Best of
Fantasy

1976

The Harper Hall of Pern


Anne McCaffrey - 1976
    Omnibus of DragonSong, DragonSinger, and DragonDrums

Seed to Harvest


Octavia E. Butler - 1976
    Butler established themes of identity and transformation that echo throughout her distinguished career. Now collected for the first time in one volume, these four novels take readers on a wondrous odyssey from a mythic, prim/ordial past to a fantastic far future.In ancient Africa, a female demigod of nurture and fertility mates with a powerful, destructive male entity. Together they birth a race of madmen, visionaries, and psychics who cling to civilization's margins and back alleys for millenia, coming together in a telepathic Pattern just as Earth is consumed by a cosmic invasion. Now these new beings--no longer mearly human--will battle to rule the transfigured world.

Letters from Father Christmas


J.R.R. Tolkien - 1976
    Tolkien received letters from the North Pole - from Father Christmas himself! They told wonderful stories of mischief and disaster, adventures, and battles: how the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place, how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house, and many others.Now, for the first time, these letters are brought to life with specially arranged holiday music.REVIEW:"Tolkien at his relaxed and ingenious best." The Times of LondonABOUT THE AUTHOR:J.R.R. TOLKIEN (1892-1973) is the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic extraordinary works of fiction as 'The Hobbit', 'The Lord of the Rings', and 'The Silmarillion.' His books have been translated into more than fifty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.©1997, 2004 (P)1997 Harper Collins UK

The Complete Tolkien Companion


J.E.A. Tyler - 1976
    Tolkien's Middle Earth, here is the complete guide to its lands, legends, histories, languages, and people. The Tolkien Companion explains, translates, and links every single reference - names, dates, places, facts, famous weapons, even food and drink - to be found in Tolkien's world, which includes not only The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but also The Simarillion and many other posthumously published works. A detailed explanation of the various Elvish writing systems, together with maps, charts, and genealogical tables, bring the remarkable genius of Tolkien and the unforgettable world and wonder of Middle Earth to life with focus and accuracy. Presented in alphabetical order for quick and easy reference, this is an indispensable accompaniment for anyone who embarks on the reading journey of a lifetime. First published in 1976, this edition has been fully revised and updated for a new century of Tolkien lovers.

Riddle-Master


Patricia A. McKillip - 1976
    McKillip has captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands of readers. And although her renowned Riddle-Master trilogy--The Riddle-Master of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind--has been long out of print, it is considered her most enduring and beloved work. Now it is collected in one volume for the first time--the epic journeys of a young prince in a strange land, where wizards have long since vanished...but where magic is waiting to be reborn.

The Farthest-Away Mountain


Lynne Reid Banks - 1976
    Dakin wants three things more than anything else: to visit the farthest-away mountain, to meet a gargoyle, and to marry a prince. Everyone in her village thinks she's crazy, especially since no one has ever been to the farthest-away mountain. But one day, when she is nearly 15, she hears the mountain calling her. Dakin sets off on a tantalizing journey that will change her life, and the lives of others, forever. From the Hardcover Library Binding edition.

Don’t Bite the Sun


Tanith Lee - 1976
    you could always come alive again.It's jang to change your body, to switch your sex, to do anything you want to keep up with the crowd.But there comes a time when you begin to think about serious things, to want to do something valid. And that's when you find out there are rules beyond the rules and that the world is something else than all they'd taught you.It's the brilliant author of THE BIRTHGRAVE in a strikingly different style and a startlingly different sf novel.

The Tolkien Companion


J.E.A. Tyler - 1976
    R. R. Tolkien's imaginative Middle-earth provides a fan's reference to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Mythopoeikon


Patrick Woodroffe - 1976
    Roger Dean, a well-known artist with a fairly similar style, was collaborating at the time with Hubert Schaafsma, their first aim being to set themselves up as a publishing company and to produce Roger's first book "Visions". Roger telephoned Patrick shortly after that, suggesting the production of a similar book. The title attempts to join together the two words "mythopoeic" and "ikon". There was no agreement on the pronunciation, so you can say it however you like!

Oath of the Renunciates


Marion Zimmer Bradley - 1976
    Sworn to loyalty only to their sisterhood and rejecting the domination of men, they declare their independence by their manlike attire and close-cropped hair, and maintain it with the fighting talents by which many of them earn their livelihood as mercenaries. Of all Darkovan women, only Amazons can travel and act entirely as they please.It is therefore logical for Terran agent Magdalen Lorne to choose to disguise herself as an Amazon when she undertakes a dangerous mission to rescue her fellow agent--and former husband--Peter from the hands of the vicious Sain Scarp bandits. Though Terrans are officially restricted to their small outpost by the mistrustful Comyn rulers, Darkovan-born Madga has often ventured into Darkovan society to gather intelligence and anthropological data. She speaks like a native and often feels more Darkovan than Terran.As she braves the bandit-haunted and winter-torn mountain passes on the way to the Sain Scarp stronghold, Magda is also heading for an unexpected encounter with a band of Amazons led by the beautiful Jaelle. Once one of the high-born Comyn, Jaelle is now a determined Renunciate. And when Jaelle and Magda find themselves joined together by danger and adventure, the two women forge a bond of love and understanding that calls into question all their loyalties...and may also mold new and closer links between their different worlds.A 2-in-1 volume including The Shattered Chain and Thendara House.

