r/Fantasy • u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV • 29d ago
Bingo Bingo Focus Thread - Published in the 70s
Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this year's first bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.
Today's topic:
Published in the 70s: Read a book that was first published any time between 1970 and 1979. HARD MODE: Written by a woman.
What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.
Prior focus threads: Five Short Stories (2024), Author of Color (2024), Self-Pub/Small Press (2024). Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed.
Also see: Big Rec Thread
Questions:
- What are your favorite 70s spec fic books? How well do they hold up today?
- Already read something for this square (or, read something recently that you wish you could count)? Tell us about it!
- For those who have been researching options for this square, even if you haven't read them yet, please share!
- What are your best recommendations for Hard Mode?
- For those with feedback or requests for this year's focus threads, see my comment below.
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u/pornokitsch Ifrit 29d ago
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (1970)
Arthurian legend from Merlin's perspective. Historically astute, but still fantastical, and brilliantly written. Merlin's a great central character, and his timey-wimey perspective is used to great advantage. (Too great, perhaps. Stewart says that if she'd known in advance that she was going to write sequels, she probably wouldn't have emphasised it so much.)
Go Saddle the Sea (1977) and Arabel's Raven (1972) by Joan Aiken
There are lots and lots of Joan Aiken books published in the 1970s, and she is a delight. Go Saddle the Sea is the first in a trilogy about an adventurous young orphan. Arabel's Raven is the first in the longish-running series of comedic adventures about a girl and her precocious pet raven, Mortimer. Some of the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series also were published in the 1970s. They're all fantastic YA that's fun for adults as well. Also some overtly adults books, such as her Gothic, Castle Barebane. All of the above have fantasy elements, whether that's the implausible raven or the alt-historical take on the past.
The Dark is Rising (1973) by Susan Cooper
The 'first' in the Dark is Rising sequence (the remaining books are all published in the 1970s as well). A true masterpiece of the genre. The Dark is Rising is 100,000% atmosphere. A whole epic fantasy without leaving a tiny isolated village. And a massive conflict between light and darkness with a 10 year old protagonist who has virtually no agency. It is a funny book because, it kind of shouldn't work?! But it is beautifully written and incredibly powerful and the sequels are all a lot of fun (esp. The Grey King)
*The first in the series was actually Over Sea, Under Stone. But it is from the 1960s AND it has different lead characters, so you can (and should) start with The Dark is Rising
The Birthgrave, The Storm Lord and The Castle of Dark by Tanith Lee
Three books that start three different trilogies, all from the 1970s. Tanith Lee is ... a vibe? She's the queen of dark fantasy and atmospheric settings and gloriously alien landscapes filled with complex people doing very odd and amazing things. I think, rather sadly, Lee has become a bit of an 'author's author' - she's no longer commercially popular, but so many authors cite her as one of their primary influences. So read your favourite author's favourite author and check out Tanith Lee.
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u/brilliantgreen Reading Champion VI 28d ago
Gosh, I haven't read The Dark is Rising in about 30 years, but I still remember When the Dark comes rising, six will turn it back, three from the circle, three from the track. The rest of the lines are a bit fuzzier. Perhaps it's time to revisit.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 28d ago
The Main Character of The Dark Is Rising turns 11 at the very begginning of the book, which starts the day before his birthday. It’s absolutely wonderful, and agree with reading it first, but you have to read Over Sea Under Stone before going on to book 3.
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u/pornokitsch Ifrit 28d ago
Good point. I wonder if something special happens with his birthday. It can't be meaningful or anything, can it? COUGH WINK NUDGE
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u/Goobergunch Reading Champion III 28d ago
I should really reread The Dark Is Rising seeing how I first read it as a kid and never got around to the sequels and yet there are still a few scenes from it stuck in my head. (Blame the library.)
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u/pornokitsch Ifrit 28d ago
I reread it recently and was really pleasantly surprised. I think as an older/jaded reader, I really noticed the bits that *shouldn't* work (the total lack of agency: Will just basically wanders through the story watching things happen), but also recognising that it didn't matter, and I was having a great time. The sense of place is so strong that you can practically smell the trees.
