Since September isn’t quite over yet, technically I’ve only fallen two months behind with my recommendations. Or rather, I’m now one month behind, but that’ll go back up to two on Sunday, since I doubt I’ll manage another one tomorrow. But I’ve written one (the July one) for Charles Stross’ The Family Trade. It’s more lukewarm than my usual, since I have some personal issues unrelated to the book’s quality, but I think it’s worth taking a look at.
Others, however, may differ — and if there’s someone else to add to the list after China Mieville and Charles Stross, I think we could pretend there’s an entire microgenre of economic fantasy.
Steven Brust.
And I think maybe Terry Goodkind, but since I have never read any (and have no interest in doing so), I don’t know for sure.
Which of Brust’s are economic? (And no, I’m not asking just so I can stay away from them. <g>)
I’m too lazy to check, but I think Jody Lynn Nye was the one with the “Mythology” series where in the . . . second book? . . . the main character was working at an advertising agency. Unfortunately, I recall thinking she hadn’t done a great job of integrating that in with the fantasy story; it seemed more like she knew how an advertising agency worked, and decided to write about it.
Teckla, which I liked. Orca, which was *terrible*.
I liked Orca. Teckla’s well done but depressing.
Pratchett’s done a bit as well. Ignoring the echo-gnomics of Colour of Magic, Night Watch was Vimes thinking about the logistics of feeding a giant city, and previous books have had Watch wages, and the surrounding fields of cabbages. Hmm, I may be conflating the economics you’re responding to with the general question of “how do they live and feed themselves?” a la “What do the elves of Lorien eat besides elven Twinkies?”
Yes, my flippant comment in that direction was more aimed at fantasy which takes economic issues as a central focus, than just fantasy which bothers to pay attention to practical issues.
I tend to like the latter more than the former.
