Name Forthcoming: The Fantasy Masterwork Mission

Imma read 'em all.

That's the short of it.

I'm going to read them all and take my time in analyzing them. And if you look at my Fantasy Masterworks posts you'll realize that is going to take a whole lot of effort. Why, you ask me?

Well, it's because someone, somewhere decreed that these works deserved to be kept in the spotlight and taken out of the lamentable obscurity that the constraints of publishing sometimes lets them slide into. Things go out of print and they go forgotten, it happens. Even great works can slide through the cracks.
Gollancz' Fantasy Masterworks range is comprised of a great number of these, alongside works that haven't been forgotten and are still voraciously read today.

The Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks mission statement:

Fantasy Masterworks is a series of British paperbacks intended to comprise "some of the greatest, most original, and most influential fantasy ever written", and claimed by its publisher Millennium (an imprint of Victor Gollancz) to be "the books which, along with Tolkien, Peake and others, shaped modern fantasy.

Once upon a time I made it my mission to read all of them. I still very much intend to.
Why? I don't know, really. I've always had a collector's mentality and I love Fantasy and if something presents itself to me that calls itself 'Fantasy Masterworks Collection'... Then, well... You do the math.

Though I'm aware that a lot of it is unreasonable compulsion, it's not a problem though and there's very little resentment.
Because so far they've all been very good reads.
Some very few of them I read and never got what the fuss was about: Aegypt, Book of the New Sun 1 and 2. Likely this is because these works are a part of a larger series and should have maybe read until a decent resolution presented itself.
Others left me plain cold; The Broken Sword, The Anubis Gates. And here any misgivings were likely the product of a case of severe over-hype.

This is what I've read so far at the time of this page going out.

Any new pictures will be added to the bottom of the page while this one will remain as is, a case of seeing how far I've come. Maybe an update at the end of the year? We'll see.

Because of the blog I feel it's somehow my duty to understand and pin point why they belong in the Fantasy Masterworks range. It is also likely inspired by the now defunct Sff Masterworks Reading Project. I always proceed with every one of these works from the assumption that if I don't get it I am missing something and that every one of these has something that makes them worth of being in here. I do a lot of research on the novels that necessitate it, for general background and to sift facts from the avalanche of meaningless clutter. I try to remain objective and unbiased. The blurb at the top is always completely mine and I try to add a completely original view/analysis or point of appreciation for every single one. My impressions and analyses are my own and they take a lot of effort to do.
This has as a result that the works that I might've otherwise moved past without a second glance and a with a mild feeling of disappointment, or irritation, have generally been revealed to be deeper, smarter and more meaningful than initially assumed. Some few have become lofty mountaintops looked back on with appreciation and endearment.

This also means that they take a massive amount of time to do.
Reading is one thing, but the Masterworks need to be consumed and then turned over and over until they settle, until fixed observations and sentiments form.
For some of them this is a lot harder than for others.
The Circus of Doctor Lao took me a few hours on a single day. Ombria in Shadow took me literal months while I tried to come up with an acceptable Explanation.

It's an insane venture. The blog slows reading them down to a trickle because of the time they require, but it is nonetheless worth it. To me, at least, and for now.

Links to the reviews or my thoughts/ research below.

Numbered Fantasy Masterworks

2. Time and the Gods, Lord Dunsany
- Pegana and the Eternal Return
- On Lord Dunsany
25. Voice of Our Shadow, Jonathan Carroll
38. Darker Than You Think, Jack Williamson
- Horror Addendum
41. Grendel, John Gardner
- Grendel and Beowulf: Avatars of Existentialism
44. Song of Kali, Dan Simmons
49. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
- Run-up To the review/ Parallel of Intent
- Horror Aspects of Something Wicked

Unnumbered Fantasy Masterworks

The Circus of Dr. Lao - Review
- Circus of Dr Lao Centipede Press Edition Review
Ombria In Shadow, Patricia A. Mckillip
- Ombria in Shadow:The Explanation
- The Bible of Ombria
- Extras regarding the Explanation
- Looking Back at Ombria/ Arrival at Insight

There's a bunch of them still to go and I have a lot of other stuff I want to read too.

So I better get cracking.

Shelf at the end of 2018