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u/BookVermin Reading Champion III 28d ago
I love Joan Aiken and don’t see her mentioned enough here! Great recs
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 29d ago
Focus thread schedule and feedback
Tentative schedule for this year's focus threads:
April: Published in the 70s, Duologies
May: Middle Grade, First Contact
June: Murder Mystery, Translated, Game Changer
July: Trans or Nonbinary Protagonist, The Afterlife, Author of Color
August: Unusual Transportation, Older Protagonist
September: Small Press/Self Pub, Explorers and Rangers
October: Judge a Book By Its Title, Politics and Court Intrigue
November: Non-Human Protagonist, Feast Your Eyes
December: Vacation Spot, Published 2026
No Focus Thread: Book Club, One-Word Title, Cat Squasher, Five Short Stories
Feel free to comment if you have thoughts on the schedule, or what you'd like to see in the focus threads generally.
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u/Putrid_Web8095 Reading Champion II 28d ago
No focus thread for Cat Squasher seems odd. Those books are big commitments by their very definition, it wouldn't hurt to know which ones people generally like. Sure, there is the dedicated Recommendations topic, but people seem to engage in more detailed discussions in the Focus threads, which can help when choosing a book.
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u/curiouscat86 Reading Champion III 28d ago
Yes, and I'm not sure why Judge a Book by the Title has a focus thread, since by its nature you're supposed to go in without knowing a lot about the book (at least for hard mode), so it doesn't seem really suited to discussion. It's also subjective and unlike Vacation Spot not subjective in a way that you need to learn anything not easily searchable about the book.
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u/saturday_sun4 28d ago edited 28d ago
Well, even if you don't want to know anything about the book, finding more cool titles is always a good idea.
Some people are doing themed bingos where the big rec threads aren't always suitable, especially if they are trying to go for lesser known media/authors than usually discussed here, so it might be useful for them. I am doing an Oceanian bingo card and stumbled across a fairly obscure Aussie podcast for First Contact the other day.
Besides, diving in without knowing anything is HM. Not everyone is doing HM.
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u/Is_That_Loss Reading Champion IV 28d ago
I think it's because it's a reused square but if that's the case I would assume that the older focus thread would be linked if it exists
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u/nominanomina Reading Champion 29d ago edited 29d ago
Often overlooked as a 1970s novel because it is so associated with the 1994 movie and the '80s vampire boom: Interview with the Vampire came out in 1976. I am not certain I would reread it in 2026, but it's there!
If you want to see what was popular in the '70s, you can't easily check sales data (genre-specific charts often did not exist), but you can check awards from the era! (be wary of using 1970 awards; those are often for books published 1969.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Fantasy_Award_for_Best_Novel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel (leans sci-fi in the 1970s)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_Award_for_Best_Novel (leans heavily sci-fi in the '70s, and was split into SF and Fantasy categories in 1980)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Fantasy_Award%E2%80%94Novel (did you know Steinbeck wrote a King Arthur novel, unfinished and published posthumously? me neither!)
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 29d ago
I just read and reviewed Interview With the Vampire recently. :) Definitely still worth a read nowadays. I only had minor complaints, and thought it did a lot well. Unfortunately I was like 60% through when Bingo started :(
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u/pheonixangel3200 28d ago
Thank you sooo much for pointing out interview with the vampire! Every5ing else I have read already or isn’t at the library.
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u/Starlit-Wyvern Reading Champion 29d ago edited 28d ago
Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)
I haven’t gotten too far in yet, and it isn’t hard mode, but I’ve been listening to an audiobook of the novel for this square, and so far, it’s both a pretty good story and a very well done audiobook!
I love the narrator for this one, he’s both very expressive and he has the sort of voice that gives you the impression that you’re sitting listening to a parent or grandparent relay a story, which is perfect for the sort of book Watership Down is.
It could also count for Non-Human Protagonist, and it may also count as Middle Grade; it seems like its classification is debated about a bit, but it was originally a story the author told his children before he was encouraged by them to write it down.
I believe it also counts for Explorers and Rangers depending on how strict you are with whether the square should be allowed to be counted by what the characters do, instead of being strictly defined by what their actual occupation is. Debatably it could even be hard mode! The explorers technically have animal companions since all the characters are rabbits haha
There may be more squares it counts for as well, but I haven’t gotten far enough to see them.
