Alphabetical SFF

[Nesacat]

Originally Posted by Brown Rat

There are too many authors whose last name begins with M. I'm just going to list three that other people might not mention:

C.E. Murphy
Pat Murphy
R.A. MacAvoy

RA MacAvoy's work is wonderful. Tea with a black dragon and the tale is indeed true about the dragon. You know, you're the first person I've met in years who know MacAvoy's books.

[Brown Rat]

I love Tea with the Black Dragon!

[j. d. worthington]

I know this is quite late, but I never did get to the L's myself...

Professor Lake: member of the Miskatonic Expedition to the Antarctic, the man who discovered the preserved "Old Ones" and whose camp was consequently wiped out by them.... (At the Mountains of Madness)

Inspector John R. LeGrasse: New Orleans detective who visits a meeting of archaeologists to find out more about a mysterious "voodoo" cult worshipping a strange "god" named Cthulhu ("The Call of Cthulhu")

Dr. Lyman: psychiatrist called in to help with The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

The Last Battle: that which is to take place at the End of Days, when Ea is broken and remade (The Silmarillion, LotR)

Laurelindorinan: Original Quenya name for Lothlorien (LotR)

The Lay of Leithian: The song which tells of the love of Beren and Luthien (LotR, The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand)

Lhun: River in western Middle-earth, which flowed from the Ered Luin into the Gulf of Lhun (LotR)

Lidless Eye: the Eye of Sauron (LotR)

David Lindsay: A Voyage to Arcturus, Devil's Tor (among others)

Lin Carter: popular (but not necessarily good) fantasy writer and (often excellent) editor

Lilith: according to some traditions, the "first wife" of Adam, also in some seen as a Lamia or succubus; also the title of a wonderful book by George MacDonald

Land of Unreason: quirky humorous fantasy novel by Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp

Andrew Lang: editor of the Fairy Tale Books of Many Colors, folklorist, and co-translator of excellent prose versions of The Illiad and the The Odyssey, and co-author, with H. Rider Haggard, of The World's Desire

The Lost Continent: a tale of Atlantis, by C. J. Cutcliffe-Hyne

Hugh Lamb: editor of several very good anthologies of Victorian and Edwardian supernatural tales, often reviving stories long out of print

Francis Lathom: one-time popular writer of early Gothic romances (d. 1832); sadly, now forgotten

Vernon Lee: Pen name of Violet Page, who wrote several superb stories of the supernatural, including "Oke of Okehurst"

Gaston Leroux: author of The Phantom of the Opera (1911) as well as several other stories using supernatural themes

Maurice Level: one of the main contributors to the Grand Guignol, also wrote The Grip of Fear and Those Who Return

Matthew Gregory Lewis: author of the infamous Gothic novel, Ambrosio, or The Monk, as well as several other tales in this vein, and at least one stage play of the sort, The Castle Spectre

Jack London: prolific and important writer of the early 20th century in America; wrote several books and stories using fantastic themes, from The Star Rover (1914) to Before Adam (1906)

La Motte Fouque (Friedrich Heinrich Karl, Baron de): wrote the exquisite fairy tale/supernatural romance Undine

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Nesacat

RA MacAvoy's work is wonderful. Tea with a black dragon and the tale is indeed true about the dragon. You know, you're the first person I've met in years who know MacAvoy's books.

*raises hand* It's been a while, but I have read them, and still have several of them. Indeed, very, very nice stuff.

[BookStop]

OOh- I was coming back to add Mordor to the list; I see it is already there, and now were back on Ls. Tsk, Tsk. This is a topsy-turvy world.

Maniacal, mucousy menace meticulously maraudes metal metropolis'.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by BookStop

OOh- I was coming back to add Mordor to the list; I see it is already there, and now were back on Ls. Tsk, Tsk. This is a topsy-turvy world.

Don't speak too soon; we've been known to revisit the "A"s...

Maniacal, mucousy menace meticulously maraudes metal metropolis'.

My what mellifluous metalanguage, my dear!

[BookStop]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

My what mellifluous metalanguage, my dear!

Well, we women work wonders when we want. (wait- did I jump to ws?) Whoa.

[j. d. worthington]

Well, since I'm here....

Mervyn Peake: The Gormenghast Books

William Morris: creator of modern (faux-medieval) fantasy in such books as The Wood Beyond the World, The Well at the World's End, The Sundering Flood, etc.

