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Sword and planet is a
subgenre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
of science fantasy that features rousing adventure stories set on other planets, and usually featuring humans as protagonists. The name derives from the heroes of the genre engaging their adversaries in hand-to-hand combat primarily with simple melée weapons such as swords, even in a setting that often has advanced technology. Although there are works that herald the genre, such as
Percy Greg Percy Greg (7 January 1836 Bury – 24 December 1889, Chelsea), son of William Rathbone Greg, was an English writer. Percy Greg, like his father, wrote about politics, but his views were violently reactionary: his ''History of the United States ...
's ''
Across the Zodiac ''Across the Zodiac: The Story of a Wrecked Record'' (1880) is a science fiction novel by Percy Greg, who has been credited as an originator of the sword and planet subgenre of science fiction. Plot The book details the creation and use of a ...
'' (1880) and
Edwin Lester Arnold Edwin Lester Linden Arnold (14 May 1857 – 1 March 1935) was an English author. Most of his works were issued under his working name of Edwin Lester Arnold. Life and literary career Arnold was born in Swanscombe, Kent, as son of Sir Edwin Arnol ...
's '' Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation'' (1905; published in the US in 1964 as ''Gulliver of Mars''), the prototype for the genre is ''
A Princess of Mars ''A Princess of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine ''All-Story Magazine'' from February–July, 1912. Full of swordplay and dari ...
'' by Edgar Rice Burroughs originally serialized by ''
All-Story ''Argosy'', later titled ''The Argosy'', ''Argosy All-Story Weekly'' and ''The New Golden Argosy'', was an American pulp magazine from 1882 through 1978, published by Frank Munsey until its sale to Popular Publications in 1942. It is the fi ...
'' in 1912 as "Under the Moons of Mars". The genre predates the mainstream popularity of
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
proper, and does not necessarily feature any scientific rigor, being instead romantic tales of high adventure. For example, little thought is given to explaining why the environment of the alien planet is compatible with life from Earth, just that it does in order to allow the hero to move about and interact with the natives. Native technology will often break the known laws of physics. The genre tag "sword and planet" was constructed to mimic the terms sword and sorcery, and
sword and sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budge ...
. The phrase appears to have first been coined in the 1960s by
Donald A. Wollheim Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) was an American science fiction editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell, Martin Pearso ...
, editor of Ace Books, and later of DAW Books at a time when the genre was undergoing a revival. Both Ace Books and DAW Books were instrumental in bringing much of the earlier pulp sword and planet stories back into print, as well as publishing a great deal of new, imitative work by a new generation of authors. There is a fair amount of overlap between ''sword and planet'' and ''
planetary romance Planetary romance is a subgenre of science fiction in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place ag ...
,'' although some works are considered to belong to one and not the other. Influenced by the likes of ''A Princess of Mars'' yet more modern and technologically savvy, sword and planet more directly imitates the conventions established by Burroughs in the Mars series. That is to say that the hero is alone as the only human being from Earth, swords are the weapon of choice, and while the alien planet has some advanced technology, it is used only in limited applications to advance the plot or increase the grandeur of the setting. In general, the alien planet will seem to be more medieval and primitive than Earth. This leads to anachronistic situations such as flying ships held aloft by anti-gravity technology, while ground travel is done by riding domesticated native animals.


History

Stories in the sword and planet genre fall primarily into two chronological classes.


