There must be something in the water here in Canada, seeing how so many great High Fantasy novelists come from this country. See, High Fantasy isn’t a terribly over-populated genre, as it appeals to a select few. But it seems as if - along with female pop vocalists - Canadians are over-represented. I present for your consideration just three High Fantasy novelists who are not only Canadian, but are also in posession of enviable skill.

• Guy Gavriel Kay and his series, The Fionavar Tapestry. Although that series isn’t my favorite, another of his books, Tigana, is in my top 20 fantasy novels ever.
• Steven Erikson with the Malazan Book of the Fallen (a ten-book sequence, some still unwritten). Almost every book in the series is gold. Read it.
• R. Scott Bakker and The Prince of Nothing, a trilogy completed just this year. Four more books are - possibly - in the planning stages. I personally can’t wait.

Seriously, folks. If you do nothing else in literature this year, read The Darkness That Comes Before, Gardens of the Moon, and Tigana. I’ll bet the pork barrel you’re glad you did.

Tags: books, links, lists, opinions