Originality in Fantasy



Fantasy readers continue in pursuit of their favorite types of fantasy fiction; whether they be the typical sword and sorcery, quest fantasy, or dark fantasy. But many fantasy fans are growing weary of what seems to be the same old method in fantasy novels recycled over and over again.

There are a lot of complaints about books hanging on to the Tolkien-like setting. When most of us read the Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, the similarities to the Fellowship of the Ring was too obvious. When we read the Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, we could sense the same resemblances from the Lord of the Rings in some parts. Peter Orullian’s debut fantasy novel, The Unremembered, is said to have utter likenesses to Robert Jordan’s the Eye of the World.

How many of us have read the farm boy going to fight the great dark lord story? How many have read the story of the orphan seeking revenge for the death of their parents; or the orphan that becomes an assassin or great magician? How about the story about an empire having slave warriors to fight and conquer for them; only the slave warrior becomes the hero against the evil empire? Don’t forget the stories about magic swords; a boy/girl and their dragon(s); or the reluctant hero who was prophesied to save the world. I could go on about the different formulas that we see, not only in the fantasy genre, but in fiction in general.

This is not only an occurrence in books, but in cinema as well. How many romantic comedies have we seen where the male or female character has some kind of secret (or lie), and the love interest finds out about it. The love interest gets upset and never wants to talk to the other again; yet they make up at the end and live happily ever after. And what is it with all the action movies? We know that the main bad guy and the hero are going to fight at the end, and the bad guy is going to get destroyed; can we at least get a surprising twist?

There are a few formulas to storytelling, but hundreds of thousands of stories (if not more), using the same old formulas. Can we say that originality is dead in fiction? Can anything in Fantasy be original anymore? Some say no to the latter. I say yes.

I’m going to use two authors, whose stories I admire, as examples of what originality looks like in fantasy. Now, let me say that I think each book in their series goes on for too long, but they have characters that are interesting enough to keep reading about (even though it seems like they are doing next to nothing sometimes). The two authors are George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice & Fire books) and Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle).

George R.R. Martin has painted a dark and cold world where many dynasties are vying for power over a vast land (Westeros). We experience and learn of the world through the limited third-person point of views of many characters that you grow to love or hate (or a little of both). Though there’s magic in the books it’s subtle and builds up slowly through the series. There are dragons, but they are not set in the story with the same old casting as most books in the genre. Tyrion, probably my favorite character, is a dwarf—not the typical dwarf of fantasy, with the long beards, and living inside the mountains. No, Tyrion is just a normal human, born of “normal” people  with “normal” siblings; however, he was born a dwarf, like in the real world, and he’s a flawed and crafty individual. The books are loaded with political intrigue and battles; unlikely alliances; twists and turns; and disappointments (in regards to the fate or decisions of characters). You will not read Martin’s series and say to yourself, “Hey this looks similar to so-and-so’s book.” Why? Because it’s original. Writers are trying to emulate Martin now, because he has taken the Epic Fantasy genre and changed it into something unpredictable, gritty and realistic (for its period setting). As I stated in a previous post, I personally find the books too dark and graphic in some places, but I cannot deny that Mr. Martin is fantastic at what he does, and has produced an engrossing and epic tale.

Patrick Rothfuss only has two (fat) books out now, but he is definitely one of the giants in modern fantasy fiction today. The reason is because of his exceptional, original storytelling. His story of Kvothe in his Kingkiller Chronicle is interesting and entertaining. Rothfuss gives us a character that tells his own story (in first-person narrative) about his legacy. Kvothe becomes an orphan in the story, due to the death of his parents, and he wants vengeance for their death, but this is not the main plot of the books. Rothfuss tells a whole other type of story through Kvothe, giving us the tale of his life at the university, and his later tales of his adventures outside the university. The books have magic, but the magic system (mostly alchemy) is excellent, in my opinion; giving the readers something more than just the wizard’s staff or the magical object. The magic is a large part of the story, but it is not the drive of the story—the character is. Rothfuss makes it where the readers actually love following Kvothe through his story; and it’s a cool, interesting and fun piece. The books are completely original and memorable.

