# Recommend fantasy short story with familiars **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047 "2014-01-06T17:51:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/1 "2014-01-06T17:51:37Z")
I’ve been looking for fantasy short stories with familiars\* in them. They don’t need to be completely traditional familiars, and they certainly don’t need to be called familiars. Any recommendations will be appreciated. I’d ask for novels, but I’m not sure I have the time to go through a bunch of novels. Thanks ahead of time. - animals or animal-like beings that are magically attached to a person ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/2 "2014-01-06T20:30:47Z")
Welllllllll… it’s not a short story, but it’s got a totally awesome familiar in it, so I am breaking your rules right here in post #1. _**[Lirael](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47624.Lirael?from_search=true)**_, by Garth Nix. Middle book of a trilogy, but you could skip the first one without missing too much; its protagonist is Lirael’s (the protagonist of the latter two books) mother, and takes place probably 15-16 years before the latter two books. Really, seriously, one of the bestest familiars ever. If you can find the time, it’s worth the read. Only downside (aside from not being a short story) is a rather annoying, emo, whiny secondary protagonist. Grit your teeth and trudge through his chapters to get back to Lirael and the Disreputable Dog. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/3 "2014-01-06T20:43:18Z")
Also gonna break your rules, but then relent and follow them. **His Dark Materials** , by Phillip Pullman, assigns a familiar (or “daemon”) to every human character. More or less. If you won’t read this astonishingly good series, though, he’s written a novella, [Lyra’s Oxford](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyra's_Oxford), that’s set in the same world. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/4 "2014-01-06T22:09:24Z")
Mercedes Lackey’s Tarma and Kethry stories often involve Warrl, a wolf-like familiar. The stories appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s _Sword & Sorceress_ anthologies, and were also merged into the novel _Oathbound_. The novel also describes Warrl’s summoning, which is rather amusing and only referenced indirectly in the short stories, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/5 "2014-01-06T22:20:59Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > its protagonist is Lirael’s (the protagonist of the latter two books) mother, and takes place probably 15-16 years before the latter two books. Really, seriously, one of the bestest familiars ever. If you can find the time, it’s worth the read. Sabriell and Lirael are half-sisters, not mother and daughter. But yes, the Disreputable Dog is an amazing familiar character. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/6 "2014-01-06T23:27:42Z")
In “A Wizard of Earthsea” Sparrowhawk has a pet that he magically attracts. That’s a short novel, not a short story though. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/7 "2014-01-06T23:49:34Z")
Well, if you want to hunt down the Endless Quest books (choose your own adventure style) for a change of pace, there’s Revenge of the Rainbow Dragons and The Pillars of Pentegarn; both feature a boy named Jaimie who is a sorcerer’s apprentice and has a fox, and owl, and a tree as talking familiars. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/8 "2014-01-07T00:03:40Z")
**Lawmonkey** , how could I resist a character named Disreputable Dog? And the library had it on CD, which will make it easier to fit around things. **Left Hand of Dorkness** , you are totally right about **His Dark Materials**. I’ve read them, but haven’t read **Lyra’s Oxford**. So I’ll look for that. The local library doesn’t have it, but they might be able to get it by interlibrary loan. **Balance** , the online card catalog wasn’t cooperative at first, but I’ve put in a request for **Oathbound**. **Lemur866** , it’s been awhile since I read **WoE**. I think I’m going to have to put it on the back burner for now. It keeps coming up, though, so it’s only a matter of time. **Cuckoorex** , I wouldn’t have thought to try a choose your adventure book. I’ll add those to the list. Thanks, everyone. This should keep me off of the streets for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/9 "2014-01-07T00:03:46Z")
The Harry Potter anthology taught us that familiars can be little more than annoying pets. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/10 "2014-01-07T00:17:13Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I’ve been looking for fantasy short stories with familiars\* in them. They don’t need to be completely traditional familiars, and they certainly don’t need to be called familiars. Any recommendations will be appreciated. > > I’d ask for novels, but I’m not sure I have the time to go through a bunch of novels. Thanks ahead of time. > > - animals or animal-like beings that are magically attached to a person “Operation Chaos” by Poul Anderson is a collection of related short stories with a familiar in it… ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/11 "2014-01-07T00:54:42Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Welllllllll… it’s not a short story, but it’s got a totally awesome familiar in it, so I am breaking your rules right here in post #1. _**[Lirael](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47624.Lirael?from_search=true)**_, by Garth Nix. Middle book of a trilogy, but you could skip the first one without missing too much; its protagonist is Lirael’s (the protagonist of the latter two books) mother, and takes place probably 15-16 years before the latter two books. Really, seriously, one of the bestest familiars ever. This trilogy also has Mogget, who isn’t really a familiar but is magically bound to the main family of the series and usually appears in the form of a sarcastic white cat. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/12 "2014-01-07T00:59:27Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > “Operation Chaos” by Poul Anderson is a collection of related short stories with a familiar in it… I put the request in. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/13 "2014-01-07T15:20:19Z")
In T H White’s SWORD AND THE STONE (first part of THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING), Merlyn has an owl named Archimedes. He appears in Chapter III: > [@](#): > > “Oh, what a lovely owl!” cried Wart. > … [T]he owl … said in a doubtful voice, “There is no owl.” > Then it shut its eyes entirely and looked the other way. > “It is only a boy,” said Merlyn. > “There is no boy,” said the owl. I don’t think he plays a role in the rest of the book, although in the Disney movie, he takes Wart out as bird. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/14 "2014-01-07T15:46:40Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Sabriell and Lirael are half-sisters, not mother and daughter. Derp. You’re right, of course. _ **Lirael** _/_ **Abhorsen** _ still stand on their own pretty well, though. > [@Lamia](#): > > This trilogy also has Mogget, who isn’t really a familiar but is magically bound to the main family of the series and usually appears in the form of a sarcastic white cat. Yes–but isn’t he rather limited in _ **Lirael** _/_ **Abhorsen** _, due to something that happened at the end of _ **Sabriel** _? That said, you’re right, and there you go: Mogget is a fine reason to read _ **Sabriel** _ if you want familiar-ish critters. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Donegal\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Donegal\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donegal_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-fantasy-short-story-with-familiars/678047/15 "2014-01-07T17:02:53Z")
A very different new writer, Lauren Beukes, Zoo City. Won’t even attempt to describe or summarize. Similar in feel to a mix of China Mieville and Raymond Chandler. But lots of familiars.