My books blend two of my lifelong passions—post-Roman British history, and landscape archaeology. I fell in love with the first somewhere in my late teens, through the not-unusual route of Arthurian legend, and with the latter the first time I saw the British tv seriesTime Team. Over the last nearly-fifty years, I’ve continued to read and study, both formally and informally, in both areas. My books are an extension and expression of both those interests, but I am too much of a ‘what if?’ person to limit myself to true historical fiction. You’ll also find a few hints of two of my other interests, birdwatching and walking, dropped into the books here and there.
This first book in Mary Stewart’s Merlinseries is the book that originally piqued my interest in a post-Roman Britain—but one in which the memory of Rome is not lost, and Roman villas and roads are still part of the countryside. When I started to create my not-quite-British world that is one of the starting points for my series, the feeling of this Britanno-Roman transition period was what I wanted to capture.
Vivid, enthralling, absolutely first-class - Daily Mail
So begins the story of Merlin, born the illegitimate son of a Welsh princess in fifth century Britain, a world ravaged by war. Small and neglected, with his mother unwilling to reveal his father's identity, Merlin must disguise his intelligence - and hide his occasional ability to know things before they happen - in order to keep himself safe.
While exploring the countryside near his home, Merlin stumbles across a cave filled with books and papers and hiding a room lined with crystals. It is…
Guy Gavriel Kay’s books taught me almost everything I know about creating a world that is based on Earth’s history—but isn’t quite that history. I picked this book because its time frame – or its equivalent in real history – overlaps with my fictional world. The sense of danger and invasion, but also of a world where there are some inklings of a world beyond the isolated, invaded island, inspired some aspects of the world of my book.
A powerful, moving saga evoking the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Norse cultures of a thousand years ago from the acclaimed author of The Fionavar Tapestry.
“A historical fantasy of the highest order, the work of a man who may well be the reigning master of the form.”—The Washington Post Book World
Bern Thorkellson, punished for his father’s sins, denied his heritage and home, commits an act of vengeance and desperation that brings him face-to-face with a past he’s been trying to leave behind...
In the Anglcyn lands of King Aeldred, the shrewd king, battling inner demons all the while, shores up…
Lynn’s trilogy, The Chronicles of Tornor,was published in the late 70s. Set in lands with strong similarities to Europe, but with a different geography and with some influences from Eastern philosophies, the last of the trilogy, The Northern Girl, envisioned a world where the open expression of sexuality is not restricted to heterosexual relationships. When I set out to create the cultures of my world, this was one of the societal structures I used as a model: not the only one, but an important one.
This novel of a young servant girl who finds the warrior within herself--and radically alters the peaceful-but-oppressive world in which she lives--is the final volume in Elizabeth Lynn's World Fantasy Award-winning trilogy.
"A marvelous blend of fantasy and realism." --Marion Zimmer Bradley
"Astonishing." --Theodore Sturgeon
"A fine ear for the right word and a fine eye for action." --Vonda McIntyre
"Unusual, powerful and beautiful." --John Varley
"A book of depth and vigor and surprises." --Robert Silverberg
"Her women have dignity and strength." --Marge Piercy
"An adventure story for humanists and feminists." --Joanna Russ
While generally considered science fiction, this one of Tepper’s books is centred on a society where men and women live separately – and why, and the effects of such a divided society on the lives of men and women. Although the divided society in my book owes more to Sparta than Tepper’s book, she gave me the idea to examine the consequences of such a society in my pseudo-post-Roman world.
THE GATE TO WOMEN'S COUNTRY tells of a society that exists three hundred years after our own has nearly destroyed itself. Now, male warriors are separated from women at an early age and live in garrisons plotting futilely for the battles which must never be fought again. Inside the women's towns, education, arts and science flourish. But for some like Stavia, there is more to see. Her sojourn with the man she is forbidden to love brings into sharp focus the contradictions that define their lives.
And when tragedy strikes, Stavia is faced with a decision she never thought she…
The only non-fiction book on my list, Macfarlane’s series of essays on the ancient and sometimes hidden roads and tracks of Britain gives us glimpses into a past world, but also places landscape, and travel (both physical and psychological) through that landscape as the focus of the book. I chose this book as my fifth title because landscape, and my characters’ relationships with place, is an integral part of my books, and Macfarlane’s insights helped me further understand and express that.
The acclaimed author of The Wild Places and Underland examines the subtle ways we are shaped by the landscapes through which we move
Chosen by Slate as one of the 50 best nonfiction books of the past 25 years
In this exquisitely written book, which folds together natural history, cartography, geology, and literature, Robert Macfarlane sets off to follow the ancient routes that crisscross both the landscape of the British Isles and its waters and territories beyond. The result is an immersive, enthralling exploration of the voices that haunt old paths and the stories our tracks tell. Macfarlane's journeys take…
In a land reminiscent of Britain after the decline of Rome, a young fisherwoman is faced with a nearly-impossible decision: to defend her country, or to stay with her lover. Torn between love and loyalty, her choice propels her into a world wider and more complex than she could have imagined, where her actions will influence not just her future, but the future of all the women—and men—of her land.
My favorite fantasy novels tend to be rather complex. Winding plotlines, mysteriously interconnected characters, whimsical settings, and intricate, thoughtful worldbuilding combine to create immersive stories that stick in the mind like overworn folklore. Time travel or interworld travel lend additional layers of intrigue and mystery, forcing the inescapable contemplation of a more thrilling, alternate reality. And if it’s all packaged in artful, breathtaking prose that breeds full-color images, audible noises, indelible flavors, nose-crumpling odors, and tangible textures, I will happily lose myself in the pages, truly forgetting about the strictures of everyday life… at least until I get hungry and remember I need to consume more than books to survive.
An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction.
Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to Ride, but her destiny will pit her against her uncle and king, who have scorned her since before her birth.
In the Exchange, the waystation between realms, Emmelyn fights the G’Ambit, a gambling ring with members more intent on lining their pockets than protecting the realms—or their own lives.
Realm-devouring parasites threaten all existence. The Exchange is desperate to destroy them. But could their radical plans endanger the realms, too?
Soul-sucking parasites are overwhelming the realms.
Rhoswen of Stanburh is of age to train as a Realm Rider—a defender of the realms. Riders and their dragons work together to burn away infiltrating Narxon as they swarm in through tears in a realm’s fabric. But it’s not an easy battle: the mere touch of the smoky, dragon-like adversaries can reduce the lively winged beasts—and their Riders—to ash.
Becoming a Realm Rider is Rhoswen’s dream, but she carries far more responsibility…
