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Fishing for Fantasy

9/7/2014

11 Comments

 
Judging by my enthusiasm for Dungeons & Dragons, the variety of fantasy novels on my bookshelf, the number of fantasy-themed RPGs on my Backloggery, and the fact that I've back-to-back marathoned both The Lord of the Rings extended edition trilogy and all eight Harry Potter films (at separate times, of course), you'd think I was a fan of the fantasy genre. In truth, I merely appreciate a well-told story. More often than not, I like these works of entertainment despite their genre, not because of it.

I'm an escapist. The less my fiction resembles reality, the more I tend to enjoy it, at least as a general matter of principle. That's why I'm such a big fan of sci-fi: when was the last time you terraformed a planet or took a spaceship to work? Sci-fi is often futuristic. I know where we've been, and I know where we are, but I'm most excited to see where we'll go. Dystopian fiction? Forget it. I want to believe we have a bright future ahead of us, or at least a future where our prosperity and advancement have introduced a whole new set of conflicts unlike any we've previously dealt with.

Fantasy? Fantasy lives in the past. Medieval England. Old folklore. Rehashes of Tolkien. Fantasy is hung up on that which cannot be explained. Magic. Ancient curses.
Elements that do not hold writers accountable to any standards of logic or continuity. Fantasy is gimmicky; something familiar with something unfamiliar slapped on top of it. ("These aren't any horses! They're magical horses.") Fantasy has the potential to be a realm of pure imagination that bears only a passing resemblance to reality. What I want out of the genre is the whimsical creativity of Roald Dahl, the built-from-scratch feel of the Golden Sun universe, and the utterly foreign lifestyle and culture of Conan the Barbarian. What I most often see and think of is, "WHOA! Dirty peasants, filthy hovels...and a dragon!!!"

And elves. Always with the elves.


Anybody got any suggestions that might win me over?

11 Comments
Jasini link
9/7/2014 02:56:53 pm

I'll recommend two. No guarantee that you'll like either one, of course, but you can at least "Look Inside" on Amazon before putting any money down. ;-)

1. Witchfinder, by Sarah A. Holt.
http://www.amazon.com/Witchfinder-Magical-Empires-Sarah-Hoyt-ebook/dp/B00JHNZXZS/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410139640&sr=1-7&keywords=the+witchfinder

This features multiverse hopping (one of the universes being our modern one). The base universe is somewhat like Regency England, which would at least be a change from Medieval England. ;-)

It does have elves, dragons, and centaurs. All of whom have nearly incomprehensible civilizations.

2. An Elfy on the Loose, by my friend Barb Caffrey

http://www.amazon.com/Elfy-Loose-Barb-Caffrey-ebook/dp/B00JMSPR5Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410140400&sr=8-2&keywords=elfy

The majority of this book takes place in a variant of modern day California, and features Elfys, who do have quite a foreign civilization. Elfs are mentioned, but I don't recall any dragons. Magical backpacks, though.

The fantasy book I'm working on still has major problems, so I won't recommend it yet. ;-)

Reply
Jasini link
9/7/2014 03:15:04 pm

I forgot to mention the Pixie Noir books by Ceder Sanderson (another friend of mine).

Gun toting pixies. (And I mean BIG guns). A lot of the action takes place in modern Alaska.

Reply
Jasini link
9/7/2014 03:17:38 pm

Forgot to put in a link.

http://www.amazon.com/Pixie-Noir-Hire-Book-ebook/dp/B00GZ9SKSE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Nathaniel link
9/14/2014 04:49:31 pm

Hmm...a lot of this sounds like what I've been trying to avoid in fantasy; Pixie Noir sounds like it might be the best bet.

Rob Reed
9/7/2014 03:35:45 pm

I highly recommend Joel Rosenberg's Guardian's of the Flame series. It's out of print since he passed away a few years ago, but easy enough to find used.

You do want to start with "The Sleeping Dragon" and read them in order.

It's a variation on the 'ole "D&D players wind up in a fantasy world and it sucks" theme but was written in the 80's before that concept got beat to death. It's one of my favorite series.

His Military SF, including Emile and the Dutchman, Not for Glory and Hero are also worth reading.

Reply
walter daniels
9/8/2014 12:23:52 pm

I second the whole "Guardians of the Flame" series. (Note: I've met Joel, many years ago at a Con. As I've also met Raymond Feist, and corresponded with him.) Ray Feist and Janny Wurts did a great "Magician" series.
There is also David Weber's "The War God's own," and a followup (whose name I can't remember).

Reply
Nathaniel link
9/14/2014 04:52:26 pm

UNCANNY. My uncle-in-law just mentioned Guardians of the Flame last night, and it sounded up my alley. Two recommendations now!

Reply
Nathaniel link
9/14/2014 04:54:32 pm

Wait wait. I can count. Three recommendations now, because I just saw walter's as well. Somebody better recommend a math textbook while we're at it...

Jasna
9/8/2014 05:19:29 pm

Regarding sci-fi, does this mean you're less so into near-future sci-fi, i.e., Gattaca, or social science sci-fi, i.e., Stanislaw Lem books? (I just discovered http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction to help me discern my thoughts--maybe it shall help you as well and from there I can see if I have any relevant recommendations of my own).

This blog post didn't get drowned out by other things in my FB News Feed and now I'm getting excited about reading all your other past posts. zomg.

Reply
Nathaniel link
9/14/2014 05:09:53 pm

Hooray! Glad you spotted me. There's PLENTY to read here; hopefully some of it's entertaining. :)

As far as sci-fi is concerned, I'll give just about anything a shot. The only varieties that I'm not so keen on are steampunk (too rooted in the past, and a time and place I'm not so wild about, at that), anything heavily dystopian, and cyberpunk (which tends to have dystopian elements).

Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, Last Exile, and Beneath a Steel Sky are examples of ones I haven't particularly enjoyed. But, as I said, I'll give just about anything a shot. I lean much more toward the likes of Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate (practically anything with "Star" in the title), The Outer Limits, Firefly/Serenity, Evangelion, Captain Harlock, Metroid, Gradius, Space Quest, the X-Men, Green Lantern, and the Fantastic 4, to name...well, several.

Reply
Nathaniel link
9/14/2014 05:12:02 pm

...And thank you to everyone for your suggestions! I've got a couple books in my queue at the moment, but I'll hang onto these for the next time I go book shopping.

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