Joy Chant

Searching for something interesting to read in a used bookstore, a book catches your eye. You buy the book, read it and want to read read more of the author’s books. But, you discover, most of the books are out of print and there are no new books. Joy Chant is such an author. She is a talented Fantasy writer. Her few books are gems in the genre. Two won the Mythopoeic Award several years ago.

Red Moon and Black Mountain is the first story in her world of Vandarei. It is a story of children from our world that find themselves transported to this Fantasy world. The three children must each complete a part of a quest that will defeat the Dark god. This is a tale with a strong sense of courage and honor. It has a lot of adventure too.

The next book of Vandarei is The Grey Mane of Morning. This tale is about Ms. Chant’s Harani. They are a combination Native American and Cossack steppe culture. It is a fascinating story with interesting ide ›as and characters. This might be Ms. Chant’s strongest book.

Lastly came When Voiha Wakes, which won a Mythopoeic Award. In this book, readers are provided a tale of a female dominated culture. A male artist is trying to escape the limitations of this society. He must struggle through difficulties to gain his freedom.

Ms. Chant’s last published book turned to Arthurian Fantasy. The High Kings is a book of Celtic and King Arthur stories. Interspersed are knowledgeable articles on Celtic society, history and culture. The hardback version was a coffee table book with pictures while the paperback consists of the text only. Either version is an informative book.

Joy Chant is a talented Fantasy writer of interesting books. Her works contain strong characters, fascinating cultures and powerful themes. It is too bad she hasn’t written any new books in a long time. All of her books are our to print, but if you find any in a used bookstore, be sure to check them out.