George MacDonald: listed above, also produced fairy tales, and another eerie adult story called Phantastes, as well as Evenor

Hope Mirrlees: Lud-in-the-Mist (two birds with one stone, so to speak)

George Meredith: the delightful Arabian Nights' style fantasy, The Shaving of Shagpat

The Maginogion: many incarnations, including the 4-novel rendering by Evangeline Walton

The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare: GKC, a very odd and quite delightful fantasy

Arthur Machen: One of the greatest names in fantasy, influence on such writers as H.P. Lovecraft, T.E.D. Klein, and Robert E. Howard; most notably for his The House of Souls, "The Red Hand" and The Three Impostors

James Macpherson: with his (brilliant) literary hoax, The Poems of Ossian

Sir Thomas Malory: Le Morte d'Arthur

Christopher Marlowe: The Tragicall History of Dr. Faustus

Capt. Frederick Marryatt: The Phantom Ship, the canonical handling of the tale of the Flying Dutchman, which also includes one of the most famous of werewolf tales

Richard Marsh: The Beetle

Charles Robert Maturin: Melmoth the Wanderer, perhaps the greatest of all the Goths

Guy de Maupassant: numerous fantasy/horror tales, including "The Horla" and "The White Wolf"

Wilhelm Meinhold: The Amber Witch, which was frequently taken as a true tale of the middle ages, and even quoted as such as late as the 1930s.

Prosper Merimee: "La Venus d'Ille", based on the tale of Philinnion and Machates from Phlegon

John Metcalfe: writer of some superbly eerie and dream-like tales, such as "The Bad Lands" in his wonderful collection The Smoking Leg

Gustav Meyrink: who gave us The Golem

Thomas Moore: Romantic poet (sadly neglected these days), who wrote some wonderfully evocative poems, including the odd Alciphron, which inspired passages in several works by Lovecraft

Dorothy Macardle: she wrote the wonderful supernatural romance, The Uninvited (1942)

Richard Matheson: numerous sf and horror pieces, from I Am Legend to Hell House to The Shrinking Man to the exquisitely poignant Bid Time Return

Abe Merritt: wrote several fantasy novels and short stories which are classics in the field, from The Moon Pool and The Metal Monster, to the Lovecraftian The Dwellers in the Mirage and the evocative and eerie The Face in the Abyss, as well as the lyrical fantasy The Ships of Ishtar and those wonders of the short story "Through the Dragon Glass", "Three Lines of Old French" and, especially, "The Fox Woman"

Michael Moorcock: prolific fantasy/sf writer, creator of more modern pop heroes than one can shake a stick at, among them being Elric of Melnibone, Jerry Cornelius, Oswald Bastable, Erekose, Corum Jhaelin Irsei....

Catherine Louis Moore: creator of both Jirel of Joiry and Northwest Smith, wife and collaborator with Henry Kuttner on some of the most literate and thoughtful sf of the 1940s and '50s, including "The Children's Hour", "Mimsey Were the Borogoves" and "Vintage Season"

W. C. Morrow: a nearly forgotten figure of late nineteenth and early twentieth century horror, member of the San Francisco literary circle that included Twain and Bierce, and author of that particularly nasty tale, "The Monster-Maker"

H. Warner Munn: writer of several fantasies, including Merlin's Ring, and the Tales of the Werewolf Clan

Talbot Mundy: though writing predominantly historical fiction, his work was, like Haggard's often tinged with the fantastic, including Om: The Secret of Abhor Valley (1924) and Full Moon (1935)

At the Mountains of Madness: short novel by H. P. Lovecraft that took the blending of horror and sf to a new height

And, of course, what are probably the most famous witches of all, in

Macbeth: William Shakespeare

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by BookStop

Well, we women work wonders when we want. (wait- did I jump to ws?) Whoa.

[kyektulu]

Kyes Fantastical Creatures M,

Magmin,
This glowing humanoid creature looks like a stumpy human sculpted from fire and flowing lava.
It radiates heat like a small bonfire and it has a gleefull, almost malicious smile on its face.Magmins are small human-shaped beings from the elemental plane of fire.
Although not evil, these fiery creatures areextreemly mischievous.
They like to watch things burn, perhaps lacking in the ability to understand that flames are painfull and even deadly to other creatures.

Manticore,
This creature is awesome in every sense of the word.
It has the head of a golden eagle, the body of a lion and the wings of a dragon.
The creatures back is set with curved barbs and its long tail ends in a cluster of deadly spikes.
Manticores are feircely protective of thier terratory, which is usually mountainous terrain far from lands occupied by humnans, elves and any other beings.
They have a reputation for being cunning and evil, but this is far from the trut.
They would prefare to live simple lives, hunting, playing and rearing young, yet they have a strong sense of good and will aid the willing adventurer if they see the cause just.

