Fantasy Characters in Search of an Author Quiz

Answer: C. S. Lewis

Lucy Pevensie -- and her older siblings Peter, Susan, and Edmund -- first appeared in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in 1950. In this wildly popular children's novel, the children discover a portal to the magical kingdom of Narnia while exploring an English country home. Although she is the youngest, it is consistently Lucy whose trust, judgment and bravery guide the children to greatness in the service of the great lion, Aslan.

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was the first of seven books set in Narnia and its world. Several followed the further adventures of the Pevensie children; others starred their cousin, his friend, and other humans who somehow found their way across the worlds.

Answer: Peter S. Beagle

First published in 1968, "The Last Unicorn" saw instant success. It tells the story of a unicorn, comfortable and happy in her enchanted forest, who learns that she is the last unicorn left in the world. Unwilling to accept this, she goes out into the world to look for her kin, but her quest is briefly halted when she is captured by Mommy Fortuna, a cruel and dishonest show-woman. Luckily, Schmendrick has an epiphany and decides to help the unicorn, accompanying her on all the further stages of her epic journey and fight against the terrifying Red Bull.

Answer: Marion Zimmer Bradley

The 1982 novel "The Mists of Avalon" tells the familiar Arthurian legend from the perspective of the women: Arthur's mother Igraine, his sister and lover Morgaine, and his wife Gwenhwyfar are all viewpoint characters, with Arthur, Lancelot and the other knights relegated to supporting roles.

In the book, Morgaine is a priestess of Avalon, following in the footsteps of her aunt Viviane, High Priestess and Lady of the Lake. The rise of Christianity -- and particularly of Christians like Gwenhwyfar, who cannot tolerate the existence of pagan practices and rituals -- threatens Morgaine's religion and way of life, and the blessed island of Avalon recedes deeper and deeper into the mists.

Answer: Ursula Le Guin

In 1968, the novel "A Wizard of Earthsea" introduced Ged to an eager world. The world of Earthsea is a dense collection of archipelagos and relatively isolated isles, surrounded by unexplored, open ocean. The magic that permeates these lands is grounded in an ancient language: things, places, and even people can be ruled by their "true names" in that tongue.

In Earthsea, Le Guin sketches a vivid and enticing world that gave an impression of size and depth beyond what is explicitly described on the page. She followed her first book with a quartet of novels and several short stories: Ged's deeds are many and great.

Answer: Terry Goodkind

Terry Goodkind burst onto the fantasy scene in 1994 with the publication of "Wizard's First Rule," which begins with Kahlan's dangerous trip from her homeland to the western kingdom where Richard lives as an ordinary outdoorsman. As they struggle to fight against an evil (in the person of the unsubtly named Darken Rahl) that threatens to take over all three kingdoms of their world, Richard learns of his true heritage of wizardry. Perhaps inevitably, Kahlan and Richard fall in love, and seem set for a happy ending. Unfortunately for them, Goodkind uses the next ten books of the series to throw one obstacle after another in the path of their love.

Answer: Terry Pratchett

The Discworld series, which began in 1983 with "The Colour of Magic," takes place on a flat, magical world balanced on the backs of four elephants, who in turn stand on the back of a giant space turtle. Numerous memorable characters populate this world, with each book focusing on a small group of them. Death, with his dry wit and doomed attempts at understanding humanity, makes at least a cameo appearance in nearly every book -- and has developed quite a fan club!

Answer: Orson Scott Card

The tales of Alvin Maker are set in an alternate version of early nineteenth-century North America. The borders are different, and so is the balance of powers, because magic is common in this world and each culture gives it their own flavor. Among English-speaking settlers like Alvin's family, the magic manifests in knacks and hexes, at which Alvin is particularly skilled by virtue of his birth.

The first novel in the series, 1987's "Seventh Son", tells of Alvin's birth and boyhood, and the beginnings of his struggle against a powerful force he calls the Unmaker. Later books relate how he matures and grows into his powers and how his younger brother Calvin -- possessed of similar powers, having also been the seventh living son of a seventh son at his birth -- is tempted to turn his own powers to greed and to evil.

Answer: J.K. Rowling

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the first book in the septet of Harry Potter novels, was published in the U.K. in 1997 (its U.S. publication, with the word "Sorcerer's" substituted for "Philosopher's" in the title, followed the next year). The series posits the existence of a world of magic and wizardry concealed within our own; students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry board the train for Hogwarts from a Muggle (non-magic) train station.

Hermione Granger, bright and hard-working, is a classmate and close friend of the titular hero, Harry Potter; Ron Weasley completes the trio. Together, they take on the world, cutting class to fight the forces of the evil Lord Voldemort -- who killed Harry's parents years ago, and is now looking to finish the job and conquer the world.

Answer: L. Frank Baum

For many young children, the Land of Oz is the first well-developed fantasy world they encounter. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" describes it as a rich and diverse country, governed from an Emerald City reached via Yellow Brick Road. Young Dorothy, deposited (along with dog and house) in Oz by a tornado, tangles with good witches and bad witches; forms close friendships with a lion, a scarecrow, and a man made entirely of tin; and finally unmasks the mysterious wizard who holds Oz in thrall. Although later Oz books chronicle further adventures in that magical land, the series is best remembered for its lesson that -- no matter how fantastic your travel destination -- in the end, "there's no place like home."

Answer: J.R.R. Tolkien

Readers first encountered Gollum in "The Hobbit," the 1937 book that helped remake fantasy as a genre. Bilbo Baggins encountered Gollum (so nicknamed for his habit of swallowing loudly) in dark underground tunnels, escaping with the aid of Gollum's "precious" -- a ring that made the wearer invisible.

In the epic trilogy "The Lord of the Rings," published in 1954 and 1955, the true nature of the "precious" is revealed as the One Ring, created by a dark lord as part of a plan of conquest. The trilogy reveals Gollum's appalling backstory and his descent into madness and obsession as the One Ring works its will on him; his example underlines the stakes of the trilogy's heroes as they seek to dispose of the Ring and save Middle-Earth.