HCF #1: 100 Imaginary Places to See Before You Die
High Concept Fantasy
Yeah, yeah, I know. Every forum under the sun has a thread about this. But this one is mine. Every world on the list has felt solid enough to be real -- full of the right kind of detail. None of the buildings wobble when you open doors in these places. But their creators have gone far further than that. Each setting is high concept in a way we normally associate with good SF, but only rarely with fantasy.
Having said that, I hated at least one of the books on the list and yawned my way through two others. This isn't about choosing the best stories out there. It's about worlds that absolutely demand to be explored. HCF, baby!
In no particular order...
Ash, A Secret History. Builder: Mary Gentle
I first came across Mary Gentle when I read her entertaining SF, Golden Witchbreed. Ash, is in another league entirely. A pretty ordinary tale of mercenaries morphs into something monstrous, but so, so slowly that by the time we realise what has happened, it's already having us for dinner.
The Scar. Architect: China Miéville
Nobody does HCF bigger or better than China Miéville. A giant city made up of lashed together ships? Brilliant! But you have to read the book to see how real he can make it.
The Divine Comedy Planner: Dante Alighieri
Hierarchical Salvationy Goodness. A man travels through all the levels of Hell, Purgatory and finally, Paradise. It's all there, the whole universe. This was my one literary pick. I won't do it again.
The Ill-Made Mute Brick Chippie: Celia Dart-Thornton
A bizarre world, packed to the gills with every kind of supernatural creature imaginable and 101 rules for appeasing/dealing with each of them.
Little, Big Hod Monkey: John Crowley
The Tardis of imaginary worlds. It just gets bigger... and smaller... the closer you look. A warm cardigan of a world wrapped around a sleeping gang of drunken cats.
The Iron Dragon's Daughter Grand Master of the Lodge: Michael Swanwick
Without this amazing evil-elves-with-napalm story, China Miéville might have become a high powered banker. Or something. It basically takes Middle-Earth and dumps it into the industrial age. But don't be fooled: in spite of moments of black, black humour, there is not a single twee sentence in the whole book.
Mythago Wood Carpenter: Robert Holdstock.
One of the most amazing concepts for any fantasy universe I've ever seen. A forest that holds the collective unconcious of the human race. The deeper you penetrate, the further back you sink into our collective memory.
The Many Coloured Land Cartographer: Julian May
A time machine goes into the past, but only to the Pliocene Epoch and the trip is strictly one-way. Men and women hoping to escape modern life pass through, expecting only emptiness. A few mammoths or tasty lemurs, perhaps. Instead, they find... no spoilers, but this is definitely one for the escapists in the house.
The Gunslinger Cheeky Chimney Sweep: Stephen King
Nobody does bleak decay quite like a horror writer. Emptiness and obsession in a dying world.
The Dying Earth Demolition Man: Jack Vance
After millenia of stifling history, the last few generations of humanity whither away amongst crumbling ruins and a host of magical monsters. Morality was the first casuality.
Now it's your turn! Remember the rules: original, solid. No retreads!
Next week: 100 Monsters to eat hunt seduce see before you die.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Every forum under the sun has a thread about this. But this one is mine. Every world on the list has felt solid enough to be real -- full of the right kind of detail. None of the buildings wobble when you open doors in these places. But their creators have gone far further than that. Each setting is high concept in a way we normally associate with good SF, but only rarely with fantasy.
Having said that, I hated at least one of the books on the list and yawned my way through two others. This isn't about choosing the best stories out there. It's about worlds that absolutely demand to be explored. HCF, baby!
In no particular order...
Ash, A Secret History. Builder: Mary Gentle
I first came across Mary Gentle when I read her entertaining SF, Golden Witchbreed. Ash, is in another league entirely. A pretty ordinary tale of mercenaries morphs into something monstrous, but so, so slowly that by the time we realise what has happened, it's already having us for dinner.
The Scar. Architect: China Miéville
Nobody does HCF bigger or better than China Miéville. A giant city made up of lashed together ships? Brilliant! But you have to read the book to see how real he can make it.
The Divine Comedy Planner: Dante Alighieri
Hierarchical Salvationy Goodness. A man travels through all the levels of Hell, Purgatory and finally, Paradise. It's all there, the whole universe. This was my one literary pick. I won't do it again.
The Ill-Made Mute Brick Chippie: Celia Dart-Thornton
A bizarre world, packed to the gills with every kind of supernatural creature imaginable and 101 rules for appeasing/dealing with each of them.
Little, Big Hod Monkey: John Crowley
The Tardis of imaginary worlds. It just gets bigger... and smaller... the closer you look. A warm cardigan of a world wrapped around a sleeping gang of drunken cats.
The Iron Dragon's Daughter Grand Master of the Lodge: Michael Swanwick
Without this amazing evil-elves-with-napalm story, China Miéville might have become a high powered banker. Or something. It basically takes Middle-Earth and dumps it into the industrial age. But don't be fooled: in spite of moments of black, black humour, there is not a single twee sentence in the whole book.
Mythago Wood Carpenter: Robert Holdstock.
One of the most amazing concepts for any fantasy universe I've ever seen. A forest that holds the collective unconcious of the human race. The deeper you penetrate, the further back you sink into our collective memory.
The Many Coloured Land Cartographer: Julian May
A time machine goes into the past, but only to the Pliocene Epoch and the trip is strictly one-way. Men and women hoping to escape modern life pass through, expecting only emptiness. A few mammoths or tasty lemurs, perhaps. Instead, they find... no spoilers, but this is definitely one for the escapists in the house.
The Gunslinger Cheeky Chimney Sweep: Stephen King
Nobody does bleak decay quite like a horror writer. Emptiness and obsession in a dying world.
The Dying Earth Demolition Man: Jack Vance
After millenia of stifling history, the last few generations of humanity whither away amongst crumbling ruins and a host of magical monsters. Morality was the first casuality.
Now it's your turn! Remember the rules: original, solid. No retreads!
Next week: 100 Monsters to eat hunt seduce see before you die.