title: The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
author: Palgrave Macmillan Ltd
description: This masterful follow-up to the 1993 <i>Encyclopedia of Science Fiction</i> is an essential purchase for anyone who's serious about fantasy. Those who are serious about horror will also find it an excellent reference. The works of prolific and confusing authors such as Michael Moorcock, as well as authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien who have many posthumously published fragments, are explained with admirable clarity. Especially fascinating are the numerous terms for motifs and themes, constituting what the editors call a map of the many "fuzzy sets" in the universe of fantasy fiction--terms such as "crosshatch," "polder," and "water margin." There are many entries on horror movies and the better-known horror writers (only writers who write no fantasy, such as Richard Laymon, are excluded). You'll also find carefully written definitions of horror, dark fantasy, supernatural fiction, gothic fiction, psychological thrillers, and weird fiction. <i>Locus</i> calls <i>The Encyclopedia of Fantasy</i> "massive and welcome," and writes, "This will be the standard reference for years to come."
zlib_text: ![](Images/image00277.jpeg)
  
  [www.hachettechildrens.co.uk](http://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk)
  
  ![](Images/image00289.jpeg)
  
    
    
  
  ‘A master of fantasy’
  
   _THE_ ___HUFFINGTON_ ___POST_
  
    
  
  ‘The best magic universe since Harry Potter’
  
   _BUSTLE_
  
    
  
  ‘This is what fantasy is for’
  
   _THE_ ___NEW_ ___YORK_ ___TIMES_ ___BOOK_ ___REVIEW_
  
    
  
  ‘[A] world that feels real enough to have its own passport stamp’
  
  NPR
  
    
  
  ‘The darker it gets for the good guys, the better’
  
   _ENTERTAINMENT_ ___WEEKLY_
  
    
  
  ‘Sultry, sweeping and picturesque … Impossible to put down’
  
   _USA_ ___TODAY_
  
    
  
  ‘There’s a level of emotional and historical sophistication within Bardugo’s
  original epic fantasy that sets it apart’
  
   _VANITY_ ___FAIR_
  
    
  
  ‘Bardugo crafts a first-rate adventure, a poignant romance, and an intriguing
  mystery!’
  
  RICK RIORDAN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES
  
  ALSO BY LEIGH BARDUGO
  
  The Shadow and Bone Trilogy
  
   _Shadow and Bone_
  
   _Siege and Storm_
  
   _Ruin and Rising_
  
    
  
  The