The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 馃槍
josiahdegraaf's review against another edition
4.0
Decent little history that does a great job of detailing all the major works of fantasy over the past two hundred years. Their analysis on the development of fantasy, whether it be how modern fantasy inherently stems from Romanticism, how Tolkien and Lewis changed the course of fantasy, or how different sub-movements in fantasy impacted the course of a genre as a whole, was fantastic. These were my favorite parts of the book.
That being said, this book becomes less analytical and more "here is every fantasy book written in this era" as the book goes on. Some of this is understandable as more and more books are written each year. However, at a certain point, all the books ran together and in their quest to be comprehensive, the authors forgot to be meaningful in their selections.
Overall, I appreciated this book for what it was: a short but comprehensive history of fantasy. I would have preferred a work that was slightly less comprehensive but more analytical and broad in scope. But for what it was, it was a helpful book.
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars (Good).
That being said, this book becomes less analytical and more "here is every fantasy book written in this era" as the book goes on. Some of this is understandable as more and more books are written each year. However, at a certain point, all the books ran together and in their quest to be comprehensive, the authors forgot to be meaningful in their selections.
Overall, I appreciated this book for what it was: a short but comprehensive history of fantasy. I would have preferred a work that was slightly less comprehensive but more analytical and broad in scope. But for what it was, it was a helpful book.
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars (Good).
alexblackreads's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a great resource for fantasy fans. It has provided me with an extensive list of resources to read in the future as well as a background on some of the most influential authors. I would be interested to reread this book in a few years after I've read some more of the writers they suggested because at times I felt a little lost in my ignorance.
This book is very short, but in just over 200 pages I gained more insight into the genre than I expected. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about fantasy. If it sounds like it'll be of interest to you, you will most likely enjoy it as much as I did.
This book is very short, but in just over 200 pages I gained more insight into the genre than I expected. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about fantasy. If it sounds like it'll be of interest to you, you will most likely enjoy it as much as I did.
nwhyte's review against another edition
4.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1398365.html
This book is precisely what it says on the tin, with a first chapter taking the genre to 1900, a second taking it to 1950, and then individual chapters for each subsequent decade, with two extra chapters for a) J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and b) Philip Pullman, J.K. Rowling and Terry Pratchett, the whole text weighing in at less than 220 pages (plus index and lists). It doesn't interrogate the nature of fantasy literature in depth (one of the authors has done that elsewhere) but does define the genre clearly and convincingly, and also looks at when and why particular sub-genres (cute animal fantasies, paranormal romance, Big Commercial Fantasy) have become popular at different times. The authors integrate children's literature and also genre films and television into the narrative; this is not just about fantasy for grownups. It would be rather a good (and inexpensive) gateway text for the reader of fantasy (and/or sf) who wanted to dip their toe into criticism.
I know I always say this, but when I read books like this I want i) a better understanding of books I have already read and ii) suggestions of books I might read in the future which may appeal to me, and I got plenty of both here; I also was provoked to start thinking (though not sufficiently to complete the thought) about the books which received popular and/or literary acclaim which I just didn't like (including Little, Big, Light, and The Sword of Shannara). Mostly I found myself nodding in agreement or realisation with just the occasional raised eyebrow - Diana Wynne Jones surely wrote more than four books in the 1970s (p.139)?
This book is precisely what it says on the tin, with a first chapter taking the genre to 1900, a second taking it to 1950, and then individual chapters for each subsequent decade, with two extra chapters for a) J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and b) Philip Pullman, J.K. Rowling and Terry Pratchett, the whole text weighing in at less than 220 pages (plus index and lists). It doesn't interrogate the nature of fantasy literature in depth (one of the authors has done that elsewhere) but does define the genre clearly and convincingly, and also looks at when and why particular sub-genres (cute animal fantasies, paranormal romance, Big Commercial Fantasy) have become popular at different times. The authors integrate children's literature and also genre films and television into the narrative; this is not just about fantasy for grownups. It would be rather a good (and inexpensive) gateway text for the reader of fantasy (and/or sf) who wanted to dip their toe into criticism.
I know I always say this, but when I read books like this I want i) a better understanding of books I have already read and ii) suggestions of books I might read in the future which may appeal to me, and I got plenty of both here; I also was provoked to start thinking (though not sufficiently to complete the thought) about the books which received popular and/or literary acclaim which I just didn't like (including Little, Big, Light, and The Sword of Shannara). Mostly I found myself nodding in agreement or realisation with just the occasional raised eyebrow - Diana Wynne Jones surely wrote more than four books in the 1970s (p.139)?
lizshayne's review against another edition
informative
This book is EXACTLY what it says on the tin.
jaxcatx's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the layout of the book, chapters by decades and then highly specific chapters by authors. Offered an amazing reading list and detailed index of fantasy books/authors, which i'm basically going to print out and carry around with me errywhere.
melissa89's review against another edition
3.0
This does an okay job of giving a very general overview of the publication history of the genre. However, it reads a bit like a list of published works with attached summaries. There isn't as much analysis of why certain trends and changes emerged. As such, it was a very dry read that ended up feeling overlong. 2.5 stars.
