Calling all fantasy scholars! - A rather specific recommendation request

[Alchemist]

Basically, I'm looking for stories--either novels or linked short stories--that involve a character or group of characters traveling along a road or on a voyage of some kind in an episodic format. My preference would be that the episodes are linked and independent, that they can be read as self-contained short stories but also with underlying "meta-elements," perhaps even culminating in some kind of larger story or sequel, but that this larger story is secondary, at least to begin with.

In some ways I'm asking for something along the lines of Dan Simmons' Hyperion, which was itself based upon Chaucer's Canterbury Tales,. But that's not quite it; I'm looking for something more akin to, say, Stephen King's The Gunslinger: a character on some unknown quest that has various adventures along the way.

And that is the key: If there is a meta-plot, I want it to be implied or in the background, only hinted at and not central to the episodes. Sort of like the archetype of the Accursed Wanderer. But again, I would prefer that there is some underlying story, whether it is a larger quest that the character is on or a mysterious background or history that is gradually revealed.

To illustrate the type of thing I'm looking for, imagine a novel about Lancelot. Each chapter would be an adventure that he has while wandering the countryside, right wrongs and such. Each chapter would be self-contained, but would also reveal something about his back-story, perhaps his relationship to Guenevere and Arthur, etc. The entire story might (or might not) take him from the farthest point in the kingdom all the way back to Camelot at the very end of the book, which might (or might not) set the stage for a sequel set in and around Camelot.

Another example might be a novel about Aragorn's travel as a ranger in the North for the few decades before The Lord of the Rings. He'd have various adventures, encounters with orcs and such, maybe a chapter or two in Rivendell, a quest to the far east, etc. But the larger story of world events that were leading up to LotR would be implied; to some extent even his relationship with Arwen would be implied, or at least secondary. The focus of the story would be the journey itself, the encounters along the way.

Those are just examples of the type of story I'm looking for. Any recommendations? It doesn't have to be fantasy, although that would be my preference.

 

[JustaStaffer]

Humm... Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations might fit. 6 relatively short novels each with a beginning, middle, and end with an overarching plot.

The wider plot may be too "obvious" for what you're looking for.

 

[Severn]

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski also fits the bill. He has two from what I can see translated into English, but I only have the one so far. The chapter structure is thus: He is in one locale, a sanctuary of sorts if I remember correctly and these chapters are short, sometimes only a couple of pages. The following chapter is a short story about an adventure of the character, and there is a witty use of revisionism within most, and a sharp sense of humour.

It's very important to emphasise that the books came before the video game - the games are based on Sapkowski's Witcher character. Highly recommended.

Oh, edited to add: while the character isn't travelling in his non-short story chapters, there is no sense of permanence attached to his being there. He's definitely going to be moving on. If I recall correctly he's injured.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

(deleted: misunderstood original request)

 

[Carlyle Clark]

Gene Wolfe's THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN sounds like exactly what you are looking for.

It was originally published as four separate novels all told in 1st person from the POV of the protagonist Severian.

 

[Keeper]

Darrell Schweitzers "We Are All Legends" is exactly what you are looking for.

A collection of interlocked short stories and one of the finest fantasy books I've had the pleasure to read.

 

[Hobbit]

Oooh: thank you, Keeper: not seen that one before: sounds great, just ordered a copy!

Mark

 

[Mithfânion]

The idea reminds me of Karen Maitland's "Company of Liars". Historical fiction with a fantasy feel. Check it out.

 

[Gkarlives]

Michael Moorcock's Elric stories would do as well. While not tied to a specific road, they do comprise a journey of sorts with each one fairly separate but ultimately linked. Throughout the stories you get glimpses of his life before the current trial.

C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine saga is much the same with the road being the main characters journey to shut down all the time portals that threaten the universe. While this is technically a Sci-Fi series, the journey takes place in medival societies and the science is so advanvced that it seems like magic.

 

[Carlyle Clark]

Michael Moorcock's Elric stories would do as well. While not tied to a specific road, they do comprise a journey of sorts with each one fairly separate but ultimately linked. Throughout the stories you get glimpses of his life before the current trial.

C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine saga is much the same with the road being the main characters journey to shut down all the time portals that threaten the universe. While this is technically a Sci-Fi series, the journey takes place in medival societies and the science is so advanvced that it seems like magic.

I second the Moorcock and in fact the whole "Eternal Champion" saga, of which Elric is a part, would fit the bill.

 

[owlcroft]

A few oddments.