Beginnings

The first includes the stories of Burroughs himself and his early imitators, of whom
Otis Adelbert Kline Otis Adelbert Kline (July 1, 1891 – October 24, 1946) born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was a songwriter, an adventure novelist and literary agent during the pulp era. Much of his work first appeared in the magazine ''Weird Tales''. Kline was an ...
was the most significant. In ''A Princess of Mars'', John Carter, a
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
officer and soldier, has taken up prospecting in
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
after the war to regain his fortune. Under mysterious circumstances, he is transported to
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
, called Barsoom by its inhabitants. There he encounters savage and monstrous aliens, a beautiful princess, and a life of adventure and wonder. Burroughs followed up this first book with several more Barsoom stories, and another series that could be considered Sword & Planet, featuring as hero Carson Napier and his adventures on
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
, natively known as
Amtor The Amtor or Venus series is a science fantasy series consisting of four novels and one novelette written by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Most of the stories were first serialized in '' Argosy'', an American pulp magazine. It is someti ...
. Burroughs'
Pellucidar Pellucidar is a fictional Hollow Earth invented by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. In a crossover event, Tarzan, who was also created by Burroughs, visits Pellucidar. The stories initially involv ...
series could arguably be considered sword-and-(inner) planet, as it follows most of the plot conventions described below.


Modern development

The second and larger group includes authors who began to write Burroughs pastiches from the mid-1960s to early 1970s. Such authors included
Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
and
Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...
. Except for continuations of the extended Dray Prescot and Gor sequences, and occasional parodies of earlier series, not many new works in the genre have appeared from major publishers since 1980. One notable exception are two books written by
S. M. Stirling Stephen Michael Stirling (born September 30, 1953) is a Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author who was born in France. Stirling is well known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and his later time travel/alternate hi ...
and published by Tor: ''The Sky People'' (2006) and ''In the Courts of the Crimson Kings'' (2008). However, smaller presses have continued to issue new works in the genre, most notably
Wildside Press Wildside Press is an independent publishing company in Cabin John, Maryland, United States. It was founded in 1989 by John Betancourt and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both tra ...
, primarily through The
Borgo Press The Borgo Press was a small publishing company founded by Robert Reginald in 1975 funded by the royalties gained from his first major reference work, ''Stella Nova: the contemporary science fiction authors'' (1970). That same year Reginald met M ...
imprint. In 2007, for example, Wildside/Borgo published a new book in Charles Nuetzel's ''Torlo Hannis of Noomas'' series, and printed the ''Talera'' trilogy by Charles Allen Gramlich.


Form

Burroughs established a set of conventions that were followed fairly closely by most other entries in the sword and planet genre. The typical first book in a sword and planet series uses some or all of the following plot points: A tough but chivalrous male protagonist, from Earth of a period not too distant from our own, finds himself transported to a distant world. The transportation may be via astral projection, teleportation, time travel, or any similar form of scientific magic, but should not imply that travel between worlds is either easy or common. The Earthman thus finds himself the sole representative of his own race on an alien planet. This planet is at a pre-modern, even barbaric stage of civilization, but may here and there have remarkable technologies that hint at a more advanced past. There is no obligation for the physical properties or biology of the alien planet to follow any scientific understanding of the potential conditions of habitable worlds; in general, the conditions will be earth-like, but with variations such as a different-colored sun or different numbers of moons. A lower gravity may be invoked to explain such things as large flying animals or people, or the superhuman strength of the hero, but will otherwise be ignored. (''A Princess of Mars'', however, when it was first written did loosely follow the most optimistic theories about Mars—e.g., those of
Percival Lowell Percival Lowell (; March 13, 1855 – November 12, 1916) was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, and furthered theories of a ninth planet within the Solar System. ...
who imagined a dying, dried-up Mars watered by a network of artificial canals). Not long after discovering his predicament, the Earthman finds himself caught in a struggle between two or more factions, nations, or species. He sides, of course, with the nation with the prettiest woman, who will sometimes turn out to be a princess. Before he can set about seriously courting her, however, she is kidnapped by a fiendish villain or villains. The Earthman, taking up his sword (the local weapon of choice, which he has a talent with), sets out on a quest to recover the woman and wallop the kidnappers. On the way, he crosses wild and inhospitable terrain, confronts savage animals and monsters, discovers lost civilizations ruled by cruel tyrants or wicked priests, and will repeatedly engage in swashbuckling sword-fights, be imprisoned, daringly escape and rescue other prisoners, and kill any men or beasts who stand in his way. At the end of the story he will defeat the villain and free the captive princess, only to find another crisis emerging that will require all his wit and muscle, but will not be resolved until ''the next thrilling novel in the adventures of...!''.