rafalreadersinitiative's review against another edition
3.0
Przyst臋pna, b艂yskotliwie napisana i stosunkowo aktualna - obejmuj膮ca przestrze艅 czasow膮 od roku 1900 do 2010 (po wst臋pie o wp艂ywie mit贸w, ba艣ni i legend na ukszta艂towanie si臋 gatunku) - analiza rozwoju literatury fantastycznej z przedstawieniem pojawiaj膮cych si臋 w jej obr臋bie najpopularniejszych trop贸w i motyw贸w, typ贸w i podgatunk贸w, oraz z kr贸tkim - acz miarodajnym - om贸wieniem dorobku jej najwybitniejszych przedstawicieli - dawnych i wsp贸艂czesnych.
Mimo, i偶 autorzy koncentruj膮 si臋 g艂贸wnie na literaturze, nie zabrak艂o te偶 miejsca na to, by pokr贸tce om贸wi膰 jej wp艂yw na inne dziedziny kultury. Dob贸r przyk艂ad贸w z zakresu filmu mo偶e poniek膮d dziwi膰 - z pewnym zaskoczeniem odebra艂em wzmiank臋 o serialu "Sze艣膰 st贸p pod ziemi膮", cho膰 odda膰 trzeba, 偶e autorzy bardzo 艂adnie uzasadnili pojawienie si臋 tego tytu艂u w opracowaniu - a nawet lekko rozczarowa膰 lapidarno艣ci膮. Z pewno艣ci膮 nie jest to ksi膮偶ka, kt贸rej docelowym odbiorc膮 m贸g艂by by膰 kto艣 poszukuj膮cy szerszej wiedzy w materii filmowego fantasy. Jakkolwiek te kr贸tkie wzmianki o serialach i filmach (oraz zaledwie dwa s艂owa o grach) mog膮 zach臋ci膰 czytelnika do szerszej samodzielnej eksploracji.
Natomiast dla czytelnik贸w i fan贸w literackiej fantastyki "A Short History of Fantasy" b臋dzie idealnym kompendium i punktem wyj艣cia do poszukiwania nieczytanych wcze艣niej autor贸w i ksi膮偶ek z tego gatunku. Jest to zdecydowanie pozycja, kt贸r膮 powinno si臋 czyta膰 z d艂ugopisem na podor臋dziu - sporz膮dzona przeze mnie lista pisarzy, powie艣ci i serii ksi膮偶kowych, na kt贸re apetyt wzbudzili pani Mendlesohn i pan James, dostarczy mi zaj臋cia na co najmniej rok. Polecam!
Mimo, i偶 autorzy koncentruj膮 si臋 g艂贸wnie na literaturze, nie zabrak艂o te偶 miejsca na to, by pokr贸tce om贸wi膰 jej wp艂yw na inne dziedziny kultury. Dob贸r przyk艂ad贸w z zakresu filmu mo偶e poniek膮d dziwi膰 - z pewnym zaskoczeniem odebra艂em wzmiank臋 o serialu "Sze艣膰 st贸p pod ziemi膮", cho膰 odda膰 trzeba, 偶e autorzy bardzo 艂adnie uzasadnili pojawienie si臋 tego tytu艂u w opracowaniu - a nawet lekko rozczarowa膰 lapidarno艣ci膮. Z pewno艣ci膮 nie jest to ksi膮偶ka, kt贸rej docelowym odbiorc膮 m贸g艂by by膰 kto艣 poszukuj膮cy szerszej wiedzy w materii filmowego fantasy. Jakkolwiek te kr贸tkie wzmianki o serialach i filmach (oraz zaledwie dwa s艂owa o grach) mog膮 zach臋ci膰 czytelnika do szerszej samodzielnej eksploracji.
Natomiast dla czytelnik贸w i fan贸w literackiej fantastyki "A Short History of Fantasy" b臋dzie idealnym kompendium i punktem wyj艣cia do poszukiwania nieczytanych wcze艣niej autor贸w i ksi膮偶ek z tego gatunku. Jest to zdecydowanie pozycja, kt贸r膮 powinno si臋 czyta膰 z d艂ugopisem na podor臋dziu - sporz膮dzona przeze mnie lista pisarzy, powie艣ci i serii ksi膮偶kowych, na kt贸re apetyt wzbudzili pani Mendlesohn i pan James, dostarczy mi zaj臋cia na co najmniej rok. Polecam!
rachela1eaf's review against another edition
5.0
A delightfully engaging summary of some of the most important works of fantasy (and some sci-fi as well) throughout the ages. Anyone who grew up on fantasy will find this a joy; learning the culture context beyond the countless fantasy books I read growing up was fascinating. I feel like I learned quite a lot, but most importantly, my reading list has now expanded exponentially. I also appreciate the attention to cultural contexts such as queer visibility and feminism, and the attempt to expand beyond Western fantasy. It is far from comprehensive, but that is of course, not the point. Definitely check this out if you're interested in fantasy and how it's grown over the years.
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