by Nicholas Cockayne

Created on: January 23, 2008   Last Updated: November 19, 2010

Sadly I would have to answer, yes.

Firstly, I have to say that I am a lifelong fan of the fantasy genre. It is almost unrivalled in its ability to transport the reader to different worlds of imagination, to inspire a little magic into the mundane humdrum of everyday life, to explore the best and the worst of the human character in settings that lift us beyond our small existences.

Secondly, it must be noted that I am referring only to the fantasy genre in literature, since that is the topic under discussion. Fantasy may well be growing in popularity in other mediums such as television and film, but that is another discussion altogether.

This is why I believe the current state of the fantasy genre is such a cause for concern. For many years fantasy was an expanding and ever inventive genre, filled with novels whose imaginative breadth was staggering. One need only think of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Tad Williams, C. S. Lewis, David Gemmell, Robert Jordan, and Ursula le Guin and there are whole worlds, whole universes, populated by fantastical creatures and peoples which can open up to the reader.

And yet, sadly, the majority of these great writers and their best works are now part of the history of the fantasy genre. They form the solid backbone of the genre, a context against which new writers can frame themselves, but sadly cannot be counted part of the current genre scene.

Make no mistake, there are still plenty of talented writers of fantasy, but at the moment the genre seems to be becoming bogged down in its own tropes and conventions-heroes, magic, quests, Dark Lords. These are the staples of the fantasy writer, but also their downfall.

There are currently many writers, such as James Clemens, who can effectively use such themes and conventions in their works, but as a whole these well- worn elements of fantasy are becoming tired and unexciting to readers.

Even well-loved writers who take the fantasy genre and add a unique twist to it, such as Terry Pratchett and his humourous Discworld novels, are beginning to flag, as the same old format is constantly reworked again and again. That these books continue to remain popular is due more to reader loyalty than the author offering anything new.

There are also new writers, such as Christopher Paolini, who despite having recently coming to the genre continue to regurgitate, rework, and reproduce existing fantasy cliches without offering those well versed in previous fantasy literature anything new.

One

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>