Crossing the streams of some of the down-thread discussion:
I don't know that I entirely agree that "cozy fantasy" need be contemporary, given that a sizeable sub-strata of cozy mysteries are historicals (and specifically medieval historicals, Ellis Peters' "Cadfael" series having been a major prototype). And Elizabeth Peters likewise counts as a writer of cozies, both contemporary (Vicky Bliss, Jacqueline Kirby) and period (Amelia Peabody).
OTOH, I'd agree that classic YA is a good source of cozy fantasy, and that's definitely colored the list I ended up with, grouped into authors, series, and singletons. (I think this is going to run to several posts....)
Authors Linda Haldeman Elizabeth Marie Pope Sherwood Smith* Christopher Stasheff Lawrence Watt-Evans Patricia Wrede (with and w/o Caroline Stevermer)
Of the foregoing, Linda Haldeman is by far the most obscure; she published a handful of books and short works in the 1980s, then fell ill and died. The Lastborn of Elvinwood has been one of my core Yuletide requests for years, and Star of the Sea and Esbae are arguably just as good -- all neatly blending elements of the domestic and the epic with grace and wonder.
Pope's two books are The Sherwood Ring and The Perilous Gard; if the former isn't a classic cozy, I don't know what is. Wrede is definitely a "cozy" writer; to me, that label clearly fits the Lyra books as well as the Mairelon duo and the co-written series that begins with Sorcery & Cecilia. Smith's Dobrenica novels are certainly cozies, and from there it's not much of a stretch to draw in most of her YA work, particularly the Wren series and Crown Duel. (OTOH, the Inda cycle is clearly something else again, thus the asterisk.)
Christopher Stasheff is nominally SF rather than fantasy, but the texture of the extended "Gramarye" series has such a strong fantasy atmosphere (and such a solid family dynamic) that I think he really ought to count here.
Lawrence Watt-Evans is a bit of a stretch, but I'm adding him here largely on the strength of the Ethshar novels, and the fact that no matter what he's writing, the focus is usually on ordinary people coping with the extraordinary and the ultimate tone is generally upbeat.
It is definitely worth noting that the majority of these are veteran "midlist" authors as opposed to Bright! New! Stars!....
no subject
I don't know that I entirely agree that "cozy fantasy" need be contemporary, given that a sizeable sub-strata of cozy mysteries are historicals (and specifically medieval historicals, Ellis Peters' "Cadfael" series having been a major prototype). And Elizabeth Peters likewise counts as a writer of cozies, both contemporary (Vicky Bliss, Jacqueline Kirby) and period (Amelia Peabody).
OTOH, I'd agree that classic YA is a good source of cozy fantasy, and that's definitely colored the list I ended up with, grouped into authors, series, and singletons. (I think this is going to run to several posts....)
Authors
Linda Haldeman
Elizabeth Marie Pope
Sherwood Smith*
Christopher Stasheff
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Patricia Wrede (with and w/o Caroline Stevermer)
Of the foregoing, Linda Haldeman is by far the most obscure; she published a handful of books and short works in the 1980s, then fell ill and died. The Lastborn of Elvinwood has been one of my core Yuletide requests for years, and Star of the Sea and Esbae are arguably just as good -- all neatly blending elements of the domestic and the epic with grace and wonder.
Pope's two books are The Sherwood Ring and The Perilous Gard; if the former isn't a classic cozy, I don't know what is. Wrede is definitely a "cozy" writer; to me, that label clearly fits the Lyra books as well as the Mairelon duo and the co-written series that begins with Sorcery & Cecilia. Smith's Dobrenica novels are certainly cozies, and from there it's not much of a stretch to draw in most of her YA work, particularly the Wren series and Crown Duel. (OTOH, the Inda cycle is clearly something else again, thus the asterisk.)
Christopher Stasheff is nominally SF rather than fantasy, but the texture of the extended "Gramarye" series has such a strong fantasy atmosphere (and such a solid family dynamic) that I think he really ought to count here.
Lawrence Watt-Evans is a bit of a stretch, but I'm adding him here largely on the strength of the Ethshar novels, and the fact that no matter what he's writing, the focus is usually on ordinary people coping with the extraordinary and the ultimate tone is generally upbeat.
It is definitely worth noting that the majority of these are veteran "midlist" authors as opposed to Bright! New! Stars!....