And I'm all excited and stuff, you already know most of this first paragraph so feel free to skip it if you like ;o) I love well written fantasy that I get lost in for days at a time (well, the commute to and from work at least) so I was very excited to learn that the Fantasy Masterworks series was getting a makeover and a whole load of new titles to kick things off for new readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the old books (that I’d read) and there were a whole load of new titles here that I’d never heard of. I’m looking forward to talking about them here very soon. Disclaimer: Reading time at a premium and all that (blahblahblah)
What I was slightly more interested in though was the bit of the Gollancz press release that said they would be re-publishing some of the old Fantasy Masterworks from years ago. As someone who is trying to collect the old series, I’m up for anything that makes my collecting a little easier and a little cheaper at the same time. I’ve mentioned it before but ‘Emperor of Dreams’ (amongst others) is going for ridiculous money, second hand, and that’s the kind of thing that makes those gaps, in the series, look like they will never be filled.
So what ‘old’ books will Gollancz be re-publishing then? Amazon isn’t the most reliable of sites sometimes but I was having a little nose around and came across the following titles…
‘Little Big’, John Crowley (published December 2014)
There’s a little while to wait for ‘Little Big’ then but I can hold on as this is one of the ‘old titles’ that I’m having trouble tracking down in the old format. Score one for me then, go me! :o)
‘Beauty’, Sheri S. Tepper (published November 2014)
I’d completely forgotten that ‘Beauty’ was even on the old list so this was a nice surprise. It’s not a title that I’ve come across in my travels (anyone here read it?) and now, if I don’t find it in the meantime, I’ll be able to read it in a year’s time. I’m two up now and things are looking good.
‘Ombria in Shadow’, Patricia A. Mckillip (published October 2014)
Okay, this isn’t one of the old Masterworks at all but I’m intrigued nonetheless as I’ve yet to read anything by McKillip. Anyone here read this book?
‘Mythago Wood’, Robert Holdstock (published September 2014)
I already own a copy (absolutely gorgeous read) but wanted to mention ‘Mythago Wood’ here as it’s long past time this book made the ‘Fantasy Masterworks’ series. If you haven’t read ‘Mythago Wood’ yet then don’t wait until September next year to read it; go out and buy a copy now. Literally, right now. Turn your computer off and go buy that book. You can thank me once you’ve read it :o) Or you could wait until next year if you wanted to. If the recent ‘Fantasy Masterworks’ covers are anything to go by I can’t wait to see what they do for ‘Mythago Wood’.
‘The Broken Sword’, Poul Anderson (published August 2014)
‘The Broken Sword’ is another great book (and one that I’ve read) but it feels like a bit of a lazy choice this time round when there are other authors that could really do with being reintroduced to a new audience. Everyone know’s that ‘The Broken Sword’ is a Masterwork and it’s been published, as such, at least twice that I know of. Or it might just be me wanting to Gollancz to make my collecting easier by just publishing the stuff that I want them to… You decide ;o)
There are some good books on the way then, will you be reading any of them?
I've read Beauty. I usually love Tepper's work, and I'm a big fan of reimagined fairy tales, but that one didn't work for me. It was too bleak for my tastes, with some rather disturbing elements. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.
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