List of works

What follows is admittedly incomplete, but is a listing of some of the more important and more remembered representatives of the genre. Some of the dates are reprint dates, not date of original publication.


Edgar Rice Burroughs


The Barsoom Series (a.k.a. ''The John Carter of Mars Series'')

* ''
A Princess of Mars ''A Princess of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine ''All-Story Magazine'' from February–July, 1912. Full of swordplay and dari ...
'' (serial 1912/novel 1917) * ''
The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first published in ''The All-S ...
'' (1913/1918) * ''
The Warlord of Mars ''The Warlord of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in June, 1913, going through five working titles; ''Yellow Men of Barsoom'', ''The Fighting Pr ...
'' (1913–1914/1919) * ''
Thuvia, Maid of Mars ''Thuvia, Maid of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth of the '' Barsoom'' series. The principal characters are Carthoris (the son of John Carter of Mars) and Thuvia of Ptarth, each of whom appe ...
'' (1916/1920) * ''
The Chessmen of Mars ''The Chessmen of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fifth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in '' Argosy All-Story Week ...
'' (1922/1922) * ''
The Master Mind of Mars ''The Master Mind of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the sixth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs' working titles for the novel were ''A Weird Adventure on Mars'' and ''Vad Varo of Barsoom''. It was f ...
'' (1927/1928) * ''
A Fighting Man of Mars ''A Fighting Man of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventh of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it on February 28, 1929, and the finished story was first published in '' The Blue Book Maga ...
'' (1930/1931) * '' Swords of Mars'' (1934–1935/1936) * '' Synthetic Men of Mars'' (1939/1940) * ''
Llana of Gathol ''Llana of Gathol'' is a collection of four science fantasy stories by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, which were originally published in ''Amazing Stories'' in 1941. The first collected edition of ''Llana of Gathol'' was published in 1948 ...
'' (1941/1948) * ''Skeleton Men of Jupiter'' (1943/1964) - published in ''
John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabita ...
'' (1964) together with the non-ERB juvenile ''John Carter and the Giant of Mars'' (1941).


The Amtor Series (a.k.a. ''The Carson Napier of Venus Series'')

* ''
Pirates of Venus ''Pirates of Venus'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first book in the Venus series (also called the "Carson Napier of Venus series"), the last major series in Burroughs's career (the other major series w ...
'' (
1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...
) * ''
Lost on Venus ''Lost On Venus'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second book in the Venus series (sometimes called the "Carson Napier of Venus series" or the "Amtor series"). It was first serialized in the magazine '' Ar ...
'' ( 1935) * ''
Carson of Venus ''Carson of Venus'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third book in the Venus series (Sometimes called the "Carson Napier of Venus series"). Burroughs wrote the novel in July and August 1937. It was serial ...
'' ( 1939) * ''
Escape on Venus ''Escape on Venus'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth book in the Venus series (Sometimes called the "Carson Napier of Venus series"). It consists of four interconnected stories published in ''Fantas ...
'' ( 1946) * ''
The Wizard of Venus ''The Wizard of Venus'' is a science fiction novella by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as the title of a collection in which it was later published together with an unrelated story. "The Wizard of Venus" is the final story in Burrou ...
'' (
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
)


The Moon Maid ''The Moon Maid'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was written in three parts, Part 1 was begun in June 1922 under the title ''The Moon Maid'', Part 2 was begun in 1919 under the title ''Under the Red Flag'', lat ...
Series

* ''The Moon Maid'' (1923) * ''The Moon Men / Under the Red Flag'' (1925) * ''The Red Hawk'' (1925)


Beyond the Farthest Star (novel) ''Beyond the Farthest Star'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs. The novel consists of two novellas, "Adventure on Poloda" and "Tangor Returns", written quickly in late 1940. The first was published in '' The Blu ...

