80s Fantasy
In my 2023 reading plans post (link here), I shared that I added a reading pillar - when it comes to choosing books for 2023 - which is fantasy published in the 80s. Essentially, I have decided to take a more in-depth approach on fantasy that was published before the 2000s (and I will work on a decade a year, more on this later).
Why? I realize that I enjoy YouTube videos talking about “older” fantasy stories and I feel that I am missing a lot about earlier published fantasy; some being must reads for fantasy readers (think about Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock or The Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook), others being fun additions to my reading experience.
With that said, it was difficult to decide my approach on this exploration of fantasy published in earlier decades. In fact, the idea of approaching this “challenge” in decades was a light bulb moment while dilly-dallying on Goodreads and seeing the “best fantasy by decade [insert year]” threads (best fantasy of the 80s here). So I realized this is the way that could fit my hectic reading approach: every year, let’s focus on a different decade. I will never be able to read all the books in that specific decade but it should give me enough flavor for authors and their stories.
And completely arbitrarily I chose the 80s (as it is the decade of my birth and I have a special connection to it). And in the best Solseit fashion, I then spent a few hours combing through the list, getting hyped about a to-be-read pile that, not only is gigantic, but also realistically will not be completed in 2023. Yet, I have plenty of options and, when I will come back to the 80s fantasy in a few years, I will start with something in mind.
What is on my list?
The list is is no order of importance; it was mostly compiled following the ranking on the best fantasy of the 80s list published on Goodreads; in fact, this list does not even reflect which series I would read first, I will just follow my instinct here!
The first is the Belgariad series by the late David Eddings. What attracted to me were a few tropes and themes that entice me: epic fantasy, gods meddling, prophecy, magic. It is a five-book series, with Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician’s Gambit, Castle of Wizardry and Enchanters’ End Game. And, besides the first title, I love David Edding kept pushing magic in all the titles, with a different word. It just works for me.
The next on the list is Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist. Now, this part of an immense series (the Riftwar Cycle, with about 31 primary books in the series) but I had the opportunity to read a trilogy contained in this cycle last year, The Empire Trilogy (which is the only trilogy Raymond E. Feist co-wrote and with no others than the incredibly talented Janny Wurst!) and I truly enjoyed it. When I saw that the Riftwar Saga was published in the 80s, I really felt it was time for me to get onto this wagon!
This is a trilogy, with the Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master and Silverthorn. And it seems to be focusing on the story of Pug and his magical abilities. I just love a good story with magic at the center, skills development and mentoring!
I also am adding Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman to the list. Also this world and the stories told in this world are vast; so I will need to narrow my focus and I want to return to Dragonlance: Chronicles. I read the first book, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and I had a great time. So my plan is to re-read it and continue with Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning and, although published about 10 years after the third book, Dragons of Summer Flame.
This is traditional fantasy at its best. With dragons and magic. What is there not to love?
Next I have The Dark Tower by Stephen King. I believe I am one of those odd readers that struggles with Stephen King; mostly because I just cannot be bothered to read horror (and by that I mean I get quite spooked and I have better ways to use my time, like reading fantasy!). And I have always wanted to get into this series (that might not spook me as much as other Stephen King titles). It is also a more unique take on fantasy, adding western spices all over it. The series has 7 primary books with The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower.
I also have The Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook; as I mentioned before, it seems to be a must read for those who enjoy grim dark fantasy as this is one of the first series in the genre. And I have had this book for years, being the story of mercenaries (so soldiers!)! Plus, there is magic and gods (at least, demigods) involved in this story. I understand that the first story arc is the strongest, with the whole series being divided in three story arcs, The Books of the North (with The Black Company, Shadows Linger and The White Rose), The Books of the South (with Shadow Gamesand Dreams of Steel) and The Books of the Glittering Stone (Bleak Seasons, She is the Darkness, Water Sleeps and Soldiers Live).