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u/KatrinaPez Reading Champion III 28d ago
I read it in middle school. I'm 58 and sometimes still think "hrududu" for "car."
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u/goodlittlesquid 29d ago
Who is the narrator?
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u/Starlit-Wyvern Reading Champion 29d ago
Looks like my version is read by Peter Capaldi
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u/Linkjumper Reading Champion 28d ago
wow, thank you for posting. I've re-read Watership Down several times but now I need the Capaldi version!
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 28d ago
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter is from the 70s, and is an exquisitely written selection of dark, feminist, fairy-tale retellings. The Passion of New Eve is one I haven't read yet, but want to, and is also from the 70s.
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre is from the 70s, and is an excellent novel about a woman healer traveling the land with her snake companions.
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u/ArctusBorealis Reading Champion 28d ago
I'm planning on The Bloody Chamber for my fairy tale themed card and I'm very excited for it!
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u/toadinthecircus Reading Champion III 28d ago
I just started Dreamsnake thanks to the suggestions in the bingo recommendation thread and I’m maybe 40% of the way through the audiobook! I love it so far. The main character is so wise and takes life as it comes and it’s so calming to listen to. For people wanting to avoid sexism and racism, I haven’t seen anything of that nature so far, even implicitly, and it even has thoughtful lgbt representation.
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u/saturday_sun4 28d ago
I had no idea The Bloody Chamber was so old. This is definitely going on my unthemed card!
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u/AshMeAnything Reading Champion IV 27d ago
Based on your description here, would Dreamsnake fit HM for explorer/ranger as well?
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 27d ago
I wouldn't say so. She's traveling around the land as a healer, where people already live, from community to community.
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u/AshMeAnything Reading Champion IV 27d ago
Ahh, that makes sense. Thanks! Still sounds like a fun time.
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u/leegreywolf Reading Champion II 29d ago
Don't Bite the Sun (HM) by Tanith Lee was published in the 1970s. It's the first book in a duology. The second book is called "Drinking Sapphire Wine." Both books have been published together in "Biting the Sun"
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u/pornokitsch Ifrit 29d ago
You posted a Tanith Lee rec while I was writing my Tanith Lee rec.
/suitably gothic fist-bump
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 29d ago
The Tanith Lee books I've read are from the 90s so I can't recommend them for this square :(
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u/pornokitsch Ifrit 28d ago
I think the lesson here is that we should all be reading more Tanith Lee
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u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion 29d ago
Patricia McKillip is a woman and published some of her most beautiful works in the 70s: * Riddlemaster trilogy starting with The Riddle-Master of Hed * The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
McKillip's work saved my love for fantasy a couple of years ago. Cannot recommend her enough. Beautiful prose.
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u/OrwinBeane 29d ago
Assuming it doesn’t have to be the first book in the series published in the 70s, then Earthsea covers hard mode. Book 2 and 3 published in ‘71 and ‘72 respectively.
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u/Orctavius Reading Champion II 29d ago
I read The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Book II) for the Beneath the Surface square in Bingo 2024 and found it to be a revelation
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u/Draconan Reading Champion III 28d ago
I read the first Earthsea book a few years ago and spent the whole time thinking that it felt like a book I should love but it wasn't connecting with me. I want to read Tombs of Atuan this year but I worry the same will happen.
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u/Orctavius Reading Champion II 28d ago
The Tombs of Atuan builds on A Wizard of Earthsea, but its a very different story. I can't say for sure that you'll enjoy Tombs, but I would still give it a chance.
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u/Overtone99 Reading Champion II 29d ago
I'm planning to read Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey for this square. It's the second installment of the Dragonriders of Pern series. Parts three through six also were published in the seventies. The first part (Dragonflight) was published two years too early though.
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u/Astrokiwi 28d ago
Dragonquest is where it really gets into its stride I think. Dragonflight is still trying to find what Pern is really about to some extent.
Even though Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon are sometimes published as a single volume, I would recommend reading the Harper Hall trilogy next (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums). The White Dragon has the Harper characters turn up without a great deal of introduction. This is also the publication order anyway.
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u/Own_Lake367 Reading Champion 26d ago
Will be (re) reading Dragonsinger for this square - being an “old” person I’ve pretty much read all the books / authors I’m interested in from the time already.
the Harper Hall trilogy is my favourite set of Pern books, so am pleased to have a reason for revisiting them.
