Classic Fantasy

Groundbreaking for the time in which they were written, the vampire stories of the 1800s have inspired many modern writers. Enjoy the thrilling stories that originated the genre of vampire fiction.

As any fan of Jo Walton's Among Others might guess, Walton is both an inveterate reader of SF and fantasy, and a chronic rereader of books. In 2008, then-new science fiction mega-site Tor.com asked Walton to blog regularly about her rereading—about all kinds of older fantasy and SF, ranging from acknowledged classics, to guilty pleasures, to forgotten oddities and gems. These posts have consistently been among the most popular features of Tor. Now this volume presents a selection of the best of them, ranging from short essays to long reassessments of some of the field's most ambitious series.

Swords, sorcery and space ships clash in this science fantasy classic! After five years of slavery, Garthanas, the Hamarian Sword and defender of his oppressed people, returns to find the woman he loves has deserted him and his best friend has betrayed him. Now Garthanas lives only for revenge. But, his plans change suddenly when he learns of a plot by Thamas I, the planet's evil ruler, to liquidate the entire Hamarian race. It’s a plan Garthanas swears to stop, even if he has to fight his way through every guard and soldier in the palace. And he will!

Edward Plunkett, the Baron Dunsany, was just gaining his stride as the world's first modern fantasy author, and wrote this book of tales to help show that dreams still came, dark and fantastical as they may be.

Princess of the Seas, which has never been reprinted since its original pulp magazine appearance, is one of Don Wilcox's most celebrated science fantasy novels. Like all Don Wilcox's best work, it is a dream extravaganza. Come along as the hero, the explorer, Stupe (for Stupendous) Smith, the cook, Gypsy Brown, whose Yiddish is as thick a her wits are nimble, plus a number of spies and moles, rocket off to the ocean world of Venus in search of a beautiful woman said to ride its sapphire seas on a horse.