wenn@cmu-cs-g.ARPA (John Wenn) (07/30/85)
Personally I like "The Revenants" by Sherri Tepper much more than any
of her other books (True Game trilogy & Mavin Manyshaped trilogy). Her
True Game world is a a nice setting for light fantasy ('though she does
interject some difficult moral issues at times). "The Revenants" is set
in a more complex, and to me, more satisfing setting. "The Revenants"
is a slightly strange work, the BASIC tone and outlook of the book
changes several times, but then odd outlooks is one of the reasons I
read F&SF.
About Patricia McKillip, in addition to "The Forgotten Beasts of Eld"
and the Star Trilogy ("The Riddle-Master of Hed", "Heir of Sea and
Fire", & "Harpist in the Wind"), she's done several children's books
(one of which can be read by anyone: "The Throme of the Erril of
Sheril"), and one that's hard to classify ("Stepping From the Shadows").
I suppose you could call SFtS an adult main-stream fantasy. I consider
it borderline F&SF; but then I think that water's wet, so what do I
know.
One thing that's odd is how many of my favorite fantasy writers are
women. Dianne Duane, R. A. MacAvoy, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley,
Meredith Ann Pierce, Sherri Tepper, Cherry Wilder, & Jane Yolen are all
good fantasy writers. I also like Pamela Dean & P. C. Hodgell, but
I'll wait until their second book to see if they can maintain the
quality of their first novel.
John Wenn
"And then they tie the boots around the old ladies necks and throw them
into the fjords."