Best of
Fantasy

1981

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1)


Brian Sibley - 1981
    Brian Sibley's famous 1981 adaptation, starring Ian Holm and Michael Hordern.

Fire and Flight


Wendy Pini - 1981
    The elves are burnt out of their ancestral home by vengeful humans. Betrayed by cowardly trolls, the elfin tribe, led by Cutter, Blood of Ten Chiefs, must cross the Burning Wastelands to find a faven they've never seen. Can the Wolfriders survive? If they do, what surprises await them at Sorrow's End?

Sandkings


George R.R. Martin - 1981
    Now, in search of some new pets to satisfy his cruel pursuit of amusement, Simon finds a new shop in the city where he is intrigued by a new lifeform he has never heard of before... a collection of multi-colored sandkings. The curator explains that the insect-like animals, no larger than Simon's fingernails, are not insects, but animals with a highly-evolved hive intelligence capable of staging wars between the different colors, and even religion - in the form of worship of their owner. The curator's warning to Simon about the regularity of their feeding, unfortunately, was not taken seriously...Contents:- The Way of Cross and Dragon (1979)- Bitterblooms (1977)- In the House of the Worm (1976)- Fast-Friend (1976)- The Stone City (1977)- Starlady (1976)- Sandkings (1979)Cover illustration by Michael Whelan

The Atlas of Middle-Earth


Karen Wynn Fonstad - 1981
    Here is the definitive guide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in the Elder Days through the Third Age, including the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Authentic and updated -- nearly one third of the maps are new, and the text is fully revised -- the atlas illuminates the enchanted world created in THE SILMARILLION, THE HOBBIT, and THE LORD OF THE RINGS.Hundreds of two-color maps and diagrams survey the journeys of the principal characters day by day -- including all the battles and key locations of the First, Second, and Third Ages. Plans and descriptions of castles, buildings, and distinctive landforms are given, along with thematic maps describing the climate, vegetation, languages, and population distribution of Middle-earth throughout its history. An extensive appendix and an index help readers correlate the maps with Tolkien's novels.

Secrets of the Gnomes


Rien Poortvliet - 1981
    SECRETS OF THE GNOMES is the fascinating account of a long, arduous journey undertaken by the authors at the request of the gnomes. It is overflowing with the authors' on-the-scene sketches and firsthand observations.Poortvliet and Huygen are not invited as mere observers, however, for after a meal of mushrooms and cream-tasting as if were made of "everything that light, air, sun, moon, and earth could produce"-they find that they have been turned into gnomes themselves! The authors take a penetrating look at their subjects: they learn of the tender emotional life of a gnome; they see and diagram the mechanics of the ingenious gnome technology; they observe how gnomes administer justice in the wild; they are told how fairy tales first began (Little Red Riding Hood was actually a gnome). And, best of all, they are allowed to see parts of the magical Secret Book.Endowed with gnome characteristics (which include exceptional vision and heightened senses of touch, smell taste, and hearing), complete with peaked gnome caps, Poortvliet and Huygen are led from Lapland across the Siberian wilderness by Nicholas, their gruff by kindly guide who teaches them the secrets of survival in the icy north. Because of the gnomes' rapport with living creatures, the three travel in a troika pulled by lemmings, they are borne on a fox's back and on the head of a moose-they are even carried by the abominable snowman!Lovers of gnomes will celebrate the arrival of this new volume and will delight in the opportunity to know these elusive creatures better. Scores of enchanting illustrations by Dutch artist Rien Poortvliet record the comings and goings of gnomes and the loving interaction with nature for which they are so famous.

The Worlds of Anne McCaffrey - Restoree, Decision at Doona, and The Ship Who Sang


Anne McCaffrey - 1981
    

Journeys of Frodo: An Atlas of J.R.R.Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings"


Barbara Strachey - 1981
    Based on clear and detailed descriptions given in the text and on the original maps that appear The Lord of the Rings, as well as Tolkien's own paintings and drawings of the landscape and features of Middle-earth, this book clearly shows Frodo's route, together with the paths taken by other principal characters. The maps provide enough detail to help the reader envisage the country through which the narrative moves, and each one also has extensive notes about the journey. Having loved the volumes of The Lord of the Rings since they first appeared, Barbara Strachey wanted fuller and more detailed maps to go with them. Though not a professional cartographer or artist, she finally decided to create them herself. For nearly 20 years her efforts have provided readers of The Lord of the Rings with a new and more vivid idea of Middle-earth and her book remains an essential Tolkien's great masterpiece.