* ''Adventure on Poloda'' (1942) * ''Tangor Returns'' (1964)


Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into many ...

* '' Flash Gordon'' (1934)


Roger Sherman Hoar (as Ralph Milne Farley)


Venus series

* '' The Radio Man'' (1924) ''An Earthman on Venus'' * ''The Radio Beasts'' (1925) * ''The Radio Planet'' (1926) * ''The Radio Man Returns'' (2005) includes ''The Radio Minds of Mars''


John Ulrich Giesy John Ulrich Giesy (August 6, 1877 – September 8, 1947) was an American physician, novelist and author. He was one of the early writers in the Sword and Planet genre, with his Jason Croft series. He collaborated with Junius B. Smith on many of h ...


Palos series

* '' Palos of the Dog Star Pack'' (1918) * '' The Mouthpiece of Zitu'' (1919) * '' Jason, Son of Jason'' (1921)


Alexei Tolstoy

* ''
Aelita ''Aelita'' (russian: Аэли́та, ), also known as ''Aelita: Queen of Mars'', is a 1924 Soviet silent science fiction film directed by Yakov Protazanov and produced at the Mezhrabpom-Rus film studio. It was based on Alexei Tolstoy's 1923 ...
'' (1923)


Otis Adelbert Kline Otis Adelbert Kline (July 1, 1891 – October 24, 1946) born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was a songwriter, an adventure novelist and literary agent during the pulp era. Much of his work first appeared in the magazine ''Weird Tales''. Kline was an ...


Venus series

* ''Planet of Peril'' (1929) * ''Prince of Peril'' (1930) * '' The Port of Peril'' (1932) aka ''Buccaneers of Venus''


Mars series

* '' The Swordsman of Mars'' (1933) * '' The Outlaws of Mars'' (1933)


Gustave Le Rouge Gustave Henri Joseph Le Rouge (22 July 1867 - 24 February 1938) was a French writer who embodied the evolution of modern science fiction at the beginning of the 20th century, by moving it away from the juvenile adventures of Jules Verne and in ...

* '' The Vampires of Mars'' (1908) aka ''The Prisoner of the Planet Mars'' * '' The War of the Vampires'' (1909)


Edmond Hamilton Edmond Moore Hamilton (October 21, 1904 – February 1, 1977) was an American writer of science fiction during the mid-twentieth century. Early life Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania. So ...


Stuart Merrick series

* ''Kaldar, World of Antares'' (1933) * ''The Snake-men of Kaldar'' (1933) * ''The Great Brain of Kaldar'' (1935)


Robert E. Howard

* ''
Almuric ''Almuric'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert E. Howard. It was originally serialized in three parts in the magazine ''Weird Tales'' beginning in May 1939. The novel was first published in book form in 1964 by Ace Books. The ...
'' (1939/1964 - started c. 1936, allegedly completed posthumously by
Otis Adelbert Kline Otis Adelbert Kline (July 1, 1891 – October 24, 1946) born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was a songwriter, an adventure novelist and literary agent during the pulp era. Much of his work first appeared in the magazine ''Weird Tales''. Kline was an ...
)


Manly Wade Wellman Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 – April 5, 1986) was an American writer. While his science fiction and fantasy stories appeared in such pulps as '' Astounding Stories'', '' Startling Stories'', '' Unknown'' and ''Strange Stories'', Wellman ...

* '' Sojarr of Titan'' (1941)


Arkady and Boris Strugatsky The brothers Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky (russian: Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий; 28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky ( ru , Борис Натанович Стругацкий; 14 A ...

* ''
Hard to Be a God ''Hard to Be a God'' (russian: Трудно быть богом, translit=''Trudno byt' bogom'') is a 1964 science-fiction novel by the Soviet writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, set in the Noon Universe. Premise and themes The novel follow ...
'' (1964)


Gardner F. Fox


Llarn series

* ''Warrior of Llarn'' (1964) * ''Thief of Llarn'' (1966)


Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...


