A trip through the pages of Fantasy Review magazine, exploring vintage book announcements, forgotten fantasy novels, and the fantastic cover art that made us look twice.
Imagine stepping into your favorite bookstore . . . except it’s 1984.
The shelves are packed with fantasy paperbacks. Dragons, wizards, warriors, and mysterious worlds stare back at you from gloriously illustrated covers. You’ve got a few dollars burning a hole in your pocket, and the hardest decision of the day is figuring out which adventure to take home.
(Ahhh... those were the days.)
Well, Adventurers, today we’re going fantasy book shopping - 1984 style!
I’ve been rummaging through the pages of an old Fantasy Review magazine from January 1984, and tucked among its book announcements and advertisements is a treasure trove of fantasy fiction just waiting to be rediscovered. (There’s also quite a bit of sci-fi, but we'll let most of the spaceships fly past today - I'm here for the swords, sorcery, and dragons!)
Some are familiar old friends. Others are books I’ve heard of but never read. And quite a few are titles I don’t remember ever encountering at all!
You’ll spot some recognizable authors, legendary fantasy artists, and plenty of those wonderfully imaginative covers that once made us stop, stare, and reach for our wallets.
And because the original magazine reproduces most of these covers in black and white, I’ve tracked down color versions of a selection of them so we can appreciate their artwork in all its fantasy-filled glory.
So grab your imaginary $2.50 (common price of a paperback back then), make some room on your already overflowing bookshelf, and join me for a little literary time travel.
Who knows? Your next great fantasy adventure might have been waiting for you since 1984!
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WELCOME BACK TO 1984. GOT $2.50?
As ridiculously cheap as $2.50 sounds for a paperback book, I was quite shocked at how many hardcover books were around $16.95, plus or minus a few bucks.
$16.95 is the equivalent value of around $55 in 2026 dollars! Something tells me, inflation doesn’t really work the way that everyone tells us it does. Pfff. Wizard math.
A LITTLE ABOUT FANTASY REVIEW...
Fantasy Review began life as Fantasy Newsletter, founded by Paul C. Allen, before evolving into a magazine covering the worlds of fantasy and science fiction through news, reviews, interviews, commentary, and publishing announcements.
The issue we’re exploring today is January 1984 (Volume 7, No. 1, Issue #64), edited by Robert A. Collins. Alongside its regular features - including an article by Karl Edward Wagner and an interview with Peter Tremayne - the magazine offered readers a glimpse of what was arriving on bookstore shelves through its extensive book listings and publisher advertisements.
And that’s where our adventure begins!
What follows is a selection of those original pages, featuring everything from familiar fantasy favorites to long-forgotten titles, along with some additional full-color book covers I’ve tracked down to help bring these vintage announcements back to life.
Keep an eye out for anything you’d have grabbed off the shelf back in 1984? Or perhaps something you’d still pick up today?
The Never Ending Story - soon to be a major motion picture!!!
A locomotive wrap-around cover by D&D fantasy artist great . . . Clyde Caldwell!!!
Ancient Rome . . . America . . . and Bigfoot?
Another cool Stephen Fabian cover:
A bit out of context for this newsletter, but had to include this since it’s Boris Vallejo . . . doing a Star Trek cover!!!
Ooh! The Man in the High Castle was re-issued this year, too!
Another beautiful Boris cover:
I’m noticing a lot in the themes of time travel and Ancient Rome in many of these books.
Interestingly enough, there was a 2023 TikTok/Instagram trend where women asked young men how often they think about the Roman Empire, and were shocked at the frequency - often a few times a week to as much as every day!
Here’s a cool Michael Whelan cover!
And Darrell K. Sweet:
And back when Robert Jordan of Wheel of Time fame was still writing Conan stories!
One of my favorite fantasy books (and covers) of all time! Darrell K. Sweet nailed it.
And another Darrell K. Sweet:
Ken Kelly always knew the assignment. Love his work!
And one last proper Vallejo to end this edition:
SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME...
Well, Adventurers, it looks like our little book-shopping expedition through 1984 is coming to an end.
And if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spotted a few titles you’d forgotten about, a few you remember fondly, and maybe even a few you’ve never heard of before.
That’s one of the things I love about digging through old fantasy magazines. They’re more than just time capsules of what was popular or newly published. They’re reminders of just how vast, varied, and wonderfully imaginative the world of fantasy fiction has always been.
Some of these books became beloved classics. Others quietly slipped into obscurity. But somewhere among those forgotten shelves, there might still be a story waiting to transport us to a world we’ve never visited.
And those covers! From the legendary fantasy artists whose work we know and love to the countless illustrations that once competed for our attention on crowded bookstore shelves, they’re a reminder of just how much magic could be packed into a single paperback.
Of course, the only real problem with rediscovering all these books is that my To-Be-Read pile just got a little taller.
Again.
So, as we step back out of our imaginary 1984 bookstore and return to the present, I’ll leave you with one thought:
Just because a fantasy book is old doesn’t mean its adventure has passed its expiration date.
Until next time, Adventurers...
Keep the Adventure Going Strong!
(... and try not to spend all your $2.50 in one place!)
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💬Tavern Talk
❓Which fantasy books from these 1984 listings have you actually read? Any old favorites you’d recommend to your fellow Adventurers?
❓How much did fantasy cover art influence your book-buying decisions back in the day? Were you a sucker for a gorgeous Boris Vallejo, Michael Whelan, Darrell K. Sweet, or Clyde Caldwell painting?
❓Did you discover any fantasy books in this edition that you’d never heard of before? Which ones might be finding their way onto your ever-growing reading list?
🎵 NOT EVERY FANTASY ADVENTURE IS FOUND IN A BOOK...
Sometimes, it’s hiding beneath an ancient burial mound.
One of the 13 tracks from my dark fantasy folk album, Tales of Adventure: Monsters in the Mist, is “The Beast Beneath the Barrow” - a musical journey into the darker corners of folklore, where old legends and buried mysteries still stir the imagination.
If you love the atmosphere of classic fantasy novels, eerie folklore, and adventures into the unknown, this one’s worth a listen!
🎧 Give it a listen on SoundCloud, and if you enjoy the song, please take a moment to LIKE it (❤️ the little heart icon). It costs nothing, takes a second, and helps more listeners discover my music.
And while you’re there, consider FOLLOWING Rediscovered Realms so you don’t miss future musical adventures.
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Liked this edition? Here are a few other fantasy-novel-themed Rediscovered Realms issues from the vault you’ll love:
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