Fantasy: The Unreality
By Kayla LH
© 2005, Kayla LH
As far back as anyone can remember, and
probably even farther than that, people have dreamed. In the beginning,
these dreams were spun into stories, told around a blazing fire. Audiences
would become utterly enthralled by tales of bravery, of magnificent and
horrifying creatures, and of strong characters shoving past obstacles that
stood in their way. The vigorous, the frail, the bitter -- each had
backgrounds to unfurl.
Magic eventually added itself into the
brew, resulting in wizards, spells, potions, and gods of old. As these
stories engraved themselves into a history all their own, they became the
building blocks known as legends, myths, folklore -- and what we now
consider fantasy.
The realm of fantasy cannot be stuffed
easily into a manila folder and labeled. There are several subgenres, each
stretching the invisible boundaries of this unreality. Some of the more
popular subgenres are often cited as contemporary, high,
sword and sorcery, and dark. Each has individual characteristics
that distinguish it from the others, creating a jewelry box of carved,
pristine gems for readers and writers to pick from as they desire.
Contemporary fantasy,
also known as modern or urban fantasy, frequently takes a current-world
character and plunges her headfirst into a surreal land, such as in the
Chronicles of Narnia. Just as common are mythical creatures living on
Earth; Charles de Lint has written several urban fantasy books which feature
a North American city called Newford and its mythical mysteries. Holly
Black’s Tithe is another such book. Faeries, goblins, kelpies; the
beautiful and the wicked are continuously greeted with Human-presence, be it
in their world or ours.
Possibly the most widely written subgenre,
high fantasy draws on both pre-written and original folklore. Races
such as the “kender” of the Dragonlance series serve kindness and
quirky humor, while the vicious personalities of the Fae from Anne Bishop’s
Tir Alainn series startle the reader -- right after they exhale that
breath of fresh air upon the realization that not all fantasy works
spew the same tales over and over again. The dreams of every writer are
spurred on by something written before them, to be changed and altered into
something similar but irrevocably new. Unlike low fantasy, where magic is
not the focus of the world, high fantasy is driven by characters attuned to
their magic. If nothing else comes from such a genre, it is the creation of
the original while celebrating the old.
Sword and sorcery,
often associated with Dungeons and Dragons, a role-playing game, is
set in the imagined world of the creator, much like high fantasy. The key
difference lies in that while high fantasy focuses on that magic of the
world, sword and sorcery, according to Wikipedia, “is more concerned with
immediate physical threats.” Also known as epic fantasy, it focuses on the
darker side of the often cliché too-good-to-be-true realms other fantasy
genres might present. In Pool of Radiance by James M. Ward and Jane
Cooper Hong, three aspiring adventurers travel through graveyards and mage
towers, each on his own personal quest, seeking a way to clear the area
around their beloved city of Phlan. Michael A. Stackpole’s The
DragonCrown War Cycle highlights a group of unlikely heroes, such as is
the genre’s trademark, who travel to defeat their world’s biggest threat.
Thieves can become martyrs, elves can lose their ancestral homes, and
dragons are not dolls in which to stick pin-sized blades. In sword and
sorcery novels, even with their realms full of magic, it is realized that
blades are needed just as much as spells, and vice versa.
Brimming with the crueler side effects and
adventures in life, dark fantasy deals in twisted tales of blood,
murder, and deception. Anne Bishop’s The Black Jewels trilogy reveals
the inner workings of dangerous deceivers, fierce but loyal “demon-dead,”
and a fair-haired but powerful child called Witch. In this subgenre, the
horrifying walk the streets, whole-scale slaughters may ensue; or maybe
there will be just a few small sacrifices that have the reader shaken by the
time she finally closes the book. The unusual comes to light, the nightmares
no one wants to remember written in crimson ink. Darkness lurks around every
corner, kisses might have a bite behind them, and one must never discount
rumors entirely.
Fantasy bends the rules of reality,
creating beings and things that none can see in the normal world. Unlike
science fiction, it is a realm driven not by technology, but by magic. What
is there might not be the next time you look -- because it fluttered away on
tiny, incandescent wings...
Tithe
by Holly Black, publisher Simon Pulse, ISBN: 0689867042
Complete Chronicles of Narnia by C.
S. Lewis, publisher Harper Collins, ISBN: 0066238501
War of Souls Trilogy (Dragonlance)
by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, publisher Wizards of the Coast , ISBN:
0786930020
Shadows and Light (Tir Alainn)
by Anne Bishop, publisher Roc, ISBN: 0451458990
Fortress Draconis (DragonCrown War Cycle)
by Michael A. Stackpole, publisher Spectra, ISBN: 0553578499
The Black Jewels Trilogy
by Anne Bishop, publisher Roc, ISBN: 0451529014
The Pool of Radiance
by James M. Ward and Jane Cooper Hong, publisher Wizards of the Coast, ISBN:
0880387351
The Sword and Sorcery quote is courtesy of
http://www.wikipedia.com/.
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