Why am I passionate about this?

The books I recommend here have inspired me and shaped my work. You see, I have always been a writer, but for a long time I viewed it as just a hobby. I did a lot of fan writing (Pern, especially) that allowed me to follow my heart and just have fun writing. My current work questions some of the underlying assumptions in fantasy. Must every problem be solved at the point of a sword? Does magical power always corrupt? And is it truly possible for evildoers to be redeemed? I hope you'll visit my land of Skaythe and find it as magical as Estcarp, Earthsea, and Eld Mountain!


I wrote

Book cover of Minstrels of Skaythe

What is my book about?

Mages vs. Amazons vs. Giant Badgers vs. Tyranny! 

Zathi's job is to capture renegade mages, but Keilos isn't like…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Witch World

Deby Fredericks Why did I love this book?

As a young girl reading this book, I was gripped by the idea of women having rulership. Women's Lib was going on then, but girls like me simply weren't encouraged to take leadership roles.  

The viewpoint character is an Earth man who comes through a portal into the land of Estcarp. There he learns to respect the magical power of his witch companion, whose training forbids him to even know her name. They are joined by two warriors, a young woman in disguise and a hunchback exiled because of his disability. Together the four thwart an incursion by creepy technological invaders. 

Andre Norton often pushed boundaries by including disadvantaged groups in her fiction. Her distinctive voice, objective and yet powerful, inspired and shaped my own fiction.

By Andre Norton, Harry Bennett (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Witch World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Science fiction meets sword and sorcery in these three novels by the legendary New York Times–bestselling author and “superb storyteller” (The New York Times).
 
On a planet in a parallel universe where magic is a reality, these three high fantasy novels of the Witch World set on the eastern continent of Estcarp once again illustrate why prolific author Andre Norton was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
 
Trey of Swords: A trilogy of swords, sorcery, and spectacular adventure set in the Witch World. In Sword of Ice, an ancient blade of incredible power…


Book cover of Dragonflight

Deby Fredericks Why did I love this book?

Dragonflight is the first in the Dragonriders of Pern series, and the main character, Lessa, is one of my all-time favorites. She endures terrible losses, but survives through guile and grim determination. Her psychic gifts allow her to exact revenge, but then the dragonriders she manipulated invite her to become one of them. Lessa has to put aside her own goals for the sake of all Pern. 

Lessa's psychic abilities were de-emphasized in the later books of the series, and that always disappointed me. That's why this opening novel remains my favorite.

By Anne McCaffrey,

Why should I read it?

18 authors picked Dragonflight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Volume I of The Dragonriders of Pern®, the groundbreaking series by master storyteller Anne McCaffrey

On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack from a myth that is all too real. Lessa is an outcast survivor—her parents murdered, her birthright stolen—a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat to Pern reemerges, Lessa will rise—upon the back of a great dragon with whom she shares a telepathic bond more intimate than any human connection. Together, dragon and rider will fly . . . and…


Book cover of The Tombs of Atuan

Deby Fredericks Why did I love this book?

I encountered this book in the library, where I was trying to avoid a harassing classmate. Arha is the Eaten One, believed to be the reincarnation of a dark priestess. As a child she was taken from her family and dedicated to the service of the nameless gods who dwell in a subterranean labyrinth. Trapped in a round of obscure rituals, Arha discovers an intruder in the maze. She must defy a group of rival priestesses in order to escape with him.  

The setting of this book just blew me away. It is a world of darkness, where Arha moves by touch and memorization, inches from death if she takes a wrong step. The Tombs of Atuan is second in the Earthsea series, but for me it will always be the most distinct.

By Ursula K. Le Guin,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Tombs of Atuan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

The second book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Furthest Shore and Tehanu

With illustrations from Charles Vess

'[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking' Neil Gaiman

'Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it' David Mitchell

In this second novel in the Earthsea series, Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless…


Book cover of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

Deby Fredericks Why did I love this book?

How should I describe the voice of Patricia McKillip? Her words are meticulously chosen to show an opulent and fantastical world. I have sometimes tried to imitate her, but I just can't keep it up for long.  

In this stand-alone novel, the witch Sybel lives alone on Eld Mountain. She has inherited or captured and tamed a handful of incredible, magical beasts. These are all the company she needs, until she is asked to care for a king's lost heir. Soon she is no longer able to remain aloof from the world. 