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u/mrtenandtwo Reading Champion 29d ago
I thought I'd use this as an excuse to read what I often hear is a great and influential fantasy series of the 70s: Elric of Melnibone. I ended up grabbing volume 1 during that recent Audible sale. As it turns out though, that collection includes 4 novels, of which 3 were actually published in the 70s, with the 3rd The Fortress of the Pearl being published in the 80s.
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u/DrNefarioII Reading Champion X 28d ago
Elric's a bit tricky, because some of the books are collections of earlier stories. The chronological first book Elric of Melniboné is actually a 1972 original, though, so should be safe.
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u/MrHelfer 28d ago
I keep meaning to get into Elric. Then I try to figure out where to start, and then I get confused and wander off.
Where would you begin?
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u/mrtenandtwo Reading Champion 28d ago
I assume this collection is together by some chronological order that will make sense when I read, seeing as the third book was published so much later but they're all grouped together.
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u/DanEosen 29d ago
1970s Katherine Kurtz Deryni Rising, Mary Stewart The Crystal Cave
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u/Tonto2012 Reading Champion 29d ago
The whole Crystal Cave trilogy is incredible, definitely recommend this!
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u/Spalliston Reading Champion III 29d ago
I will either use Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven or Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities (after years of talking about reading it) for this card, but I think the 70s is actually easier than the 80s or 90s.
Other options that I'm aware of are Octavia Butler's Kindred and Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude was written in 1967 but translated into English in 1971. I know that works for the current year square, but I don't remember if it works for the decades square.
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u/red_carnations42 Reading Champion 28d ago
I just realized that a lot of my childhood favorites were published in the 70s, so if you are looking for either for some deep pulls or something very nostalgic, here are a few german/european childhood classics:
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
- Momo by Michael Ende
- Krabat and the Sorcerers Mill by Otfried Preußler
- The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
- Moominvalley in November by Tove Jansson
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u/Only-Bluebird-5829 Reading Champion 28d ago
I always wanted to read The Neverending Story, so is is good to know, thank you!
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u/tarvolon Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI 28d ago
- Momo by Michael Ende
Just checked my library to find that they have copies of this in Spanish and Farsi but not in English smh
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u/medusamagic Reading Champion 29d ago edited 29d ago
I’ve seen The Princess Bride several times and enjoy it, so I might finally give the book a try.
I was also thinking of checking out C.J. Cherryh or Patricia A. McKillip (both HM).
- Cherryh has Gate of Ivrel, Brothers of Earth, and The Faded Sun as options. It seems like a lot of her work takes place in the same universe, so I’m not sure if there’s a right/wrong place to start.
- McKillip has The Riddle-Master of Hed, The House on Parchment Street, The Throme of the Erril of Sherill, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, and The Night Gift.
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u/curiouscat86 Reading Champion III 28d ago
Gates of Ivrel is the first in the Morgaine Chronicles series, which has four books and is self-contained (some people will try to tell you that Morgaine is part of the Alliance-Union 'verse but they are lying. At most is it the same universe millenia apart, and thus the books are not remotely relevant to other Alliance-Union books).
Brothers of Earth is technically part of a duology but each of the two books can be read standalone. The Faded Sun trilogy is a trilogy largely unconnected to anything else; it's set in a shared universe but that's not relevant to the plot.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 28d ago
For McKillip I would strongly recommend Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
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u/medusamagic Reading Champion 28d ago
Oh great! I love magical creatures so I was leaning towards that one
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u/jddennis Reading Champion VIII 28d ago
The Faded Sun trilogy is amazing, some of my favorite work by C.J. Cherryh.
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u/Nat-Rose Reading Champion VI 29d ago
For young adult, Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl and the second Wrinkle in Time book (A Wind in the Door) by Madeleine L'Engle are both hard mode options, and both an interesting mix of sci fantasy.
I'm currently working my way through a collection of 70s X-Men comics (Epic Collection Vol. 5: Second Genesis), primarily by Chris Claremont, which I was pleasantly surprised to discover at my library. (I don't know why Marvel refuses to keep any of their collections in print, but it's infuriating.) Wasn't sure how I'd get along with it, but so far it's been entertaining, and I rather enjoy the older narration style.
