Ever faced off against a fantasy novel the size of Texas?
Heck, those tomes are to regular books what aircraft carriers are to speedboats.
It can be intimidating, just you and your mind, staring down the towering chunk of paper and ink, filled with a world of wonder and mystery.
When I say abridged, I mean, take-the-editing-chainsaw-to-it. Trim the mountain into an anthill (after all, many fantasy novels rival mountains in size and scope). Think book summary on a major diet.
The rules? Three sentences max. The shorter the better.
Abridged Fantasy Novels
LORD OF THE RINGS
Destroy a ring, save the world. Harder than it sounds.
A CAST OF STONES
Oh look, a drunk who’s destined for great things—that’s new. Let’s carve wood…a lot.
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE
Magical boy who goes to school and ends up defeating the two-faced villain. Also, owls.
THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
Four English kids save a different world by getting lost in a wardrobe. Talking animals galore. Then they come back and time hasn’t passed on earth, so…time travel.
KING’S FOLLY
The world is ending because earthquakes.
THE WAY OF KINGS
So many people, so many places, so much mystery, so much magic. And WHO THE HECK IS WIT?!?!
WORDS OF RADIANCE
Treason, treachery, valor, shock, world-threatening doom. Still figuring out who Wit is…
THE SILMARILLION
Elves through history.
THE EYE OF THE WORLD
A group of friends escapes the boredom of small-town life for the perils of a quest. People with funny titles do magic. One of the friends is the Chosen one, but it’s much more complicated than that.
WHEEL OF TIME BOOKS 7-10 (yes, four books condensed into two sentences. Talk about abridged version.)
So, nothing of notable significance happens. Moving on.
ERAGON
Wait, this sounds eerily similar to Star Wars…and Lord of the Rings…and Wheel of Time…and The Earthsea Trilogy. Oh, that’s because it is. Featuring a teenage boy with many, many problems.
BY DARKNESS HID
Is anybody who he or she claims to be? Why does life have to be difficult and complicated? Oh yes, those two characters will *totally* fall for each other, they just don’t know it yet.
THE FINAL EMPIRE
Awesome magic and mist and a messed up tyrannical ruler. Served with a healthy dose of mystery, a side of intrigue, a main course of humor, and a veritable buffet of surprises.
A GAME OF THRONES AND SUBSEQUENT BOOKS (An entire series in three sentences? Again, appreciate the abridgement skills. )
Man’s twisted nature, cruelness, and corruption abound. Oh, dear character, are you still alive? Too bad, because now you’re dead.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Romance. WUT?!
What would your abridged versions of fantasy novels be? I’d love to hear your thoughts here or on social media.
11 thoughts on “Abridged Fantasy Novels”
The Wingfeather Saga
Fangs, toothy cows, and jewels. Need I say more?
I haven’t read Wingfeather Saga and don’t know about, fangs, toothy cows, and jewels, otherwise I totally would have included it. Thanks for reading!
Haha, these are all so great! XD
I never thought of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as time-travel…So true!
The Princess Bride made me laugh. 😀
Thanks Madeline. Glad you enjoyed it.
Um, Princess Bride is chases, escapes, true love, miracles. It says so itself. 😉
I’ve wanted to read the WHEEL OF TIME series. Now I’m wondering how your evaluation will strike me once I have!
The Silmarillion is spot on. Honestly, I couldn’t get through it. I wasn’t as much of a Tolkien Fanatical Freak as some of my friends were! 😀
This was amusing–do more!
Oohhhhhh. *cue slightly guilty look for not knowing/remembering that*
Ah yes, Wheel of Time. I’d say books 1-5 are amazing, 6 is decent, you know how I feel about 7-10, 11 is pretty good, and 12-14 (written by Brandon Sanderson) are spectacular.
Glad you enjoyed it. I’m definitely going to do more, though maybe fantasy. I’ll have to see if I can come up with more books or not. 🙂
Loved them all, Harry Potter was spot on. And I agree, Eragon was lacking in originality.
Thanks, Cathrine. Glad you enjoyed it.
I love this post so much! Wheel of Time books 7-10 – SO TRUE!!!!! hahahahahah
Here are a few more:
Mistborn trilogy: Metal is power and political maneuvering abounds while people sit around being besieged. Random bits of journal entries at beginnings of chapters are more important/interesting than the story itself. Also, nothing is as it seems.
(Sorry, I know you’re a Sanderson fan).
Death Gate Cycle: Eons ago the world was split into multiple realms for long-forgotten reasons, now someone wants to reunite them. Revenge is all important until a secret is revealed. Also, random wizard who references both Gandalf and Luke Skywalker.
Shannara series: Various people throughout the generations are chosen to save the world in different ways. Also, 27 books in, you will discover that this is not fantasy, it’s been post-apocalyptic Earth all along.
The Ranger’s Apprentice Series: There once was a ranger, and he took an apprentice, and there was much rejoicing. Also, various heroic activities.
The Pendragon Cycle: Did you know that Merlin’s origin story resides in the lost city of Atlantis? Also, King Arthur story, and no Guinevere/Lancelot betrayal… so… not so much drama for drama’s sake and the characters can get on with more adventuring.
Name of the Wind: A kid goes to magic school and breaks some rules, which makes him the obvious choice for being allowed to handle even more advanced and dangerous magic. Something about music and a girl. Pretty sure the rest of the story will be great… if it ever gets written. (It’s been a while, so my memory is a bit fuzzy on this one)
Haha, wow. These are fantastic, Jenelle. Mistborn…just yes. I haven’t read any of the others, but great descriptions. Especially loved the Ranger’s Apprentice.
Glad you enjoyed the post!
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