There are other original good stories out there, but the two authors that I’ve mentioned above are the ones that have stood out to me as being something refreshingly unique in the genre. Let’s not mistake originality with good storytelling. You can have originality, but to the point where it’s too original and does not make for good storytelling. There are writers that spend so much time trying to explain their “original” world instead of letting the story, through the characters, reveal the world to us. There are writers that can take one of the typical formulas described above and tell a great story, with a unique voice of their own, but it wouldn’t classify for originality.

There is nothing like opening a book by an author you’re not familiar with and discovering an original piece of fantasy fiction that was unexpected and different from anything else that you have ever read. It’s like finding gold in a pile of stones, or a diamond in the rough. 

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Long Fantasy Series… Are They Dying Out?

The long trend in the Fantasy genre is the multi-book series; mostly consisting of trilogies, but sometimes a couple of books more. However, over the past couple of decades or so, we’ve seen the “masters of fantasy” dish out these long-drawn-out stories, seeming to stretch their worlds to no end. These long series have fed fans for decades, giving them more and more of the worlds and characters they’ve grown to love. However, these long series have also brought disappointment to the fans; many complaining about the authors' decline in storytelling; plots going nowhere; characters loosing their flavor; etc. Despite these complaints, loyal fans continue to follow the series, in hopes that the authors will be able to pull themselves out of their creative decay, and return to the glory days (back when their story was in its prime). The fans that are not so loyal just give up and choose not to waste any more time on the series. I tend to fall into this category, because I have yet to be captivated by a long series where I can continue past the first three books (apart from Star Wars).

Let’s name just a few authors who’ve stretched their worlds through numerous volumes of books:

• Raymond E. Feist produced 30 books in his Midkemia world in multiple series, known as the Riftwar Cycle. The last book, Magician’s End, is due to release in the U.S. on May 14^TH. Mr. Feist had been writing these books for over 30 years.

• Terry Brooks has been writing in his Shannara series for decades (the first book, The Sword of Shannara, was released in 1977). He is still writing in this series today; with Bloodfire Quest released in March of this year, and Witch Wraith due for release this July. I have lost count of the Shannara books, but I believe that there are over 20 so far.

• Katharine Kerr gave us 15 books in her Deverry series, concluding with The Silver Mage (released in 2009). 

• Robert Jordan originally intended to write his Wheel of Time series in 6 books, but the story grew too big. He was only able to fully write up to 11 books in the series before his passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson completed the last 3 books in the series, working with Jordan’s wife and the notes that remained. A Memory of Light, the 14^TH and final book of the series, was released at the beginning of this year.

• Terry Goodkind released his 12^TH Sword of Truth novel last year, with the 13^TH book, The Third Kingdom, supposedly due out later this year. I say “supposedly” because the book is rumored as coming out in August, but there’s no mention of it on the publisher’s website. 

• David Eddings wrote The Belgariad series in 5 books, and then wrote The Malloreon series as a sequel, also in 5 books. There was another 3 books that Eddings co-wrote with his wife, Leigh, that were related to the same world.

• After 13 books, Robin Hobb released her book, The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince, in February this year, continuing her Realm of the Elderlings series. 

• Stephen R. Donaldson has his book, The Last Dark, due to release in the Fall of this year, to conclude his long-running The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. Altogether, this would make for 10 books.

• Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series ended with the publication of The Crippled God in 2011. Erikson completed the series in 10 books, but these books were ridiculously thick, with the shortest book consisting of 768 pages, and the longest clocking in at just under 1300 pages. That’s really more like over 20 books, if you put it altogether, based on the average book size. 

• I do not consider George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire to be a large volume series, since it is Mr. Martin’s intention to write 7 books to complete the series (5 released; 2 more to go). But he is taking such a long time to complete each book; and a lot of readers are nervous that he may not be able to finish. He’s not getting any younger, and, as we’ve seen, he is not the fittest man in America; and his books are getting above 1,000 pages. I know it takes time to write a really good book, but there was a five-year wait between book 4 and 5; and there’s no telling when book 6 will be released.  

The above list is not exhaustive. I could’ve included Terry Pratchett, considering his Discworld novels, which I believe may have reached 40 books. But those novels are different stories set in the same world; not an ongoing epic story. Also, Pratchett’s Discworld is more like Comic Fantasy (humorous and fun to read). Mr. Pratchett has been dealing with Alzheimer's for a few years now, so it’s not real certain how much longer the Discworld series will continue. I could also mention the Dragonlance series, which is mostly collaborated by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It’s a progressing world of many books, read by faithful followers, and continuing to stay true to the High Fantasy bloodline.

