I’ve promised that each month I will bring to you guys a list of the following month’s Fantasy Book Releases (if you missed April/May’s post, click here). However, I also wanted to put together a post about the upcoming re-releases of Gollancz’s Masterworks series, because I think it’s important as many modern SFF readers check them out as possible.
Today Fantasy and Science-Fiction bookshelves are (excuse the pun) stacked with incredible titles. Where we are today is a product of the writers who led the genre in a certain direction by inspiring today’s authors and shaping the market by revealing what readers wanted more of.
Too many titles have been lost to the ages, but the Science Fiction & Fantasy Masterworks series by Gollancz have done a good job of bringing some of the books in the aforementioned category to today’s readers. They’ve done this consistently over the years by releasing and re-releasing books they think will strike a chord with readers of today, but their most recent choice of books to put in front of today’s readers and cover designs is pretty damned impressive. There’s a perfect mix of magic, grittiness, high-concepts and weirdness in there.
Future publications in the series are set to include:
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld – 14 May 2015
by Patricia A. McKillip
Votan and Other Novels – 28 May 2015
by John James
Lavondyss – 11 Jun 2015
by Robert Holdstock
Thomas the Rhymer – 9 Jul 2015
by Ellen Kushner
Grendel – 9 Jul 2015
by John C. Gardner
The Riddle-Master’s Game – 13 Aug 2015
by Patricia A. McKillip
The Anvil of Ice – 10 Sep 2015
by Michael Scott Rohan
Something Wicked This Way Comes * – 8 Oct 2015
by Ray Bradbury
Earthquake Weather – 12 Nov 2015
by Tim Powers
*COVER STILL IN PRODUCTION*
Elleander Morning * – 10 Dec 2015
by Jerry Yulsman
*COVER STILL IN PRODUCTION*
The Circus of Dr Lao – 7 Jan 2016
by Charles G. Finney
Published so far (2014 & 2015):
Aegypt by John Crowley
The Dragon Griaule – Lucius Shepard
Last Call – Tim Powers
The Falling Woman – Pat Murphy
The Phoenix and the Mirror – Avram Davidson
Lord Darcy – Randall Garrett
The Broken Sword – Poul Anderson
Ombria in Shadow – Patricia A. McKillip
Beauty – Sheri S. Tepper
Mythago Wood – Robert Holdstock
Little, Big – John Crowley
The Book of the New Sun, Volume 1: Shadow and Claw – Gene Wolfe
Expiration Date – Tim Powers
Have you guys read any of Gollancz’s Masterworks series?
Are there any you’d recommend to our fellow readers?
What do you think of the covers?
Do you have a favourite?
Let us know what you think!
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Books I can recommend:
The Book of the New Sun, Volume 1: Shadow and Claw – Gene Wolfe
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
Grendel by John C. Gardner
The Riddle-Master’s Game by Patricia A. McKillip
The Dragon Griaule – Lucius Shepard
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Thoughts on covers:
Some are better than others, but as a whole I really like them. The new style of covers sets them apart from other titles, obviously as ‘classics’, but at the same time gives a feeling for the book. Worth noting that some covers have gone in a very different direction than versions before. The New Sun cover, for example, doesn’t have a hooded figure anywhere to be seen and doesn’t feel anywhere near as dark.
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Favourite Covers:
The Dragon Griaule – Lucius Shepard
The Falling Woman – Pat Murphy
Grendel by John C. Gardner
THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS by Poul Anderson is the finest stand-alone Fantasy novel written. It’s been included in earlier Fantasy Masterworks series. If you haven’t read it, prepare yourself for a spare, simple, lovely work of art; the greatest Fantasy has to offer.
I really like the cover for mythago wood gives you a good feel for the book with the wild and human face. It is also the book i would recommend
Holdstock`s stories are really interesting with the mythic elements which in some way like Gaiman makes you and Mckinley makes you feel that you are in a fairytale.
The Anvil of Ice is a fabulous book; I’m very pleased to see it in such august company. I hope they also bring out the rest of the series.
My favourite Powers book is ‘The Stress of Her Regard”, but I haven’t read Earthquake Weather so I’ll give that a go.