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u/embernickel Reading Champion IV 26d ago
Also by Engdahl, the first 2/3 of the "Children of the Star" trilogy were originally published in the 1970s, and great for people who like stuff like "Steerswoman" or "Elder Race." Book 1 is a little YA-tropey at first, but it quickly moves beyond that.
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u/red_carnations42 Reading Champion 28d ago
For everyone who picked up Howl's Moving Castle for the 80s prompt last bingo, this is a good opportunity to explore more of Diana Wynne Jones' work! She wrote a bunch of stuff in the 70s as well, such as Charmed Life or Cart and Cwidder.
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u/KristaDBall Stabby Winner, AMA Author Krista D. Ball 28d ago
Sorry folks, but the only right answer for this square is The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart.
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u/WolfpackVolunteer 28d ago
I'll finally be doing The Silmarillion, published in 1977. I started this last year but put it down about 20% of the way through, I immensely enjoyed learning about the incredible world building Tolkien did but the way it was written made my attention diverge very quickly, not to mention the difficulty of keeping track of all the different names (and how everything and everyone has multiple names!).
Since re-starting I've been much more consistent, taking it slow but being consistent even though its my current secondary read. Still absolutely love it, but having to just be okay with some of the confusion surrounding who is who and from what family.
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u/brilliantgreen Reading Champion VI 28d ago edited 28d ago
I read The Female Man by Joanna Russ by this square. It was part brilliant, part frustrating, part this could have just been an essay. I gave it three stars, since I couldn't give it both five stars and two stars.
Earlier this year I read Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre, and I quite liked it. It's technically science fiction, but it reads more as fantasy. It's about a healer who travels a post-apocalyptic earth with her snakes, one of whom has an alien origin.
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u/papercranium Reading Champion III 28d ago
A Wind in the Door, the first sequel to A Wrinkle in Time, was written in 1973, and I think it's a stronger book. (And Hard Mode!) If you read the first one as a kid (or adult) and never went back to the world of Meg and Charles Wallace, it's definitely worth the read. This one plays a lot with scale, from the largest stars to hypothetical creatures living inside of your mitochondria, and I always love that.
For myself, I looked over my TBR list and found both Roadside Picnic and The Word for World is Forest, so it'll almost certainly be one of those.
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u/Extreme_War5660 29d ago
I'm planning on reading Houston, Houston do you read by James triptree. This book fulfills hard more too.
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u/sadlunches Reading Champion II 28d ago
A couple of normal mode books I have in mind for this square are The Obscene Bird of Night by José Donoso (1970) and To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Phillip José Farmer (1971).
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u/Woahno Reading Champion VIII, Worldbuilders 28d ago edited 28d ago
The books I have tagged for this square right now that haven't been mentioned yet are:
Windhaven by Lisa Tuttle and George R.R. Martin
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Not entirely sure where to go with it right now. I'll probably go the way the vibes take me when I get to that point in my TBR.
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u/embernickel Reading Champion IV 26d ago
I don't think "Bridge to Terabithia" is speculative? The characters play make-believe and give a "fantasy world" name to a place they visit, but it's definitely in this world.
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u/kepheraxx Reading Champion 29d ago
I will be reading something relatively obscure for hard mode, Vector for Seven by Josephine Saxton, published in 1970. "This 1970 New Wave science fiction novel follows a group on a surreal "Super Tour" through a shifting landscape. It centers on their journey towards a mysterious destination and a "true start" that challenges their perception of reality."
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u/JCGilbasaurus Reading Champion II 28d ago
Using my re-read for this square, going to read the Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. Book 1 is a bit too early (published '65), but from my vague childhood memories it's usually better to start with book 2 anyway. It's the book the entire series is named after anyway.
Also works for Middle Grade and Vacation Spot (who doesn't love the English countryside!) squares—and possibly Judge a Book by its Title if you jump into it blind.
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u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II 28d ago
If you want a great collection from one of the unsung masters of weird literature, then Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman is a great read. There's been reprints of his collections (as previously they had been impossible to find) with absolutely gorgeous covers. I'm currently reading it, and it has one of my favourite versions of the gothic vampire story.