The Many-Coloured Land


Julian May - 1981
    Each sought his own brand of happiness. But none could have guessed what awaited them. Not even in a million years....

The Wizard Children of Finn


Mary Tannen - 1981
    The whilstler turns out to be Finn, an enchanted boy who has been watching the McCools, hoping to make friends with them. Fiona and Bran are caught up with him in a magical spell that flings them back through time to Finn's homeland, the Ireland of two thousand years ago. They journey on foot across ancient Ireland -- over two rivers, battling wild beasts, traveling toward the awesome celebration of Samhain, where their fate is to be decided. Fiona becomes Finn's poet, spinning their adventures into poems, while Bran remembers the tales perfectly and recites them. Together, the McCools document the story of Finn, a boy on the brink of manhood whom they grow to love, but cannot begin to understand.

Terry Jones' Fairy Tales


Terry Jones - 1981
    Embracing the tradition of the fairy tale, but adding Jones' inimitable comic imagination and originality, each story makes a perfect bedtime read for children - and grown ups! 'Could become a 'modern classic' ...the book is a joy' - Brian Patten, "Spectator".

Elfquest: The Grand Quest Vol. 3


Wendy Pini - 1981
    3 is a breathtaking adventure of fantasy and imagination. Living on a prehistoric world of danger and wonder, a peaceful tribe of elves suddenly find their very existence jeopardized by the murderous advancement of primitive humans. Now in an effort to create a unified front against the encroaching Neanderthals, a young elf chief named Cutter has set out to unify all of the elf tribes throughout the land. But as the wily leader and his tenacious companion Skywise infiltrate the ominous Blue Mountain, they encounter a Pandora's box of dark secrets that could spell their own doom.

Heritage and Exile


Marion Zimmer Bradley - 1981
    This is the complex and compelling tale of the early life of Regis Hastur, Darkover’s greatest monarch. But Heritage also spins the terrifying and heartbreaking story of those who sought to control the deadly Sharra Matrix and tells how Lew Alton met and lost his greatest love, Marjorie Scott. This is the unforgettable showdown between those Darkovan lords who would bargain away their world for the glories of Terran science and those who would preserve the special matrix powers that are at once the prize and the burden of the Darkover.Sharra’s Exile: The most dangerous magical implement on all of Darkover was the infamous, legendary Sharra Matrix. Embodying the image of a chained woman wreathed in flames, it was the last remaining weapon of the Age of Chaos—an era of uncontrolled laran warfare which had almost destroyed all life on Darkover. The Sharra Matrix has been exiled offworld to one of the far-flung planets of the Terran Empire, in the protective custody of one who had suffered gravely from its use: Comyn Lord Lew Alton. But when Lew was called back to Darkover to contend for his rights, he had no choice but to bring this dangerous matrix back with him, and once Sharra Matrix was back, her flaming image spread far and wide, setting in motion events which would change the lands, the seven Domains, and the entire future of Darkover.

The Earth Witch


Louise Lawrence - 1981
    Young Owen nearly loses his life when he unknowingly falls in love with the Earth Witch.

Fiend Folio


Don Turnbull - 1981
    The Fiend Folio is a collection of monsters for use with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, similar in format to the original Monster Manual and effectively a supplement to that book.

Dwellers of the Forbidden City


David Zeb Cook - 1981
    Somewhere in the heart of the steaming jungle lies the answer to the whispered tales - rumors of a magnificent city and foul, horrid rituals! Here a brave party might find riches and wonders - or death! Is your party brave enough to face the terrors of the unknown and find - the Forbidden City!

