Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Fantasy Novels of Thomas Burnett Swann

Cat Rambo, guest blogging on Jeff VanderMeer’s Ecstatic Days, recently mentioned the novels of Thomas Burnett Swann and I recalled that I had quite a collection of them on my fantasy bookshelf.

Thomas Burnett Swann is virtually unknown these days but many of his fantasy novels were published in the heady days of the 1970s. Though I really can’t recall the substance of his novels, I do remember liking his books a lot. They had a gentle quality about them – as Cat Rambo says, they were NICE. Perhaps they are not to everyone’s taste, but were a pleasant interlude in some OTHERWHERE in ancient Greece maybe, with fauns and other mythological creatures.

Below is my collection of Thomas Burnett Swann books, in various paperback editions with cover illustrations by various artists.

swann_mighty swann_notworld swann_minikins

The above books all have cover art and illustrations by George Barr

swann_minotaur swann_forest

These editions published by Mayflower Books UK 1975
Cover art by Brian Froud

swann_wolf swann_thorns

Wolf Winter published by Ballantine 1972- cover art by Gene Szafran
Tournament of Thorns - Ace 1976 - cover artist not credited.

A blurb from the back of the Tournament of Thorns by Theodore Sturgeon says:
"He writes blissfully and beautifully separated from trend and fashion"

And finally two short story collections...

swann_dolphin swann_bird

Both books published by Ace.

Coming next - James Branch Cabell.