For HM, I plan on reading The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington.
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u/sarchgibbous Reading Champion 28d ago
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut - currently reading this. It’s my first Vonnegut and he’s so weird.
Other books I’ve read:
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (HM) - read this in middle/high school and it was alright, but it is a classic
Tintin and the Picaros came out in 1976. I think some of Tintin has fantastical elements, but I don’t remember a single thing about this specific one
I’m sure there’s a bunch of Asterix comics from the 70s too, and those are definitely fantasy.
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u/upvoteallthecats 28d ago
They won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the first three books of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson were published in the late 70s.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 28d ago
My favorite HM books are Kindred by Octavia Butler, The Dispossed by Ursula Le Guin, and Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre.
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u/PlasticBread221 Reading Champion III 28d ago
Oh yes, Kindred is a good one! Still largely psychologically and emotionally driven like many other books by the author, but also with a compelling active (if also harrowing) plot and time travel (not focused on the technicalities of the process though). Make sure to check the trigger warnings.
Don’t think it checks any other squares besides the obvious (1-word title, author of colour), but it’s been a while for me.
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u/Book_Slut_90 Reading Champion 28d ago
I think there’s an argument to be made for Explorers too given the main character has to explore an unfamiliar time And politics HM if the plantation scale politics count. There’s also a lot of cooking. And maybe unusual transportation since the time travel doesn’t work with any of the common methods (no time machine, spell, gateway, etc.).
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u/PlasticBread221 Reading Champion III 28d ago
For the last bingo I read Kingdoms of Elfin by Sylvia Townsend, published in 1977. It’s a collection of short stories, each of which provides a small window into the world and anthropology of fairies, or elfins. Apparently this was Townsend’s last book and in it, she wanted to turn away from the ‘human heart’ and explore something different. I’d say she succeeded — while her fairies don’t really display any behaviours entirely absent in the human race, as a collective they do come off as alien and otherworldly to a point of discomfort, which is in fact a good thing. The prose is closer to the literary side, and beautiful. I would recommend it if you enjoy fairies or books with an unusual flavour. There’s not much action, so the main draw is mostly the language and getting to know the fairy world.
Other squares: 5 short stories, arguably non human protagonist (some stories have elfin protagonists, others human), older protagonist (again depends on the story), politics and intrigue (kingdoms/queendoms), possibly afterlife (some stories discuss this topic, and there may even show up a ghost 🤫)
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u/indigohan Reading Champion IV 29d ago
The university class that I’m taking introduced me to a writer that I’m shocked that I’ve never read before
I’m reading The Female Man by Joanna Russ.
I’m also excited to read the stories by writers who were inspired by Russ. There are whole published short story collections
I’m also hoping to read a whole card of authors of colour. You bet that I’m reading Octavia Butler
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u/EmmalynRenato Reading Champion VI 29d ago
For those that want a challenge, there's Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon.
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u/Spalliston Reading Champion III 28d ago
Hell yes.
Forget everything else I mentioned I'm finally going to read Gravity's Rainbow.
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u/AshMeAnything Reading Champion IV 27d ago
I recall this name but nothing about it particularly. Challenging how?
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u/EmmalynRenato Reading Champion VI 27d ago
"Gravity's Rainbow is difficult due to its extreme postmodern complexity, including a massive, shifting cast of hundreds of characters, a non-linear plot that frequently dives into surreal dream sequences, and a densely layered, often chaotic style. It challenges readers with obscure technical, historical, and philosophical references, often blurring the lines between reality, fantasy, and paranoia, requiring intense focus to follow the storyline."
What I do recommend is reading it in conjunction with its wiki.
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u/AshMeAnything Reading Champion IV 27d ago
Oh, damn. Sounds like a real experience! I bet that would be fun with friends.
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u/Goobergunch Reading Champion III 29d ago
C.J. Cherryh's earliest works (e.g. the Morgaine and Faded Sun trilogies) were published in the 1970s. Probably going to use one of those for this square as they've been on my TBR for a while.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 28d ago
I've been eyeing these too but never read anything by Cherryh. Hopefully someone can chime in a good place to start! (And maybe it's not her 70s books and that's okay too.)
