Ten Inspirations of Fantasy Fiction

Crossing eras, styles and genres, here are ten inspirations of fantasy fiction from my book shelves that directly influence my own writing.

The Lord of the Rings: J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings is a foundation stone of modern fantasy. It remade a genre and reinvented countless fantasy tropes; elves, dwarves, wizards, rangers, and hobbits. And all this came from Tolkien’s vast exercise in fantasy world-building. First a language, then the whole of Middle Earth, complete with lore.

Dune: Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert’s sci-fantasy is a cautionary tale of why we shouldn’t trust institutions of control; politics, religion, charismatic leaders, governments. In this high-concept space opera, Paul Atreides really isn’t the messiah…

Slaughterhouse Five: Kurt Vonnegut

Is it fantasy? Can Billy Pilgrim really time-travel? Or is it a psychological study of trauma and its after-effects. Profoundly anti-war, author Vonnegut survived the allied fire-bombing of Dresden. He directly references his experiences in a deeply humanist tale.

Chronicles of Morgaine: C.J. Cherryh

A portal fantasy-adventure series that blends genres with sci-fi. Cherryh’s ruthless anti-heroine Morgaine is accompanied by her loyal retainer Vanye as they close dangerous gates between worlds. Cherryh does the Grimdark genre way before it had a name.

Thieves World: Lyn Abbey, Robert Asprin Editors

Thieves’ World is an early example of a shared-world anthology series, where authors collaborated on stories set in a common fictional universe, using each other’s characters. Dark and complex, the series showcased some of the finest fantasy authors in multi-faceted story-telling.

Watchtower: Elizabeth A. Lyn

Lyn’s Chronicles of Tarnor arrived as a quietly subversive fantasy series. Watchtower is superficially fantasy-adventure in a well-drawn, but generic fantasy world. But the themes of gender, sexuality and societal roles produces an altogether more meditative story.

Wild Seed: Octavia E. Butler

So many layers, where to begin? Wild Seed piles on complex themes; power, identity,the ethics of eugenics. There’s an exploration of slavery, exploitation, and the manipulation of individuals by their rulers. It also explores the nature of family, belonging, and the search for cultural identity.

1984: George Orwell

Orwell’s grand cautionary tale of totalitarianism and collaboration never fades from relevance. Surveillance, propaganda, the manipulation of language in a post-truth society; sound familiar?

Dracula: Bram Stoker

Shaping the vampire myth, Bram Stoker wraps urban fantasy around Victorian anxieties about sex, gender roles, and xenophobia. A foundation of Gothic horror, it highlights the clash between religion and science.

Frankenstein: Mary Shelley

The birthstone of modern science fiction and a Gothic horror classic, Frankenstein is a cautionary and morality tale. It critiques unchecked science and the morality of playing God. What makes us human? Frankenstein delves into identity by way of isolation, revenge, empathy, compassion, and social connection.

Eleventeenth bonus fantasy book:

Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde: Robert Louis Stevenson

Another Gothic horror of unchecked scientific ambition, Stevenson uses the Jekyl and Hyde dual-identity trope to explore the capacity of good and evil within all of us. Meanwhile, it exposes Victorian hypocrisy.

And there’s more

That’s ten inspirations of fantasy fiction from my personal reading list. Look out for longer reviews soon, plus ten inspirations of science fiction and ten literary classics.