Beyond reality

There were too many deaths in the world of fantastic fiction this year, stirring many memories. For me, Lloyd Alexander's passing brought to mind the thrill of his marvelous "Chronicles of Prydain" (Henry Holt) -- books I probably read and reread even more than I did those of Tolkien and Lewis.

Liz Williams' "Precious Dragon" (Night Shade) adds the titular creature to her heady mix of afterlife adventure and supernatural crime, though curious readers are advised to begin with the first volume, 2005's "Snake Agent," in which the appealingly world-weary (and world-slipping) Detective Inspector Chen first teams up with the natty demon Zhu Irzh (I like to think it's pronounced "urge"). Modern sculptors, take note: There are enough twisted, hallucinatory installation art ideas here to fuel a respectable career.

I'll end with John Crowley's "Endless Things" (Small Beer), the fourth and final book in his "Aegypt" sequence, which began in 1987. It's an unpredictable, free-flowing, sui generis novel, and one that may be pretty much indecipherable, alas, to those unfamiliar with the series. But you can begin your journey with "The Solitudes," which kicks off the Overlook Press' Aegyptian resurrection project (his "Love and Sleep" and "Daemonomania" will be republished next year.)