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the stagnation of the fantasy genre is the sub genre of children's fantasy.

As J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books have proven, fantasy still has the potential to have a vast appeal. With her books catering to both young and old Rowling brought fantasy to a whole new generation. Taking clichs and conventions but light heartedly reworking them she offered those with little experience of fantasy a light and easy introduction to fantasy literature that didn't intimidate or threaten younger readers with the weighty tomes that a more detailed and intricate fantasy world can create. Instead she opted to work the modern world into her stories rather than the alternative medieval setting of so many fantasy worlds; a decision which appealed to those new readers with little knowledge of such time periods. And yet Rowling has now finished her Harry Potter series, leaving a void in children's fantasy that has yet to be filled.

There are, however, a few rays of light for the adult fantasy genre, a few authors who are contributing new and exciting literature. Two of the foremost of these have to be Neil Gaiman, whose writing is ever increasing in popularity and continues to be evolve into other media formats, and Gene Wolfe, who for many years has written remarkable fiction but whose latest work 'The Wizard Knight' could spell a turn around in the stagnation of fantasy literature.

What differentiates both these writers from those who continue to write from within the well worn rut of their predecessors is that they are willing to take risks.

Gaiman reworks the traditions of the genre, particularly in his recent filmic take on 'Beowulf', ignoring the supposed sanctity of tropes such as the quest and the hero in favour of adapting them to better fit the modern world we live in. One need only think of 'Neverwhere' to find a modern fairytale, or 'Stardust' to see how traditional tales can effectively be turned on their head.
Wolfe, in 'The Wizard Knight', tells a very traditional story, but what is unique is the manner in which he tells it. Unlike most fantasy writers he does not spell everything out to the reader in order to get them to accept the fantastical world he writes of. Instead Wolfe leaves much half explained, or mysterious, to be explained later, if at all, so that the reader actively has to work at creating and imagining what Wolfe portrays; resulting in one of the most remarkable fantasy books for at least a decade.

What both these writers share is a willingness to incorporate the best of the traditions of the fantasy genre into their writings, but reworked so that they are fresh and new, applicable to the modern world and appealing to veteran fantasy readers and new comers alike. They take the mythology that inspired the greats of the genre such as Jordan and Tolkien, and they reinvent it for their own purposes, recycling it from the literary rut fantasy had begun to inhabit and making it edgy and inspiring once more.

Ultimately although the majority of the fantasy genre is currently undergoing a period of stagnation there is hope. If exciting and talented authors are willing to break free from the staid chains of tradition and liberally reinvent the genre for a new audience while keeping die hard fans content, then there is still a chance that the fantasy genre can continue to inspire and excite readers for decades to come.

Learn more about this author, Nicholas Cockayne.
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