The Silver Arm


Jim Fitzpatrick - 1981
    In this second volume, titled "The Silver-Armed Warrior", Jim Fitzpatrick resorts again to that treasure house of his Irish childhood, a cultural heritage shared and transmitted not only by Yeats & Lady Gregory but by a thousand unknown voices telling the lovingly guarded stories to countless generations of children and adults alike.

The Silver Metal Lover


Tanith Lee - 1981
    In this unforgettably poignant novel, Lee has created a classic tale--a beautiful, tragic, erotic, and ultimately triumphant love story of the future.For sixteen-year-old Jane, life is a mystery she despairs of ever mastering. She and her friends are the idle, pampered children of the privileged class, living in luxury on an Earth remade by natural disaster. Until Jane's life is changed forever by a chance encounter with a robot minstrel with auburn hair and silver skin, whose songs ignite in her a desperate and inexplicable passion.Jane is certain that Silver is more than just a machine built to please. And she will give up everything to prove it. So she escapes into the city's violent, decaying slums to embrace a love bordering on madness. Or is it something more? Has Jane glimpsed in Silver something no one else has dared to see--not even the robot or his creators? A love so perfect it must be destroyed, for no human could ever compete?

The Nomad of Time


Michael Moorcock - 1981
    

The Toothpaste Genie


Sandy Frances Duncan - 1981
    But she soon finds out the genie is an apprentice -- he turns every wish into a disaster!

Permanent Character Folder & Adventure Records (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/9029)


E. Gary Gygax - 1981
    When an adventure is ended the completed record may be stored in the PERMANENT CHARACTER FOLDER to serve as a file on past deeds of glory.

Unsilent Night


Tanith Lee - 1981
    The contents include "Sirriamnis," a story of the calling of a savage magic to a civilized post in ancient Greece (written specifically for this book); "Cyrion In Wax," the latest adventure of a swordsman with a wit to challenge sorcerers; and a selection of previously unpublished poems.Tanith Lee was born in London in 1947. She began writing at the age of nine, and sold her first book, The Dragon Hoard (Macmillan), when she was nineteen. She has since written 21 other books, including Death's Master (DAW), which recently won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel. She has also written radio plays, television scripts, and many short stories. Boskone XVIII marks her first appearance as Guest of Honor at an American SF convention.

A Treasury of Modern Fantasy


Terry Carr - 1981
    Wolheim / Thirteen O'Clock by C. M. Kornbluth / Trouble with Water by H. L. Gold / The Woman of the Wood by A. Merritt / The Rats in the Walls by H. P. Lovecraft / Sail On! Sail On! by Philip Jose Farmer / The Loom of Darkness by Jack Vance / The Hellbound Train by Robert Bloch / Come and Go Mad by Fredric Brown / Narrow Valley by R. A. Lafferty / Divine Madness by Roger Zelazny / Longtooth by Edgar Pangborn / Man Overboard by John Collier / Descending by Thomas M. Disch / My Dear Emily by Joanna Russ / Our Fair City by Robert A. Heinlein / They Bite by Anthony Boucher / Call Him Demon by Henry Kuttner / Daemon by C. L. Moore / There Shall Be No Darkness by James Blish / The Coming of the White Worm by Clark Ashton Smith / One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts by Shirley Jackson / Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Richard Cowper / Nine Yards of Other Cloth by Manly Wade Wellman / Yesterday Was Monday by Theodore Sturgeon / Through a Glass - Darkly by Zenna Henderson / The Montavarde Camera by Avram Davidson / Within the Walls of Tyre by Michael Bishop / Four Ghosts in Hamlet by Fritz Leiber / Displaced Person by Eric Frank Russell / The Black Ferris by Ray Bradbury.

Frankenstein Meets Wolfman


Ian Thorne - 1981
    A werewolf who wishes to be released from his curse and die visits Frankenstein's ruined castle to learn the secrets of life and death.

