SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I'm looking for recommendations anyone might have for well-written books/series in the realm of "realistic" and "down to earth" fantasy. I'd be interested in something where the main character was dealing with matters more akin to everyday life rather than saving the world from utter destruction at every turn. Magic and monsters are fine, as long as strong characters with believable issues are at the core!

"Realistic" and "down to earth" are some of the terms I actually use to describe my fantasy series of seven titles. (The first title in the series is: The King of the Trees.) The settings are very realistic as are the conflicts that the characters experience. What qualifies these books as fantasy is my use of mythological creatures and a slightly different set of natural laws that govern my created worlds. Yes, some of those worlds need saving, but deliverance is not accomplished because of any extraordinary magical powers on the part of the characters. They're just humble, ordinary people who rise to meet the challenge of extraordinary circumstances, somewhat along the lines of Frodo and Sam.

Hmmmm. . . you could try:

Nobody's Son, by Sean Stewart, which is about what happens to the farm boy after he's lifted the curse and won the hand of the princess. . . There is magic, of course, but the story is very much about how he comes to grips with the fact that he has what he's always wanted and it's nothing at all like he imagined. There're also wonderful through-lines about parents and children and how we're shaped by our pasts.

Lifelode, by Jo Walton, which is all about family -- who comprises it and how it's maintained. It's a polyamorous family, and there's magic (it's a really fascinating concept for magic though!), and it's not told linearly (for good world-building reasons) so it's some work to get into, but it's quite beautiful and very much rooted in the mundane.

The Fox Woman and Fudoki, by Kij Johnson, which are set in Heian-era Japan. There are animals being transformed into humans, but it all serves the larger stories which are quite domestic. The Fox Woman is, like Nobody's Son, much about the gap between desire and the fulfillment of that desire; Fudoki is about personal identity after the loss of family identity.

Ursula K. Le Guin's Annals of the Western Shore (Gifts, Voices, and Powers) might also work; they're YA, but the kids don't have tons of power, so much of the conflict comes from them learning to exist in an unfeeling (or downright hostile) world. The first one is about power dynamics among families; the second is about power dynamics between an oppressed people and their oppressors; the third is about slavery -- but I promise, they're not didactic. :)

After thought and looking through my shelves, here are some suggestions. A few of them involve some saving the world, or saving a person, but it's generally done in a low-key, non-high-fantasy kind of way. (Though there are a few that kind of get into high-ish fantasy territory for the resolution and then come back to reality.)

There's Charles de Lint — I'd start with Dreams Underfoot. Also Emma Bull's Finder, and John M. Ford's The Last Hot Time. Will Shetterly's Elsewhere and Nevernever.

In the Garden of Iden's The Anvil of the World. Sherwood Smith's Coronets and Steel. Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. Also Stevermer's A College of Magics and When The King Comes Home.

Freda Warrington's Elfland. Robin McKinley's Sunshine. Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion. China Mieville's The City & the City.

Snail in Danger (Nikki) wrote: "After thought and looking through my shelves, here are some suggestions. A few of them involve some saving the world, or saving a person, but it's generally done in a low-key, non-high-fantasy kin..."

I don't know about The Curse of Chalion. . . the gods are involved, after all. But I totally should've remembered Kage Baker's The Anvil of the World! That whole series is quite subversive of standard high fantasy concerns. . . The Bird of the River might even be more up the OP's alley -- the whole cast is filled with working-class people, and the major concerns are definitely of the food-on-the-table variety.

Yes, the gods are involved in COC — but the characters are very down to earth. And the gods, while important, are arguably not that helpful. >.>

Good call on Bird of the River.

There are bits of dialogue here and there about why they aren't that helpful - but I'll let you read it for yourself. :)

Hehe, it's true, not very helpful at all. . . hope you enjoy it Rachel!

I'd consider the Naomi Novik Temeraire novels. There are dragons, but they aren't the all wise, all powerful types. The main characters are relatively average people in the British military (slight status elevation, because hey, aviators have more prestige then infantry, but no magic powers or mini-princes). There are larger world events, but no one is the prophesied savior.

Just to put this out there...

This post should have been made over in Members Chat or What Else Are You Reading, etc.

Ala wrote: "Just to put this out there...

This post should have been made over in Members Chat or What Else Are You Reading, etc."

As I was getting ready to post this, I looked over the sections and couldn't find one that jumped out at me, but now I know. Thanks!

I recommend the Garrett Files series by Glen Cook. Garrett is an old style detective but his "world" is populated with elves, dwarves, giants, wizards, fairies, etc as well as humans. His favorite passtimes are drinking large amounts of beer and chasing pretty women and he hates having to get out of bed before noon.

Thanks everyone! I'll take a look at some of your suggestions. Much appreciated!

Rachel wrote: "And WOW. Of the 195 ratings on Amazon.com, only one person gave it 1 star, and only 4 gave it two. Definitely adding The Curse of Chalion to my TBR list."

Rachel, I really envy you. I wish I could go back and reread everything written by Bujold as though I hadn't read them all a million times. I hope you love CofC as much as I do.

You probably want to stay away from epic fantasy. Historical fantasy/fiction may be more to your liking. I'd also suggest stand-a-lone books like Ysabel

Hm... The Dresden Files, perhaps? It's been a while since I've read the first three, but Harry struck me as being ridiculously normal (despite the whole being-a-wizard thing).

You know, there's these books by Randall Garrett... Too Many Magicians and some more alternate history whodunits. They're actually quite fun and clever, and, if you neglect them happening on an alternate Earth, thy're really quite realistic and low key.

Try Except the Queen, especially this week, though in this case, she's the Fairy Queen. It takes place in Manhattan and Milwaukee and is a very unusual and delightful urban fantasy novel.

I enjoyed "Except the Queen" but I don't know if I'd call it down to earth or realistic in the way the OP asked for.

Now that I reread the OP, I recommend Randall Garrett even more strongly. no world saving, just detective fiction with magic.

I thoroughly enjoy the Lord Darcy series by Randall Garrett and go back and read them over. Michael Kurland did some sequels that I didn't find quite as entertaining.

I would recommend Trail of Deceit. It's a mystery, and while I suspect the stakes will get bigger in the later volumes, this one is not about earth shattering events. It's about a bunch of characters dealing with events that are very dangerous to them. There are several good twists along the way, and a good one at the end.

I really thing Robin Hobb's first book in her Soldier and Son Trilogy, Shaman's Crossing was really down to earth in terms of being a book that has the school as a setting. The book has almost no magic, so the school felt like a normal boarding school learning math, history, a language and science, not magic.

Tara wrote: "I recommend the Garrett Files series by Glen Cook. Garrett is an old style detective but his "world" is populated with elves, dwarves, giants, wizards, fairies, etc as well as humans."

Sounds absolutely fantastic! Definitely going to check this out.

I would second the Dresden Files. I don't like fantasy very much, but I love this series. Harry is a very regular guy, which is possibly why I enjoy them so much.