I also have another classic fantasy that is a must-read here: the Drenai saga by David Gemmell, starting with Legend, which is really one of the cornerstones of heroic fantasy. While the series has about 11 books, it is also possible to stay with the first as a stand alone. Realistically though, once I start it, I will want to to through the entire series over time, with Legend, The King Beyond the Gate, Waylander, Quest for Lost Heroes, In the Realm of the Wolf, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend, The Legend of Deathwalker, Winter Warriors, Hero in the Shadows, White Wolf and The Swords of Night and Day.
Another item that fits very well here is the Forgotten Realms but I will leave this to a different post, as the options for this world are vast and this deserves its own setting!
I also needed to balance these series with gender diversity and I found quite a lot of women in fantasy who wrote in the 80s, and these are a few of the series on my list!
Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn, a trilogy focusing on dragons, magic and romance. Yes, I am not big on romance but you will see another entry on this list for one of my favorite couples in fantasy, so I am hoping romance is truly secondary to the world building and the high stakes of the story. The trilogy includes: Dragon Prince, The Star Scroll and Sunrunner’s Fire.
Also, I included (and as of today started) The Deed of Paksenarrion, a military fantasy story with a strong female lead by Elizabeth Moon. This trilogy, including The Sheepfarmer’s Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold, tells the story of Paks, a woman who does not want to follow the steps she was expected to take but wants to become a soldier (really, a mercenary). The story is truly focused, at least in the first book, on military fantasy (as in the training process and a few battles) more than other fantasy elements (magic, mythical creatures, etc.) but I cannot wait to see what comes next!
I also have Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey; Valdemar itself is a very long series (Goodreads says that there are 55 primary books) but I want to dip my toes in this series by reading the Heralds of Valdemartrilogy, with Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight and Arrow’s fall. This is the story of Talia and her companion Rolan, a mystical horse-like creature with powerful abilities. Just there I have all I need: strong female lead (hopefully with a learning curve) and magical creature. That’s all that it takes to get me here.
I also have Deverry Cycle by Kathrine Kerr. This is a series with a larger scope (about 16 books) but I want to start with Act One, Deverry, which includes Daggerspell, Darkspell, The Bristling Wood and The Dragon Revenant. This is high and epic fantasy, with magic and dragons, not to mention a strong female lead. Again, what else can I ask for?
I am also interesting one exploring the Winterlands series by Barbara Hambly, with Dragonsbane, Dragonshadow, King of the Demon Queen and Dragonstar. First and foremost, dragons. And with that I am hooked. Yet, there is so much more than that, as it seems there are high personal stakes (it seems the main characters are in a romantic relationship), high political stakes (there’s the risk of rebellion), evil wizards. I am in for this - not to mention I already own the first book and I am itching to start this series next.
Finally, but not least, the series that has my favorite couple in fantasy, Tiger and Del by Jennifer Roberson. The latest book (Sword-Bearer) in the series came out in December 2022 but I wanted to do a re-read through this great series before I got to the latest book. The series has eight books, as of today: Sword-Dancer, Sword-Singer, Sword-Maker, Sword-Breaker, Sword-Born, Sword-Sworn, Sword-Bound and Sword-Bearer. The background stories of both main characters is quite tragic and I love how they find each other - and it is not such a straightforward love at first sight type of romance. And I loved every single step in this story. Not to mention that the whole story is told through Tiger’s point of view and he is hilarious. Just a wonderful job by Jennifer Roberson!
It is a mighty list and it is very unrealistic to go through the entire list this year; and that’s okay, I want to have options to be able to explore more about fantasy in this decade and decide what I like and what I prefer to skip!
Have you tackled fantasy with a decades perspective? Do you have a favorite decade? Have you read any of the series listed above? If so, what is your favorite? Am I missing series that I should be including in this list? If you read any of the series above, please comment with a crystal ball emoji; and if you want to read any of these series, comment with a purple book emoji. If you do not belong to any of these categories… well, I hope you had fun and want to include more series to this list, so comment with a pile of books emoji!