Sojan the Swordsman series (juvenile short stories)

* ''Sojan the Swordsman'' (1957) * ''Sojan, Swordsman of Zylor'' (1957) * ''Sojan and the Sea of Demons'' (1957) * ''Sojan and the Plain of Mystery'' (1958) * ''Sojan and the Sons of the Snake-God'' (1958) * ''Sojan and the Devil Hunters of Norj'' (1958) * ''Klan the Spoiler'' (1958) * ''Dek of Noothar'' (1957) * ''Rens Karto of Bersnol'' (1958)


Kane of Old Mars series (writing as Edward Powys Bradbury)

* ''Warrior of Mars'' (1965) aka ''City of the Beast'' * ''Blades of Mars'' (1965) aka ''Lord of the Spiders'' * ''Barbarians of Mars'' (1965) aka ''Masters of the Pit''


Don Lawrence Donald Southam Lawrence (17 November 1928 – 29 December 2003) was a British comic book artist and author. Lawrence is best known for his comic strips '' The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire'' in the British weeklies '' Ranger'' and '' Loo ...
(comic book artist)


''

The Trigan Empire ''The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire'', later called simply ''The Trigan Empire'', is a science fiction comic series written mainly by Mike Butterworth with artwork (initially watercolours, later gouache) by Don Lawrence, among others. It ...
'' series, written by Mike Butterworth (1965–1982)


''

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...
'' series, stories by Lawrence,
Martin Lodewijk Martinus Spyridon Johannes Lodewijk (born 30 April 1939) is a Dutch comics writer and cartoonist, and advertising adviser. Martin Lodewijk was born in Rotterdam. He dropped out of high school in 1957, and started drawing cartoons, notably of spac ...
and others (1977–)


John Frederick Lange (writing as

John Norman John Frederick Lange Jr. (born June 3, 1931) is an American writer who, as John Norman, has authored the '' Gor'' series of science fantasy novels. Norman is also a philosophy professor. Early life and education Lange was born in Chicago, I ...
)


Gor series

# ''Tarnsman of Gor'' (1966) # ''Outlaw of Gor'' (1967) # ''Priest-Kings of Gor'' (1968) # ''Nomads of Gor'' (1969) # ''Assassin of Gor'' (1970) # ''Raiders of Gor'' (1971) # ''Captive of Gor'' (1972) # ''Hunters of Gor'' (1974) # ''Marauders of Gor'' (1975) # ''Tribesmen of Gor'' (1976) # ''Slave Girl of Gor'' (1977) # ''Beasts of Gor'' (1978) # ''Explorers of Gor'' (1979) # ''Fighting Slave of Gor'' (1980) # ''Rogue of Gor'' (1981) # ''Guardsman of Gor'' (1981) # ''Savages of Gor'' (1982) # ''Blood Brothers of Gor'' (1982) # ''Kajira of Gor'' (1983) # ''Players of Gor'' (1984) # ''Mercenaries of Gor'' (1985) # ''Dancer of Gor'' (1985) # ''Renegades of Gor'' (1986) # ''Vagabonds of Gor'' (1987) # ''Magicians of Gor'' (1988) # ''Witness of Gor'' (2001) # ''Prize of Gor'' (2008) # ''Kur of Gor'' (2009) # ''Swordsmen of Gor'' (2010) # ''Mariners of Gor'' (2011) # ''Conspirators of Gor'' (2012) # ''Smugglers of Gor'' (Oct 2012) # ''Rebels of Gor'' (Oct 2013) # ''Plunder of Gor'' (June 2016) # ''Quarry of Gor'' (June 2019) # ''Avengers of Gor'' (May 2021) # ''Warriors of Gor'' (August 2022)


Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...


