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What you are looking for.

T

Tathariel

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Jan 31, 2009
When you think of fantasy, what sort of things are you looking for when you feel like you want to read a fantasy novel?

Are you happy with reading one book, or do you prefer to read books come in a series (ex. LOTR, TDT)

Do you look for something original that seems fresh?
Are you disappointed when you read or see, the same kind of fantasy being written? Wood Elves, Evil Orcs, Humans, etc.

I want to know what you look for when you want to get your fix of fantasy.
 
I would agree. If one element of a given story is too steretypical, than other aspects need to be tweaked in a way that makes it seem fresh or even unexpected.

For example, if the Elves are described in a manner that makes them come across as very Tolkeinesque, perhaps other aspects of their society or role in the plot or just the way they act and speak should take a different path.
 
I look for intricate plots, gritty combat and interesting magical systems.

Which is probably why I'm a fan of Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series so much and her Sundering duology remains the only Tolkien like collection that I've enjoyed.

In addition I can not express how much Joe Abercrombie, everything the man writes is awesome in my opinion. It's a bit like reading George R.R. Martin; but with more brevity. Martin is another one that I enjoy a lot.

I'll toss in Robert E. Howard, R. Scott Baker and Glen Cook for good measure, each offer something different; but I've enjoyed them all.
 
Hey, Nihilistic, I'm reading my first J.A. right now, "Best Served Cold" and LOVING it!

Mostly, I look for great writing that is descriptive (but not too overly so) and draws me in to another world. I don't mind if it's a stereotypical creature and setting, as long as it's a great story being told well. But I love when authors take me to places I wouldn't have been able to go on my own...and if they leave me wanting more, yeah, I'm happy if it's a series.

My favorites recently have been things that shocked me a bit that I enjoyed them so much, and if I had to describe the storylines to friends I'd have a hard time defending my enjoyment, hehe. For instance...I'm a closet "Spartacus: Blood & Sand" fan! ^_^
 
That's one of his stand-alone, pick up his First Law trilogy set in the same world. You will love it and it'll explain more of the back story that sets up Best Served Cold. I'm currently waiting for The Heroes to hit paper back.

Also Spartacus is amusing as hell, it's produced by the same guy that did Hercules and Xena. Slow motion blood! Though I'd recommend watching HBO's Rome series, love it.
 
Typically, when I think fantasy, nearly each and every time my mind drifts towards Tolkien. No matter what anyone thinks or says, I will always love his books. Especially his trilogy and 'The Hobbit'. Those books are the ones that got me loving the fantasy genre in the first place back when I was 11 yrs old. That said, whenever I delve into the fantasy genre for my own writing, I have a tendency to lean on Tolkien's original ideas and such for various magical and mythical beings. Of course, I do put my own spin on them, giving them a unique history and mythos that's pertinent to my world and not Arda. So no Age of Stars or Age of Trees. No Undying Lands, etc. :)

But Tolkien has definitely heavily influenced me on what I think of when it comes to fantasy be it for other books I read or in my own writings. However, this does not mean I don't enjoy other sorts. I do. It's just that I have my favorites.

Also, with fantasy, I find I prefer more detail than I would for other genres of literature that I read. I'm not entirely sure why, though it might have to do with the fact that in fantasy you can push the limits a bit more so than you can in something more realistic/modern and yes, even scifi since most scifi is limited by science in some way, shape or form.

So there you have it. That's my perspective.
 
I think modifiers to "fantasy" are useful.

I mean, "high fantasy" is all Tolkeinesque, very D&D, with a medieval setting, rampant magic, dwarves and elves and orcs and trolls.

Of course, you could do "modern fantasy" with dwarves and elves and orcs and trolls, as well. Shadowrun did that; had high fantasy elements suddenly break out into the modern near-future world, so you had all that plus cyberware and megacorporations and various modern plot elements.

I did a good little slow-burn RP with some nice fantasy elements; only one non-human race, magic very limited, more realistic portrayals. I hope that person comes back one of these days. And that I'm not blocked when she does. :lol

Fantasy is what you make of it. In fact, put the science fiction high enough, and they're indistinguishable in practical terms. That's Clarke's Law.
 
I've always felt that the Final Fantasy series is High Fantasy, while the Tolkein books are Classic Fantasy, while the Conan the Barbarian stories are Low Fantasy. The distinction being the amount of magic in the story, not the setting itself, but that's just me.

As for what I look for in a story, I've grown to like modern and near future types of tales more than anything else, mostly because of the aspect of humor. It's just so much easier, not having to explain a joke to the reader.
 
I've always liked it when an author takes you away from the traditional clichès of fantasy that we usually see. Somewhat like Glen Cook and his Black Company series, or Grunts! by Mary Gentle, they take what you think you know of fantasy and twist it completely around. I find it rather squirmingly satisfying :p
 
Heh, someone else that has read Grunts. First half of the book was great, not so much a fan of the second; though it did finish well.
 
I was disappointed because there wasn't a second one...

Although, yeah, you're right, it got a little ridiculous the more it got on, haha

Alien scorpion thingies?
 
Honestly what I look for, if I can find it is "A ripping good yarn". The stereotypes don't bother me. The Riftwar Saga, for example. It's a very typical storyline for the most part. Nothing there that you won't find other places. Though an interesting mix of "Alien Invasion" themes in a fantasy setting. I find nothing wrong with the usual peasant hero angles and good vs evil plots. If the author can keep up a quick pace is the real test. I don't mind not knowing all the details of the world at first. Though eventually I like to discover the lore. But I think that's the problem with a lot of the books I read lately. Authors have the tendency to stop the story and launch into long explanations of why their setting is so perfectly awesome, or otherwise slow down the plot.
 
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