All of the works below are episodic. Some are expressly so, collected stories simply featuring the same characters; others involve a story arc but are composed of segments or chapters that can be read standalone. As to road/quest/travel, some are and some aren't (though many are "quests" in a psychological sense, a journey from a here to a there of some sort that isn't achieved by hitting the road, and those bear an asterisk * below). Most are fantasy, a few science fiction (though typically fantasy-like), and one or two hard to sort. Alphabetical by author's last name:

• John Bellairs' The Face in the Frost
• Stephen Billias's Quest for the 36
• Terry Bisson's Wyrldmaker
• James Blaylock's Elfin Ship (the "road" is a river)
• Ernest Bramah's "Kai Lung" books (Kai Lung is an intinerant storyteller) *
• John Brunner's Traveler in Black (or the extended version, The Compleat Traveler in Black) *
• Edward Bryant's fantasy-like science-fiction book Cinnabar * (though there is a road quest in the last episode)
• Mikhail Bulgakov's classic The Master and Margarita *
• Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities *
• Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books (especially Through the Looking-Glass)
• John Connolly's Book of Lost Things
• Avram Davidson's Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy *
• Avram Davidson's two "Peregrine" books, Peregrine: Primus and Peregrine: Secundus (the third was not completed in his lifetime, but each stands alone)
• Lord Dunsany's wonderful pastel tale The Chronicles of Rodrigues (aka Don Rodriguez)
• Lord Dunsany's My Talks With Dean Spanley *
• Lord Dunsany's The Strange Journeys of Colonel Polders *
• Charles G. Finney's bizarre fantasy The Unholy City
• Mark S. Geston's fantasy-like sf novel The Day Star
• Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows *
• Erik Fosnes Hansen's Tales of Protection *
• Stephen Hickman's one novel, The Lemurian Stone, is episodic (though parallel) related quest tales
• William Hope Hodgson's huge classic The Night Land
• Most or all of Robert Holdstock's "Ryhope Wood" (aka "Mythago Wood") novels--hard to classify as sf or fantasy
• Damon Knight's sf novel (but with a fantastic air to it) The World and Thorinn
• Nancy Kress's Prince of Morning Bells
• R. A. Lafferty's odd novel Space Chantey (derived from The Odyssey)
• R. A. Lafferty's More Than Melchisedech (only published as three rare and now-expensive books--Tales of Chicago; Tales of Midnight; and Argo, not to be confused with his Tales of the Argo) *
• Keith Laumer's weird sf tale Knight of Delusions *
• Tanith Lee's Cyrion *
• David Lindsay's philosophical fantasy A Voyage to Arcturus
• Arthur Machen's weird classic The Three Impostors *
• Steven Millhauser's From the Realm of Morpheus *
• David Mitchell's Ghostwritten *
• John Myers Myers's [sic] famous Silverlock
• Edward Pearson's little-known Bibilcal fantasy Chamiel *
• Keith Roberts' post-holocaust fantasy (or sf?) Pavanne *

I have mostly omitted series, because most series per se are of that sort; the only exceptions above are the Flat-Earth books and the Mythago Wood books.

Anyway, there are some to be going on with.

 

[Severn]

Anyway, there are some to be going on with.

An offhand, yet subtle, understatement. Going hunting for the Tanith Lee myself.

 

[Alchemist]

Sffworld.com does it again - thank you so much, all, for these recommendations. Many I'm familiar with (e.g. New Sun, Elric, Morgaine, etc), some I have but haven't read, and others are new to me. I'll be checking out some plot descriptions and will come back with a list of books I plan on ordering.

By the way, does anyone know if Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road fits this category?

 

[Sfinx]

Perhaps too late, but was just reading your post; Tales of the Dying Earth (Vance) comes to mind, or the Flat Earth series for that matter by Tanith Lee; and in the SF realm the Gap series by Donaldson (or Vance's Demon Princes)! Or Leiber's Fafhrd/Gray Mouser series...all of the above quest-based-multiple-story-unfolding-world-exploring-classics well worth reading imo (if you haven't already ).

Cheers,

Sfinx.

 

[Lazerus]

I second the Moorcock and in fact the whole "Eternal Champion" saga, of which Elric is a part, would fit the bill.

I third the Moorcock recomendation and second the whole "Eternal Champion" saga. A rough count on Wikipedia results in 54 books. I've probably only read half of them.

 

[Alchemist]

I purchased the following books:

Tanith Lee's Cyrion
Darrell Schweitzer's We are All Legends
Mark Geston's Day Star

I also already own (but haven't read) Terry Bisson's Wyrldmaker, John Brunner's Traveler in Black and one or two others.

Of the others mentioned, I've read Gene Wolfe's Severian books (and loved them), and a variety of Moorcock's Eternal Champion books (including Elric).

I also plan on trying out Sullivan's Riyria Revelations, although those don't seem that applicable to this request. I've heard enough about Riyria that I have a dim hope that they might scratch my epic fantasy itch that hasn't been adequately scratched for some time (I've tried and tried again various series' and nothing has really kept me in some time).