Game of Thrones fans have a little over 100 days to wait for season 7, which seems close to a lifetime away. The franchisation of George R.R. Martin’s creation means that the companion books and merchandise are never ending, offering ample opportunity to pass time in Westeros. But for those who can’t get enough of the fantasy world rendered in technicolor, and whose relationship with the source books is stronger and more intertwined than most marriages, how about visiting another world entirely?
Fantasy is a genre as old as time. The first stories every told were of monsters, myths and magic as ancient peoples tried to make sense of a world before science. Popular fantasy is based around magic or sorcery, and nearly always rooted in a medieval setting. Despite the clear disconnect with modernity, epic fantasies have the appeal of plots and characters whose familiar traits transcend time, but whose stories are different enough that the genre holds an escapist attraction, taking readers (or viewers) away from reality.
Besides the obvious fantasy epic fiction of J. R. R. Tolkein in The Lord of the Rings, there are a number of authors whose works have spirited this writer away to familiar and imaginary lands ringing with swords and sorcery. One of the best things about the books that follow is that none have (yet) been recreated for film or television, so you must rely on the magic of your own imagination to paint the pictures in your head.
3. King Raven series – Stephen R. Lawhead
Whether the King Raven trilogy could technically be shelved in the fantasy section is perhaps in question, however, the combination of historical fiction, mythical sorcery and political intrigue definitely qualify it for this list.
Popular fantasy is always rooted in some level of reality and that’s what makes it so immersive for the reader. These characters and the things they go through are relatable, and if they are set in a familiar land and time, readers gain more from the fiction thanks to their knowledge of history and geography.
Stephen R. Lawhead’s writing is ordinarily embedded in real historical events or cultural myth and legend. The Pendragon Cycle was inspired by Arthurian legend and the Celtic Crusades follow the religious campaign into the Holy Land. The King Raven trilogy, opening with Hood, is a new take on the Robin Hood legend. Lawhead has transplanted the eponymous Hood from Sherwood Forest in middle England to medieval North Wales where the language is as rugged as the land.
Book One: Hood:
“The Norman Conquest of England is complete – but for one young man the battle has just begun.
When Bran’s father is murdered by Norman soldiers, he flees to London, seeking justice. The journey is long and hard – and the suffering of those he meets along the way fuels his anger.
With his demands dismissed, Bran has no choice but to return home, where a worse fate awaits him. His lands have been confiscated and his people enslaved by a brutal and corrupt regime.
Should Bran flee or protect his people by surrendering to his father’s murderers? The answer, perhaps, is known only to the Raven King – a creature of myth and magic born of the forest’s darkest shadows.”
