Fictional Authors

[redraven]

At the suggestion of my friend Sile, and so as to not hijack Teg's thread, could we compile a list of recommended fictional authors who make a decent job of weaving a tale that has it's basis in a plausible factual background?
Some of these can inspire us as much, if not more, than the academic writings, though we need to place them in context, of course .
I'll kick off with a suggestion that some of you will be getting sick of me mentioning, Caisel Mor, who places his stories in Ireland in three different time periods. He uses a mix of fact and fiction that works very well.
Over to you..........


RR

[Craig]

The master - Tolkien. At eleven years old he literally changed my life.

[Lee]

Jean Auel. a little earlier than brythonic but i still love the stories.

[Francis]

Tolkien - no need for explanation.

John Muir - not fiction as such but probably more relevant to this thread than the non-fiction one. Not really Brythonic and technically I suppose it's superficially christian - but not many can relate to a Place so well on a first meeting as Muir, and write about it well too.

I also liked Bernard Cornwell's Arthur series - full of anachronisms and points to take issue with - but a wonderful sense of the atmosphere of the history of these lands (if not necessarily the exact facts!)

[Adam]

Alan Garner... as a child (that's me, not him!) his books created of the peak district a mythic landscape, a playground of magic... hmmm... must reread them (I also enjoyed Susan Cooper's books)... I don't read much these days (fiction that is, don't seem to find the time), but I was intrigued by Storyteller by G. R. Grove... publisher lulu.com so it seems to be self published hehe

[Tegernacus]

I like Tolstoy's Merlin books, Lawhead' s Albion Books, erm... I'm not much of a fiction reader, truth be told. I prefer me a big fat reference book or academic tome.

[Blackbird]

I still re-read LOTR every year


I was brought up on Alan Garner too, and was so excited the first time I visited Alderley Edge as an adult. (In the company of a load of people who had no idea what I was going on about). His adult fiction is great too.

I love Tolstoy's Merlin book, and think it's a real shame that he never carried on with the series. The non-fiction book that he wrote about his adventures and research was interesting - mad as a fish, but wonderful to read something which is so full of enthusiasm.

My favourite author at the moment is Charles de Lint, a Canadian bloke who writes modern fantasy. Absolutely fantastic storytelling, and he's obviously very into his music, which is inspiring for me. The books are basically about the unseen world encroaching on the everyday world of humans, and while it's a shame that his understanding of paganism seems to begin and end with the White Goddess, if you can overlook that, they are great fun.

I don't particularly like Caiseal Mor, though I don't know why - I tried the first book when it came out, and it just didn't click with me. I never got on with Lawhead either.

I do like the Mary Stewart books still, and Helen Hollick is also a good Arthurian fiction writer.

I read lots of fiction, mostly fantasy and sci-fi, though I also love Ian Rankin, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Robert Harris etc.

The latest book I've read was one of the Falco stories by Lindsay Davies. After the first few chapters, I wasn't too impressed, but by the end, I was gripped and entertained by the story. Good light bedtime reading

[bram]

Alan Garner - still get shivers down my spine when ever I pass Aldery Edge.

Lord Dunsany (sp) - The King of Elflands Daughter

Terry Pratchett - Lords and Ladies, The Wee Free Men Books etc. - funny but this guy is actually is a deep writer.

Radio 7 - Great for The Books Blackbird Likes (The Brightonomicon, Falco Stories and Sherlock Holmes)

[shropshirepagan]

I love Terry Pratchett and especially the Tiffany Aching books. I can understand why they appear to inspire modern Paganism so much!!

Elaine x

[Sìle]

Ly De Angeles - brings the Sidhe to the modern world.

[Midori]

Katherine Kerr is an author I enjoy, she writes with an emphasis on a brythonic-style land and peoples and a more or less Iron Age landscape. Totally fiction, and also somewhat Tolkienesque in that there is a race of Elves and a race of Dwarfs also.

Julian May wrote a series of books called the Saga of The Exiles, which involves people who feel 'out of their time' can travel backwards some six million years and live wild. (that at least is the theory!) Once there, they find themselves enslaved by an Alien race of spacefarers, who by chance have names very similar to the Irish Heroes. These aliens are locked in battle with the other half of their bimorphic race, the less beautiful are natural telepaths, and the better-looking use torcs as mental amplifiers. As theTime Portal is a one-way journey, the humans seem to have no way to escape these aliens, until one of the Torcwearers, (Epone) is killed bu a steel dagger concealed by a female who has been exiled from the 21st century for being an incorrigible criminal.

Part of the fun in this series, for me at least, was identifying the Irish Heroes and deities. Unfortunately, thy are out of print, but they are available on Amazon. The titles are, The many Cloured Land, the Golden Torc, The non-born King and the Adversary. Thee are others ich relate them bak to the modern day, Intervention, Jack the Bodiless, Diamond Mask and Magnificat.

Cheers, Midori

Cheers, Midori