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The Classic Fantasy Collection
Epic romances, fearsome dragons and alien worlds lie between the pages of this volume. Containing more than 35 stories from the early masters of fantasy literature, the narratives here transport the reader to alternate worlds where magic abounds, cosmic terrors lie around the corner and intrepid heroes fight for justice.
Drawing inspiration from Norse, Japanese and Chinese mythology as well as from traditional fairytales and modern fears, the authors collected here span the breadth of the genre. Including tales from William Morris, H. G. Wells, Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft amongst others, they demonstrate the plethora of imaginative literature that was written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these tales were foundational works, bringing ideas of the supernatural into the mainstream, and through their efforts creating entirely new genres.
Before Tolkien, there were many writers embracing the realm of fantastic fiction. The man responsible for its origin was George MacDonald (1824-1905), a Calvinist minister and Celtic scholar, who wrote the first true fantasy novel. He was followed by a number of imaginative successors at the end of the 19th century, including H. G. Wells, Arthur Machen, and Ernest Bramah. After the end of World War I, the pulp magazines opened up the genre to a new generation of writers - particularly H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard - who provided exciting, magical and horrifying tales that fascinated a multitude of readers. By the outbreak of World War II, the outlines of the fantasy genre had been sketched out by these pioneers, and an entirely new type of fiction had been created.
Drawing inspiration from Norse, Japanese and Chinese mythology as well as from traditional fairytales and modern fears, the authors collected here span the breadth of the genre. Including tales from William Morris, H. G. Wells, Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft amongst others, they demonstrate the plethora of imaginative literature that was written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these tales were foundational works, bringing ideas of the supernatural into the mainstream, and through their efforts creating entirely new genres.
Before Tolkien, there were many writers embracing the realm of fantastic fiction. The man responsible for its origin was George MacDonald (1824-1905), a Calvinist minister and Celtic scholar, who wrote the first true fantasy novel. He was followed by a number of imaginative successors at the end of the 19th century, including H. G. Wells, Arthur Machen, and Ernest Bramah. After the end of World War I, the pulp magazines opened up the genre to a new generation of writers - particularly H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard - who provided exciting, magical and horrifying tales that fascinated a multitude of readers. By the outbreak of World War II, the outlines of the fantasy genre had been sketched out by these pioneers, and an entirely new type of fiction had been created.
927 pages, Hardcover
First published July 31, 2017
22 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
2,979 books2,640 followersRobert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 9, 2020
This is a very mixed bag of stories, as the only thing that connects everything is that's all the pieces are older than Tolkien.
While most of the stories are quite good (albeit showing their age), I have a distinct feeling from the layout of the stories that not a lot of work went into this anthology,
While most of the stories are quite good (albeit showing their age), I have a distinct feeling from the layout of the stories that not a lot of work went into this anthology,
May 5, 2023
A good showcase to see which classic fantasy authors one likes and which not.
Imho, the only ones here still retaining full literary value and impact for the modern reader are Lovecraft, Merrit and Howard, of which before I only knew Lovecraft.
Macdonald still holds some value, but not impact, and the rest neither, being too slow and convoluted (almost all), too vague (Machen), too archaic (Morris), too deep in humor that does not amuse us anymore (Bramah) or frights and wonders too lame for nowadays people (Chambers, Pendraves, Hearn).
A notable (negative) exception is HG Wells, whose fantasy stories (unlike his SF) I think never held none (value or impact, even for the readers of his time) and are righfully completely forgotten.
Worth reading, in enjoying its content? Mostly no.
Worth buying? Definitely yes, as a showcase to choose further readings (and avoidings).
Imho, the only ones here still retaining full literary value and impact for the modern reader are Lovecraft, Merrit and Howard, of which before I only knew Lovecraft.
Macdonald still holds some value, but not impact, and the rest neither, being too slow and convoluted (almost all), too vague (Machen), too archaic (Morris), too deep in humor that does not amuse us anymore (Bramah) or frights and wonders too lame for nowadays people (Chambers, Pendraves, Hearn).
A notable (negative) exception is HG Wells, whose fantasy stories (unlike his SF) I think never held none (value or impact, even for the readers of his time) and are righfully completely forgotten.
Worth reading, in enjoying its content? Mostly no.
Worth buying? Definitely yes, as a showcase to choose further readings (and avoidings).
July 26, 2025
Didn't actually finish this book. A few of the stories were good, but most were really stupid, so I couldn't get into them.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews