# What things do you wish you saw more of in Fantasy novels?



## BitofanInkling (May 14, 2010)

What do you wish you saw more of in Fantasy novels? Perhaps we can 'steal' some ideas and include them in our own works!


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## Mike C (May 14, 2010)

I'd like to see more originality, personally, and less reliance on strict adherence to formulaic writing.


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## seigfried007 (May 14, 2010)

I'm putting in another vote for "Not more of the same."

I have a particular dislike of the tendency to strip a classic of all of the features that made it a classic, then rehash it, over and over again. For instance, Tolkien wasn't just writing Quests, wasn't just covering the same old ground with the same old quirky characters. But rather than making up new races, new cultures, new plotlines, new characters... there have been thousands of Rings stories retold, and they've gotten progressively worse as each became the new, flatter status quo for fantasy. 

I hate magic swords and dark lords and how one always seems to be necessary to defeat the other. I hate aloof elves and cranky dwarves and how short people are universally thieves. I hate peasants who find out they're royalty. I hate characters that all other characters love or are jealous of. I hate being told what to think of a character because the author can't make me feel that way about a character (e.g. telling me that said character is beautiful, smart, funny, evil, good, perfect in every way, etc). I hate how evil characters are ugly and humorless and good characters are often whiny and have Quests that mirror their character development along the Inner Strength and Confidence lines. 

I love it when the author shows me a new world--something fresh and crisp, fragrant as the morning. I want to see something I haven't seen before or at least don't see often. I want to look at the real world differently after reading that story, to take something important with me and go raving about it. I want new cultures--without single culture races, without races being made of people who are pretty much the same (are universally one way or another; like evil, beautiful, good, aloof, cranky, etc), without the cultural and technological stagnation so prevalent in medieval fantasy (everything takes a thousand years, for instance). 

I want currencies not based on the Gold Piece and I want them described as something other than flat gold coins. I want to know if they have holes in them, whose face is on them, how much the society depends and revolves on them. Is the culture grasping and therefore dealing with counterfeit, with cheating weights, with thieves? Does the society even have a currency or do they barter? Is the currency's worth in itself or does it stand for an amount hidden somewhere else, like a bank or a reservoir? Especially if money's important to the society, there's a lot ro think about; and if it's not, there's a cultural hole that needs filling.

I'd like to see timelines that don't mirror anything "European", governments that aren't "King in castle, lord of everything" as though kings have it so easy and everything's so amazing after the hero gets to be king. I'd like fewer happily ever afters, but maybe more arranged marriages and certainly a culture that doesn't have marriage but isn't anarchy or 'bad guys'. 

Here's something I really like to do in my own writing: take something taboo and make it normal and completely non-evil for the new society. I've written people who would think it a social sin not to devour their grandmother, but do consider it terminally stupid to breed or own Chihuahuas. Very eye-opening.


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## Wolfson (May 14, 2010)

Mike C pretty much took the words right out of my mouth... er... off of my fingertips. Whatever. Anyway... I was going to say I'd like to see more originality - almost any fantasy you pick up any more is cliche. It's all filled with 'standard' conventions that generations of gamers seem to feel must be adhered to. Once upon a time - in the days of Moorcock et al - the idea was to take the 'conventions' and toss them on their collective ear. Probably the most 'original' fantasy setting I've read in recent years is George Martin's _Song of Ice and Fire_... pity he's never finished it.


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## Linton Robinson (May 14, 2010)

Automatic weapons


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## Sigg (May 14, 2010)

Mike C said:


> I'd like to see more originality, personally, and less reliance on strict adherence to formulaic writing.



Yeah that is exactly why I can't stand fantasy anymore... I read it for a while and I liked it but now I feel like I've experienced all Fantasy has to offer.

What I'd really like to see is the amount of thought and detail that SF generally has, put into a Fantasy story.  But then again I'm pretty biased towards SF


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## alanmt (May 14, 2010)

What I want:

1. magic systems that are internally consistent and not overpowered.

2. nuanced and ethically complex plots and characters

What I want less of:

1. prophecies and chosen ones.

2. save the world plots 

3. good v. evil, black v. white

4. neverending formulaic sequels (sorry Terry Brooks)

5. overused pseudo-medieval settings adopted out of laziness

I like some fantasy conventions, elves, dwarves, goblins and so on, but I prefer nontrad, novel approaches to fantasy. I will read derivative stuff, but I hold it to a much higher standard.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

Fantasy to me is more Arthur Machen, Lord Dunsany, early Lovecraft, than Tolkien and his imitators. I like the mythopoetic angle and would see more of that. Developing whole societies that make sense, internal consistency...the best modern fantasies I've read have been written by sf writers, who know how to do that stuff, who know how to research and get the details right. Gordon Dickson, Larry Niven, Roger Zelazny, they've all done exemplary fantasy.
Faux-medieval swords and sorcery stuff, and all of the emo dark and gritty school stuff can just go away. You want dark and gritty, get McNaughton's Throne of Bones or Elric. But don't try to copy them.
Arthur Machen especially had a great line in fantasy, using the lore of his native Wales to craft spectacularly suggestive tales. I'd like to see more in that vein, whether it be developing Native American lore, working with afrits and their heirs, exploring the voudoun...updating that stuff would be utterly fascinating to read. Much more so than farmboys with swords.


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## Linton Robinson (May 14, 2010)

I'd hold Jack Vance up as a sterling example of fantasy that avoids stereotypes.   Always something new and inventive.

I'm always kind of shocked to find people into SF/F who haven't read "The Dying Earth".    Should be required.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

I'd have to agree about that. John Crowley is another writer who has done some outstanding sf/fantasy work without relying on genre tropes. Little, Big is fabulous.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 14, 2010)

It seems like a lot of what we're talking about here is older(but not too old) High Fantasy books.  Brooks, etc.  I've seen one mention of the "grit" school of fantasy, but other than that, not so much.  There's a lot more going on in fantasy, so before we decry the Tolkien rip-offs like that's all modern fantasy has to offer, maybe we could look around at all the other stuff going on in the genre.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

Such as? Ersatz high fantasy and paranormal romance are what gets noticed in the genre. I admit to being unfamiliar with a good deal of genre work because I can't stand the Brooks/Donaldson school and absolutely loathe "urban fantasy" except for the exemplary pioneering work by Fritz Leiber and Poul Anderson. China Mieville's stuff, some of that I've read, and some Tim Powers. Not my cup of tea, but well-done work.
What do you recommend in the genre, for say, an unapologetic sf reader with a taste for darkness and a keen eye for cliche?
Outside of say, Weaveworld and Barker's other more fantasy-oriented offerings, I haven't seen anything I could recommend.


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## Himani (May 14, 2010)

seigfried007 said:
			
		

> I hate magic swords and dark lords and how one always seems to be  necessary to defeat the other. I hate aloof elves and cranky dwarves and  how short people are universally thieves. I hate peasants who find out  they're royalty. I hate characters that all other characters love or are  jealous of. I hate being told what to think of a character because the  author can't make me feel that way about a character (e.g. telling me  that said character is beautiful, smart, funny, evil, good, perfect in  every way, etc). I hate how evil characters are ugly and humorless and  good characters are often whiny and have Quests that mirror their  character development along the Inner Strength and Confidence lines.



That is exactly how I feel. Also, I think there's too many Mary Sues in too many fantasy books. I'm sick of the orphan-who-turns-out-to-be-royalty cliche. I am really sick of the Tolkien clones, in fact I'm sick of elves and dwarves in general. I also wish someone would present a new take on dragons. If we're including "urban fantasy", this list will get twice as long. I love reading urban fantasy, but that was back in the day when Charles de Lint was still one of the few only authors who did it (when it was a very niche market). I was excited when it got popular and then I realized the influx had caused some truly HORRIBLE books to be published, and made urban fantasy seem just like an extension of the romance genre. While I don't think romance genre doesn't have its place, I've always been more interested in reading things where the romance plotline _isn't_ the main plot. On the flip side, the influx of urban fantasy has also created a few good authors, so I guess that's an advantage.



			
				moderan said:
			
		

> Weaveworld and Barker's other more fantasy-oriented offerings, I haven't seen anything I could recommend.



Yes, I actually like Barker's fantasy-oriented stuff more than his horror.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 14, 2010)

You can't expect every book to be completely new and original, it's just not reasonable.

Some possible authors I'd suggest looking into would be Robin Hobb, Steven Erikson, Ekaterina Sedia, K.J. Bishop, Jeff Vandermeer, George R.R. Martin, Guy Gavriel Kay(altough from the comments in this thread, you might want to avoid the Fionavar Tapestry), China Mieville(not directed at Mod), and Jay Lake.  Keep in mind that I'm suggesting these authors because they aren't stereotypical high fantasy.  I make no promises about anyone liking them.


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## alanmt (May 14, 2010)

Please. If you want to read real fantasy as it was meant to be, I refer you to this wonderful bit of prose I wrote in November, 2007:

http://www.writingforums.com/showth...liches&p=1016962&highlight=wizard#post1016962

Just scroll down to my second post, post no. 28 in the thread.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

LOL...I have Bored of the Rings here somewhere too. You should do some stuff for tvtropes, Allen. I do periodically. It's a good outlet for the more satirical, Mad-magazine-type stuff. I find it actually helps to think about things in those terms, along those lines.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

Ilasir...do any of those books deploy the loathsome "generic metahuman"? You know the one I mean, the elf/vampire/golem/gargoyle who has a heart of gold, just looks a little different and has POWERS*OMG*!tm
Marysueperhuman, in other words.
That's my problem with just about everything these days. It's fine to be a genrehopper, but most of the stuff is just a jumbled-up mess of confusion instead of creative bending of character.
I'd imagine George RailRoad Martin doesn't have that problem...but I don't know the others.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 14, 2010)

Well, Erikson's stuf is full of powerful characters, but no one is significantly more powerful than everyone else, so there aren't really any mary sues.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

You mean they all have powers, like a fantasy Xmen?


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## Sam (May 14, 2010)

I think y'all should read some thrillers.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

I did that when I was a teenager, Sam. Lotta Ludlum, Forsythe, Cussler, and like that. Got old for me. You're welcome to them, though.
I just want to find some decent fantasy for the reading. Ilasir knows the genre.


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## Sam (May 14, 2010)

[ot]What's up with the orange boxes under your name, Mod?[/ot]


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

[ot]I'm a Friend of WF.[/ot] Cost me a bottle of wine.


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## Talia_Brie (May 14, 2010)

lin said:


> Automatic weapons



Ha! and heavy artillery!

A unique magic system is essential, but very very hard to do well. Steven Erikson's system of Warrens is brilliant, for example. It's essentially elemental or aspected magic, which has been used before. But the idea of the Warrens, which are somewhere between tangible and intangible, are what makes it so impressive. They're actual tunnels that you can hide in, and use to travel around, and the source of most of the magic (not all, and aparrantly, they're not available everywhere, which is even cooler). Then you find out exactly what they are - not going to spoil that for you - and they're even cooler, if that's even possible!

Oh my God, I'm getting excited.


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## Sigg (May 14, 2010)

moderan said:


> [ot]I'm a Friend of WF.[/ot] Cost me a bottle of wine.



Mine is better, I paid so much more than the annual fee I went full circle to being like everyone else.  Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

[ot]I don't smoke.[/ot]


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 14, 2010)

moderan said:


> You mean they all have powers, like a fantasy Xmen?



No, not like X-men.  It's all based on the magic system.  Most of them are pretty well-done, I think.  They're based in the story mythos, whereas x-men are pretty much random.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

Mmm. I'll see what I can find. I dislike POWERS*OMG*!tm though.
Pretty much random? Completely random. Especially the new X-Men. I hate Wolverine. The Hulk shoulda smashed him back in Hulk 171 when he first appeared.
It's mythopoetic, you say? Logical magic system? I'll try it...though Talia_Brie's hype is kinda offputting.


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## Futhark (May 14, 2010)

Like most people around here, I think I'm in the no-more-damn-medieval-crap category. Fantasy _does not_ mean swords and sorcery. Yeah, it was great back when I first started reading Terry Goodkind's stuff. After a while, though, it does get boring.

As far as non-generic fantasy goes, the best I've read recently has been _American Gods_ by Neil Gaiman. (I know, I'm behind the times.) Though I must admit that _Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter_ by Seth Grahame-Smith (of _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_ fame) was a hoot.

The problem with fantasy is that the word has taken on a static meaning to so many readers now. How many of you guys actually take the time in the bookstore/library and browse the fantasy section? Unless you want a Tolklone, probably never. That's why publishers have started inventing so many new sub-categories. Fantasy still sells great (just look at the average compensation of a fantasy writer versus a science fiction writer), but the market is aging. New readers, as far as I can tell, aren't picking fantasy novels up. And the reason is that the very word has come to mean "boring". So, as writers, I suppose the only thing we can do is stop writing stuff that's already been written. 

Of course, by then it will be a brand new category.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 14, 2010)

moderan said:


> Mmm. I'll see what I can find. I dislike POWERS*OMG*!tm though.
> Pretty much random? Completely random. Especially the new X-Men. I hate Wolverine. The Hulk shoulda smashed him back in Hulk 171 when he first appeared.
> It's mythopoetic, you say? Logical magic system? I'll try it...though Talia_Brie's hype is kinda offputting.



I never said it was mythopoetic.  It's dark epic fantasy.


I'd totally forgotten neil Gaiman.  Damn.


DanCol, I go to the fantasy section of the bookstore all the time.  I see plenty of other people there as well.  I'll agree that part of the readership is aging, but Tolklones like Eragon and PR/UF are drawing in a lot of new readers.


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## Futhark (May 14, 2010)

Maybe it's the layout of my local bookstores that shunts people away from the fantasy section. Or maybe it's the packaging. It seems that every title on the rack features either a buxom Amazon shooting fireballs at something ugly or a bare-chested barbarian swinging an ugly stick at something ugly.

Could be that all the genre needs is a new pool of cover artists.


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

No more Boris Vallejo/Frank Frazetta clones? Whatever will we do?


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## moderan (May 14, 2010)

Ilasir Maroa said:


> I never said it was mythopoetic.  It's dark epic fantasy.


 *points*^you said story mythos...which led me to the mythopoeia conclusion. You see?


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## Eluixa (May 15, 2010)

Character development. I don't want a ton of people I can't keep track of. I want a few so I come away feeling like I met someone, spent time with them, like I would know them again in fifty years, when they'd grown old and round and wrinkled. If they are heroic by nature, I guess it just depends, but if they are scared, and silly and have character flaws, I will love them a lot more.
And I want them to love, and be loved, do what they love, defend what they love. I want them to cry, to make mistakes.
Robin Hobb is one of my very favorites for all of these reasons.
I like so many different stories, I like action, but if nobody ever comes up for air, sleeps, gets sunstroke...most of us have a lot of downtime, and unless your character is in unbelievable shape, they are not going to stand up to 72 hours of non stop adventure. Then I have to roll my eyes and try to think of a good reason to keep reading.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 15, 2010)

moderan said:


> *points*^you said story mythos...which led me to the mythopoeia conclusion. You see?


 
There's certainly a strong and dense mythology in the books. I would hesitate to describe it authoritatively as "mythopoetic", but I can't say positively that it isn't either.


The only thing I should warn you about is that Erikson's characterization isn't always the sharpest.  I much prefer Robin Hobb or Ekaterina Sedia in that area.  Gaiman and Martin and Kay I would also consider superior there.  But Erikson is very good with the mythos, and I can't think of anything more epic in the purest sense of the word that isn't also cheesy.

I have no perfect authors to put forward, so it just depends on whether you think the combination of strengths and weaknesses is worth dealing with.


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## moderan (May 15, 2010)

George Martin is a superior craftsman, no argument there. I just haven't been able to get into that tetralogy. Neil Gaiman I find over-rated but readable in a pinch. So I'm left with the others. I'll see about acquiring some.
My orientation is still with Machen and Chambers and that crowd. Pre-Tolkien. I'm not much of a one for heroic fantasy unless it's REH or Clark Ashton Smith, or Moorcock. But I'll give these people a shot.


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## caelum (May 16, 2010)

I want to see something plausible, which is a slightly ironic thing to ask of fantasy, but still.  I was just watching this movie Stardust, some boring, lame fantasy pos that made no sense, and I had to stop watching it after like thirty minutes.  It wasn't funny, and it wasn't fun.  Is this the kind of fantasy that's out there?  I know it's a movie, but apparently it's based on a recent book.  I find this market very underwhelming.  I want to see heroes who aren't perfect, morally or aesthetically, who blunder and fuck shit up.  I want to see their mistakes propel the plot, not their strokes of genius, because they're just normal people, and normal people aren't geniuses.

I probably stand as one of the few who didn't like that Name of the Wind book, because it was lame.  The hero was too perfect, too best-at-everything, and the author wasted too much time on the way his world worked rather than giving me a story.  I don't give a shit what your money is.  Does anyone remember Star Wars's money?  No, cause no one gives a shit.  I want a story, not an economics class, motherfucker.  Quit hiding your inability to make a story behind distracting, bloated baloney.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 16, 2010)

caelum said:


> I want to see something plausible, which is a slightly ironic thing to ask of fantasy, but still. I was just watching this movie Stardust, some boring, lame fantasy pos that made no sense, and I had to stop watching it after like thirty minutes. It wasn't funny, and it wasn't fun. Is this the kind of fantasy that's out there? I know it's a movie, but apparently it's based on a recent book. I find this market very underwhelming. I want to see heroes who aren't perfect, morally or aesthetically, who blunder and fuck shit up. I want to see their mistakes propel the plot, not their strokes of genius, because they're just normal people, and normal people aren't geniuses.
> 
> I probably stand as one of the few who didn't like that Name of the Wind book, because it was lame. The hero was too perfect, too best-at-everything, and the author wasted too much time on the way his world worked rather than giving me a story. I don't give a shit what your money is. Does anyone remember Star Wars's money? No, cause no one gives a shit. I want a story, not an economics class, motherfucker. Quit hiding your inability to make a story behind distracting, bloated baloney.




There's no reason to cuss, Caelum.  Personally, I didn't like Name of the Wind that much either.  Major Marty Stu MC.  That lute scene was just ridiculous. 

You might like ASOIAF if you haven't read it, and possibly Steven Erikson's stuff also.  A lot of people like _The Steel Remains _by R.K. Morgan, although I didn't.  it's certainly part of the "dark and gritty" school, though not quite up to Martin's standards of craftsmanship.  You might also like Robin Hobb which is not as dark, but plenty of people make mistakes.


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## moderan (May 16, 2010)

I recommend Groo the Warrior for caelum. And Cheech Wizard. But especially Groo.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 16, 2010)

moderan said:


> I recommend Groo the Warrior for caelum. And Cheech Wizard. But especially Groo.



And you say _I_ know the genre?  Great picks for cae, most definitely.


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## moderan (May 16, 2010)

Mad Magazine and hippie lit I know. Modern fantasy, not so much


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 16, 2010)

moderan said:


> Mad Magazine and hippie lit I know. Modern fantasy, not so much


 

Okay, I got it.


To be honest, I'm a bit behind now, because I haven't been able to buy books since Christmas.  But I usually don't buy hardbacks, so it's not _too_ far behind where I would be anyway.


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## thewordsmith (May 16, 2010)

Mike C said:


> I'd like to see more originality, personally, and less reliance on strict adherence to formulaic writing.


 
I'd say I second that but that's already been done. So ... with apologies to all of those who dittoed before me:
What I'd like to see is really good writing, really original ideas, less re-hashing of classic good works and calling it new! Show me something intriguing and different and even ... *gasp* dare I say it? ... something to tease the brain and make me think!


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 16, 2010)

thewordsmith said:


> I'd say I second that but that's already been done. So ... with apologies to all of those who dittoed before me:
> What I'd like to see is really good writing, really original ideas, less re-hashing of classic good works and calling it new! Show me something intriguing and different and even ... *gasp* dare I say it? ... something to tease the brain and make me think!



Somebody had to say it:  That's something it'd be nice to see in _all_ genres, not just fantasy.


