The Colour of Magic

Series Discworld
Illustrator Josh Kirby
Author Terry Pratchett
Year 1985 (first published 1983)
Publisher Corgi
ISBN 978-0-552-12475-1

On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There’s an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet…

‘ONE OF THE BEST, AND ONE OF THE FUNNIEST ENGLISH AUTHORS ALIVE.’ Independent

The Colour of Magic available on Amazon

The Colour of Magic (full size)

Crimson Crystal Adventure 1: Riddle of the Griffon

Series Crimson Crystal Adventures (Endless Quest)
Illustrator Keith Parkinson (cover), Mario D. Macari, Gary Williams
Author Susan Lawson
Year 1985
Publisher TSR
ISBN 394-73979-5 / 0-88038-210-4

From the Producers of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Game
PICK A PATH TO ADVENTURE™
RIDDLE OF THE GRIFFON

Forbidden to use your conjuring abilities, you now have the opportunity to rid your homeland of its oppressive ruler, Parthon. But to do so, you must leave the security of your father’s farm to face the gauntlet of the griffon and solve its riddle. Do you have the courage to pass this ultimate test of your new powers?

To help you on your quest, an old magic-user has given you a magical ruby, one of three powerful magic crystals. This special gem allows you to translate ancient messages, find hidden doorways, see through magical deception, and much more. It can show you many things, but take care or you might not see the truth that the stone reveals to you and find yourself in very real danger!

The Shambling Guide to New York City

Illustrator Jamie McKelvie
Author Mur Lafferty
Year 2013
Publisher Orbit
ISBN 978-0316221177

A travel writer takes a job with a shady publishing company in New York, only to find that she must write a guide to the city – for the undead!

Because of the disaster that was her last job, Zoë is searching for a fresh start as a travel book editor in tourist-centric New York City. After stumbling across a seemingly perfect position though, Zoë is blocked at every turn because of the one thing she can’t take off her resume – human.

Not to be put off by anything – especially not her blood-drinking boss or death-goddess coworker – Zoë delves deep into the monster world. But her job turns deadly when the careful balance between human and monsters starts to crumble – with Zoë right in the middle.

Also check out The Murverse Annex and JamieMcKelvie.com and Mur’s spectacular podcast I Should Be Writing

The Swords of Corum

Illustrator Mark Salwowski
Author Michael Moorcock
Year circa 1970’s
Publisher Book Club Associates
Catalog CN 6926

The gods themselves feel fear. It is the time of the conjunction of the Million Spheres–and all things are possible. Beneath the bloody banners of the Dog and the Bear, the cruel Mabden are sweeping the Earth. The mystic Vadhagh are wiped out–all but one. Armed with the Hand of Kwll and his own thirsty sword, Prince Corum Jhaelen pursues his fate and his vengeance through all the fifteen planes of Earth, even to the very centre of Time–the still blue city of Tanelorn.

Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine – March/April 1978

Cover “The Far King”
Illustrator Jack Gaughan
Editor George H. Scithers
Editorial Director Isaac Asimov
Year 1978
Publisher Davis
ISSN 71896-48141

Jack Gaughan Wikipedia
Isaac Asimov Wikipedia, Wikiquote
Asimov’s Science Fiction Wikipedia, Official Website

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The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth

Illustrator Linda Garland
Author Robert Foster
Year 1988 (first published 1978)
Publisher George Allen & Unwin
ISBN 0-04-803001-5

J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy works, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion have delighted millions of readers in recent years.

Middle-earth, the world in which the stories take place, is as real and complex as our own. Events, geography and names were created with care and loving attention by Tolkien, who wanted every single detail of his books to fit into their total pattern. A belief in perfection, the fun of the sub-creation and the desire to create something so totally convincing that the reader could believe in it (in a sense) as actual history, involved him in map-making, endless charts of dates and events and the development of his many invented languages.

The Phantom Tollbooth

Illustrator Jules Feiffer
Author Norton Juster
Year 1975 (first published 1961)
Publisher Lions
ISBN 0-00-6707998

“It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time,” Milo remarks as he walks dejectedly home from school. But his glumness soon turns to surprise when he unwraps a mysterious package marked ONE GENUINE TURNPIKE TOLLBOOTH. Once through the Phantom Tollbooth Milo has no more time to be bored for before him lies the strange land of the Kingdom of Wisdom and a series of even stranger adventures when he meets the watchdog Tock who ticks, King Azaz the Unabridged the unhappy ruler of Dictionopolis, Faintly Macabre the not so wicked Which, the Whether Man and the threadbare Excuse among a collection of the most logically illogical characters ever met on this side or that side of reality.