Caverns


Kevin O'Donnell Jr. - 1981
    O'Donnell. As the title implies, the focus is on a character named McGill Feighan. In this first book, the origin of McGill and the start of his adventerous life is revealed. "Caverns" is at first a light-hearted read, but you soon find yourself drawn into the life of the hero, his triumphs and despair. McGill is a "flinger", a person who can teleport anything (himself, other people, things) anywhere that he's been before. But even for a flinger, he does not lead a normal life due to unusual events in his life, when he was a newborn. Much of the story revolves around McGill's growing-up and learning to deal with his powers, as well as the assortment of people and aliens that take an interest in his life (both good and bad).

Griffin Mountain


Rudy Kraft - 1981
    It also includes a separate 12 page set of player handouts.Compatible with RuneQuest 6th edition!Griffin Mountain was the largest game adventure ever published when it was first printed and it established a new state-of-the-art in roleplaying. It is a complete depiction of Bualazar, a section of Glorantha just north of Dragon Pass and north-west of Prax. Unlike many source-books which offer worlds, Griffin Mountain goes into detail about the inhabitants (not just how many people live in what village), giving in depth views of their leaders, their lives, and their land. This is not a dungeon adventure. The book is aimed at an holistic, above-ground campaign. Almost all of the material can be adapted to a GM's own campaign, including weather charts, personalized encounters, found encounters, a merchant caravan, barbaric citadels, and two new cults, Foundchild and Cacodemon.Griffin Mountain details an area 800 kilometers wide. The Elder Wilds is where non-humans live and high adventure thrives. Balazar is a sparsely populated hunting ground for approximately 12,000 human barbarians, a wild frontier where anything can happen. This book contains extensive notes on the area's geography, history, and inhabitants.Meet King Yalaring Monsterslayer who became king of the citadel of Trilus by right of conquest. Visit picturesque Elkoi, built by giants. Trade with Joh Mith, a fat, jovial caravan master with high bargaining skills. Gamble with Hen Cik, one of the caretakers of a legendary castle in Giant Land. Cross the dangerous River of the Damned (full river crossing rules inside). Quest for the powerful windberries, rumored to be found on Griffin Mountain itself. Beware of the ever-present baboons, bears, dragonewts, dwarves, elves, dinosaurs, wild hawks, trolls . . .Get your adventurers ready for a glorious time in Griffin Mountain!

The Dragon of Og


Rumer Godden - 1981
    For centuries the Dragon of Og has taken for food two bullocks a month from the lord's herd, but a new lord declares the custom must end, and so begins a battle of wits.

The Finieous Treasury, Vol.I


J.D. Webster - 1981
    

The Ozark Trilogy


Suzette Haden Elgin - 1981
    Twelve Fair Kingdoms, The Grand Jubilee, And Then There’ll Be Fireworks—the books that comprise the trilogy—chronicle life on the planet Ozark and its Confederation of Continents, which are appropriately named Arkansaw, Oklahomah, Mizzurah, Tinaseeh, Kintucky, and Marktwain. However, the story told here involves much more than a mere transplant of Ozark culture and heritage onto a new planet. While this new Ozark culture maintains and even intensifies many of the “real” Ozark traditions and customs (for instance, “Grannys” hold significant, stabilizing social roles and are important sources of wisdom), the planet Ozark combines many new, fantastical elements with traditional ways. Mules on Ozark fly, and the wise “Grannys” also work magic.The protagonist of The Ozark Trilogy, Responsible of Brightwater, appears at the center of Ozark society, a society she must save from evil magic, civil war, and, ultimately, alien invasion. As Responsible travels from continent to continent in an attempt to discover and squelch the evil magic and calm the civil unrest, we are witness to many dangerous and sometimes comical adventures along the way, including a spectacular flying Mule crash and a magic duel with a Granny gone bad.Elgin has created a fantastic world infused with the folk traditions, social and familial hierarchies, and traditional dialect of the Ozarks. While parallels might be drawn between, for example, the break-up of the Confederacy of Continents on planet Ozark and the American Civil War, Elgin comments on aspects of Ozark history and tradition in a non didactic way. The trilogy, with its strong heroine and witty engagement of tradition, is a classic of Ozark literature.

C.S. Lewis: The Art of Enchantment


Donald E. Glover - 1981