L.E. Modesitt Jr Books In Order

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Publication Order of Timegods' World Books

Publication Order of Ecolitan Matter Books

Chronological Order of Ecolitan Matter Books

Publication Order of Forever Hero Books

Publication Order of Saga Of Recluce Books

Chronological Order of Saga Of Recluce Books

Publication Order of Saga Of Recluce Collections

Publication Order of Johan Eschbach Books

Publication Order of Parafaith Books

Publication Order of Spellsong Cycle Books

Publication Order of Archform: Beauty Books

Publication Order of Corean Chronicles Books

Publication Order of Imager Portfolio Books

Chronological Order of Imager Portfolio Books

Publication Order of Grand Illusion Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Year's Best Fantasy Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

LE Modesitt Jr is best known for his fantasy series “The Saga of the Recluce”. His first story was stories published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine in 1973.

His first series, Timegod’s World, started in 1982 with The Fires of Paratine. This series was about a race of immortal time travellers and two heroes of that race.

Modesitt Jr was born Leland Exton Modesitt Jr in Denver, Colorado in 1943. Before writing science fiction and fantasy, he worked in many professions including Navy pilot, market research analyst, and government consultant on environmental issues. In addition to writing science fiction he also writes about science fact. He has published technical studies articles and columns. He also worked as political writer for 20 years. He currently lives in Utah and has 8 children.
Modesitt Jr has some common science fiction themes in many of his works. Magic or god-like powers are often explained by their users being superior beings instead of magical, following the science fiction maxim from Arthur C Clarke that any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic. Music has power in many of his books, the Spellsong Cycle has this as a central tenet.

His background in environmentalism often shows in his books. Dystopic themes are common in many of his series, either on Earth or on other worlds. He applies much of his knowledge of real science to his works to add to the realism of environmental issues within the books.

Because of his military background, many of his strong characters tend to be male and focused on military careers. He has written only a few strong female characters (The Soprano Sorceress) but the majority tend to be male. His books do have strong female characters but they are mostly written from a male perspective. As this is the authors background, that is understandable. On his website he addresses this dichotomy. He saw a drop in readership when that female-character oriented book came out but thought it was because he had previously published so many male-oriented books and his audience wasn’t fond of it. He also thought part of the fault lay in the fact that publishers tend to market to one audience and he didn’t have a lot of readers among people who prefer women as principal protagonists.

Ethics is often a theme in his books. Characters examine when war is necessary and the overall impact of their actions. Like other science fiction writers, he uses the medium of fiction to address issues in the real and modern world through the eyes of his characters. Many of his books address society and people’s place in it. How does the behavior of one person or group benefit or damage the society? Is there a good choice among bad choices? He often addresses the political aspects of these conflicts, drawing on his experiences as a writer in Washington.

He has several books about young people with developing powers who are faced with choices on how to use those powers. He writes about their journies from childhood to adulthood, confronting issues which the reader can relate to, even if they are not developing powers.The Imager Portfolio series is one that follows the story of man who discovers he has powers and finds he must keep them hidden, a common theme in many sci fi and fantasy books.

Modesitt’s most well-known series is “The Saga of the Recluce” which he started in 1991 and is ongoing. The books are published out of chronological order, however the author recommends they be read in the order published. The books cover the saga of two technologically advanced cultures living on a world with limited resources. They are forced to live at a lower technological level. Through this vehicle, the author addresses themes of racism, environmentalism, and ethics. The series covers a chronological period of several thousand years.

Modesitt’s work bridges pure science fiction and pure fantasy, his fantasy often has an element of science fiction to it. His worlds are full of accurate detail. The author brings all of hie experience in to his books to create a realistic tableau. Unlike Asimov, who wrote pure science fiction or Piers Anthony who focuses on fantasy, Modesitt’s passion for science and fantasy blends in his books.

The Mormon faith appears in several of his works and was a central part of The Parafaith wars, a series which also brings in his environmental themes. He is generally positive regarding the Mormon and other faiths, not seeing them as a necessarily evil influence on society.

Food and cooking are often described in detail in many of his books. There are even FAQs on his page asking for recipes of dishes he has invented for the worlds he has created. The author states that right now, there is no plan for a cookbook. Like all of his descriptions, whether it is of a character, a room or a meal, there is almost to much detail in his writing. He seems to be quite a “foodie” as he spends a lot of words talking about the food.

One of the aspects his fans love is that his characters are so real, live real lives and have real jobs. Because he includes so much detailed description of every aspect, some readers find his work to be too stuffed with detail. While a certain level of detail can be distracting, it does lend realism to all of his work.

This is also one of the criticisms of his work. Some readers who don’t want all the details about the meal and the wine prefer to have a book which has a faster moving plot. His work appeals to people who want to lose themselves in a detailed world complete with the reasons a particular magic works or does not work.

His work “The Imager” has won the David Gemmell Legend Award. None of his books are slated for movies, but several of his earlier works are soon to be published in audio books. The writer’s website has an excellent blog where he writes about current events and brings his fans up to date on the latest news. He frequently responds to questions and comments from his fans.

Book Series In Order » Authors » L.E. Modesitt Jr