Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction
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Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction DON D’AMMASSA Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction Copyright © 2006 by Don D’Ammassa All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data D’Ammassa, Don, 1946– Encyclopedia of fantasy and horror fiction / Don D’Ammassa. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-6192-0 (acid-free paper) 1. Fantasy fiction, English—Encyclopedias. 2. Fantasy fiction, American— Encyclopedias. 3. Horror tales, American—Encyclopedias. 4. Horror tales, English—Encyclopedias. I. Title. PR830.F3D36 2006 809.3’8738’03—dc22 2005009375 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Joan M. McEvoy Cover design by Semadar Megged Printed in the United States of America VB Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. CONTENTS Introduction v A-to-Z Entries 1 Glossary 401 Award Winners 403 Bibliography of Fantasy and Horror Fiction 408 Selected Bibliography of Secondary Sources 472 Index 473 INTRODUCTION elcome to the world of elves, dragons, uni- ics have taken to using the term dark fantasy to Wcorns, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and indicate those works that could be plausibly includ- magic. This book is designed to serve as a compan- ed in either category. ion to Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2005), and Fantasy and the supernatural both evolved covers the remaining two main branches of fantas- from myths, legends, and folklore later developed tic fiction, fantasy and supernatural horror. Critics into fairy tales, which though ostensibly written for have argued for years about precisely where the children were often contrived with adults in mind. borderlines should be drawn within fantastic fiction Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm as a whole, but some broad assumptions can be gave way to George MacDonald, William Morris, made, although even in these cases there are H. Rider Haggard, James Branch Cabell, and oth- numerous exceptions to the rule. Generally, then, ers. Children’s fantasy in particular has contributed whereas science fiction assumes that the universe a number of novels that are significant not just as operates according to certain natural laws, even if fantasy but as classics in general, including such they are sometimes laws about which we have yet familiar titles as Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Alice in to learn, fantasy and horror are similar in that they Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Wizard of Oz by assume quite the contrary. There are some ele- L. Frank Baum, and Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, and in ments in the worlds of fantasy that are not entirely more recent years the Narnia books by C. S. Lewis, rational and often do not obey what we think of as The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, the Earthsea series natural law. Although there is usually fairly close by Ursula K. Le Guin, and perhaps most notably agreement regarding what is science fiction and the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. what is fantasy, the distinction is considerably less For much of the 20th century, publishers treat- clear between fantasy and supernatural fiction, ed adult fantasy as a subdivision of science fiction, which is one reason why it makes sense to consider and books from both genres are still shelved them together here. Should a humorous ghost story together in bookstores, although horror fiction is such as “Topper” by Thorne Smith fall under super- usually given its own much smaller section or is natural horror simply because it has a ghost in it? lumped in with mysteries or general fiction. Prior to Should “Casting the Runes” by M. R. James be con- the 1960s most fantasy fiction fell into two broad sidered fantasy because it involves the use of a mag- categories—sword and sorcery or light adventure. ical spell? And how should we classify the works of The first was thematically dominated by the work Laurell Hamilton, who deals with vampires and of Robert E. Howard, whose characters Conan, werewolves but who sets her novels in an alternate King Kull, Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane, Red world where both are accepted members of society? Sonja, and others have inspired movies, television This confusion about the borders between the two programs, pastiches, and countless imitators. These genres is so pervasive that some publishers and crit- stories generally feature a barbarian culture and a v vi Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction protagonist who depends as much or more on his torical Europe. These worlds or political entities brawn than on his brains. The popularity of that within them are generally ruled by kings and form has fluctuated in recent years, but it remains a queens or emperors, contain wizards who side significant subset of the genre, particularly in those either with good or evil, and are prone to warfare books associated with computer or other game sys- and other violence, although frequently most of the tems such as Warhammer. conflict arises from palace intrigues, rebellions, or The light fantasy adventure story was closely conspiracies, and often the plot hinges upon the associated with the magazine Unknown, which efforts to protect the throne from insurgents or helped bring writers such as L. Sprague de Camp to recover it from usurpers. Many borrow from prominence. The central characters in these novels Tolkienesque fiction and include quests for knowl- were more likely to be intelligent and civilized and edge or magical artifacts, enchanted swords, and often fell into their adventures by mischance, per- occasionally dragons. This form has become so pop- haps by being inadvertently kidnapped by fairies. ular that even the better novels often seem stale They were generally humorous in tone and and repetitive, and truly innovative writers such as employed simple, direct plots. A third type of fanta- George R. R. Martin, Stephen R. Donaldson, sy story often overlapped with science fiction—the China Miéville, and Mary Gentle may sometimes lost race novel. Writers such as H. Rider Haggard, A. be lost in the crowd of lesser authors. Merritt, and Talbot Mundy introduced their charac- Other forms of fantasy remain generally on the ters into isolated civilizations, remnants of ancient periphery. Humor made a brief comeback in the cultures, sometimes describing them as possessing late 1980s and early 1990s, with a steady output superior science and sometimes capable of perform- from Esther Friesner, Craig Shaw Gardner, Robert ing genuine magic. The lost world fantasy novel has Lynn Asprin, John DeChancie, and others, but only largely been abandoned by modern writers, but the Piers Anthony, Terry Pratchett, and occasionally other two forms are still actively in use. Diana Wynne Jones have continued to be success- During the late 1960s publication in mass mar- ful in the United States. Laurell Hamilton blurred ket paperback of the Lord of the Rings, a trilogy by the distinction between fantasy and horror with the the British writer J. R. R. Tolkien, began what very popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series, would be the transformation of fantasy and its grad- which depicts various supernatural creatures as ual rise to a popularity as great as that of science fic- varying from good to evil just as humans do and tion. Tolkien’s epic story of a world filled with which is set in a world very similar to but not quite diverse races, with a fully worked out history and our own, but only a handful of writers such as intricate political and social structures, has been Charlaine Harris and Kim Harrison have explored imitated by numerous writers, perhaps most notably similar territory. There have also been a few writers Terry Brooks. The Forgotten Realms and who set their fantasy novels in genuine historical Dragonlance game systems are set in a settings, such as Judith Tarr, Sara Douglass, and Tolkienesque world and have been the basis for lit- Gael Baudino, but they are in a decided minority, as erally hundreds of fantasy novels and stories. Scores are more consciously literary fantasists such as of fantasy trilogies followed, some of them similar to Gene Wolfe, Jeffrey Ford, and the more recent Tolkien’s, most of them not. Another form of fanta- Michael Moorcock. sy, the disguised historical, infrequently used before Although the result of this has been counter- the 1970s, began to grow in popularity and is now productive in terms of the field’s creative develop- the dominant theme in the field. ment, it appears that readers are perfectly content This trend started when Katherine Kurtz, with the situation the way it is, and not a month Robert Jordan, Merecedes Lackey, L. E. Modesitt goes by without announcements of new trilogies or Jr., and other writers began producing a kind of open-ended series involving warriors, princes, wiz- Graustarkian romance with magic. Their stories are ards, and occasional demons. There have been all set in completely imaginary worlds, although in indications of some movement since the early almost every case there are strong parallels to his- 1990s, however, and the fact that World Fantasy Introduction vii Awards have recently been presented to such works The collapse of the pulp magazines eliminated as The Prestige by Christopher Priest, Declare by Tim most of the market for horror and occult fiction Powers, and Moonlight and Vines by Charles De Lint until the publication of two important best-selling suggests that hardcore fantasy readers are begin- horror novels, Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin in 1967 ning to look for material that does not fit into famil- and The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty in 1971.