Fantastic Fantasy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Malazan Book of the Fallen

Although the first book was written by Erickson in 1992 the ten books in the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series were published between 1999 and 2011. The plot lines include action across three different continents, wars, magic, Gods, and numerous non-human races. The Malazan universe was co-created in the 1980s by Ian Cameron who has also published six books in a series called "Novels of the Malazan Empire".

"Fafhed and Gray Mouser" is a fantasy series by Fritz Leiber. Guy Gavriel Kay wrote the "Fionavar Tapestry" books. "The Demon Cycle" collection was authored by Peter V. Brett.

Answer: Patrick Rothfuss

Patrick Rothfuss is an American novelist known for "The Kingkiller Chronicles" series including the books "The Name of the Wind" and "Wise Man's Fear". The novels tell the story of an orphan as he attends a famous school of magic, becomes an infamous wizard and fugitive, all in the voice of the central character Kvothe. The second book in the series, "Wise Man's Fear", hit number one on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2011. Rothfuss founded the charity organization Worldbuilders which supports Heifer International who has a stated mission "to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth".

Scott Lynch is recognized for his fantasy series "Gentlemen Bastards". Terry Pratchett wrote more than 40 books in his "Discworld" collection. L. E. Modesitt Jr. is known for his "Recluse" fantasy series.

Answer: The Silmarillion

"The Silmarillion" was originally intended by J. R. R. Tolkien to be the novel which would follow his popular book "The Hobbit" in his world of Middle Earth. Encouraged by his publisher to write a sequel instead, he began work on "The Lord of the Rings" books. After the death of the elder Tolkien his son, Christopher, with help from fantasy author Guy Gavreil Kay, used his father's unpublished works to compile what would become "The Silmarillion". For the most part the book was not critically well received. It is generally humorless and somewhat difficult to read. Rather than a quest for a group of heroes, it tells the origins of Middle Earth and legends which pre-date "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings". The book concludes with an account of the forging of the Rings of Power and Sauron's forging of a ring to control the others. "The Silmarillion" has many influences including Greek, Norse and Celtic mythology, and the Christian Bible. Among the tales in the book is that of the creation and fall of the Elves. Despite the critical reviews, the scope of the vision around the world of Middle Earth is nothing short of amazing.

"Dragon Prince" is the name of a fantasy trilogy by Melanie Rawn. Rawn also published the trilogy "Dragon Star". Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote "The Mists of Avalon", the first of her novels relating to Arthurian legends. "Eragon" was authored by Christopher Paolini and is the first book in his series titled "Inheritance Cycle".

Answer: Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is recognized by many as the author who wrote the final three books in "The Wheel of Time" series, and for his own series, "Mistborn". His first novel was "Elantris" in 2005. He has published more than twenty books during the following ten years. "The Way of Kings" was published in 2010 and is the first novel in a planned ten book series called "The Stormlight Archive". He has published children's and young adult novels in his "Alcatraz", "The Reckoners" and "The Rithmatist" series. Sanderson writes fantasy with three rules in mind. Generally stated, rules of magic must be well defined, weaknesses are more interesting than super powers or magical abilities, and story elements should be expanded before creating new elements.

Like Sanderson, Tracy Hickman attended Brigham Young University. He is best known for his work with Margaret Weis on the "Dragonlace" stories. Robert Asprin is most often recognized for his humorous series "MythAdventures" and "Phule's Company". J. K. Rowling is the author of the "Harry Potter" fantasy series.

Answer: A Song of Ice and Fire

"A Game of Thrones" is the title of the first book in the series "A Song of Ice and Fire". The plot includes struggles and wars between families for control of Westeros, and the threat of The Others from behind the protective wall of ice in the northern portion of the continent. Fire is in the form of R'hillor, the Lord of Light, sometimes called the Red God, and fire breathing dragons controlled by the family of the deposed king. Multiple books in this series have hit number one on the New York Times Best Seller list, they have been translated into more than 40 languages, and even before the publication of the last two planned volumes in the series more than 60 million copies have been sold. HBO began airing their television series "Game of Thrones" in 2011.

