Fantastic Fantasy

1. Wheel of Time Series: Book One, “The Eye of the World”, by Robert Jordan, 1990

This first book is the story of teenage hero Rand al’Thor and his companions from the village of Two Rivers. Each of them have unique abilities, which will ultimately be crucial to saving the world they inhabit. As the Dark One rises, Rand comes into his destiny as The Dragon Reborn. In the books that follow, the original characters are often split into different groups, and pursue different missions as prophecies fulfill themselves and enemies arise. This is a richly detailed and compelling fantasy series. Over 44 million books have been sold world wide, and books 8-11 were #1 on the NY Times best seller list.

2. The Kingkiller Chronicles: Day One, “The Name of the Wind”, by Patrick Rothfuss, 2007

This first book of the trilogy is an autobiography of Kvothe, a famous musician and adventurer…and the hero and villain of thousands of tales in the fantasy world he inhabits. He is presumed dead, but actually living as the proprietor of an inn. When a visitor, the Chronicler recognizes him, he is compelled to tell his story. This has won the Quill Award (2007) for best science fiction/fantasy/horror; been named one of the best books of the year (2007) by Publishers Weekly. To quote Publisher’s Weekly, “The fantasy world has a new star.”

3. The Sword of Truth Series: Book One, “Wizard’s First Rule”, by Terry Goodkind, 1994

In this first book in a series of eleven fantasy novels, the world is divided into three regions, protected by magical barriers: Westland, Midland, and D’hara. Magic does not exist in Westland. However, the evil D’haran Lord, Darken Rahl, has found a way to enter the underworld and bring down the borders, in an attempt to rule the entire world. At the same time, Richard Cypher, a young man from Westland, discovers that his destiny is to defeat Darken Rahl and save the world – he is the Seeker, the only one who can command the Sword of Truth. With the assistance of Kahlan Amnell, his love interest but also the holder of powerful magic in her own right, and the Wizard Zeddicus, Richard begins his quest to save the people of all three lands.

Commentary: All three of these are excellent contemporary fantasy, rich with detail. The Wheel of Time series and The Sword of Truth series resemble each other more, in the lengthiness of books, and the total immersion available to the reader, as each series contains 11 books. Tracking Patrick Rothfuss’ career should be fun, and readers will be eager for his second book, which will be published in spring 2009. Also, Robert Jordan died before finishing his 12th book, and writer Brandon Sanderson is currently completing that for publication in 2009.