‘This marvellous story about a spoilt boy’s somewhat Alice like journey into the world of words and numbers must be one of the most brilliant pieces of nonsense written in our time, and not so nonsensical either.’
Naomi Lewis, BBC World of Books

The Phantom Tollbooth available on Amazon

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Analog Science Fiction and Fact – August 1989

Illustrator Kelly Freas (cover)
Editor Stanley Schmidt
Year 1989
Publisher Davis

Analog Science Fiction and Fact Official
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Wikipedia

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Borrobil

Illustrator Pauline Baynes (cover), John Morton-Sale
Author William Croft Dickinson
Year 1973 (first published 1944)
Publisher Puffin
ISBN unknown

Check out the entire post for a full front and back cover spread!

On Beltane Eve Donald and Jean decide to visit the dark mysterious wood on top of the hill. And in the wood they meet Borrobil. As Borrobil explained to them, Beltane is one of the most magic nights of the year, when the White King of Summer must defeat the Black King of Winter. But Borrobil also describes himself as the best good magician who ever lived in these parts since the rule of King Diarmid. What better guide could Donald and Jean have to take them to see Morac defeat the poison-breathing Dragon and thence to the north to fetch Princess Finella to be Morac’s bride? But the Black Sulig has first to be overcome and when they eventually reach Finella’s castle more dangers threaten from the men of the Long Ships.

Winter’s Heart

Series Wheel of Time Book Nine
Illustrator Darrell K. Sweet
Author Robert Jordan
Year 2000
Publisher Orbit
ISBN 1-85723-985-7

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and go.
What was, what will be, and what is,
may yet fall under the Shadow.
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

The Wheel of Time has become an international No. 1 bestseller and one of the most popular fantasy epics of all time. Now, the Wheel of Time turns again, and the remarkable tale that is mesmerising an entire generation of readers continues. Rand is on the run with Min, but his destination is a mystery to Cadsuane.

Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar, but his purpose remains shrouded in secrecy.

More Great Adventure Stories

Illustrator unknown
Author unknown
Year 1978
Publisher Dean & Son
ISBN unknown

Turtle Island, The Chinese Pirates, Sitting Bull, The Covered Wagons, Magellan and Elcano, The Conquest of the Poles, Robin Hood, The Crusades, Medieval Tournaments, The Flying Dutchman and The Abominable Snowman

More Great Adventure Stories available on Amazon

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Illustrator Pauline Baynes
Author C. S. Lewis
Year 1973 (first published 1950)
Publisher Puffin
ISBN 0-14-030132-1

This is a story of magic adventure, and very powerful magic it was, in which four ordinary children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, became involved. It started in a strange house where they were staying, and Lucy found she could go through the back of a wardrobe into a snowy land of pine forests where she found a faun. Edmund got through to it too, but he did not find the friendly faun. Instead he ran straight into the White Witch herself, a terrifying person, but she gave him what he wanted more than anything else at the moment – Turkish Delight. Then he told her of Lucy’s adventures with the faun, and about the other brother and sister who had not yet found the way through the wardrobe. Two boys, two girls! That was what the old legend told her that she needed to hold her spell over the land of Narnia, so she made Edmund promise to bring the other three to her. That was how it started, with the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Lion was not long in making an appearance. He was the great Aslan, Lord of the Wood.

This is the first of a series of stories about Aslan and Narnia. The final one of them (The Last Battle) won the Carnegie Medal as the best book for children published in 1956. It appeals especially to nine- to twelve-year-olds but some will read it earlier, and many will still enjoy it a good deal later.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe available on Amazon

Analog Science Fiction and Fact – May 1999

Illustrator George Krauter (cover)
Editor Stanley Schmidt
Year 1999
Publisher Penny

Analog Science Fiction and Fact Official
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Wikipedia

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Triss

Series Tales of Redwall
Illustrator David Wyatt (cover), David Elliot
Author Brian Jacques
Year 2003 (first published 2002)
Publisher Puffin
ISBN 0-141-31280-7

Discover Redwall – a whole world of adventure

Triss is a brave squirrelmaid – enslaved by the evil ferret King Agarnu of Riftgard and his cruel daughter, Kurda. But, secretly, Triss is planning a daring escape by sea…

As Triss sets sail, three young friends leave Salamandastron in search of adventure – and two youngsters go missing in Mossflower Woods. After three dangerous journeys, the travellers’ paths cross at the famous Redwall Abbey – where Triss will discover her destiny, and a new champion will rise to carry the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior and fight for the future of Redwall…

Brian Jacques is one of Britain’s best-loved storytellers – and Redwall is his most famous creation.

Triss available on Amazon

Serpent Mage

Series Death Gate Cycle Volume 4
Illustrator Keith Parkinson
Author Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Year 1993 (first published 1992)
Publisher Bantam Spectra
ISBN 0-553-56140-5

SERPENT MAGE

After searching the four worlds Alfred has at last found his people on Chelestra, the realm of sea. But his travels have taught him to be cautious…and Alfred soon realizes his caution is justified, even among his own kind.