The World of Tiers Series

* '' The Maker of Universes'' (1965) * '' The Gates of Creation'' (1966) * '' A Private Cosmos'' (1968) * '' Behind the Walls of Terra'' (1970) * '' The Lavalite World'' (1977) * '' Red Orc's Rage'' (1991) * '' More Than Fire'' (1993)


Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various ...

* ''
Adam Strange Adam Strange is a fictional space adventurer appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz with a costume designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in ''Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Adam Stran ...
'' (1958) DC Comics character


Richard Corben Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ada ...


Den Series, a comics character featured in Heavy Metal and other publications

* "Neverwhere" (1978, 1985, 1991) * "Muvovum" (1984, 1991) * "Children of Fire" (1992) * "Dreams" (1992) * "Elements" (1992)


Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct ma ...


Ganymede series

* ''The Goddess of Ganymede'' (1968) * ''Pursuit on Ganymede'' (1968)


Charles Nuetzel


Torlo Hannis series

* ''Warriors of Noomas'' (1969) * ''Raiders of Noomas'' (1969) * ''Slavegirl of Noomas'' (2007) (With Heidi Garrett)


Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...


Callisto series The ''Callisto series'' is a sequence of eight science fiction novels by Lin Carter, of the sword and planet subgenre, first published by Dell Books from 1972-1978. They were written in homage to the Barsoom and Amtor novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs ...

* ''
Jandar of Callisto Jandar may refer to: * Jandar, Iran, a village in West Azerbaijan Province * Jandar, Syria Jandar ( ar, جندر, also spelled Jendar) is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located 30 kilometers south of ...
'' (1972) * '' Black Legion of Callisto'' (1972) * ''
Sky Pirates of Callisto ''Sky Pirates of Callisto'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter, the third in his Callisto series. It was first published in paperback by Dell Books in January 1973, and reprinted twice through April 1974. The first British ...
'' (1973) * '' Mad Empress of Callisto'' (1975) * '' Mind Wizards of Callisto'' (1975) * '' Lankar of Callisto'' (1975) * '' Ylana of Callisto'' (1977) * ''
Renegade of Callisto ''Renegade of Callisto'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter, the eighth and last in his Callisto series. It was first published in paperback by Dell Books in August 1978, and reprinted once, in November of the same year. A ...
'' (1978)


Green Star Series

* '' Under the Green Star'' (1972) * ''
When the Green Star Calls ''When the Green Star Calls'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter. Published by DAW Books in 1973, it is the second novel in his Green Star Series, starting after the first novel, '' Under the Green Star'', finished. ...
'' (1973) * '' By the Light of the Green Star'' (1974) * '' As the Green Star Rises'' (1975) * '' In the Green Star's Glow'' (1976)


Mysteries of Mars series

* '' The Man Who Loved Mars'' (1973) * '' The Valley Where Time Stood Still'' (1974) * '' The City Outside the World'' (1977) * '' Down to a Sunless Sea'' (1984)


Kenneth Bulmer Henry Kenneth Bulmer (14 January 1921 – 16 December 2005) was a British author, primarily of science fiction. Life Born in London, he married Pamela Buckmaster on 7 March 1953. They had one son and two daughters, and they divorced in 1981. B ...
(writing as Alan Burt Akers and as Dray Prescot)


Dray Prescot series The ''Dray Prescot series'' is a sequence of fifty-two science fiction novels and a number of associated short stories of the subgenre generally classified as sword and planet, written by British author Kenneth Bulmer under the pseudonym of Ala ...