Medusa,
Though at first glance this creature appears to be a well proportioned human female. Yet a closer look reveals a hidious face crowned with a mass of writhing snakes instead of hair, eyes glowing a deep, feral red and scaley earth coloured skin.
The Medusa is a hatefull, repulsive creature that perrifies living beings with its malevolent gaze.
The Medusa is a female being of once stunning beauty, the beasts current state is a punishment from a deity which it has offended.
The creature prizes art objects, fine jewelry and wealth, its activitys often revolve around obtaining these objects.
A medusa is indistingushable from a distance, the creature often wears garments that enhance its body whilst it keeps its face and head hidden.
Medusas are found in nearly every climate, some dwell in large citys, becoming active in the criminal underworld to gain thier desires.

[BookStop]

Moran, Daniel Keys
McKinley, Robin
Modesitt, L.E.
Miyazaki, Hayao
Martin, George R.R.

Middle Earth
Maximum - James Patterson series

[kyektulu]

Mephit,
Mephits are minor creatures from the elemental planes.
They are more curious than evil, though each individuals nature varies depending on the essence of the elemental plane that birthed it.
All Mephits are small, winged creatures with varying features, some are more humanoid, some reptillian , others are mall like in appearence.
While they are often described as a nuisense and impish, there elemental origins are apparent at first glance.

Merfolk,
This being has the upper body, arms and head of a fair-featured human or elf.
Instead of legs, however, it has a beautifully coloured, scaled tail of a giant fish.
The Merfolk are playfull, marine dwelling people. Although wary of surface dwellers, they are not unusuallt hostile: They prefare sunning themselves on rocks to engaging in warfare.
Both male and female merfolkdecorate themselves with shells, coral and other underwater adornments.
Adventurers who encounter merfolk are often the victims of pranks and mischeif. The sport of merfolk can be cruel, although they are not actually evil by nature some do walk darker paths than others.
Should the oceans come to harm, however, merfolk are formidable enemies.

Mimic,
The Mimic is a strange and deadly creature that can change its pigmentationand shape. It lures it hapless victims close enough to slay them.
It is said that Mimics are not natural creatures but created long ago by a now forgotten wizard, ever since these terrible creatures have served to gaurd treasures.
A Mimic can have almost any dimensions, but prefare to inhabit a form which is inviting and lure the victim into a false sense of security.
A Mimic has no need for food, water or sleep, one of the reasons it is believed to be a unnatural being.

Mind Flayer,
This strange humanoid shaped being stands about as tall as a human.
Its flesh is rubbery and greenish-mauve, glistening with slime.
This creatures head looks rather like a four tenticled octopus, made all the more horrible by its pair of bloated eyes.
Mind Flayers, also known as illithids, are so insidious, diabolical and powerfull that all denizens of the dark path fear them. They bend others to thier will and shatter enimies minds.
A Mind Flayers mouth, a revolting thing shaped like lampheys maw it constantly drips an oily slime when its not syphoning out brains of living prey.
In addition to being highly intelligent, wholly evil and terribly sadistic, Mind Flayers are utterly self-serving,.
If an encounter turns against the creatures favout it flees at once, caring nothing for the welfare of its companions or servitors.

[kyektulu]

Minotaur,
The creature looks like an incredibly tall, powerfully muscled human, covered in shaggy fur, with the head of a bull.
The eyes of the being gleam with a savage fury.
Minotaurs are strong, fiercely territorial creatures.
A Minotaurs natural cunning and feral instincts enable it to find its way even through even the most confusing of magically altered terrain, this ability it puts to hunting, warfare and invasions.
A Minotaur stands more than 7ft tall and are natural sailors.
They live in towns and citys not unlike humans, however most Minotaurs despise other races, viewing them as inferior to themselves and will often treat them with intense cruelty and malice, in many cases they capture humans and elves and keep them as slaves.

Mohrg,
This creature looks like a gaunt, nearly skeletal corpse, its rib cage is filled with horrid, writhing viscera.
This creatures toungue is the most note worthy feature - long, cartilagnous and clawed.
Mohrg's are the animated corpses of mass murderers or similar evil villans who died without attoning for thier crimes.
Tortured by an all consuming hatered of living beings, they long to live again and if they cannot live, they see no reason why they should let another exist.

[Brown Rat]

Vonda McIntyre (J.D., I thought for sure you'd include her, so I didn't mention her in my list of three.)

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Brown Rat

Vonda McIntyre (J.D., I thought for sure you'd include her, so I didn't mention her in my list of three.)

Ooops, no I didn't, did I? eeep! Well, thank you for calling me on that. Certainy a voice that needs to be heard, I think.

(Now, I'm going to go into the corner and wear my dunce cap for a while....)