I'm looking for some inspiration for a fantasy novel with what has a secondary plot going on in the background, which ends up affecting the whole story. This secondary plot is to do with a group of people attempting to create an undead plague while a kingdom is in complete chaos after losing half it's troops and siege vehicles in a war and being forced into a new one as soon as the last one's over. I'm new to the fantasy genre, and would appreciate it if somebody could give examples of novels similar to my own.
Looking for books similar to the one I have planned
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A Song of Ice and Fire by G. R. R. Martin
While the nobles are utterly absorbed in their game of thrones, supernatural forces are gathering to destroy human civilization.
While the nobles are utterly absorbed in their game of thrones, supernatural forces are gathering to destroy human civilization.
I've read Game of Thrones, but none of the others. It didn't seem like it was full of undead or anything, but does that come in the later books?
Robin Hobb's 'Assassin' trilogy might apply, where you have the main plot of political intrigue and the whole 'forged ones' business happening mostly off page.
I'll check them out. These are books with things happening in the background, but what I also wanted were examples of fantasy novels dealing with undead and the plague, they don't have to be part of the main storyline.
Read the rest of GRRM SOIF - seriously. He is pretty much the best practioner of epic fantasy currently working. Part of your job as a would-be pro fantasy writer is to know the market, and for that you need to read as widely as possible.
Or just use the Wiki entries as a cheat-sheet. Seriously. GRRM can be a wonderful writer. but that's a lot of wordage to plow through in search of hints about one writer's take on gritty fantasy. If you read fast, it will still take you a couple of weeks, and he isn't even done with the series. And don't get attached to any characters.
Undead and plague? It's a steampunk fantasy, but Cherie Priest's BONESHAKER and sequel are pretty good.
Undead and plague? It's a steampunk fantasy, but Cherie Priest's BONESHAKER and sequel are pretty good.
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For some reason I'm thinking of Garth Nix's Abhorsen series. Main characters are necromancers and they deal with undead and plagues and secondary plots, etc.
But if you read those, get the audiobooks read by Tim Curry. Awesome.
But if you read those, get the audiobooks read by Tim Curry. Awesome.
The White Walkers raise the dead. It's starts to become a significant problem for the Night's Watch.
But does it have to be the undead? What about similar concepts, like the Magician series by Raymond E. Feist. Decimated by war with invaders from another planet then the big bads organise the evil races(dark elves, orcs, giants and the like) to invade and hopefully take the city of Sethanon.
Well I would prefer if they were undead because I'm looking for inspiration for a book with an undead plague starting in the background. I'm mainly looking for fantasy books to do with people turning into undead/mutants etc for inspiration for my own novel. So I want books with either:
-A secondary plot which starts to affect the main plot later in the book/series
-A book/series involving a plague
-A book/series involving the undead
-Or even better, all of these
Also, I'll finish A Song of Ice and Fire. I'll also get Garth Nix's Abhorsen series, Robin Hobb's 'Assassin' trilogy, and maybe others if other people below recommend some other things
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Warcraft 3: The Reign of Chaos. Yeah it's not a book but an important part of the plot is a cult doing pretty much what you describe.
I used to play World of Warcraft a lot, but didn't play WC3. However, I know the whole WC3 storyline from quests in WoW, and I've read the book Arthas: Rise of the Lich King which describes it all. However, that was kind of a major plot, mine is different and it's something done in the background underneath everybody's noses. It may sound similar I guess, but it's kind of different once you know more of the details.
I was just talking about this series in another thread: The Deathgate Cycle.
I forgot which book it's in, though, but at one point the two main characters go to a dying world where the people use necromancy to keep the dead with them. They use them for armies and labor, from what I remember.
I forgot which book it's in, though, but at one point the two main characters go to a dying world where the people use necromancy to keep the dead with them. They use them for armies and labor, from what I remember.
That sounds like a good series to read, I guess the undead are in the same world as the one the rest of the story is set in in my book, but I guess I'll read them anyway so I can have some inspiration for what's going to happen to the undead after the plague's happened and when undead armies are walking around
Actually now that I think about it, later on they deal a lot with necromancy(after the riftwar series). So Rift War does deal with one area of your plot(war followed by war) and then necromancy through many of the later series set in the same world(though not from a plague).
sounds pretty similar, I'll check it out so I can take note on some elements and make sure my book differs from it and people don't see it as a clone
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The one with the undead is 'Fire Sea' (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman). It's possible to read it independently of the rest. Some of the larger plots won't make as much sense, but I actually started the series with that book. Not exactly a plague, but it still could be interesting.
I'd second 'Boneshaker' by Cherie Priest, as that sounds like the sort of thing you're after.
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They gain importance. There are several forms of Undead in the series (people resurrected/zombified by different kinds magic) and in the later books the threat of a plague begins lurking. As of the last book, the zombie apocalypse is still very much not on the radar of most of the key players, but it seems that both undead and plague are going to play a major part in the endgame.
Just to go outside the box, consider reading a history of the 100 Years War during the outbreak of the Black Death. Many wars have been interrupted by plague (that's why War & Pestilence joined the same equestrian club). From there you can work in you own take on the fantasy aspect.
I'm basing parts on my book in many historical rebellions and wars. I'll research the 100 Years War, but from what I know it's fairly major, and I may base another book on it.
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Swinging wide of sword-and-sorcery, have you read either Albert Camus' "The Plague" or Stephen King's "The Stand?" Both give a very good picture of how an individual city, as well as a country, react in the face of an epidemic -- plus, they're both fictional plagues, which puts a nice literary focus on the workings of civilization rather than on the specific illness.
"The Plague" is also an allegory for WWII France occupied by the Vichy regime, which may or may not help you. It's a very *strong* allegory, though, in that you could read it and never even know it's an allegory -- the whole situation translates to that of a city under plague *remarkably* well. But who knows? The political aspect might get your mental gears turning as well.
"The Plague" is also an allegory for WWII France occupied by the Vichy regime, which may or may not help you. It's a very *strong* allegory, though, in that you could read it and never even know it's an allegory -- the whole situation translates to that of a city under plague *remarkably* well. But who knows? The political aspect might get your mental gears turning as well.
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