Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

This is a summer reading list for young adults who want to explore fantasy and imaginative fiction without resorting to the current small handful of blockbusters. This list has some classics that might otherwise be overlooked,  and some contemporary books that are just terrific. If you are looking for some really good fiction for the kids to read this summer this list can help. (Hey and all these books are great for adults too!)

If you want more information about these books and links to amazon for them I have more info on my site here: Summer reading for teens

Some Classics
A Wrinkle in Time - (Newberry Medal Winner) This is simply a beautiful book that has blazed a trail in modern children’s fantasy by putting forward a story of several children embarking on a grand adventure; In this case to rescue their father. There is some fascinating and thoughtful stuff in this book like living stars and tesseracts. It is a perennial favorite and on every librarian’s list.

A Wizard of Earthsea – Written by Ursula K. Leguin this is the first book in a series called The EarthSea series. Short and light but extraordinarily beautiful. This first book in the series follows a young boy named Ged as he goes from being a simple goat herd to a powerful wizard.  It is simply beautiful and it brings forth some wonderful and magical themes such as the concept that everything (including dragons) has a secret name.  And if you know the secret name you can control the thing (including dragons).

The Hobbit - This probably shouldn’t be on this list but it is so good that I can’t leave it off.  With the absolute enormous success of the Lord of the Rings movies this book may be overlooked but I consider it better!  It is also in the works to be a movie.

Five Children and it – This is one of the most popular books written by Edith Nesbit who is often credited with creating the whole genre of children embarking on fantasy adventures.  Her books are in the public domain now and can easily be found for free. The theme of this book is:  Be careful what you ask for. You may get it! That’s the message in this delightful tale of five youngsters who discover a bizarre sand creature that grants wishes. There’s a catch, of course: the wishes come undone at sunset, and worse yet, things often get out of hand!

Dragonflight – This book is a little more complex than earlier ones I have cited here and it tends toward being more of a novel for grownups but it very suitable for teens.  We are introduced to a complex world of dragons through the main character Lessa. This book is often credited with being the book that has launched many a young girls writing career.  It is the first book in a trilogy of books called The Dragon riders of Pern series.

A Princess of Mars: The first novel in the Edgar Rice Burroughs series and currently in the initial stages of being written into a movie or animation that will be made by Pixar.  This is the first book in a series called John Carter of Mars and it is good rollicking fun in the tradition of the old pulp magazines.  It is a favorite for young boys who like sword fighting big monsters.

Contemporary fantasy and fiction
When it comes to modern fantasy fiction for teens there is an enormous selection to choose from and that, in itself,  could be an obstacle. Here are summaries of some of the more popular ones and I have also picked some that are currently slated to be made into a movie.

Artemis Fowl Series – This series of books takes a little bit of an unusual position as far as children’s books go because Artemis Fowl himself is a twelve year old genius and a criminal mastermind. The author of these books calls them Die Hard with Fairies! And the books are often characterized as being a high-octane and rip-roaring ride.  It is a wildly popular series of books with a big website and even a wiki. There are currently five books in the series with the first being simply titled Artemis Fowl. The sixth book “The Time Paradox” is set to be released in July of 2008.

Here, there be Dragons – The title itself is rather mysterious and harkens back to another time. This was the phrase that cartographers used to write in patches of ocean that were unexplored.  The basic premise of this story will really resonate with teens that are fans of fantasy itself because it starts with the unusual meeting of three young strangers John, Jack, and Charles on a rainy night in London. We later find out these three young men are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams.

The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches - This is a series of books that takes place in a world of magic and secrets called Ruin Mist. This book was slow to start but word of mouth turned it into a best seller. It is one of those relatively little known books and series that is very satisfying.

Septimus Heap – If magic and wizards are of strong appeal this series of books make a great alternative to Harry Potter. The Main character (Septimus) is the seventh son of a seventh son and the main line of the story follows two children switched at birth: a boy destined to be a wizard and a girl destined to be a princess.  There are currently four books in the series and the first book has been picked up by Warner Brothers and is currently being made into a movie that is scheduled for release in 2010.

Any of these books or series will launch teens and young adults on a remarkable adventure into strange fantasy worlds and no joystick or keyboard is required.

If you want more information about these books and links to amazon for them I have more info on my site here: Summer reading for teens

Popularity: 12% [?]

The John Carter of Mars series of stories are a great series of book in the old pulp fantasy style and I had read the whole series a very long time ago. I dug up some of my copies of the books here:

The movie is being written by Andrew Stanton who wrote Finding Nemo and Wall-e. You can read the post about this on the Pixar Blog. And it will be interesting to see how they handle this story and the movie. Will it be fully animated or will be something else? Either way it is probably going to be really good. Pixar always makes wonderful movies.

About The Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs:

There are eleven Mars books in the series and four of them (listed first) are John Carter books:

• The Princess of Mars
• The Gods of Mars
• The Warlord of Mars
• John Carter of Mars (This book is a concatenation of two Novellas: “John Carter and the Giant of Mars” and “Skeleton Men of Jupiter”.
• Thuivia, Maid of Mars
• The Chessmen of Mars
• A Fighting Man of Mar
• Swords of mars
• Synthetic Men of Mars
• Llana of Gathol

I am wondering what the first movie will be about and what the real title will be. The proper first book is A Princess of Mars and this book sets everything up because it is where John Carter first finds himself on Mars. I have also heard rumors that there will be a trilogy of movies which fits with the first three Mars books.