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## moderan (May 17, 2010)

*cues applause-o-meter*


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## MrSteve (May 17, 2010)

I'd like to wade in here if I may. Fantasy is something which I care deeply about but I feel the genre has too many people decrying work for being anything other than 'High Fantasy' that most fantasy books have become almost satirical in there similarities. It's not all about swords and sorcery. It's just as much about monsters running amok in eighteenth century Paris or New York being threatened by a giant gorilla. I am in the process of editing the pilot for a TV drama called 'The Ministry' which is a thirteen part fantasy drama that I would like to make for television. Even though it is fantasy, it is still set in modern day London.

So, here's what I'd like to see:



 A break from the traditions of Fantasy.
 Worlds that don't consist of medieval societies.
 More 'alternate world' pieces, like Steampunk novels.
 Less reliance on magic systems for plot.
 
We're in a strange place at the moment for Fantasy literature. There is so much of it out there at the moment. I have actually considered moving away from the genre as I am finding it increasingly difficult to sell any work and yet it is all around us. Which brings me to this...



> New readers, as far as I can tell, aren't picking fantasy novels up.


You see, this is the point. New readers are reading more fantasy now than ever before. I read a lot of the Young Adult stuff myself (I would recommend them for anyone with a penchant for fantasy actually) and it is full of fantasy books for kids, young adults and even adults. But we still see it as people not reading fantasy. I know it is unpopular to admit it but seemingly the most popular books around at the moment (Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga) are technically fantasy books and have spawned a raft of copies precisely because stories like that are selling like hot cakes at the moment.

The problem is, we have no easy transition between the books that teenagers are reading to anything more adult. It's not just a problem for the fantasy genre either. General readership (in terms of population) seams to be declining as well, which is not good for us. 

What fantasy really needs is some good bridging books that can be enjoyed by the YA and adult market. There are some out there as well. The Left Hand of God, by Paul Hoffman, is a fantastic fantasy book that doesn't actually need the reader to be invested in the world before the story starts. Maybe that is where fantasy ultimately falls down? We are so busy working on our magic systems and how many magic beans make five that we have forgotten that real readers don't actually care. Fans care, which is why you need to be consistent, but you won't get any fans if your stuff doesn't sell first.


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## moderan (May 17, 2010)

Hmm. Harry P. almost serves as a bridge. Not very well, which is why the "almost". Does have that across-the-board market but seems pretty weighted toward the younger set.
What you say makes sense. I'd sooner see a system based on mythopeia than on magic, which is fast becoming trite. Altworlds are good what-ifs and can attract people. I have one going right now.


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## Ilasir Maroa (May 18, 2010)

There have been some pretty good steampunk novels out lately, although it's surprising how few there are total.  I haven't read a lot of YA fantasy lately, though I have several on my TBR list, but there's plenty of older fantasy that could serve as a bridge.  Lackey's Velgarth books aren't the most well-written, but they cover the in-between area pretty well.

I have to disagree that it's harder to sell fantasy.  There are certainly more people in the running, but fantasy is selling pretty well.  To be fair, a lot of it is UF or from established midlist authors, but I know several new authors who have gotten deals recently.  Now the mass of material out there may be bringing down per book sales, so that it's harder to get second and third deals for many people, but new authors are still getting plenty of contracts.


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## MrSteve (May 18, 2010)

I've been looking for a good steampunk audio book actually, if you know of any?

I would recommend the Darren Shan (sp?) series if you're in to horror at all and Anthony Horowitz's 'Power of Five' books that I've quite enjoyed. Bridging books need, I believe, to be more main stream. They are, largely, still in the YA section. You're not likely to get many adult readers in there unless they have children of there own. 

The HP books were good. I think something like 'Left hand of God' would probably be a better bridging book as I've seen it mentioned on mainstream book shows and in newspapers as a good book to read.



> I have to disagree that it's harder to sell fantasy. There are certainly more people in the running, but fantasy is selling pretty well.



I don't think it is harder to sell fantasy, as such, but I have had better success when I skirt around the edges of the genre or mix it up a little. That's all I mean. 

That said, I don't sell much of those each year anyway as the fantasy stories are the ones I tend to write for myself, so don't get written often enough.


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## Destroyer (May 18, 2010)

Some original races. Everyone's just jumping into the norm nowadays (dwarves, elves, trolls; all getting overdone). Dragons are always cool though; I'm trying to figure out a way to shove one in my book.


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