Gnomes


Wil Huygen - 1976
    Come join in the 20th-anniversary fun as gnomania strikes again!Did you know that gnome couples always have twin children? Or that a gnome is seven times as strong as a human? Do you want to hear some gossip from the gnome who knew Rembrandt? Dutch artist Rien Poortvliet's charming illustrations and physician Wil Huygen's detailed observations of the gnomes' habits, anatomy, and lifestyle are a delight for readers of all ages. Children will adore the gnome family's underground home and the constant interaction with animals; adults will appreciate the tongue-in-cheek scientific data. Gnomebody is immune to the gnomes' tremendous appeal--and a whole new generation is waiting to love them for the first time!

The Second Book of Robert E. Howard


Robert E. Howard - 1976
    Talman, September 1931"Sword Woman" "Which Will Scarcely Be Understood" (poem) "The Striking of the Gong" "The Song of Horsa's Galley" (poem) "The Good Knight" "A Word From the Outer Dark" (poem) "Black Canaan" "The Song of a Mad Minstrel" (poem) "Kelly the Conjure Man""Surrender" (poem) "The Footfalls Within" "Knife-River Prodigal" "Musings" (poem) "Life" (2, "They bruised my soul . . .") (poem) "The House of Suspicion""Rueben's Brethren" (poem) "Two Against Tyre""The Guise of Youth" (poem) "For the Love of Barbara Allen""Guns of Khartum" "Lines Written in the Realization That I Must Die" (poem)

The Book of Robert E. Howard


Robert E. Howard - 1976
    Here is some of Howard's best work.Contents:"Introduction" by Glenn Lord"Pigeons From Hell" "Recompense" (poem)"The Pit of the Serpent" "Empire" (poem)"Etchings in Ivory" (prose poems)"Proem" "Flaming Marble""Skulls and Orchids""Medallions in the Moon""The Gods That Men Forget""Bloodstones and Ebony" "Thor's Son" (poem)"Cimmeria" (poem)"A Sonnet of Good Cheer" (poem)"Red Blades of Black Cathay""The Dust Dance" (poem)"The Bar by the Side of the Road" (poem)"Knife, Bullet and Noose""The Gold and the Grey" (poem)"Gents on the Lynch" "A Song Out of Midian" (poem)"She Devil""The Day That I Die" (poem)"The Voice of El-Lil""Black Wind Blowing" "The Curse of the Golden Skull""Black Talons" Notes

Pigeons from Hell


Robert E. Howard - 1976
    Monsters and nightmares, dream snakes and hyenas, thrive in this fantasy world that happened yesterday - or even before the dawn of time. It's all here, in the most enthralling collection ever of weird and fantastic adventures by Robert E. Howard, master fantician and creator of CONAN.Contents:Pigeons From HellThe Gods of Bal-SagothPeople of the DarkThe Children of the NightThe Dead RememberThe Man on the GroundThe Garden of FearThe HyenaDig Me No Grave The Dream SnakeIn the Forest of VillefereOld Garfield's HeartThe Voice of El-Lil

The Borribles


Michael de Larrabeiti - 1976
    Apart from their pointed ears, they look just like ordinary children. They live by their wits and a few Borrible laws-the chief one being, Don't Get Caught! The Borribles are outcasts-but they wouldn't have it any other way....One night, the Borribles of Battersea discover a Rumble-one of the giant, rat-shaped creatures who are their ancient enemy-in their territory. Fearing an invasion, an elite group of Borrible fighters set out on what will become known in legend as The Great Rumble Hunt. So begins the first of the three epic adventures in Michael de Larrabeiti's classic trilogy, where excitement, violence, low cunning, greed, generosity, treachery, and bravery exist side by side.

Into the Painted Bear Lair


Pamela Stearns - 1976
    Entering another world through a toy store, Gregory joins the beautiful knight Sir Rosemary and a gourmet named Bear on a journey involving princesses, dragons, magic spells, and hidden passages.

Interview with the Vampire


Anne Rice - 1976
    Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires--a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.Originally begun as a short story, the book took off as Anne wrote it, spinning the tragic and triumphant life experiences of a soul. As well as the struggles of its characters, Interview captures the political and social changes of two continents. The novel also introduces Lestat, Anne's most enduring character, a heady mixture of attraction and revulsion. The book, full of lush description, centers on the themes of immortality, change, loss, sexuality, and power.source: annerice.com

Mr. Yowder and the Lion Roar Capsules


Glen Rounds - 1976
    Book by Rounds, Glen

The Men


Tom of Finland - 1976