by Mary Beougher

Created on: August 08, 2010

The genre of fantasy is anything but stagnant. In fact, one might dare say that there is more variety to be found within the genre than ever before. All you have to do is look past the media hype currently focusing on vampires and werewolves, who although are an important aspect of fantasy, are not all that this genre offers.  For the avid fantasy reader, there are gems scattered throughout the bookshelves and it is not an onerous hunt to find the treasures.

For the lover of alternate history coupled with a side of romance, intrigue, and danger, the Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy by Jacqueline Carey is an excellent example of how more and more fantasy is featuring female main characters who are unabashed about their sexuality and are strong enough to withstand the obstacles put in their way without being unbelievable. From the first book in the series, Kushiel’s Dart to the third, Kushiel’s Avatar, we follow Phedre as she grows from a child sold into servitude to a landed noble.

A reader who prefers steampunk and something that also straddles the line of the “new weird”, a phrase coined by the magazine Weird Tales, Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is strangely satisfying. It is also a fine example of how even genre fiction can be as well written as literary fiction. The main character, Isaac, is a scientist living in a fantasy world that instead of being the typical feudal system seen in most epic fantasies, is more akin to the Victorian era industrial society, albeit a dark and twisted one. Isaac’s scientific workings result in unleashing a vicious creature that plagues the world in which he lives, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to stop it.

It would also be neglectful not to mention the standard of the genre, epic fantasy, which is constantly being reimagined and expanded in ever more unique ways. Terry Goodkind has been at the top of  the genre with his Sword of Truth series, which features dragons, wizards and magical swords that come together with a few new kinds of magic. His newest release that will add to this already eleven book series is due out early next year. Another unique voice in epic fantasy is Sara Douglass, an Australian author, who has just wrapped up a trilogy that combined two of her stand alone works with her epic six book series begun with Wayfarer Redemption (U.S. title). She weaves myth and fantastical creatures into a world that is not hard to imagine as our own with some interesting twists along the way.

With voices such as these peppered throughout the world of fantasy along with too many more to mention here, this genre will stay fresh for a long time to come.

Learn more about this author, Mary Beougher.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.