Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels, 1946-1987: Introduces many lesser-known fantasy works

Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels, 1946-1987 by David Pringle

Note: You may also be interested in Stuart’s reviews of:
Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels, 1985-2010.
Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels, 1949-1984.

Following on the success of 1985’s Science Fiction: 100 Best Novels, An English-Language Selection, 1949-1984, it made sense that David Pringle would tackle the wide-ranging and ill-defined field of fantasy with Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels, An English-Language Selection, 1946-1987. It’s actually an amazing effort, since Pringle would have to read comprehensively in both genres for almost four decades, and I think it’s quite unusual for someone to do that. Moreover, though the borders of sci-fi are defined differently by each person you ask, this is even more so for the fantasy genre, which can include horror, epic fantasy, hallucinatory trips, magic realism, contemporary fantasy, and things that don’t fit any convenient categories. It’s almost impossible to narrow this down to a mere 100 works, so I’m sure people would disagree with many of his choices, but that’s the fun of “Best of” lists.

Pringle did not shy from the task, and produced a fascinating and wide-ranging list. I dare anyone to claim to have read 75% of these books, let alone all of them. There are so many unfamiliar books and authors that dedicated fantasy fans will immediately feel a desire to fill in all the gaps and take up the challenge. It’s another task that may take a lifetime, but I have discovered and enjoyed many lesser-known writers here that I would never have known about otherwise. There are so many writers that you might not have heard of or didn’t consider part of the genre, and I can’t imagine even our most widely-read fantasy fans have read more than two-thirds of this list. And there could be no consensus on which books are the best — it’s all a matter of taste, but what incredible variety.

Each entry is two pages long — they are written succinctly and give the all-important historical and literary context for each book, along with a basic outline of the plot. Occasionally he will include some spoilers in the last few paragraphs, so be careful, but his reviews are surprisingly entertaining to read. He is also very honest in describing what type of books they are, so you can immediately eliminate books that don’t fit your taste. I really took away a better understanding of the history and development of the fantasy genre, something that informs my reviews today. It’s amazing how broadly and deeply Pringle has read in the genre.

For many years I used this book and Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels as guides to track down the more obscure titles in various used bookstores. I managed to get quite a few of them, but even 30 years later I’ve only read 26, to my shame. I consider it a lifetime goal to read as many as I can before this mortal coil expires. Here is the list in chronological order — how many of them have you read already? I’ve put an asterisk next to those I’ve read.

1. Titus Groan* by Mervyn Peake
2. The Book of Ptath by A.E. van Vogt
3. The Well of the Unicorn by Fletcher Pratt
4. Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson
5. Seven Days in New Crete by Robert Graves
6. Silverlock* by John Myers Myers
7. The Castle of Iron by Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt
8. Conan the Conqueror by Robert E. Howard
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe* by C.S. Lewis
10. Gormenghast* by Mervyn Peake
11. The Dying Earth* by Jack Vance
12. The Sound of His Horn by Sarban
13. Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber
14. The Sinful Ones by Fritz Leiber
15. The Broken Sword* by Poul Anderson
16. The Lord of the Rings* by J.R.R. Tolkien
17. Pincher Martin by William Golding
18. The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson
19. Dandelion Wine* by Ray Bradbury
20. The Once and Future King* by T.H. White
21. The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag by Robert A. Heinlein
22. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
23. Titus Alone* by Mervyn Peake
24. A Fine and Private Place by* Peter S. Beagle
25. Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
26. The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything by John D. MacDonald
27. Glory Road by Robert A. Heinlein
28. Witch World by Andre Norton
29. The Magus by John Fowles
30. Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock
31. The Crying of Lot 49* by Thomas Pynchon
32. Day of the Minotaur by Thomas Burnett Swann
33. The Eyes of the Overworld* by Jack Vance
34. The Owl Service by Alan Garner
35. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
36. The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
37. Gog by Andrew Sinclair
38. The Last Unicorn* by Peter S. Beagle
39. A Wizard of Earthsea* by Ursula K. Le Guin
40. The Swords of Lankhmar* by Fritz Leiber
41. Black Easter by James Blish
42. The Green Man by Kingsley Amis
43. The Phoenix and the Mirror by Avram Davidson
44. A Feast Unknown by Philip José Farmer
45. Fourth Mansions by R.A. Lafferty
46. Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant
47. Time and Again* by Jack Finney
48. Grendel by John Gardner
49. Briefing for a Descent into Hell by Doris Lessing
50. Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny
51. Watership Down* by Richard Adams
52. The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter
53. Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn
54. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
55. Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
56. The Great Victorian Collection by Brian Moore
57. Grimus by Salman Rushdie
58. Peace* by Gene Wolfe
59. The Malacia Tapestry by Brian Aldiss
60. The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson
61. Hotel de Dream by Emma Tennant
62. The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter
63. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever* by Stephen R. Donaldson
64. The Shining by Stephen King
65. Fata Morgana by William Kotzwinkle
66. Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
67. Gloriana, or, The Unfulfill’d Queen by Michael Moorcock
68. The Unlimited Dream Company by J.G. Ballard
69. Sorcerer’s Son by Phyllis Eisenstein
70. The Land of Laughs* by Jonathan Carroll
71. The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas
72. A Storm of Wings by John Harrison
73. White Light by Rudy Rucker
74. Ariosto by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
75. Cities of the Red Night by William S. Burroughs
76. Little, Big by John Crowley
77. Lanark: A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray
78. The War Hound and the World’s Pain by Michael Moorcock
79. Nifft the Lean* by Michael Shea
80. Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
81. Soul Eater by K.W. Jeter
82. Tea with the Black Dragon by R.A MacAvoy
83. Cold Heaven by Brian Moore
84. The Anubis Gates* by Tim Powers
85. Who Made Stevie Crye? by Michael Bishop
86. The Digging Leviathan by James P. Blaylock
87. Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
88. The Businessman: A Tale of Terror by Thomas M. Disch
89. Mythago Wood* by Robert Holdstock
90. The Glamour by Christopher Priest
91. The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
92. Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd
93. The Dream Years by Lisa Goldstein
94. The Summer Tree* by Guy Gavriel Kay
95. The Bridge* by Iain Banks
96. The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell
97. Replay* by Ken Grimwood
98. The Unconquered Country by Geoff Ryman
99. The Day of Creation by J.G. Ballard
100. Ægypt by John Crowley