The John Carter books are a lot of fun and they have been re-worked and repackaged several times over the last century including some covers and internal artwork by Frazetta, which is probably some of his most recognizable stuff.

How to Get some John Carter to Read:

Amazon has plenty of the Edgar Rice Burroughs stuff and seeing as the stuff is pretty old you can also download and read it for free on Gutenberg Scroll down to the bottom of this page for Burroughs

Here is the Edgar Rice Burroughs Section on Amazon.com Edgar Rice Burroughs Books 

About the famous curved rapier that is pictured on the Frazetta art. John Carter is famous for this sword and there is even a real version that has been made and is for sale. It’s pretty cool and you can take a look at it here: John Carter’s Martian Longsword

Popularity: 13% [?]

There are a lot of great fantasy movies coming up over the next couple of years. I have paid particular attention to movies that are adapted from fantasy books. There have always been successful fantasy movies but we really have to thank lord of the rings for the re-invigorated interest in taking successful fantasy books and turning them into movies.  Some of these are very well known books ( Like The Elfstones of Shannara) and many of them are children oriented in the Harry Potter vein.

Summer/Fall 2008

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – Release Date: May 16, 2008 This is the second movie in the series and the third is planned for release in 2010. In this movie the children are whisked off to Narnia again and tasked to combat an evil villain who is preventing the rightful Prince from ruling Narnia. The official website - The book at amazon: Prince Caspian (Narnia)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – aka: Indiana Jones 4; scheduled for release 22 May 2008 - Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls. Book at amazon.com Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The DarK Knight – The lastest in the very successful Batman Series and the final tragic work of Heath Ledger. July 18, 2008 Official Website

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor; The latest installment of the Brendan Fraser Indiana Jones like series of movies. Scheduled for release 1 august 2008 In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick and Alex O’Connell unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin — a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago Official Site

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince : Scheduled for release November 21, 2008 — As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously “This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince” and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s dark past. Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)

Scheduled for 2009

Where the Wild Things Are 16, Oct 2009 and Forest Whitaker is the voice of Wild Thing. The adventures of a young boy named Max who, after being sent to bed for misbehaving, imagines that he sails away to where the wild things are. Max is loved by the wild creatures who make him their King, though he soon longs to be back home with his family. An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story. The film is expected to be live-action with heavy CGI-animated elements. Book: Where the Wild Things Are - Movie Site

The Runelords The Sum of all Men – Release date 2009 This is based on the first book of the popular series of David Farland books. The basic premise of the series is that people can gift their skills, abilities, and strengths to their lords which makes them super human. The Book: The Sum of All Men (The Runelords, Book One:)

The Power of the Dark Crystal - A sequel to the 1982 Movie The Dark Crystal. Jen and Kira , having lived for many years as the rulers of their world since the reunification of the crystal , welcome an unexpected visitor to their castle, Thurma the fire girl. From her they learn that the U-mun people, who live in the blazing center of the planet, are threatened by the death of their sun. There is only one thing powerful enough to heal the star - a shard of the crystal

In Development

The Elfstones of Shannara - Based on the Best selling Terry Brooks Shannara novels.

The Book of Lost Things - Based on The John Connolly fantasy novel High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the loss of his mother. He is angry and he is alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in the myths and fairy tales so beloved of his dead mother he finds that the real world and the fantasy world have begun to meld. The Crooked Man has come, with his mocking smile and his enigmatic words: ‘Welcome, your majesty. All hail the new king.’ And as war rages across Europe, David is violently propelled into a land that is both a construct of his imagination yet frighteningly real, a strange reflection of his own world composed of myths and stories, populated by wolves and worse-than-wolves, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a legendary book.” The Book of Lost Things: A Novel

The Elric saga - Based on the Michael Moorcock Elric series of books The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic, neo-Medieval future of crumbling skyscrapers in which science is all but forgotten, and humanity’s new advances have gone down the path of magic instead

Here, There Be Dragons - An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the First World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of The Imaginarium Geographica — an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship The Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams. Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead readers to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.” It is later revealed that these three young men are future fantasy authors (and real-life Oxford classmates) J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica)

The Lightning Thief - Based on the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. The Hollywood Reporter reminds us that ” Thief centers on a young boy who discovers that he is the descendant of a Greek god and sets out — with the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena — on a dangerous adventure to settle an ongoing battle between the gods. Along the way, he faces a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. He also must come to terms with a father he has never known and an oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.”

Septimus Heap - Based on seven-book series created by Angie Sage. The series follows two children switched at birth: a boy destined to be a wizard and a girl destined to be a princess.

Tunnels - Based on the Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams upcoming series of of books . They revolve around a teenager whose quest for his missing father leads him to a secret world of wizards.

The Subtle Knife - This is the second installment of The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Trilogy)

Stoneheart - Based on the Charlie Fletcher novel - A 12-year-old on a class trip to London’s war museum knocks the head off a stone dragon and quickly finds himself menaced by stone serpents that adorned the museum and have come to life. The kid is saved by the bronze statue of a soldier.

The Stolen Child - Based on teh amazon best selling book by Keith Donahue. Amazon.com actually has a hand in this movie. They optioned the movie rights. A man is kidnapped by hobgoblins as a boy and is replaced by a look-alike imposter. Both the real person & the imposter struggle through their new lives and environments.

If you love fantasy and epic fantasy check out my website: The Fantasy Guide

Popularity: 27% [?]