Due to unforeseen circumstances, there was no Wednesday and Friday posts last week. Posts are back on and look here for a few extra posts this week! Also, I was interviewed by Shiny Book Review last week, and the interview will be coming soon there. They’ve got an awesome site, you should check them out anyway. In other news, edits are continuing with The Fallen Race and Echoes of the High Kings, though, because of those unforeseen circumstances, their release may be delayed somewhat. The next Renegades book, will be coming by the end of the month. Thanks for checking back, and like I said, keep looking here for new posts!
Category Archives: Fantasy
The Evolution of Fantasy
Fantasy as a genre has its origins in the myths and legends of ancient times. These myths are often seen as primitive man’s attempts to explain the unexplainable. Yet in modern times, we have explainations for almost everything… so why the interest in such things? Personally, I think it is some attempt by us to recreate some of the mystery. Some people turn to tabloids and conspiracy theories to spin wild tales… and the more mentally stable of us look to spin wild stories in other worlds. But… I digress. For this entry, I’ll go into a brief history of the genre of fantasy, talk a bit about some of the current trends of Epic Fantasy I’ve seen as a reader and a writer, and then write a bit about where I see the genre is headed. I’ll also recommend some authors whose works I think are worthy of checking out.
The first ‘real’ fantasy authors included Rudyard Kipling and Edgar Rice Burroughs who pioneered the field. Tolkien and Robert E Howard’s many stories broadened it and yet opened it out into two very different areas. Tolkien’s works gained more wide-stream attention, for a number of reasons, but Robert Howard’s various works still maintain a substantial following. Other authors like C.S. Lewis and Lloyd Alexander also had their parts. These earlier authors often featured themes of good versus evil and heroes whose journeys and quests caused profound changes upon their worlds. The overall themes and concepts tended to be heroes doing good things (or in the case of Conan, living by a barbarian code) as well as the tendency to reject technology and industrialism. This was the general theme for the more popular and lasting epic and high fantasy for a while. This changed somewhat with authors like Terry Brooks and David Eddings, who wrote less idealized stories, and more morally ambiguous characters. Terry Goodkind, George RR Martin, Harry Turtledove and Robert Jordan led the way in the 1990’s with a host of epic fantasy series. Fantasy became mainstream almost overnight, and the current round of epic fantasy began. These authors virtually cast the mold for the ‘ideal’ Epic Fantasy series, with overnight blockbusters that continue to sell twenty plus years later.
That leads us into the current setting for Epic Fantasy, with my topic being about the current trends. The changes brought on by the surge in readership in the 1990’s is still seen. Authors like George RR Martin continue to sell books in the millions, have TV shows or movies, and have a massive fan base. Their writing often includes morally ambiguous characters, convoluted plots, and severe, often drastic consequences for the characters as a consequence of their actions. The pioneers of these types of books are often extremely proficient at both storytelling and manipulation of the reader’s emotions. A disturbing trend, as I see it, is flood of books and authors who are not up to those standards. The Epic Fantasy surge has led to dozens of series that come across as formulaic or rote. There are a wide variety that follows the Campbellian Monomyth to the letter. They have the main character on the Hero’s Journey. They have the love interest. They have the morally ambiguous companion/guide. They have the mentor. These stories check off all of the boxes, but they lack the passion and creativity of their predecessors. Some authors have tried to replace that passion with grittiness or realism. They often use anti-heroes or simply use lesser villains as the heroes (which can work, if done well) who turn the theme still darker and more ponderous. In the rush to make money, fantasy has become exactly what we seek to avoid in real life: boring. Other writers have sought to do something new or bold by changing the rules: fantasy worlds without magic or magic systems that work in some new or innovative way. Yet I think in the roots, Fantasy started as escapism, a rejection of the world, if only for a short time, and a means to explore the imagination. The trend of books that I’ve seen are book after book churned out by the big publishing houses, each looking for that next Robert Jordan or George RR Martin. To me, at least as a reader, that gets old. Fantasy, by its nature, is something that thrives on new and interesting, which is one reason we’ve seen the shift to urban fantasy around the turn of the century and more recently the expansion of steampunk. Epic Fantasy has become too dark and too boring to be the inspiration to imagination it once was.
So what do I see in the future of epic fantasy? As a genre, I think it hasn’t changed enough in recent times. I think that new authors and new ideas will soon force it to change. Evolution is a natural thing and something that will help that evolution along is the self-publishing market. The variety of books that have become available means that new ideas and new blood is bound to shake things up. Traditional publishing has stuck to what worked (which makes sense, they’re in the business of making money), but individuals, if they want to stand out, can’t afford to do that. As a whole, I think we’ll see a lot of new ideas and concepts and hopefully some big changes overall in the market.
