The Many Magical Worlds of Fantasy Fiction Quiz

Answer: Dorne

Reminiscent of Moorish Spain and North Africa, Dorne is hot, arid and mountainous, and therefore sparsely populated. Ruled by House Martell, whose seat is the city of Sunspear, it is a fiercely independent land, and has often proved a thorn in the side of the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms.

The remaining choices can all be found on the huge continent of Essos, which is a parallel of Asia. Braavos is one of the Free Cities, situated across the Narrow Sea from Westeros, while Slaver's Bay and the ancient, triple-walled city of Qarth lie further east.

Answer: Conan

Conan the Cimmerian is the best-known of the characters created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906-1936). Most of his stories featuring this fearless barbarian hero were published in the iconic pulp magazine "Weird Tales". Howard described the Hyborian Age as taking place some time after the fall of Atlantis in an alternate version of our world.

Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in two movies based on Howard's tales, "Conan the Barbarian" (1982) and "Conan the Destroyer" (1984).

Answer: The Wheel of Time

Robert Jordan (pen name of Oliver Rigney, Jr) was the author of the 14-volume saga "The Wheel of Time". When he passed away in 2007, fellow fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson was drafted in to complete the series. The saga's 14th and final volume, "A Memory of Light", was released in 2013. World-building was one of Jordan's strongest suits, and the world of "The Wheel of Time" is an intriguing blend of fantastic and realistic aspects.

The other three choices are also famous multi-volume fantasy sagas: "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" by Steven Erikson, "The Belgariad" by David Eddings, and "The Dark Tower" by Stephen King.

Answer: Hogsmeade

Hogsmeade is situated north-west of Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The quaint medieval village, home to shops and pubs such as Zonko's Joke Shop and The Three Broomsticks, is a popular weekend destination for Hogwarts students in their third year and above.

The remaining three choices are Muggle (non-magical) villages that appear in the "Harry Potter" series. The Weasleys and other wizarding families live near Ottery St Catchpole, and Godric's Hollow is Harry Potter's birthplace, where his parents were murdered by Voldemort when he was one year old. Little Hangleton is the home of Voldemort's maternal and paternal ancestors, the Gaunts and the Riddles.

Answer: Terre d'Ange

Jacqueline Carey's spellbinding "Kushiel's Legacy" series comprises three trilogies (the Phèdre Trilogy, the Imriel Trilogy and the Moirin trilogy), set in an alternate version of our world. Terre d'Ange, a sophisticated, hedonistic society that practices free love ("love as thou wilt"), corresponds to France, and the other countries in Carey's fictional universe have their parallel in ancient and modern civilizations, such as Egypt and Renaissance Italy.

Valyria is George R.R. Martin's own version of Atlantis in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, while Tigana is the country at the centre of Guy Gavriel Kay's eponymous novel, and The Land is the setting for Stephen R. Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant".

Answer: panserbjørne

The three volumes of British writer Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy ("The Golden Compass", "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass") were published between 1995 and 2000. Though originally marketed for young adults, the novels are an enjoyable, thought-provoking read for every age. The panserbjørne (Danish for "armoured bears") - whose king, Iorek Byrnison, is one of the most important characters in the series - are sentient polar bears with opposable thumbs and an innate talent for metallurgy. Their armour, made of "sky-iron", is their soul.

Of the remaining three options, Ents are the tree-shepherds of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", hippogriffs (half-eagle, half-horse creatures) appear in the "Harry Potter" series, and ice dragons are featured in several fantasy series, including George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire".

Answer: Ursula K. Le Guin

American author Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy ("A Wisard of Earthsea", "The Tombs of Atuan" and "The Farthest Shore")was published between 1968 and 1972; then, between 1990 and 2001, three more books set in the same universe were published. Like Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, the Earthsea books were originally meant for young adults, but can be enjoyed at any age.

The other three choices are all distinguished, award-winning women writers of speculative fiction.

Answer: swords

Tad Williams' four-volume saga, published between 1988 and 1993, was a major influence on George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire". It is probably the finest example of Tolkien-inspired, yet not derivative, fantasy fiction. Memory (Minneyar), Sorrow (Jingizu) and Thorn are three legendary swords that are believed to be the only hope against the rising power of the Storm King and his human allies.

Answer: Buckkeep

Buckkeep, dominated by the castle of the same name, is the seat of the Farseer kings, where most of the action of Robin Hobb's "Farseer" and "Tawny Man" trilogies takes place.

Bucklebury is the main town of Buckland in Tolkien's Shire, while Casterly Rock is the seat of House Lannister in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire", and Caemlyn is the capital of the kingdom of Andor in Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time".

Answer: Lether

In Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", Ithilien is the region east of the Anduin River where Frodo and Sam journey on their way to Mordor, and meet Faramir and his Rangers. The Shire, the hobbits' homeland, is part of the north-western region of Eriador, while Rohan, a grassland populated by the Rohirrim, the Horse-Lords, lies south of the Misty Mountains. Lether, on the other hand, is one of the continents in Steven Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen".