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| SFReader Forums > SFReader > Ask The Expert > Short novels out of style? | Forum Quick Jump
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Dale Staub
Stablehand
      
Date Joined Jul 2008
Total Posts : 12
| Posted 7/23/2008 11:09 PM (GMT -4) |   | | I am looking for sword & sorcery, fantasy, heroic fantasy in a short novel format. It seems to be out of style now but I really enjoyed a smaller stand alone read. Does anyone know of any books around 200-300 pages long that have the wonder and action that I crave? I am a working man and just don't always want to commit to a twelve book bloated saga. | | Back to Top | | |
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Bill Ward
Biblioholic
Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1635
| Posted 7/23/2008 11:27 PM (GMT -4) | | You're right, they have gone out of style lately, and I share your opinon that its nice to have something that does the job of creating wonder and adventure without going on for 800 pages about history and linguistics.
One series that springs immediately to mind that I can't recommend highly enough is Charles Saunders' Imaro, as that was written as part of the sword & sorcery tradition over twenty years ago and is only now getting its fair shake. The first two books are readily available at Amazon, and you can read my review of them at my website (link in my signature).
David Gemmell has written some shorter, stand alone novels that pack a lot of punch in a reasonable space. I highly recommend The Knights of Dark Reknown as being a great short novel that feels quite epic in scope. Legend is also a terrific novel and a good place to start, thought around the 350 mark. Still, its a fast-paced 350, like all of Gemmell's work.
Of course, if you're willing to turn back the clock and look more at older books there's a lot more to chose from. Without knowing what you're acquainted with its hard to recommend too much, but there is the entire Moorcock S&S canon to read, and those are all quick, fast, and terrifically imaginative. Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, Karl Edward Wagner's Kane, Larry Niven's The Magic Goes Away, Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos, and Robert E. Howard's numerous heroes that are now available in proper collections -- all of that is action-oriented and fast paced fiction in an easily digested form. The there are collections from yesteryear, anthology series like Thieves' World and Flashing Swords.
The Warhammer series of novels are also something you may want to look at -- they are media tie-ins for a miniatures game, but many are surprisingly good fantasy adventure novels that are the closest thing to Sword & Sorcery being published today that I'm aware of.
Of course, there is also an S&S revival in the small press, as seen in this forum. Flashing Swords Magazine, Rogue Blade Entertainment -- these may also be avenues you'd like to investigate.
billwardwriter.com | | Back to Top | | |
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Dale Staub
Stablehand
Date Joined Jul 2008
Total Posts : 12
| Posted 7/24/2008 1:46 AM (GMT -4) | | | I'm sorry about the misdirected request. I guess I am not familiar enough with this forum yet to know my way around. But as to sci fi, the same thing applies, just not as bad. Any suggestions on the sci fi front would be appreciated as well. | | Back to Top | | |
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Dale Staub
Stablehand
Date Joined Jul 2008
Total Posts : 12
| Posted 7/24/2008 1:52 AM (GMT -4) | | By the way, thanks for all these great suggestions. I have been buying books like a madman lately. I know what you mean when you say it would be helpful to know my reading background. I have read voraciously the works available to me as a youth in the S&S genre. Which includes Howard,Lieber,Burroughs,Fox,Norman,Carter and many others. Just because I may have read them at fourteen doesn't mean I wouldn't get a kick out of having at them again though. Some of those listed gave me great flashbacks and ones I am not familiar with, will give me many new pleasures I am sure. Thanks!  | | Back to Top | | |
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Charles Gramlich
Acolyte
Date Joined Aug 2007
Total Posts : 267
| Posted 7/24/2008 3:30 AM (GMT -4) | | Well, I have to recommend my own Sword and Planet novels. Swords of Talera, Wings Over Talera, Witch of Talera. These are between 68,000 and 75,000 words. Although they work as a trilogy, each book stands on its own. I think every book really needs a clear cut ending, although I don't mind when there are "some" themes that carry over to a sequel. But a basic story should begin and end in a single volume.
I think somewhere between 65,000 and 80,000 is about ideal for a good heroic fantasy novel. They are listed in the book room that Crystalwizard mentioned above. And they are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and various other sites.
Charles Gramlich
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Anthony G Williams
Greybeard
Date Joined Apr 2007
Total Posts : 397
| Posted 7/25/2008 9:49 PM (GMT -4) | | | | |
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Dale Staub
Stablehand
Date Joined Jul 2008
Total Posts : 12
| Posted 7/25/2008 11:59 PM (GMT -4) | | Excellent article Tony! It captures my feelings exactly. Gave me a lot of details which I didn't know as well. I can clearly remember when a series was usually a collection of individual stories (most often originally published in a magazine serial format) each independant of the other. Not to say there aren't some authors out there who make the long trilogy (or series) work. I have been enjoying a couple by S.M. Stirling lately. Now if only I could get my other gripe about crappy cover art fixed as well. | | Back to Top | | |
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Jay Stevol
Neophyte
Date Joined May 2005
Total Posts : 154
| Posted 7/28/2008 12:20 PM (GMT -4) | | Although you specifically mentioned modern novels you might like to check out Paizo's new Planet Stories, which collects a number of OOP or hard-to-find pulp classics. Also, and I hate to sound like a shill, but check out the stories on Flashing Swords; there's some real good stuff there.
For science fiction, try the Gollancz SF Masterworks series. Most of the books there are around the 200 page mark and absolutely excellent. | | Back to Top | | |
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