In subsequent readings, I've been struck by Sybel's frustration that people won't leave her out of their drama. They think she owes them her time and attention. Can't we all relate to that?

By Patricia A. McKillip,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Forgotten Beasts of Eld as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12.

What is this book about?

World Fantasy Award-Winner
Newly available in print and e-book editions

"Rich and regal."
―The New York Times

Young Sybel, the heiress of powerful wizards, needs the company of no-one outside her gates. In her exquisite stone mansion, she is attended by exotic, magical beasts: Riddle-master Cyrin the boar; the treasure-starved dragon Gyld; Gules the Lyon, tawny master of the Southern Deserts; Ter, the fiercely vengeful falcon; Moriah, feline Lady of the Night. Sybel only lacks the exquisite and mysterious Liralen, which continues to elude her most powerful enchantments.

But when a soldier bearing an infant arrives, Sybel discovers that the…


Book cover of The Ladies of Mandrigyn

Deby Fredericks Why did I love this book?

Barbara Hambly brings us rousing adventures that unexpectedly go into dark places. I love how she sets up the premise of hapless females begging for help, and then shows us they aren't so helpless after all.  

The viewpoint character is a mercenary captain, coerced by poison into training a band of misfit females who are determined to save their families from an evil wizard. Unbeknownst even to him, Sunwolf is developing magic of his own. It's great fun to watch the partnership grow out of an adversarial relationship between the scrappy women and the mercenary who finds himself suddenly vulnerable.

By Barbara Hambly,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ladies of Mandrigyn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

First in the series from a New York Times–bestselling author and “fabulously talented writer” featuring a brilliant mercenary and his fierce female partner (Charlaine Harris).
 Gifted with courage, strength, and the intelligence to know when to fight, Sun Wolf is the greatest mercenary in a land overrun by war. With his first lieutenant, Starhawk—a woman more deadly than any man—at his side, he has laid waste to countless cities, taking the best of their treasures for himself, and distributing the rest among his bloodthirsty crew. Then a woman comes to him, an emissary from the town of Mandrigyn, a lush…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Minstrels of Skaythe

What is my book about?

Mages vs. Amazons vs. Giant Badgers vs. Tyranny! 

Zathi's job is to capture renegade mages, but Keilos isn't like any other mage she's dealt with. Her drive to bring him in only leads them deeper into a cursed forest. Together, warrior and mage will face deadly beasts and grapple with decisions that compromise every principle. Until they stumble upon a place of ancient, forgotten magic. Zathi must choose—allow Keilos to claim it, or kill him once and for all.

Book cover of Witch World
Book cover of Dragonflight
Book cover of The Tombs of Atuan

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At What Cost, Silence?

By Karen Lynne Klink,

Book cover of At What Cost, Silence?

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Why am I passionate about this?

I am a child sexual abuse survivor who struggled for years with the help of therapy to become the person I am today. My sister, my mother, and I suffered years of emotional abuse by my father. When I was a child, my best friend (who also suffered abuse by her brother) and I made up stories that helped us navigate the situations in our families. I read, hiked, backpacked, and traveled alone for years in order to take risks and develop strength before attempting to write at age sixty-one. I love books that put me solidly in time and place and deeply empathize with characters who struggle and grow to become their genuine selves.

Karen's book list on strong emotion, excellent plotting, and vivid descriptions that put me securely in time and place

What is my book about?

Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.

It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosm of a country on the brink of war, encompassing a variety of issues: love and friendship between men, relationships between fathers and sons, sibling rivalry, slavery, and the position of women in society.

At What Cost, Silence?

By Karen Lynne Klink,

What is this book about?

Adrien Villere suspects he is not like other boys. For years, he desperately locks away his feelings and fears-but eventually, tragedy and loss drive him to seeking solace from his mentor, a young neighbor Jacob Hart. Jacob's betrayal of Adrien's trust, however, results in secret abuse, setting off a chain of actions from which neither Adrien's wise sister, Bernadette, nor his closest friend, Isaac, can turn him.

At What Cost, Silence presents two contrasting plantation families in a society where strict rules of belief and behavior are clear, and public opinion can shape an entire life. Centerstage are the Villeres,…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in wizards, mercenaries, and dragons?

Wizards 102 books
Mercenaries 39 books
Dragons 196 books