As a reference, here’s some authors and their books, both old and new, that are worth looking into for Epic Fantasy:
Robert Howard’s Conan series
Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings
David Eddings’ Belgariad
Terry Brooks’s Sword of Shannara
Ryk Spoor’s Phoenix Rising
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time
Lloyd Alexander’s Prydan series
David Weber’s Oath of Swords
Books and Authors I Recommend
I’m an avid reader, and something that I’ll freely admit is that I’m always looking for a new author or three to try out. I have rather eclectic tastes, but I thought I’d write a bit about what authors I’m currently reading and what authors I recommend. I’ll break it down by genre, because otherwise this would just become a long list, and who wants that? This is just a broad overview and by no means covers everything off my shelves.
Fantasy:
The obvious here is Tolkien. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are well known. Less well known are some of his shorter fiction. Farmer Giles of Ham is an excellent short novel, and often overlooked. I’d also recommend David Eddings with two of his series: The Belgariad and the Elenium. Both series are long enough to provide plenty of entertainment. Raymond Feist’s Midkemia series (starting with Magician) is another good read, though it can be difficult to discern what order to read some of the books. Ryk Spoor’s Phoenix Rising is a more recent entry, and one of the few recently published fantasy stories that I could really get into. Excellent characterization, amazing setting, tough decisions and good fighting evil are all blended together into an excellent story.
Urban Fantasy:
There’s a variety of urban fantasy, some of it very violent, some not so much. Mercedes Lackey’s SERRAted Edge series combines race cars with elves and some more classic fantasy elements as well as renn faires and dragons. It’s highly entertaining and mostly PG, so a good read for kids. Larry Correia’s Grimnoir Chronicles and his Monster Hunter series are both brilliant. Both series contain lots of humor, over the top action, and an excellent knowledge of firearms and combat techniques. John Ringo’s Princess of Wands is another excellent urban fantasy, with the twist that it’s a church-going soccer mom who’s fighting demons and necromancers. Wen Spencer writes an excellent series of elves and parallel dimensions with Tinker and the rest of her Elfhome series.
Science Fiction:
The general area of science fiction is hard for me to nail down. I’m drawn to the classics, if I’m recommending to a new reader. Robert Heinlein’s works: Citizen of the Galaxy, The Moon is A Harsh Mistress, Orphans of the Sky, and The Menace from Earth are all excellent. Frank Herbert’s Dune is definitely worth a read, though so popular in media that most readers of SF have already read it. Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series is a good read. More recently, Eric Flint and Ryk Spoor’s Boundary is excellent science fiction. Sarah Hoyt writes some very good science fiction with the Darkship Renegades, with a lot of excellent social and political commentary.
Military Science Fiction
This is my main area of interest at the moment, and unlikely to change any time soon. Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, of course, takes pride of precedence. David Weber has written a host of amazing science fiction books, especially his Honor Harrington series, but also his Imperium of Man series which starts with Mutineer’s Moon. He’s also written several standalone books such as The Apocalypse Troll and Out of the Dark which are very good. John Ringo is massively prolific, with a number of excellent series. A Hymn Before Battle is an excellent near-future novel that starts a great series. A bit of warning, the series currently ends in a cliff hanger with no final books to close it out in sight. John Ringo’s team up with Travis Taylor in the Voyages of the Space Bubble series starts with Into the Looking Glass. The series is excellent with lots of humor, great science, and tons of action. Mike Shephard’s Kris Longknife series is another fun read, with a main character that has grown and developed over time. David Drake has a number of excellent series, with Hammers Slammers being his most well known. Another excellent new author is Leo Champion, whose Legion series has some serious combat and excellent overall story arc.
General Fiction
I’ll be honest, I don’t read a lot of general fiction, and most of what I do read tends to edge towards the ‘techie’ or military spectrum anyway. Tom Clancy’s Hunt for Red October is excellent, as is Without Remorse, Executive Orders, and Patriot Games. Also good is Larry Correia and Mike Kupari’s Dead Six and Swords of Exodus, both military genre, though with elements of what I consider fantasy. Tom Kratman’s Countdown series is excellent in that regard as well, though rather grim at times.
Classics
I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for some of the classics of literature. Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island and Swiss Family Robinson are all excellent reads, especially for children. Mark Twain has a host of good stuff. Almost everything by Jules Verne is absolutely excellent.
Conclusion:
I’m certain I’m missing an author or two here or there, and I know I’ve left out some books by different authors. Still, if you’re anything like me, I highly recommend these authors and series. Next week I’ll try to cover each genre, what I like and what I don’t, what themes I’m seeing as a reader and what I want to work on as a writer.
Kal Spriggs 