Cherryh, C. J. (1942– )
Although some of C. J. Cherryh’s early novels con-
tained many elements of fantasy, she established
her reputation primarily as a science fiction writer,
for which she has received considerable acclaim.
With the exception of a few short stories, she
wrote no true fantasy until 1983, when the two-
volume sequence consisting of The Dreamstoneand
The Tree of Sword and Jewelsappeared, later pub-
lished jointly as Arafel’s Saga.The growing number
and power of the human race has forced the magi-
cal folk of a fantasy world to retreat into a nar-
rowly circumscribed reality. Arafel, the last elf, tries
to protect that rapidly dwindling stronghold in a
very traditional and sometimes very slowly paced
story that often feels like an old fairy tale. Five
years passed before Cherryh’s next fantasy novel,
The Paladin(1988), a rather routine adventure in
which the protagonist organizes resistance to an
invasion when his emperor falters. Cherryh had
been contributing short stories to a shared universe
anthology series set literally within hell itself,
which eventually resulted in the novel Legions of
Hell(1987), which mixed a variety of historical
characters in a series of conflicts, and Kings of Hell
(1987), written with Janet MORRIS, which features
an interesting reenactment of the Trojan War. She
is also listed as a collaborator on a violent other-
world fantasy trilogy consisting of A Dirge for Sabis
with Leslie Fish, Wizard Spawnwith Nancy Asire,
and Reap the Whirlwindwith Mercedes LACKEY, all
published in 1989, although it is uncertain how
much she actually contributed to the text.
Much more interesting are three stand-alone
novels based on Russian fairy tales. Rusalka(1989)
is set in pre-Christian Russia and involves travelers
who encounter a magical wood and the ghost of a
murdered girl. Rusalka is magically restored to life,
but she is lured off by the spirit of her murderer in
Chernevog(1990). The interaction continues into
the next generation with the final installment, Yv-
genie(1991). Her next two fantasy novels were
readable but undistinguished. The Goblin Mirror
(1992) is a fairly routine though pleasantly told
quest story, and Faery in Shadow(1994) is a darker
version of the Arafel sequence set in Scotland.
Cherryh’s most sustained and interesting fan-
tasy series consists of Fortress in the Eye of Time
(1995), Fortress of Eagles(1998), Fortress of Owls
(1999), and The Fortress of Dragons(2000). Tristen
is created by magic as the savior of the land of Yle-
suin, helps secure the throne for the rightful ruler,
defeats his enemies, retires, then returns to battle a
fresh assault by outsiders. Much of the action and
background is standard fare, but Cherryh has a
narrative flare that allows the stories to rise above
the limitations of their subject matter. Although to
date her science fiction has usually been of higher
quality than her fantasy, her contributions to the
latter field are not insignificant.Chetwynd-Hayes, R.(1919–2001)
Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes began writing profession-
ally during the 1950s, but it was not until the latter
part of the 1960s that he began to specialize in
ghost and horror fiction, particularly short stories.
He was quite prolific, particularly at shorter length,
and took the unusual route of publishing most of
his short stories in the form of single-author collec-
tions rather than having them appear initially in
magazines and anthologies, starting with The Un-
bidden (1971). Chetwynd-Hayes wrote a great
many ghost stories, although later in his career he
focused much of his attention on vampires. He was
also one of the few horror writers who could suc-
cessfully include humorous sequences and events
in his work without fatally wounding the mood of
terror and suspense.
His most famous and successful series revolves
around Clavering Grange, which was first men-
tioned in The Dark Man(1964, also published as
And Love Survived), a low-key supernatural novel
in which a sleeping man regresses through time.
Chetwynd-Hayes returned to this setting for sev-
eral short stories as well as two novels. The Grange
(1985, also published as The King’s Ghost) is a his-
torical ghost story filled with high adventure, as is
the less successful The Haunted Grange(1988).
Tales from the Hidden World(1988) collects most of
the associated short stories. A second series con-
sists of stories about the descendants of Count
Dracula, which were collected in two volumes as
Dracula’s Children(1987) and The House of Drac-
ula(1987). Chetwynd-Hayes also wrote a series of
short stories about an occult detective, Francis St.54 Cherryh, C. J.