Best of
Fantasy

1970

The Chronicles of Amber: Volume I


Roger Zelazny - 1970
    The Guns of Avalon... Sign of the Unicorn... The Hand of Oberon... AND the long anticipated final book, The Courts of Chaos - in a handsome two volume set.Amber is the one real world, casting infinite reflections of itself - Shadow worlds that can be manipulated by those of royal Amberite blood. Unfortunately, the royal family is torn by jealousies and suspicions. And the disappearance of the clan patriarch, Oberon, has intensified the conflicts by leaving Amber's throne apparently up for grabs.The CHRONICLES begin in a hospital on the Shadow Earth, where a man is recovering from a freak auto accident. Since he is also suffering from amnesia, and has been for some time, he has no idea that he's Prince Corwin of Amber - until his memory receives a succession of jolts:He meets a sister who speaks in riddles of plots and counterplots... and a brother who abruptly involves him in a life-and-death battle against pursuers from a fearful Shadow world.He discovers a deck of tarot-like cards, with himself, his sister, and strangers whom he guesses to be other relatives, pictured on their faces. Only lingering amnesia keeps him from grasping the full significance of the find: the cards are the Greater Trumps of Amber, used by his family to communicate across vast distances, and transport one another through Shadows in an instant.Then comes the most shattering jolt of all... Corwin's confrontation with an intricate design created by a master manipulator of reality - the Pattern. By walking the Pattern, those of the blood royal gain the ability to control Shadows. But the slightest hesitation or misstep during the trial means death.As Corwin sets foot upon that coldly glowing inscription, memories come flooding back to him... more and more with each step. And finally, knowing his true identity, he acknowledges his true ambition - and resolves that the crown of Amber will be his.But unknown to Corwin, there are dark forces massing against Amber... and before too long he will discover just how great a burden a king's crown can be...

Legacy: Arthurian Saga


Mary Stewart - 1970
    It has reached millions of readers. Now, the mysterious sorcerer of Arthurian Mythology, has found new life. The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment and The Wicked Day now stand united in Book one of the Legacy series -- the finest work of Mary Stewart's distinguished career.In all of literature there has never been a more compelling look into this mysterious figure. Merlin, is most known as the keeper of King Arthur. In this Legacy series, we discover the true history of one of the most enigmatic figures in history. We'll follow Merlin as he discovers the secrets to the mystical arts and becomes the biggest name in folklore.

No Flying in the House


Betty Brock - 1970
    Annabel never thought it was strange that she had Gloria instead of real parents. Until one day a wicked, wicked cat named Belinda comes to tell her the truth -- she's not just a little girl, she's a half-fairy! And she can do lots of things that other kids can't do, such as kiss her own elbow and fly around the house. But being a fairy isn't all fun and games, and soon Annabel must make a choice. If she chooses to be a fairy, she'll have to say good-bye to Gloria forever. How can she decide between her newly found magic and her dearest friend?

The Crystal Cave


Mary Stewart - 1970
    This is the world of young Merlin, the illegitimate child of a South Wales princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity. Yet Merlin is an extraordinary child, aware at the earliest age that he possesses a great natural gift - the Sight. Against a background of invasion and imprisonment, wars and conquest, Merlin emerges into manhood, and accepts his dramatic role in the New Beginning - the coming of King Arthur.

Ill Met in Lankhmar


Fritz Leiber - 1970
    White Wolf presents the entire seven-novelette Lankhmar series in four volumes.The two greatest heroes ever are back, proving why Fritz Leiber is a literary legend. Join Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser as they take you on unforgettable adventures. Includes Swords and Deviltry and Swords Against Death.

