Crock of Gold, in which a philosopher tries to save the woman Cáitilin Ni Murrachu from Pan himself.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stephens_(author))
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Stephens-Irish-writer)



L. FRANK BAUM (1856-1919)

The most famous children's author in his day, Baum produced a remarkable output of fantasy stories, such as The Master Key, Queen Zixi of Ix, and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Of course, his most treasured creation is the Land of Oz and that original classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Despite the film having permeated popular culture with images and concepts that may be taken for granted, the original story is extremely enjoyable and unforgettable in its own right, having lost none of its charm and warmth; though it was intended to be a self-contained story, 13 sequels followed, with their own unique charm.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Frank_Baum)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=baum_l_frank)
The International Wizard of Oz Club (http://ozclub.org/)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website (http://thewizardofoz.info/)



J. M. BARRIE (1860-1937)

He wrote a great number of successful plays focusing on the current society, and some of those works are still being printed. However, Barrie is known at large for one story - the legendary Peter Pan. While his other work shouldn't be neglected, the story of Pan and Neverland is genuinely good, simply told for children and yet still engaging for adults. At its most basic element, it's simply a fun tale, though there may be some hidden messages beneath the narrative which lead to a rather bittersweet interpretation.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._Barrie)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=barrie_j_m)
Official website authorized by Great Ormond Street Hospital (http://www.jmbarrie.co.uk/)


The next installment will cover something a bit odd for what's expected of fantasy - horror. Until then, the topic can be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html