"The Black Company" is a fantasy series written by Glen Cook. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman wrote the seven part "Deathgate Cycle" series. "The Riftwar Saga" is a series of fantasy books by Raymond E. Feist.

Answer: The Malloreon

"The Mallorean", like "The Belgariad", is a five book fantasy series which features basically the same characters but expands the setting to include more of the continent of Mallorea. The story starts after the defeat of Torak in the previous series and begins in earnest with a warning from the Orb of Aldur, a critical piece of the storyline in "The Belgariad". Eddings has also written two prequel novels titled "Belgarath the Sorcerer" and "Polgara the Sorceress". Usually writing with his wife, Leigh, he also authored the series "The Elenium" and "The Tamuli".

"The Farseer Trilogy" is a fantasy series by Margaret Astrid Lindholm using the pen name Robin Hobb. "The Iron Druid Chronicles" is an urban fantasy series by Kevin Hearne. "Earthsea" is a fantasy series by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Answer: Terry Goodkind

Terry Goodkind is dyslexic and did not start writing until he was 45 years old. He sold his first novel, "Wizards First Rule", and the first book in his "The Sword of Truth" series in 1994. Through 2015 he has published fifteen books in the series as well as the related novel "The Law of Nines". Several of his novels have appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The books were adapted for television and the series "Legend of the Seeker" lasted for two seasons.

With three Nebula awards and six Hugo awards, Roger Zelazny is an accomplished science fiction and fantasy author probably best recognized for his series "The Chronicles of Amber". Andre Norton is a Gandalf Grand Master, Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master and Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inductee. She was the first female to receive each of those three honors. The "Witch World" series is one of many for which Norton is recognized. Morgan Llywelyn is an author of historical fantasy including the novel "Druids".

Answer: Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan is a pen name used by James Oliver Rigney, Jr. He used the name Robert Jordan for "The Wheel of Time" and "Conan the Barbarian" novels. However, he used other pseudonyms to write historical fiction and other literature. Jordan was a helicopter gunner for two tours in the Vietnam War, for which he received multiple service awards. He graduated from The Citadel with a degree in physics, worked for the US Navy as a nuclear engineer and was a Freemason. All of these influences as well as concepts of Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism can be found in "The Wheel of Time" novels.

Joe Abercrombie is known for his "First Law" fantasy series which begins with the novel "The Blade Itself", published in 2006. Gene Wolfe is known for the "Urth: Book of the New Sun" series. "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" series is the most recognized work by Stephen R. Donaldson.

Answer: Magic Kingdom of Landover

The "Magic Kingdom of Landover" series tells the story of Chicago lawyer Ben Holiday after he purchases a magical kingdom. He purchased a kingdom that comes complete with the usual collection of fantasy creatures including the dragon Strabo and the witch Nightshade. The often humorous story starts in the novel "Magic Kingdom for Sale - SOLD!" in which Ben Holiday becomes king. But, of course, there are magical obstacles that make life less than easy even for royalty.

"The Deverry Cycle" by Katharine Kerr is a Celtic fantasy series. "Dying Earth" is a series by Hugo and Nebula award winner Jack Vance. Piers Anthony wrote the pun-filled and humorous series "Xanth" which includes 39 books published between 1978 and 2014.

Answer: Lois McMaster Bujold

Lois McMaster Bujold has been nominated for a Hugo award twelve times with five wins. She has been nominated for a Nebula award eight times with five wins. "Paladin of Souls" is part of the "World of Five Gods" series and takes place in world of Chalion. This series and the "Sharing Knife" books represent the bulk of her fantasy work. She is probably most often recognized for her science fiction "Vorkosigan" novels.

Mercedes Lackey is an incredibly prolific writer of fantasy and science fiction with over 100 published works. The "Elemental Masters" series is included in her fantasy work. Tannith Lee had a British Fantasy Society Best Novel winner with "Death's Master" in her "Flat Earth" collection. Deborah Harkness is a history professor at the University of Southern California and author of the "All Souls" trilogy. "All Souls" is a historical fiction novel and romantic tale surrounding the adventures of a modern day witch.