Zothique


Clark Ashton Smith - 1970
    It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books as the sixteenth volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in June 1970. It was the first themed collection of Smith's works assembled by Carter for the series. The stories were originally published in various fantasy magazines in the 1930s, notably Weird Tales. The book collects one poem and all sixteen tales of the author's Zothique cycle, set on the Earth's last continent in a far distant future, with an introduction and map and epilogue by Carter. Contents:"Introduction: When the World Grows Old", by Lin Carter "Zothique" (poem) "Xeethra" "Necromancy in Naat" "The Empire of the Necromancers" "The Master of the Crabs" "The Death of Ilalotha" "The Weaver in the Vault" "The Witchcraft of Ulua" "The Charnel God" "The Dark Eidolon" "Morthylla" "The Black Abbot of Puthuum" "The Tomb-Spawn" "The Last Hieroglyph" "The Isle of the Torturers" "The Garden of Adompha" "The Voyage of King Euvoran" "Epilogue: The Sequence of the Zothique Tales", by Lin Carter

The Princess and the Goblin / Princess and Curdie


George MacDonald - 1970
    Princess Irene and the intrepid Curdie overthrow the kingdom of the goblins with help from the princess's mysterious and powerful grandmother. More than just children's stories, these novels hold deeper meanings for adult readers who are interested in the spiritual life and the battle between good and evil. Newly designed and typeset by Waking Lion Press.

Sir Machinery


Tom McGowen - 1970
    A mechanical robot with a computer brain is helped by the wizard Merlin to overcome the evil forces encroaching on the earth.

Nine Princes in Amber


Roger Zelazny - 1970
    Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne. From Arden to the blood-slippery Stairway into the Sea, the air is electrified with the powers of Eric, Random, Bleys, Caine, and all the princes of Amber whom Corwin must overcome. Yet, his savage path is blocked and guarded by eerie structures beyond imagining; impossible realities forged by demonic assassins and staggering horrors to challenge the might of Corwin's superhuman fury.' to 'Awakening in an Earth hospital unable to remember who he is or where he came from, Corwin is amazed to learn that he is one of the sons of Oberon, King of Amber, and is the rightful successor to the crown in a parallel world.

Ann in the Moon


Frances D. Francis - 1970
    

At the Edge of the World


Lord Dunsany - 1970
    Like first-rate poetry, they are endlessly readable. Those who have not read them have something to look forward to, and an assortment of Dunsany is the foundation stone of any fantasy collection.” —L. Sprague de CampThirty short and short-short stories by the 18th Baron of Dunsany. Edited by, and with introduction, notes and afterword by, Lin Carter.Contents: Introduction: The dreams of MĀNA-YOOD-SUSHĀI / Lin Carter — The cave of Kal — Of the gods of Averon — Mlideen — The King that was not — The men of Yarnith — In the land of Time — Time and the gods — The opulence of Yahn — The fortress unvanquishable, save for Sacnoth — Poltarnees, beholder of Ocean — The idle city — Bethmoora — Idle days on the Yann — The hashish man — Carcassonne — In Zaccarath — The dream of King Karna-Vootra — How the enemy came to Thlūnrāna — The distressing tale of Thangobrind the jeweller, and of the doom that befell him — A shop in Go-by Street — The avenger of Perdóndaris — How the dwarfs rose up in war — The probable adventure of the three literary men — The loot of Bombasharna — The injudicious prayers of Pombo the idolater — The bride of the man-horse — The quest of the Queen’s Tears — How one came, as was foretold, to the City of Never — A day at the Edge of the World — Erlathdronion — Epilogue — Afterword / Lin Carter(Cover Illustration: Ray Cruz)

In the Morning of Time: The Story of the Norse God Balder


Cynthia King - 1970
    One-eyed Oden, father of the Gods, discovers the meaning of the dreams: Balder will die, and spring will come no more. The Gods are horrified, and Odin's wife Frigga tries desperately - buy fruitlessly - to prevent the tragedy.

Singers in the Shadows


Robert E. Howard - 1970
    

The Magic Wallpaper


Frank Francis - 1970
    A little boy walks into adventure down the path pictured on his new wallpaper.

Longbeard the Wizard


Sid Fleischman - 1970
    A bored young king disguises himself as a wizard and mingles among his people until word of his magic spreads.