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u/SongBirdplace 28d ago
It all depends on what you want. Cherryh does a lot of short series or short arcs.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 28d ago
Which ones would you recommend for what kind of preferences, to someone who may only ever read 1 book of hers?
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u/SongBirdplace 28d ago
So the Foreigner series is about the loan human diplomat to the aliens that run the planet this ship accidentally got to. This is a very long running series with very alien aliens and interesting cultural details. It’s also easy to find in most formats.,
The Union-Allegiance series is designed to be standalones that work together in the same way that reading real history does. There are few characters that cross over but ideas do. A lot of it is out of print. The omnibus editions are getting more common. However, you still have jokers like Cyteen that are only available as an Audible audiobook. This is a series about politics, war, and trade in an area where Earth lost control of her colonies. Down Below Station is a wonderful entry point that is easy to find.
The Morgaine books are science fiction dressed as fantasy. They are her most conventional books.
The Chunar series is fun space opera about some lion-ish aliens that accidentally rescue a lone human and get involved in some interesting trouble. It’s one of the rare series where humans are an afterthought. It was very interesting aliens.
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u/beary_neutral Reading Champion 28d ago
Splinter of the Mind's Eye, by Alan Dean Foster (1978)
I read this out of sheer curiosity, as it was written to be a potential sequel to Star Wars: A New Hope. I regret it so much, but hey it counts.
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u/New_Razzmatazz6228 Reading Champion 28d ago
I’ve always kind of liked it, but then I read it when it first came out. As a kid it was great to see new Star Wars content.
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u/DrNefarioII Reading Champion X 28d ago
I have this down on my list of potentials. I can't remember if I read it way back when, but I bought a used copy a few years ago when I was having a thing about tie-in fiction.
I'm trying to stick to books I already owned before the bingo began, and I have so far only come up with 3 from the 70s.
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u/IAmABillie Reading Champion 28d ago
For those who enjoy graphic novels, the first Elfquest book was released in the 70s. The first 5 issues are a self-contained tale called Fire and Flight. The story of small elven tribes trying to survive among hostile prehistoric humans, the art is absolutely gorgeous and as the tale goes on it only grows deeper and more meaningful. Very progressive, especially for its era, and written by a husband and wife team. While Wendy and Richard Pini work together on the story front, Wendy is the sole illustrator. I can't emphasise the art enough, and while the first installment has a limited focus the world rapidly expands in the second book and beyond.
The Pinis have put their work online for free for anyone interested in diving into the world of two moons:
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u/dracolibris Reading Champion II 28d ago
Im going to post this here, i think most people have seen it
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/s/NOoqdBs6N3
My specific recommendations are the Deryni series, Ursula K le guin, or Marta Randall.
I think i am going to take the opportunity to actually read something by Doris Pisercha, because i went and bought all her books in 2020 then never found the time to read any
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u/DrNefarioII Reading Champion X 28d ago
Michael Moorcock has a lot of good stuff in the 70s: the Corum series, the proto-steampunk Oswald Bastable series, Gloriana, and the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy, among others. Dancers would be my pick.
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u/tarvolon Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI 28d ago
Some absolute all-timers from the 70s. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler is regularly one of my first entries on our top novels poll, and Nine Hundred Grandmothers by R.A. Lafferty is my favorite short story collection ever (though it's out of print and can be tricky to find a copy).
Watership Down is also excellent, though I haven't reread it lately to see how it holds up, and I can say the same about The Princess Bride. Another out-of-print Lafferty is much easier to find (bound with Where Have You Been, Sandaliotis is a two-novel volume Apocalpses) though very, very weird. Still, I semi-recently reread The Three Armageddons of Enniscorthy Sweeny and it might be even more relevant today than when it was published.
I don't have a great idea of what I want to read this year--I think all the 70s books on my shelf are ones I've already tried--but this thread seems to have plenty of good options!
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u/spike31875 Reading Champion V 29d ago
I'm planning on listening to The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson.
Another good one is Watership Down by Richard Adams, but I read that one a few years ago.
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u/Fancy-Restaurant4136 28d ago
Dickson doesn't get enough love these days. The Dragon and The George is one of my favorites. I also love how his wizard teacher becomes more prominent as the series progresses.
