Quite simply the oldest form of fiction in existence, these tales of warriors and magicians, good and evil, have at their best a naive charm that belies the lowbrow reputation that has attached to them.
 

Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Comes -
The ultimate Bradburyian tale on the edge of horror, whimsy and fantasy - a must-have. When Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show comes to town, the life of two boys will never be the same. Has all the best qualities of a nightmare. Only beaten for concentrated atmosphere by the works of Gene Wolfe.

Susanna Clarke

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell -
Fresh and delightful fantasy in this vast first novel, combining the style of Jane Austen with the type of characters you would find in Mervyn Peake, all in an adventure that finds magic returning to England. Click on More - it's worth investigating!

Stephen Donaldson

Lord Foul's Bane
The first of the Stephen Covenant series, this is a dark fantasy which puts a modern day man suffering from an illness that the West usually associates with the third world or historical times - leprosy - into a dangerous fantasy world. Covenant is an unlikely and often unlikeable hero, but the storyline is powerful and the writing good. Click on Donaldson's name above to see details of the whole series, which continue the promise of this first book.

Alan Garner

The Owl Service -
Perhaps the greatest of Garner's books, The Owl Service is a hypnotic tale of young adults finding themselves as they become immersed in a strange mix of Welsh folklore, recent history and the present. Garner's ever-present themes of mixing time and the power in the land are never better, and the conclusion is balanced on a knife edge. Superb. New 11 November 98

Red Shift -
The most taxing of Garner's young adult books, Red Shift is incredibly effective - but be warned, it is also a very bleak book. Mixing up the present day, a massacre from a few hundred years ago and the Roman past, Garner uses the pivotal point of Mow Cop and its strange folly castle to pull together forces that turn a blossoming romance into decay. Hard work, but well worth it. New 11 November 98

 Strandloper -
In this rare foray into adult writing, Garner produces what could be seen as a pure work of historical fiction. It tells the story of William Buckley, a bricklayer from rural Cheshire who was arrested and transported to Australia in the 1790s. He vows to his girl that he will return, and escapes from the settlement with the unfortunate notion that Australia is connected by land to the rest of Asia, and so expects to travel North to China then turn left to return home. This would be a fascinating enough tale in its own right - but this is Garner at work, and so there is a strange intertwining of the rituals that kept magic ritual alive in 18th century Cheshire and the magic of the Australian aborigines, who take in Buckley as one of their own. New 24 October 2001

 Thursbitch -
Just as it's possible to listen to a piece of music by Beethoven or Tavener and recognize the composer by the feel of the music, so Garner's books have a distinctive feel that is embedded in the rocks and soil of his beloved Cheshire/Derbyshire borders. And all those elements are brought to a new height in Thursbitch. It's quite slim as novels go, and there are times when Garner gets carried away with his fascination with old religions and his antipathy to historical Christianity, but it's still a great book. Garner fans could see this is the positive antithesis of Red Shift - despite having death as a major theme, it's much more uplifting than the shattering conclusion of that book. If you think it's impossible for a fantasy writer to produce a good novel, read this one. New 8 December 2003

Robert Holdstock

Mythago Wood
The mystery of Ryehope Wood has obsessed George Huxley to the point of obsession. The strange manifestations that haunt him suggest that this is the last fragment of primeval forest, inhabited by the realities of myth. Now Huxley is dead and his sons take up his life work. Holdstock achieves an incredible feeling of mystery and wonder. It's hard to put this book down, because you just have to know what it's all about. Inevitably, perhaps, the ending is a let-down because of this. Out of print in the US, so worth ordering from the UK. New 29 October 98

Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time -
An extraordinary children's book (9+) which is still very readable as an adult. Bizarrely this is in the top 10 of children's books banned in the US - it's crazy! Meg Murry and her younger brother Charles Wallace go on a strange journey through a tesseract to find their missing father. These misfit children have to travel into the influence of a dark shadow from which they might not return. Bluntly described it sounds like many a fantasy/SF juvenile adventure, but it's not - it's much more!  Click l'Engle's name for more Murry books. New 29 October 98

Many Waters -
The latest Murry book, though chronologically it comes between Wind at the Door and Swiftly Tilting Planet. Here the 'boring' Murrys, the twins Sandy and Dennys finally get something interesting to do, rather than be foils to their siblings. They are thrown back to a time that is somewhere between reality and myth - to the time of Noah, leading up to the building of the ark. L'Engle's triumph is to make this far-distant time so alien and human at the same time. Mythical beasts exist alongside miniature mammoths, and two sets of earth-bound angels, the good but hands-off Seraphim and the darker Nephelim are frightening presences. Excellent stuff. New 25 November 98

