Elizabethan SF & Fantasy Fiction List

First posted to the web on August 1, 2006

Inspired by a request from Peg Kerr, and my own reading habits.

Contents:

Definitions and criteria
The List
Related pages

Definitions and Criteria:

The following rules determine a work's qualifications for inclusion:

Work must have been published within my lifetime (1970 or later).
Professionally published works or prepublication works by professional authors only. I'm not scouring the web for fanfic.
Must be a work of fiction. I will not include avant-garde theories or roleplaying sourcebooks.
Must be set (at least in large part) in England or Scotland.
- Fantastic analogues do not count (e.g. Moorcock's Gloriana).
Must be set (at least in large part) sometime within the reigns of Mary I and James I, 1553 - 1625. [I'm using a generous definition of period.]
- Does not count works that merely reference the period but do not have at least one scene during these times.
  - For now, I'm excluding stories about long-lived characters who recall memories from period, or modern characters dealing with past lives or reincarnation.
Must include some fantastic element within the story: SF or fantasy.
- Does not count if the only SFF element is a time-travel plot-device to bring protagonists into period. There are some extremely good stories of this type (see my Elizabethan Theatre fiction list for several) but not for this list.
- The same holds for protagonists of extreme longevity or immortality (including vampires), if that's the only fantastic element.
- Alternate histories can be considered fantastic settings, even if they have no further fantasy elements (e.g. Ruled Britannia).
  - Within the listings table, I'm defining the alternate history genre as one where the timestream has been altered before the story begins. Changes that occur within the story do not count.
  - Authorship differences alone do not count as an alternate universe. Same thing goes for Marlowe surviving Deptford.
  - Alternate histories which diverge during period, but are set later (e.g. Pavane) do not count.
- For now, I'm excluding media tie-in works, such as Doctor Who novels.

I've designed these rules to keep the list a managable project. If you disagree with any or think they will be an obstacle to the list's usability, feel free to dispute them in the comments.

The List:

Click the column header to sort:

Title Author Year Format Genre Audience Comments Lis has read?

The Perilous Gard Elizabeth Marie Pope 1974 novel fantasy YA Yes

The Armor of light Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett 1988 novel fantasy; alternate history adult Premise: Both Philip Sidney and Marlowe survived.
one of my favorite books Yes

Snow White and Rose Red Patricia C. Wrede 1989 novel fantasy adult Premise: Classic fairytale, involving Doctor Dee and Ed Kelley. Yes

Sandman #19: "Midsummer night's dream" Neil Gaiman 1990 comic book fantasy adult Collected in the Dream country GN. Yes

The Spiral dance Rodrigo García y Robertson 1991 novel fantasy adult No

Strange devices of the sun and moon Lisa Goldstein 1993 novel fantasy adult Yes

"Heart of Whitenesse" Howard Waldrop 1997 novelette alternate history adult Premise: Kit Marlowe investigates Johan Faustus Yes

In the garden of Iden Kage Baker 1998 novel SF adult No

Cold Iron Sophie Masson 1998 novel fantasy YA Alternate title: Malkin. No

The Sterkarm handshake Susan Price 2000 novel SF YA No

Guardian of the vision Irene Radford 2001 novel fantasy adult Book 3 of the Merlin's descendants series. No

Ill met by moonlight Sarah A. Hoyt 2001 novel fantasy adult Yes

Losing the plot Annie Dalton 2002 novel fantasy children No

Ruled Britannia Harry Turtledove 2002 novel alternate history adult Premise: Spanish-occupied London nine years after the English lost to the Armada. Yes

The Alchemist's door Lisa Goldstein 2002 novel fantasy adult Premise: Dual focus on Doctor Dee and Rabbi Judah Loew. Yes

All night awake Sarah A. Hoyt 2002 novel fantasy adult Sequel to Ill met by moonlight. Yes

Guardian of the promise Irene Radford 2003 novel fantasy adult Book 4 of the Merlin's descendants series. No

1602 Neil Gaiman 2003 comic book fantasy; super adult Premise: Marvel superheroes of 1963 in the Elizabethan era. Yes

The Tempestuous Voyage of Hopewell Shakepeare Sophie Masson 2003 novel fantasy YA No

"This Tragic glass" Elizabeth Bear 2004 short story SF adult Collected in The Chains you refuse; also available at SciFiction. Yes

This scepter'd isle Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis 2004 novel fantasy adult Part of the SERRAted Edge universe. No

The Queen's fool Philippa Gregory 2004 novel magical realism adult Premise: Lead character has the "gift" of sometimes seeing the future Yes

Any man so daring Sarah A. Hoyt 2004 novel fantasy; sequel adult Third book in Ill met by moonlight trilogy. Yes

A Sterkarm kiss Susan Price 2004 novel SF YA Sequel to The Sterkarm handshake. No

Ill met by moonlight Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis 2005 novel fantasy adult Sequel to This scepter'd isle. No

The Stratford man (tentative title) Elizabeth Bear unpublished / future novel fantasy adult Yes

The Dead shepherd (tentative title) Elizabeth Bear unpublished / future novel fantasy adult Sequel to The Stratford man. Yes

And that's all I've found so far.

If you know any titles not listed, please leave a comment with additions.

Related pages on this site:

Elizabethan Theatre fiction

Marlowe in Modern Fiction

Related external pages:

That Merry Wanderer of the Night, essay on Shakespeare in fantasy by Sophie Masson

Shakespeare appearances in Doctor Who

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Elizabethan SF & Fantasy Fiction List

Definitions and Criteria:

The List:

Related Pages:

Related pages on this site:

Related external pages: