Thomas Burnett Swann Books In Order

Publication Order of The Latium Trilogy Books

Publication Order of The Minotaur Trilogy Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Thomas Burnett Swann
Thomas Burnett Swann, born October 12, 1928, was an author, a professor, a poet, and a literary critic. He was best known as the author of many fantasies published during the sixties and seventies. Many of his bucolic stories were set in the Ancient World and were populated by some mythic creatures.

He began writing fiction in the year 1958 with “Winged Victory”, a science fiction tale based on the famous headless statue known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace. In his story, the statue’s head is found and is revealed to have been modeled on an alien visitor whom the sculptor took for a goddess.

Many of his early stories stories appeared in Science Fantasy, a British magazine. Some of his stories appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Poets appear frequently as characters in his work, always on the good side. Robert Herrick (in “Will-o-the-Wisp”), Sappho (in “Wolfwinter”), Charles Sorley (in “The Goat Without Horns”), and Thomas Chatterton (in “The Not-World”).

A lot of his fantasy stories fit into a rough chronology that starts in ancient Egypt around 2500 B.C. and chronicles the steady decline of magic and mythological races like centaurs, dryads, selkies, satyrs, and minotaurs. Thomas blended myth with adventure and romance. He uses the stuff of myth, however, with twists and inventions all his own. His neo-romantic fantasies of the past have been called unique.

Much of his writing was straight fantasy. His early story “The Dryad-tree” is set in contemporary Florida and features one woman’s reaction to the knowledge that her new husband’s garden has a tree possessed by a jealous dryad. The story was later adapted into a short film in the year 2017.

There is an undercurrent of sexuality that runs through Thomas’ work. Quite a few of his characters are sexually adventurous and they regard sexual repression as being spiritually damaging. Casual and sometimes permanent nudity is quite common in his work. Homosexual relationships between both female and male characters are often hinted at, but seldom made explicit.

He was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature three times for Best Book for “The Forest Forever” (1972), “Green Phoenix” (1973), and “How Are the Mighty Fallen” (1975). Thomas was nominated for three Hugo Awards, one for “Where is the Bird of Fire?” (Best Short Story), one for “The Manor of Roses” (Best Novellette), and one for “Day of the Minotaur” (Best Novel).

Thomas’ debut novel, called “Day of the Minotaur”, was released in the year 1966. His last novel, titled “Queens Walk in the Dusk”, was released in the year 1977. His work was from the fantasy genre, and wrote the “Minotaur” series and the “Mellonia” series, as well as some stand alone work. Thomas also published two short story collections, “The Dolphin and the Deep” (released in 1968) and “Where is the Bird of Fire?” (released in 1970).

He died of cancer at the age of 47 on May 5, 1976. Quite a few of his novels wound up getting published posthumously.

“Day of the Minotaur” is the first novel in the “Minotaur” series and was released in the year 1966. Thea watched their torch-bearing captors recede into the distance and just leave them to the darkness of the cave. Icarus, her brother whispered to “forgive me, I just wanted to come out to the Country of the Beasts, and not to the Cave of the Minotaur”.

Then they heard the soft padding of feet, or was it hooves?, and the curdling bellow of some enraged monster. It was the bull-that-walks-like-a-man, the hybrid of beast and man, monstrous to your eye and roars with a cold evil.

Thea started feeling her way along the walls. Their dampness just oozed like blood ‘tween her fingers. She turned a corner and looked right into the eyes of the Minotaur, and his matted and red hair.

Fans found this to be a quick and easy read. Thomas is able to bring to life these fantasy characters from mythology as real beings. Despite its short length, this is an exciting, well-told, and imaginative fantasy novel.

“The Weirwoods” is the first stand alone novel and was released in the year 1967. In the time of the Etruscans, the half-forgotten civilization that preceded Rome, fauns, centaurs, and the other manlike races still existed alongside humanity.

Between mankind and the Weir Ones was constant distrust and fear. When Lars Velcha, the arrogant nobleman, enslaved one such creature, the distrust and fear turned into warfare.

Fans of the novel found this to be a well written novel with strong characterization, is not just a typical evil vs good plot that takes up a lot of fantasy books. Thomas does a great job of transporting the reader into another world and you want to stay there much longer than you are supposed to.

“The Minikins of Yam” is a stand alone novel and was released in the year 1976. The twelve year old Pharoah Pepy II is a humanitarian soul, who sneaks out of the palace in the night in disguise so that he can distribute largesse among the downtrodden and poor.

However, Pepy gets threatened by machinations of his queen and sister, the former plots his murder so she can have absolute rule. This is a stunt that she could get away with since she could disguise the murder as only a sacrifice to assuage a population that is panicked by the prophetic and untimely arrival of a phoenix right up on the walls of the palace.

“The Gods Abide” is a stand alone novel and was released in the year 1976. In this tale of the time of the Celtic and Roman kingdoms, Swann tells a story of the pagan gods’ retreat and all their array of nymphs, little folk, and sprites. Facing the ruthless practicality of this new religion that denies even their right to exist, the varied prehumans face total destruction unless they can find sanctuary beyond detection.

It tells their story as well as that of two of their defenders, who are following the trail of some legendary immortals right to the very waters of the Styx.