* '' Transit to Scorpio'' (1972) * '' The Suns of Scorpio'' (1973) * '' Warrior of Scorpio'' (1973) * '' Swordships of Scorpio'' (1973) * '' Prince of Scorpio'' (1974) * ''
Manhounds of Antares ''Manhounds of Antares'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Kenneth Bulmer, written under the pseudonym of Alan Burt Akers. It is the sixth volume in his Dray Prescot series of sword and planet novels, set on the fictional world of ...
'' (1974) * '' Arena of Antares'' (1974) * '' Fliers of Antares'' (1975) * '' Bladesman of Antares'' (1975) * ''
Avenger of Antares ''Avenger of Antares'' is a science fiction novel written by Kenneth Bulmer under the pseudonym of Alan Burt Akers. It is the tenth volume in his extensive Dray Prescot series of sword and planet novels, set on the fictional world of Kregen, ...
'' (1975) * '' Armada of Antares'' (1976) * '' The Tides of Kregen'' (1976) * '' Renegade of Kregen'' (1976) * '' Krozair of Kregen'' (1977) * ''Secret Scorpio'' (1977) * ''Savage Scorpio'' (1978) * ''Captive Scorpio'' (1978) * ''Golden Scorpio'' (1978) * ''A Life for Kregen'' (1979) * ''A Sword for Kregen'' (1979) * ''A Fortune for Kregen'' (1979) * ''A Victory for Kregen'' (1980) * ''Beasts of Antares'' (1980) * ''Rebel of Antares'' (1980) * ''Legions of Antares'' (1981) * ''Allies of Antares'' (1981) * ''Mazes of Scorpio'' (1982) * ''Delia of Vallia'' (1982) * ''Fires of Scorpio'' (1983) * ''Talons of Scorpio'' (1983) * ''Masks of Scorpio'' (1984) * ''Seg the Bowman'' (1984) * ''Werewolves of Kregen'' (1985) * ''Witches of Kregen'' (1985) * ''Storm Over Vallia'' (1985) * ''Omens of Kregen'' (1985) * ''Warlord of Antares'' (1988) * ''Scorpio Reborn'' (''Wiedergeborens Scorpio'', 1991) * ''Scorpio Assassin'' (''Meuchelmörder von Scorpio'', 1992) * ''Scorpio Invasion'' (''Invasion von Scorpio'', 1992) * ''Scorpio Ablaze'' (''Scorpio in Flammen'', 1992) * ''Scorpio Drums'' (''Die Trommeln von Scorpio'', 1992) * ''Scorpio Triumph'' (''Der Triumpf von Scorpio'', 1993) * ''Intrigue of Antares'' (''Die Intrige von Antares'', 1993) * ''Gangs of Antares'' (''Die Banditen von Antares'', 1994) * ''Demons of Antares'' (''Die Dämonen von Antares'', 1994) * ''Scourge of Antares'' (''Die Geißel von Antares'', 1994) * ''Challenge of Antares'' (''Die Fehde von Antares'', 1995) * ''Wrath of Antares'' (''Der Zorn von Antares'', 1996) * ''Shadows over Kregen'' (''Schatten über Kregen'', 1996) * ''Murder on Kregen'' (''Mord auf Kregen'', 1997) * ''Turmoil on Kregen'' (''Aufruhr auf Kregen'', 1997) * ''Betrayal on Kregen'' (''Verrat auf Kregen'', 1998)


Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American science fiction writer known as "the Queen of Space Opera." She was also a screenwriter, known for '' The Big Sleep'' (1946), '' Rio Bravo'' (1959), and '' The Long Go ...


Eric John Stark Eric John Stark is a character created by the science fiction author Leigh Brackett. Stark is the hero of a series of pulp adventures set in a time when the Solar System has been colonized. His origin-story shares some characteristics with feral ...
series

* ''Eric John Stark: Outlaw of Mars'' (1982) ** ''
The Secret of Sinharat ''The Secret of Sinharat'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Leigh Brackett, set on the planet Mars_in_fiction#Mars_in_fiction_before_Mariner, Mars, whose protagonist is Eric John Stark. The novel is expanded from the novella "Queen o ...
'' (1964 - revision of ''Queen of the Martian Catacombs'' (1949)) ** '' People of the Talisman'' (1964 - revision of ''Black Amazon of Mars'' (1951)) * ''Enchantress of Venus'' (aka ''City of the Lost Ones'') (1949) * ''The Book of Skaith'' (1976) ** ''The Ginger Star'' (1974) ** ''The Hounds of Skaith'' (1974) ** ''The Reavers of Skaith'' (1976)


