What adventure fiction is set in a nomadic culture?
March 3, 2010 10:01 PM Subscribe
What books and movies feature fantasy or adventure in a nomadic culture? I just watched the movie Mongol, and it really reminded me of how much I enjoyed the enjoyed the Daenerys chapters in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I guess I'm attracted to the idea of warring tribes, of only owning whatever you can carry with you, etc. What other exciting works of fiction use this kind of society as a background?
Best answer: Large parts of the Fionavar Tapestry books by Guy Gavriel Kay. But those books are some of the best fantasy ever, period.
posted by zachawry at 10:07 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by zachawry at 10:07 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm not familiar with the works you describe, but you know about Dune, right?
posted by Dr Dracator at 10:28 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by Dr Dracator at 10:28 PM on March 3, 2010
Off the top of my head, there are the Aiel in the Wheel of Time series. They don't fit the "only owning what you can carry with you" criterion, exactly, but there are clans and septs and warrior societies within the Aiel that are constantly at war. (Except that members of the same warrior society won't fight each other, etc.) If you liked the other parts of A Song of Ice and Fire I would recommend you check out the Wheel of Time also.
posted by andrewcilento at 10:56 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by andrewcilento at 10:56 PM on March 3, 2010
Until The Sun Falls, by Cecilia Holland. I highly recommend it.
posted by kyrademon at 2:41 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by kyrademon at 2:41 AM on March 4, 2010
Best answer: Am only part-way through the series, but chunks of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen are very much along this line of setting . . . Deadhouse Gates jumps out of what I've read so far. If you enjoyed Song of Ice and Fire it's a pretty safe bet you'll love it.
posted by protorp at 3:05 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by protorp at 3:05 AM on March 4, 2010
There's a whole section in Ammonite by Nicola Griffiths based in a tribe culture.
posted by jzed at 3:48 AM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jzed at 3:48 AM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, I've not read them at all, but Jean M. Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear book / series might fit the bill.
posted by jzed at 3:50 AM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jzed at 3:50 AM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Not exactly what you're asking for (not adventure/fantasy) but you might like Tian Zhuangzhuang's 1986 film The Horse Thief, about a Tibetan nomad.
posted by Abiezer at 5:59 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by Abiezer at 5:59 AM on March 4, 2010
David Eddings includes the Peloi (based on Mongols) in his Elenium and Tamuli series, but it's not a major part of the story.
posted by parabola01 at 8:13 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by parabola01 at 8:13 AM on March 4, 2010
Jean M. Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear book / series might fit the bill.
FTIW, those books are less about fantasy, adventure, nomadism, or well anything other than prehistoric porn. Maybe give those a pass unless that's your bag.
posted by elendil71 at 9:09 AM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
FTIW, those books are less about fantasy, adventure, nomadism, or well anything other than prehistoric porn. Maybe give those a pass unless that's your bag.
posted by elendil71 at 9:09 AM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Eddings also has the Algar horse-clans in his Belgariad and Malloreon series. Again, though, they don't get a hell of a lot of screen time.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 11:47 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 11:47 AM on March 4, 2010
If you've got a soft spot for margaret weiss and tracey hickman, check out their Rose of the Prophet trilogy. It's nowhere near as good as Song of Fire and Ice (waiting impatiently for the tv series), but it's quite charming.
posted by Ultrahuman at 3:40 PM on March 4, 2010
posted by Ultrahuman at 3:40 PM on March 4, 2010
good luck finding a copy, but if you liked any Conan books, you'll flip out over how much better Nifft the Lean is. My friends who hate fantasy experienced complete about faces when exposed to this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Nifft-Lean-Michael-Shea/dp/0879977833
posted by Redhush at 5:31 PM on March 4, 2010
http://www.amazon.com/Nifft-Lean-Michael-Shea/dp/0879977833
posted by Redhush at 5:31 PM on March 4, 2010
N. Lee Wood's "Faraday's Orphans" is a good post-apocalyptic novel that has a city type briefly falling in with nomads descended from the Amish. It's far from the focal point of the book but it always stuck with me.
More nomad-centric is Conn Iggulden's Genghis: Birth of an Empire. It is a fictionalized telling of Genghis Khan's life before he was Khan. It was awesome.
posted by codswallop at 5:51 PM on March 4, 2010
More nomad-centric is Conn Iggulden's Genghis: Birth of an Empire. It is a fictionalized telling of Genghis Khan's life before he was Khan. It was awesome.
posted by codswallop at 5:51 PM on March 4, 2010
Crazy Horse is narrative biography about Crazy Horse which immerses the reader into the life and culture of a nomadic warrior.
posted by shothotbot at 5:20 AM on March 5, 2010
posted by shothotbot at 5:20 AM on March 5, 2010
Clans of barbarian horsemen figure prominently in K J Parker's "The Fencer Trilogy" - that might be worth checking out. Also, it has incredibly well-written swordfights.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:36 AM on March 5, 2010
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:36 AM on March 5, 2010
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posted by Neofelis at 10:04 PM on March 3, 2010