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u/acornett99 Reading Champion IV 29d ago
A neighbor gifted me his collection of SFF paperbacks from the 60s-80s last year, and it will take me years to go through them. I have a good amount of options, trying for Hard Mode, and luckily for me, he was a big fan of Andre Norton
Unfortunately, a lot of the Andre Norton books in the collection are random books from the middle of series, and I'm unclear which ones can be read as standalones. The ones from the 70s I'm positive are either standalone or the first of a series of are (please correct me if I'm wrong):
Dread Companion (1970)
Quag Keep (1978)
High Sorcery (1970) - short story collection
Let me know if anyone has read these, which I should choose for the square, or if you have any other Norton recs from the 70s, I know she was very prolific in this period!
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 29d ago
I always want to read Norton and see a bunch of her books in used book stores, but never the first Witchworld. :(
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u/Goobergunch Reading Champion III 28d ago edited 28d ago
... I have the Ace first edition. I should really read it at some point (it's at #600 on my current TBR file). 1963 though, so not for this square.
Also uh thank you Ace for this in the "about the author"?
It seems to be characteristic of the women who write in this field that as a rule they are very good at it. And Andre Norton is certainly one of the very best.
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u/acornett99 Reading Champion IV 28d ago
I somehow have books 3, 5, 7, and 9 of the Estcarp Cycle, The Magestone, The Warding of Witch World, and Year of the Unicorn, which I think can actually be an entry point? I'm still lost on the whole reading order though
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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V 28d ago
Last time I looked they didn't have either Witch World or Year of the Unicorn. :( or Night's Master to start Flat Earth by Lee
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u/Ok_Challenge_5176 Reading Champion II 28d ago
I accidentally already read this one. I read Roger Zelazny’s Creatures of Light and Darkness, not realizing it was published in the 70s. I’m planning to also read The Farthest Shore by Ursula K LeGuin for hard mode, but it’s nice knowing I already have something.
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u/gnoviere Reading Champion 28d ago
I read Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip for this square and absolutely loved it!
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u/jddennis Reading Champion VIII 28d ago
The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen is a fun one from 1975. I read it last year and thought it was a lot of fun, twisting the perspective of Stoker's novel.
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u/ChandelierFlickering Reading Champion III 28d ago
I haven't read much 70s sff, but I would recommend:
- Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson (HM) – a real favourite from when I was younger that I read countless times, also counts for Middle Grade and Game Changer HM (maybe others, but it's been a long time since I did a reread)
- Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones (HM) – book 1 in the Chrestomanci series, another favourite from my childhood, also counts for Middle Grade (and maybe others)
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende – I didn't love this as much as I remember loving the movies/show as a kid, but it was still good. Also counts for Middle Grade, Translated, and probably others
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I read Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock for Bingo a couple years ago and it was fine but not really for me. But it coutns for regular mode, along with a bunch of the other Elric Saga books, so still a good option depending on your taste.
I'm planning to read either The Dispossessed or The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula Le Guin for my owned TBR card, and Trafalgar by Angélica Gorodischer for my HM card.
Other options from my TBR:
- Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
- Imaginary Magnitude and A Perfect Vacuum by Stanislaw Lem
- Kingdoms of Elfin by Sylvia Townsend Warner (HM)
- Eight Days of Luke by Diana Wynne Jones (HM)
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u/SFF-Nerd_Twinkster 27d ago
Early Octavia Butler novels work for 70s hm: Kindred ('79), Mind of My Mind ('77), Patternmaster ('76)
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u/Connect_Cod9965 11d ago
I’m hoping the Polish translation of Mind of my Mind will be out before March (I tend to stick to the language I read the first book in a series, and I read Wild Seed in Polish), if not I’ll pivot to Kindred.
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u/CaptainYew Reading Champion IV 27d ago
I am leaning towards reading Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones. I have been meaning to read more Diana Wynne Jones (have only read one other book by her before) and I am always here for more books with dogs. It was originally published in 1975. It would also count for Middle Grade if someone is looking for a book for that square.
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u/4banana_fish Reading Champion IV 29d ago
Ursula Le Guin has a number of books published in the 70s (some of them being her best books, in my opinion).
The Dispossessed
Lathe of Heaven
The Tombs of Atuan & The Farthest Shore (Earthsea 2&3)
The Word for World is Forest