Other

* ''The Sword of Rhiannon'' (Magazine version "Sea-Kings of Mars") * ''Lorelei of the Red Mist'' (with
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...
) * ''Shadow over Mars''


Gerard F. Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...
(writing as Wallace Moore)


Balzan Of The Cat People series

* ''The Blood Stones'' (1975) * ''The Caves of Madness'' (1975) * ''The Lights of Zetar'' (1975)


Andrew J. Offutt Andrew Jefferson Offutt V (August 16, 1934 – April 30, 2013) was an American science fiction, fantasy, and erotic fiction author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A. J. Offutt, and Andy Offutt. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, has all his nam ...

* ''Ardor on Aros'' (1973) * ''Chieftain of Andor'' aka ''Clansman of Andor'' (1976)


Mike Sirota


Dannus/Reglathium series

* ''the Prisoner of Reglathium'' (1978) * ''the Conquerors of Reglathium'' (1978) * ''The Caves of Reglathium'' (1978) * ''the Dark Straits of Reglathium'' (1978) * ''Slaves of Reglathium''


Jack Vance John Holbrook Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013) was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. Though most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance, he also wrote several mystery novels under pen names. ...


Planet of Adventure ''Planet of Adventure'' is a series of four science fiction novels by Jack Vance, published between 1968 and 1970. The novels relate the adventures of the scout Adam Reith, the sole survivor of an Earth ship investigating a signal from the dist ...

* ''City of the Chasch'' (1968) * ''Servants of the Wankh'' (1969) * ''The Dirdir'' (1969) * ''The Pnume'' (1970)


David J. Lake


Xuma Series

* ''The Gods of Xuma'' (1978) * ''Warlords of Xuma'' (1983)


Charles Allen Gramlich


Talera Series

* ''Swords of Talera'' (2007) * ''Wings Over Talera'' (2007) * ''Witch of Talera'' (2007) * ''Wraith of Talera'' (2016) * ''Gods of Talera'' (2016)


Janet Morris Janet Ellen Morris (born May 25, 1946) is an American author of fiction and nonfiction, best known for her fantasy and science fiction and her authorship of a non-lethal weapons concept for the U.S. military. Background Writing Janet Morris b ...


"The Silistra Series"


Dan Simmons Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works which span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes wi ...


Ilium/Olympos

* The '' Ilium/Olympos'' (2003/2005) cycle has elements of this genre, staging the
Trojan war In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...
myth on a far-future terraformed planet Mars.


Comics

* Flash Gordon * Masters of the Universe * Storm (Don Lawrence) *
The Trigan Empire ''The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire'', later called simply ''The Trigan Empire'', is a science fiction comic series written mainly by Mike Butterworth with artwork (initially watercolours, later gouache) by Don Lawrence, among others. It ...


Animated cartoons

* ''Blackstar'' (TV series), 1981 cartoon with many elements of the genre represented. * '' Masters of the Universe'', a media franchise. While the protagonist of the series is not from Earth, his mother comes from Earth. * '' ThunderCats'', a media franchise. The characters are from Thundera and crash-land on Third Earth. * ''
The Pirates of Dark Water ''The Pirates of Dark Water'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by David Kirschner and produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series premiered as a five-part miniseries on Fox Kids early 1991. The first season, consisting of 13 ...
'' (TV Series) 1991–1992 is a fantasy animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera.


Animated feature films Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

* '' Wizards'' 1977 * '' Heavy Metal'' 1981 * '' Starchaser: The Legend of Orin'' 1985


See also

* Technofantasy


References

{{Fantasy fiction * Science fantasy