More Websites

The Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy [sfsite.com]
The SF Site has a table of contents that efficiently organizes all content. A two-sentence heading aptly describes what the site contains: “we have posted a
mixture of book reviews, opinion pieces, author interviews, fiction excerpts, author and publisher reading lists and a variety of other features. At the same time, we've maintained a comprehensive list of links to author and fan tribute sites, SF conventions, SF TV and movies, magazines and e-zines, writer resources, publishers and small press sites and many other SF resources.” The reviews are organized by the author’s last name. They are short but informative, and an image of the book jacket is always included. The reviews are good for fantasy fiction for beginners, while fans can read interviews with their favorite authors and find out about upcoming book reviews. And if users discover a fantasy author they enjoy, the SF Site even includes reading lists by the authors themselves.

FantaFiction [fantafiction.com]
FantaFiction was created to be a website for the fantasy and science fiction genres, and recently began to include horror as well. Its creator is a fan, who alone provides content for and updates the site. It is arranged in a unique way—users can look up authors alphabetically by name and find a biography and often a photo of that author, followed by links to reviews of books by that author. Each review includes an image of the book’s cover and a star-rating, formulated from votes sent in by site visitors. There are also two Top 15 lists for books, by visits to the reviews and by votes from users. The site creator features a book and author of the month each month. This site is well-organized alphabetically and has a search engine as well. Like others, this site features a forum, and also a mailing list. Visiting this site almost guarantees the user will find a book he or she will enjoy reading.

Fantastic Fantasy [thinkquest.org]
Fantastic Fantasy is a library ThinkQuest website, created by students participating in the ThinkQuest contest for creation of an educational website. According to the site introduction, “this site provides information on numerous well-known and less-known fantasy books, as well as the authors.” Here, users can find biographies of seven well-known fantasy authors, and read annotations or a long list of well-known fantasy books. The annotations include the date of publication, series information, and a star-rating. The top three fantasy book sand series based on votes sent to the site are posted. Any visitors can send in a vote to influence the list. One extra unique feature is a glossary of creature names commonly found in fantasy novels with a definition and image. There is even a downloadable version of the site for those who wish to save it on their hard drive and view it offline. Although the website was created by students for educational purposes, it is a great site for all ages to learn more about the fantasy fiction genre.

The Christian Guide to Fantasy [Christianfantasy.net]
This website was created in response to parents who disapproved of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. According to Emily, the creator, “The Christian Guide to Fantasy is a compendium of reviews of those books commonly classified as Fantastic Fiction from a literary and Christian moral standpoint.” Books are rated on the site according to three criteria: “their literary quality, their morality, and their age appropriateness.” Book reviews are broken down into categories by sub-genre and then arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name. Users can also search by author name rather than browse. Information can be accessed easily and quickly. Users can also submit their own reviews for the site. This is a wonderful resource for Christian fiction readers who are interested in fantasy but unsure what to choose.

The Tolkien Society [tolkiensociety.org]
According to tolkiensociety.org, “In 1969 the Tolkien Society was founded to further interest in the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.B.E., the author of The
Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and other works of fiction and philological study.” The Tolkien Society website offers extensive information about “the father of fantasy.” As the Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most well-known classic fantasy series in publication, this website is a great starting point for those interested in learning more about the genre. Users can read Tolkien’s biography, reviews of his books, find an answer to the question of what order Tolkien’s works should be read in, and more. The site is frequently updated with Tolkien news briefs and links, and all content is neatly organized in an index. There is even an option to view the pages in large print. Although the site may have been intended for Tolkien fans, it is a great place for newcomers to fantasy as well.

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