[Aptorian]

Is there any fantasy out there that takes place in a golden age of magic and technology?

It seems like all the fantasy books I read are always placed in a setting after the great empire collapsed, magic was outlawed and the gods died. Or something to that effect.

Are there any authors writing the equivalent of hard fantasy or Utopian fiction, where there's an abundance of magic power, golden gods and an endless surplus?

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 01 January 2022 - 12:20 PM

[Tsundoku]

Bit difficult to have drama and conflict in Utopia.

Entropy, on the other hand ...

[Aptorian]

There's always a snake in paradise or a rivaling utopia, that thinks it is more perfect than other utopias.

[Tsundoku]

So what you're after isn't so much the Utopian era, but more the beginning of the end?

[Aptorian]

Not necessarily, just "more".

An age where the greatest kings still rule, where the wisest Wizards still are expanding the knowledge of the universe, where the gods live in peace and unity, where beautiful cities of marble and glass still stand upon the highest hill, when the best iron forgers could still create super weapons, etc.

Basically it could be modern/urban fantasy just with the magic and fairy tales never having been suppressed or disappeared.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 01 January 2022 - 03:59 PM

[amphibian]

Godsdoom by Perumov is happening in the golden age. But there's only that one book that's been translated into English from Russian. The rest of the series may never make it, which is a shame because it's like Crank the movie with magic.

[Puck]

Aptorian, on 01 January 2022 - 03:55 PM, said:

Not necessarily, just "more".

An age where the greatest kings still rule, where the wisest Wizards still are expanding the knowledge of the universe, where the gods live in peace and unity, where beautiful cities of marble and glass still stand upon the highest hill, when the best iron forgers could still create super weapons, etc.

Basically it could be modern/urban fantasy just with the magic and fairy tales never having been suppressed or disappeared.

Not quite what you're asking for, maybe, since it's sci-fi, but the Terra Ignota quartet by Ada Palmer does tick many of the boxes. Starts out in the best age humanity has ever existed in, with the wisest governments and political leaders, no poverty, abundance of everything, supposedly ideal social structures, no war anywhere for I forget how many centuries, highly advanced science bordering on magic, yadda yadda. It's glorious utopia, and no, I'm not being sarcastic. Predictably, it all goes to shit in its own special way, but I'll leave you to find out how if you want to.

[Cyphon]

I have the first of those books, and you've moved it right up the to read pile with that description Puck!

[Abyss]

Aptorian, on 01 January 2022 - 12:16 PM, said:

Is there any fantasy out there that takes place in a golden age of magic and technology?

It seems like all the fantasy books I read are always placed in a setting after the great empire collapsed, magic was outlawed and the gods died. Or something to that effect.

Are there any authors writing the equivalent of hard fantasy or Utopian fiction, where there's an abundance of magic power, golden gods and an endless surplus?

NK Jemisin's INHERITANCE TRILOGY.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 04 January 2022 - 04:15 AM, said:

Aptorian, on 01 January 2022 - 12:16 PM, said:

Is there any fantasy out there that takes place in a golden age of magic and technology?

It seems like all the fantasy books I read are always placed in a setting after the great empire collapsed, magic was outlawed and the gods died. Or something to that effect.

Are there any authors writing the equivalent of hard fantasy or Utopian fiction, where there's an abundance of magic power, golden gods and an endless surplus?

NK Jemisin's INHERITANCE TRILOGY.

Just remembered another one... technically it's closer to sf than fantasy, but very deliberately exists where the distinction is meaningless... i can't explain that without major spoilers but it's absolutely a thing and it's also at times brilliant... Julian May's SAGA OF THE PLIOCENE EXILE. 4 books, medium length, worth a look. In the future the world is perfect, but people who don't love the perfection are given the option of voluntary exile back in time a few million years, but what was supposed to be a rougher, less sophisticated paradise has become someone else's idea of perfection.


It's followed by another (also very good) five books if you love it but those are separate, PLIOCENE is absolutely self-contained.

[Aptorian]

Added to the wishlist.

[Tsundoku]

Abyss, on 25 January 2022 - 04:09 AM, said:

Just remembered another one... technically it's closer to sf than fantasy, but very deliberately exists where the distinction is meaningless... i can't explain that without major spoilers but it's absolutely a thing and it's also at times brilliant... Julian May's SAGA OF THE PLIOCENE EXILE. 4 books, medium length, worth a look. In the future the world is perfect, but people who don't love the perfection are given the option of voluntary exile back in time a few million years, but what was supposed to be a rougher, less sophisticated paradise has become someone else's idea of perfection.


It's followed by another (also very good) five books if you love it but those are separate, PLIOCENE is absolutely self-contained.

Utterly brilliant series. I recall getting the 4th one - The Adversary - as a present from some relative back in the 80s.
Well, I read it and enjoyed it but had NFI what was going on. So luckily enough I was able to read from book 1 thanks to the local library getting them in for me.
Years later I bought books 1-3, then the novel Intervention came out and I bought and enjoyed that, followed by the 3 Galactic Milieu books. Which I guess you could say finally brought the entire story full circle.
I'm sure by today's standards some would call it a bit dated but I think the basics of plot, prose and characterisation hold up just fine.
One of my most loved series in my library.

Nine telepathic aliens out of ten, heartily recommended.

She also wrote the Rampart Worlds trilogy much later. More stripped back and I'd say closer to YA in tone, but still good fun.

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This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 25 January 2022 - 09:16 AM

[QuickTidal]

I have often heard about this and wondered if it was worthwhile. I'll check out the first book next time I come across it .

EDIT: and of course the PAN copies you have are the nicest covers so now I need to hunt those down...

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 25 January 2022 - 01:14 PM

[Abyss]

They have aged just fine.
After Malazan and possibly the Belgariad, my most reread series.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

I've never heard of these! Added to the list.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 25 January 2022 - 02:42 PM, said:

They have aged just fine.
After Malazan and possibly the Belgariad, my most reread series.

This is HIGH fucking praise to me Abyss.

I shall definitely be adding this series to the TRP.

[Tiste Simeon]

In case anyone is wondering, the Julian May books are just called The Saga of the Exiles in the UK

[Abyss]

I cannot pretend i do not have a certain level of nostalgia for the series - i first read it when i was too young to really understand it but grasped enough that it set the stage for much reading that followed - but it's merited. Later reads only reinforced how much i love the series. It's really just a question of time before i get them in earbook.

That in media res thing that SE does that we love... May did that and it's fairly mindblowing that so much of the background to EXILES is only told in books that came later and are very very different in almost every respect. Ambiguous characters, alliances and loyalties that shift yet somehow it all makes sense... May did that. Powerhouse characters who are also absurdly vulnerable on some level... she does that. Humour, check. Action, check. It won't work for everyone but i'd be surprised if most Malazfans don't at least enjoy it enough to finish the four books.

[Abyss]

Tsundoku, on 25 January 2022 - 08:54 AM, said:

... I recall getting the 4th one - The Adversary - as a present from some relative back in the 80s.
Well, I read it and enjoyed it but had NFI what was going on. ...

You read bk 4... first... ok wow ... that's like starting Malazan with DUST OF DREAMS.

[Tsundoku]

Abyss, on 25 January 2022 - 08:08 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 25 January 2022 - 08:54 AM, said:

... I recall getting the 4th one - The Adversary - as a present from some relative back in the 80s.
Well, I read it and enjoyed it but had NFI what was going on. ...

You read bk 4... first... ok wow ... that's like starting Malazan with DUST OF DREAMS.

Yeah pretty much. The relative knew I was into SFF so they bought me a book that looked like it was SFF ...
But I'm quite grateful to them. It showed you could make more complicated concepts readable and entertaining.
Remember back in the 80s SFF was pretty much Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke. Especially in regional Australia (western NSW).
OK, ok we also had some stuff from CJ Cherryh, Andre Norton, Frank Herbert, but I'm really struggling to come up with others. David Brin, Greg Benford, Greg Bear et al were starting to emerge in the later half of the 80s as a sort of newer wave.
While there's some full-on stuff going on in some of their books, Exiles was ... different. Can't exactly explain why.
All I know is after reading the full series, when Intervention came out in 88(?) it was a complete surprise to me and I just went "Yoink!".

My only caveat is that it IS a product of the 80s so it's a little bit pulpy at times and there's zero modern sensitivities. Don't expect some sort of modern deep philosophical brooding, self-castigation or politics. And Marc Remillard is one of my all-time favourite characters.

Man, how did we find anything out before the internet? 20 year old encyclopaedias and actual mailing lists.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 25 January 2022 - 10:33 PM