Lord of the
Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Riftwar Cycle, Wheel of Time, Malazan Book
of the Fallen, A Song of Ice and Fire, and a multitude of other fantasy books consist
of battles and wars of epic proportion—conflicts that shake the very
foundations of the worlds these stories inhabit. Much of epic fantasy seems to
be lost without the presence of warfare. Without war in fantasy, the stories
almost fall into the identity of fairytales.
Unfortunately,
war is in the fabric of the existence of mankind. It’s a dark, horrible blemish
that writes our histories and forms the boundaries between nations. War is the
death and destruction of lives and civilizations that causes an effect
throughout existence for centuries and millennia. So for fantasy not to have at
least a history of war within the story, it takes away the believability of
that world and the civilizations therein.
The classic
epic fantasy story takes the reader into a great conflict against a cancerous
evil that is taking over the world. Another kind of fantasy story deals with
the conflict between an antagonist building a force to dominate a region.
Another story brings wars between different races, tribes or classes. These are
usually the main three formulas, formed into different variations. Again, war
does not have to be in the fantasy story itself, but at least a history of war,
or the possibility of war tends to dwell in the world-building.
This
element of fantasy seems to bring to life all the other elements in the genre.
A wizard’s use of magic appears much more powerful and active in the setting of
warfare. Dragon-riders soaring the heights, unleashing flames on their enemies
below, bring about some of the most exciting moments of dragons in a story. The
thrust and parry of a skilled swordsman, the lethal hack of a dwarf’s axe, and
the graceful combat moves of an elf bring life to a battle scene on the pages.
A sovereign’s declaration of war ups the stakes in a story of intrigue.
Just think
about your favorite fantasy books without the battles. There wouldn’t be much
of a story. The conflicts between good and evil, and the struggles between
opposing kings would just be a game of chess. If only it was that easy. It’s
sad that a genre where we go to escape this life carries over the vices of this
world, but the difference, at least in traditional fantasy, is that we get to
see the bad guys get their due justice, which is not always the case in our
world.
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