A Swiftly Tilting Planet -
Last of the four in chronology, the youngest brother, Charles Wallace is now fifteen, while Meg is married and carrying her first child. A madman in a South American state threatens nuclear war - with the help of a unicorn and mental support from Meg, Charles Wallace merges with a number of individuals from the past, subtly changing reality. A fascinating (if rather unlikely) legend of how the Welsh prince Madoc and his brother came to the USA and how they interacted with the native Americans feeds into a later Welsh colony in Patagonia. Strangely compelling. New 25 November 98

A Wind at the Door -
Following soon on chronologically from A Wrinkle in Time, this is a mysterious book which takes Meg, the rather unpleasant school head teacher and a many-eyed cherubim (I know it's plural and so does L'Engle - see what the book says) inside Charles Wallace to battle the dark forces which are attacking his mitrochondria. This is only the last of the challenges that Meg and the cherubim face, starting with finding the right head teacher from two evil alternatives. It's very hard to describe this book without making it sound strange - but it is a wonderful story. New 25 November 98

Mervyn Peake

  The Gormenghast Trilogy -
Tthe Gormenghast trilogy sets the scene for the birth, institution and rebellion of the 77th Earl of Groan, Titus. Through the books, Titus grows up into his new role. Here we meet Peake's kaleidoscopic range of bizarre characters - Steerpike, Barquentine, Lady Fuschia, Lord Sepulchrave, Countess Gertrude,  Doctor Prunesquallor and his sister Irma, Swelter, Mr Flay, Nanny Slagg and more. But more than all of these there is the character of the castle itself that dominates this amazing fantasy. But Titus is restless in this cobwebbed kingdom of crumbling towers, ivied quadrangles, dank passages and battlements elbow-deep in moss. And an evil force is arising in the castle, subverting the ancient rituals and aiming to overthrow and kill. Remarkable stuff. Click Peake's name for individual books and more. Also available on DVD.  New 3 August 2001

J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 
The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the fourth year at Hogwarts School. Harry is expecting the usual syllabus, but some quite unexpected events are lined up too. The chunky Harry blockbuster - no-one was sure if Rowling could sustain such a long book, but she does effortlessly. For more Harry Potter books, click on J. K.'s name above.  New 23 July 2001

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Terry Pratchett

Maskerade
The target for this Discworld contender is Phantom of the Opera. As if this doesn't bring in enough comic possibilities - and it does - Pratchett throws in his wonderful witches. Somehow opera will never be the same again after Granny Weatherwax has had her hand in it. This is an arbitrary choice from Pratchett's outpourings, most of which ought to be here - click on his name to see many more.

Bram Stoker

Dracula.
A tour-de-force, once you get over Stoker's slightly irritating narrative/letter style. Surprisingly sexy for its time (certainly more so than the early films) and there's a lot more goes on than you would expect from the film versions. Need we say more - the gothic godfather. The UK version is extremely good value.

Gene Wolfe

Castleview -
In a typical Wolfe juxtaposition of the everyday and the extraordinary, the Arthurian legends come alive for US auto dealer Will Shields. Moving to a small town near Chicago, Shields and his family are plunged into a wild ride of mysterious events. This is a book to read on a wet weekend - you won't want to put it down. An absolutely relelentless pace keeps you turning the pages. As usual with Wolfe, a lot is subtle - the details are never over-stated, but the effect is magical. The ending seems  rushed, but otherwise a masterpiece.

The Fifth Head of Cerberus -
This was the one that made Wolfe's name. Three linked stories with a strange, dreamlike quality. Most memorable is the central tale of the children of a brothel-keeper and an alchemist, who play in the slave market under the watchful eye of their robot nursemaid. He's trying a bit too hard to be arty in this one, but it's still a class act.

Free Live Free -
Four bizarre characters live free of charge in a run-down boarding house in Chicago. Each is a failure of some sort, yet they're special too. They set out to find the missing owner of their house. Just what the mysterious high country is and what it is has to do with his disappearance will lead them to some wonderful and aweful happenings.  New 27 January 1999

Latro in the Mist -
If you are looking for spaceships and warp drive, or even conventional swords and sorcery, this isn't the book for you. It's arguably mostly historical fiction, with Wolfe's usual superb eye for detail - all that makes it fantasy is the acceptance that the gods really exist, and can be seen by Latro, a man who forgets every day what has gone before. A fascinating, unique book (technically two books, Soldier in the Mist and Soldier of Arete combined into one volume).   New 7 May 2003

Pandora by Holly Hollander -
Written as if by an all-American teenager, this is a delightful romp, and murder mystery too. It's a real crossover, as it ought to be pure crime fiction, but there's an unmistakeable feel of fantasy about it. Why is Holly's uncle in a mental institution? What is in the strange box her mother brought home? What are the strange phone calls to her best friend's brother about? His ability to make you think "what the hell is going on?" in an intensely pleasurable way rivals Bradbury, but with a much harder edge.

There are Doors -
Wolfe shines in this modern-day fantasy. The hero is transported to an alternate world thanks to a literally living doll. As usual with Wolfe, happenings are bizarre and the main characters less than perfect. Delicious.