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Add to FavoritesIf you take a look at the most popular fantasy books nowadays you'll see they have a lot in common with each other. A young boy with mysterious destiny, on his quest to save the world. Or a team of misfits, again, saving the world. Or dragons, saving the world
And looking at all those fantasy books (some better than others), I keep wishing that there was the author who, for once, would let the world die (get destroyed, overrun by evil take your pick). Because while that wouldn't be a particularly positive vision, it would at least be original. Or at least more original than the current collection of fantasy books we have on the market.
There was a time, when fantasy (like it's futuristic sister sci-fi) was a metaphor for the contemporary world. Where the reader could read about great journeys, get caught up in new, intriguing themes and all in all be sure that when reaching for a new book, he or she would get something different. Not a copy of a plot that proved itself popular and profitable.
And if you look at the fantasy section in a bookstore, you might think that there's just that many stories one can tell within this genre. And that is far from the truth.
In the fantasy world the only thing that limits the author is his or hers imagination. And I strongly believe that it's possible to create a captivating world and characters and tell their stories without having a mysterious prophecy and a great artifact that needs to be destroyed somewhere far, far away, within the enemy's lines.
Maybe it's just a temporary situation. I'd really like to think that. Fantasy genre is one with an indefinite potential and many stories are simply waiting to be told. New twists can be put on the stories we've heard, new solutions and new characters. The problem is we need authors who are ready to take the creative risk and step out of the comfort zone some many fantasy writers seem to reside in.
All it takes is few writers who will not base their universe on Tolkien's complex world. Nor will they include a poor orphan boy who needs to fight the big bad warlock (Harry Potter meet Eragon, I'm sure you two can exchange tips on how to bring down the Big Bad Wolf).
Maybe it's time the fantasy reinvented its protagonists, maybe the genre is ready for the return of anti-heroes like Conan the Barbarian. Maybe fantasy should start mixing with other genres to get more possibilities and fresher ideas.
I can't come up with a sure ways to reinvent fantasy and get the genre to the place it's been few years ago. But I know it's worth trying.
Learn more about this author, Jane Rutherford.
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No
Harry Potter. Edward Cullen. King Arthur. Zeus. Cinderella. Hercules. Each name brings a different image, a different story to mind. Philip Pullman. J.K. Rowling. Robin McKinley. J.R.R. Tolkien. Patricia McKillip. C.S. Lewis. Dave Duncan. All these authors of fantasy have managed to create something new and original. New worlds, new places, new creatures, new stories and old stories with a new twist await us behind the covers of fantasy books.
Though some of the ideas and styles within the fantasy genre may overlap, for the most part, it's still constantly evolving. Each fantasy story has an element of magic, of the fantastic, of new and unusual creatures, but they aren't all the same. Nor do they have to be. Some ideas or concepts may be overused, but that's true of any genre. How many times can you tell the same story befor it grows old? If it's done right, there is no limit. And if the story is new and the plot is fresh, as many fantasy plots still are, there's no way fantasy can ever grow stagnant.
I'm part of several different writers groups, and though many of the writers I interact with in those groups are unpublished, that doesn't mean they're not trying. Their stories are as different as the authors themselves. And all of those who write fantasy have a different story to tell.
For those who feel the fantasy genre has grown stagnant, maybe it's because you always look at the same thing. Try something unusual, something you've not read or seen before. Of course all the stories that incorporate sword play are similar. And if that's all you read, that's all you see. Every story about wizards incorporates wizards: who knew? But the wizards are all different. They might be good, like Harry Potter and his friends, or all-over bad, like in Patricia Wrede's "Enchanted Forest" series. Though both series dealt with wizards, neither is the same. They don't even conduct magic in the same way.
The bounds of fantasy are endless. Yes, endless. Two writers can take the same first line and the same characters and come up with two completely different stories. Fairies, elves, dragons, swords, magic, wizards, witches, warlocks and genies only get old if we let them. Science fiction has new and unexplored territories. Historical fiction has new and unexplored territories. Fantasy fiction is no different.
Every time I walk down the fantasy aisle in a book store, new titles and old pop out at me. Some are intriguing and others I let slide. Sometimes it's the cover that makes me buy. But one thing remains true: there's always something new. And if there isn't, it's because I'm not looking hard enough.
Learn more about this author, Robin Degner.
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