The one person Alfred can trust is, strangely, Haplo the Patryn. But Haplo’s lord has decreed all Sartan to be the enemy, and Haplo dares not go against his lord. Now the companions have arrived in a land where humans, elves, and dwarves have learned to live in peace. Unaware of an even greater threat to all the realms, it is Sartan and Patryn who will disrupt this alliance of the lesser races in their struggle to gain control of all four worlds. Only Alfred and Haplo realize that they have a much older–and more powerful–enemy than each other….

Fire Sea

Series Death Gate Cycle Volume 3
Illustrator Keith Parkinson
Author Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Year 1992 (first published 1991)
Publisher Bantam Spectra
ISBN 0-553-29541-1

FIRE SEA

Abarrach, the Realm of Stone. Here, on a barren world of underground caverns built around a core of molten lava, the lesser races–humans, elves, and dwarves–seem to have all died off. Here, too, what may well be the last remnants of the once powerful Sartan still struggle to survive.

For Haplo and Alfred–enemies by heritage, traveling companions by necessity–Abarrach may reveal more than either dares to discover about the history of Sartan… and the future of all their descendents.

Fighting Fantasy 29: Midnight Rogue

Illustrator John Sibbick
Author Graeme Davis
Year 1987
Publisher Puffin
ISBN 0-14-032378-3

Danger lurks in every corner of Port Blacksand – infamous city of evil-doers!

YOU are an apprentice in the Thieves’ Guild of Port Blacksand. Tonight is the testing time, the climax of your training. Your mission is to find and steal a priceless gem, the Eye of the Basilisk, and the special skills you have learned will be tested to the limit!

Many terrors lie in wait in the darkness of this evil city’s backstreets and alleys. Will you be able to accomplish your dangerous task? You have until morning to prove yourself.

Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need to set out on your mission. YOU decide which route to take, which creatures to fight and which dangers to risk.

Midnight Rogue available on Amazon

The Hobbit or There and Back Again

Illustrator J. R. R. Tolkien
Author J. R. R. Tolkien
Year 1980 (first published 1937)
Publisher George Allen & Unwin
ISBN 0-04-823154-1

The Hobbit is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves, in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving, unambitious hobbit, who surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and skill as a burglar.

Encounters with trolls, goblins, dwarves, elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent, and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of the Five Armies are some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. But there are lighter moments as well: good fellowship, welcome meals, laughter and song.

Continue reading for more about the book and to view the cover painting in more detail!

Triumph of the Darksword

Series Darksword Trilogy
Illustrator Larry Elmore (cover), Valerie A. Valusek
Author Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Year 1988
Publisher Bantam Spectra
ISBN 0-553-27406-6

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHORS OF THE DRAGONLANCE LEGENDS

In a realm where magic is life, Joram was one of the Dead. Born without power, he was denied his royal birthright and sentenced to the Turning—his mind to be imprisoned inside a husk of living stone.

Yet at the last moment. Saryon took his place, suffering the eternal torment for his young master. And Joram and his wife Gwendolyn vanished into the mists that marked the Border of the World…

Now, ten years later, Joram and Gwendolyn have returned to reclaim their rightful place in Merilon. Wielding one last time the terrible, magic-thirsting Darksword, Joram must confront the evil sorcerer Menju and his army of Technologists from beyond the Border in a final apocalyptic battle.

Rejoined by Saryon, the mage Mosiah and Simkin, Joram will fulfill the ancient prophecy of the Darksword—the prophecy that puts in his hands the power to destroy the world…or save it.

TRIUMPH OF THE DARKSWORD – Volume III in the heroic saga of magic, betrayal and adventure, THE DARKSWORD TRILOGY.

Triumph of the Darksword available on Amazon

Also available Volume I: Forging the Darksword (1988)  Volume II: Doom of the Darksword (1988)

Thanks to Still Books for the cover

Doom of the Darksword

Series Darksword Trilogy
Illustrator Larry Elmore (cover), Valerie A. Valusek
Author Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Year 1988
Publisher Bantam Spectra
ISBN 0-553-27164-4

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHORS OF THE DRAGONLANCE LEGENDS

Born without magic, Joram was one of the Dead, denied the throne of Merilon. For years, he lived among outlaws, surviving by wit and sleight-of-hand.

Now, wielding the powerful, magic-absorbing Darksword, Joram returns to the enchanted Kingdom that once was his home to win revenge and claim his birthright. Here he will test Bishop Vanya and his fierce army of Duuk-tsarith in a battle unlike any their world has known.

Joined by the scholarly catalyst Saryon, the young mage Mosiah, and the trickster Simkin, Joram confronts the shattering secret of his past and discovers the ancient prophecy that puts the fate of the world in his hands—the hands that forged the Darksword.

DOOM OF THE DARKSWORD – Volume II in the heroic new saga of magic, deceit and adventure, THE DARKSWORD TRILOGY.

Doom of the Darksword available on Amazon

Also available Volume I: Forging the Darksword (1988)  Volume III: Triumph of the Darksword (1988)

Thanks to Still Books for the cover