Bibliography: Heroic Fantasy

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Heroic fantasy is a genre that draws from mythology, history, literature, and visual storytelling, shaping tales of grand adventure, epic battles, and the struggle between good and evil. This bibliography provides a comprehensive selection of sources, covering fiction, mythology, historical accounts, non-fiction studies, and film/television. It serves as a resource for understanding heroic fantasy’s evolution, offering inspiration for worldbuilding, character creation, and storytelling in Order of the Magpie or any heroic fantasy setting.

Fiction: Classic and Foundational Works

Anderson, P. (1961). Three hearts and three lions. Doubleday.

Cook, G. (1984–2000). The black company (Series). Tor Books.

Eddison, E. R. (1922). The worm ouroboros. Albert & Charles Boni.

Eddings, D. (1982–1991). The Belgariad & The Malloreon (Series). Del Rey.

Gemmell, D. (1984). Legend. Century.

Howard, R. E. (1932–1936). The Conan stories. Weird Tales.

Jordan, R. (1990–2013). The wheel of time (Series). Tor Books.

Le Guin, U. K. (1968–2001). The Earthsea cycle (Series). Parnassus Press.

Leiber, F. (1939–1988). Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (Series). Gnome Press.

Lewis, C. S. (1950–1956). The chronicles of Narnia (Series). Geoffrey Bles.

Morris, W. (1896). The well at the world's end. Longmans, Green, and Co.

Moorcock, M. (1961–1979). The Elric saga (Series). Gollancz.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). The hobbit. George Allen & Unwin.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954–1955). The lord of the rings (Series). George Allen & Unwin.

Zelazny, R. (1970–1991). The chronicles of Amber (Series). Doubleday.

Fiction: Modern and Contemporary Works

Abercrombie, J. (2006–2008). The first law trilogy. Gollancz.

Cameron, M. (2012–2017). The traitor son cycle. Gollancz.

Erikson, S. (1999–2011). Malazan book of the fallen (Series). Tor Books.

Lynch, S. (2006). The lies of Locke Lamora. Bantam Spectra.

Lawrence, M. (2011–2013). The broken empire trilogy. Harper Voyager.

Sanderson, B. (2010–present). The stormlight archive (Series). Tor Books.

Sullivan, M. J. (2008–2012). The Riyria revelations. Orbit.

Williams, T. (1988–1993). Memory, sorrow, and thorn (Series). DAW Books.

Wolfe, G. (1980–1983). The book of the new sun (Series). Timescape.

Mythology and Legend

Anonymous. (c. 2100 BCE). The epic of Gilgamesh.

Anonymous. (c. 700 BCE). Beowulf. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Anonymous. (c. 400 BCE–200 CE). The Mahabharata. University of Chicago Press.

Anonymous. (c. 400 BCE–200 CE). The Ramayana. Princeton University Press.

Anonymous. (13th century). The prose Edda. Everyman’s Library.

Anonymous. (c. 11th century). The song of Roland. Penguin Classics.

Anonymous. (c. 12th century). The Niebelungenlied. Penguin Classics.

Anonymous. (14th century). The Mabinogion. Oxford University Press.

Geoffrey of Monmouth. (c. 1136). Historia regum Britanniae (L. Thorpe, Trans.). Penguin Classics.

History and Non-Fiction

Bloch, M. (1939). Feudal society. University of Chicago Press.

Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Princeton University Press.

Huizinga, J. (1919). The autumn of the Middle Ages. University of Chicago Press.

Keegan, J. (1976). The face of battle. Viking Press.

Lacy, N. J. (1997). The Arthurian handbook. Garland Publishing.

Matthews, J. (2017). The complete King Arthur: Many faces, one hero. Inner Traditions.

Tuchman, B. W. (1978). A distant mirror: The calamitous 14th century. Alfred A. Knopf.

Turnbull, S. (1977). The samurai: A military history. Macmillan.

Film and Television

Boorman, J. (Director). (1981). Excalibur [Film]. Orion Pictures.

Fleischer, R. (Director). (1982). Conan the barbarian [Film]. Universal Pictures.

Harryhausen, R. (Producer). (1963). Jason and the Argonauts [Film]. Columbia Pictures.

Jackson, P. (Director). (2001–2003). The lord of the rings trilogy [Films]. New Line Cinema.

Juran, N. (Director). (1958). The seventh voyage of Sinbad [Film]. Columbia Pictures.

Sapowski, A. (Creator). (2019–present). The witcher [TV series]. Netflix.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1978). The lord of the rings [Animated film]. United Artists.

This bibliography reflects the foundations and evolution of heroic fantasy, incorporating literary, historical, and mythological influences alongside films and television adaptations. Whether through ancient epics, classic novels, or modern deconstructions, these works define the hero’s journey, epic quests, and grand conflicts that make heroic fantasy enduring.