Friday, April 18, 2008

The Reluctant King by L. Sprague De Camp



This book contains three complete novels, “The Goblin Tower”, “The Clocks of Iraz” and “The Unbeheaded King”. De Camp is in the old school of science fiction. He writes classic fantasy and if you have never read any of his stories you really must. Please do not miss the “Complete Enchanter” even if you don’t try and dig this particular book up, it is one of my all time favorites. De Camp is somewhat responsible for the entire genre of Heroic Fantasy.

“The term heroic fantasy . . . refers to a sub-genre of fantastic literature which chronicles the tales of heroes and their conquests in imaginary lands. Heroic fantasy emphasizes the conflict between good and evil, and often casts a reluctant protagonist (human or hobbit) in the role of champion. Though he may not always be saintly, the hero's strength, wit, and resourcefulness help him triumph over evil forces. The background for that struggle is almost always an exotic one, the settings are sometimes as important as their mythopoetic narratives. Often confused with sword and sorcery, weird fantasy, science fiction or historical romance, heroic fantasy is as old as the first stories told (and written down) about heroes and their legendary deeds.” From John Flynn, qtd. In Josep Parache, Howardiana #1 (Robert-E-Howard: Electronic Amateur Press Association, 2001)

Body of work of L. Sprague De Camp

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