The series listed above are stories spanning from the late 1970’s on up to today. Most of these authors are well over 60 years old; and their long line of novels, of worlds and characters loved (and hated) by a multitude of readers over many years, are coming to an end. After these authors’ long running series are truly said and done, can we expect publishers to continue such lengthy cycles with the newer authors of today? Trilogies and tetralogies are the norm with today’s “younger” authors, and it’s difficult to tell who among them will be the next producer of a long, successful fantasy series. I have no doubt that there will be more long series, but will there be as much as we’ve seen from past to present? Will readers of today want to continue on with long drawn-out stories that span over decades?

As I’ve mentioned above, a lot of readers are growing weary with some of these series where the authors are not producing quality books in their created worlds. There’s nothing fresh coming forth in these long series; just the authors making their word counts. Can an author truly devote him/herself to a long, epic story for years and years and continue to produce quality? Has it been done, and can it be done? I’m sure we could get mixed answers on that question.

The industry is changing. With the successful rise of e-books, indie publishers, and self-published authors, a lot of books are becoming available to a wide array of readers. Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance continue to fill up the publishers’ yearly rosters and the bookstore shelves (including online bookshelves). These sub-genres have their own collection of series, but they are still modern and riding the waves of today’s trends. Publishers and authors will continue to spit out what they deem will sell; and we will still see a large collection of books that will not live on to be legendary.

I believe the Fantasy genre is evolving, but it’s tough to say whether or not long series will be able to remain in this young evolution. Like I said, there will continue to be long series, but how many, and for how much longer? Only time will tell.

Star Wars is Fantasy

 

I’m a big Star Wars fan; not to the point of being geeky or fanatical, but just enjoying the Star Wars universe, stories, and characters. It is big, fat epic fiction for all ages and all people. It is a phenomenon in and of itself. Nothing else can compare—not even Star Trek or Lord of the Rings (in my humble opinion).

I think, in general, Star Wars is seen (categorized) as Science Fiction. There has been a debate for years over whether Star Wars is in fact Science Fiction or Fantasy. There’s even a book based on such a debate called, Star Wars on Trial. I’m not going to waste time and brain cells being technical about what makes a story Science Fiction or Fantasy, but I’m just going to speak as the average reader and fan that I am, and just state the obvious.

Now, it’s assumed that since Star Wars takes place in outer space, with spaceships, laser guns, planets, and aliens, it is automatically classified as Science Fiction. A true Sci-Fi fan/expert would tell you that Sci-Fi has to have a degree of plausibility in the make and setup of the world of the story. When you think about it, there is no plausibility in the world of Star Wars. Things are just the way they are in the stories. There’s no grounds for plausibility with the Force (even with the vague explanation of the midi-chlorians). The Lightsaber is scientifically impossible. Spaceships speeding through a galaxy over thousands of light years in a matter of minutes, hours, or days is utter imagining. The hardcore Science Fiction fan would require that such things be scientifically explained, with just an inkling of possibility that such things could happen (like maybe sometime in the future—even if it’s the far future).

Now, George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, has been on record, stating that Star Wars is more Fantasy than Science Fiction; so that should just put the debate to rest. Think about how the story begins: “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” Just this beginning right here tells you that you are getting into a story that does not even take place in our world, let alone our time. Science Fiction usually takes place in the future (even an alternative future—but still the future). Here, Lucas is starting his story, basically saying, “Once upon a time…” We all know that when someone starts a story with, “Once upon a time,” it’s going to be a made up fairytale, myth or fable. We’re not going to expect feasibility in the telling of such a story. No, we’re going to expect a fantasy-like story, typically consisting of kings, princesses, and knights. Stephen King wrote a booked called, The Eyes of the Dragon, published in 1987, which is told just like an old-fashioned fairytale: “Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a king with two sons.” When you hear a story start out like this, you know it’s going to be a tale, not Science Fiction.

What Lucas did differently was that he made his fairytale using a whole other type of setting. He’s using a galaxy as his world; planets as kingdoms; lightsabers as swords, Jedi and Sith as knights and wizards. Spaceships coasting the blackness of space are just a cool spin from the seafaring vessels. The blaster replaces the bow & arrow or crossbow. Speeders replace the horses. Luke Skywalker starts out as the typical farm boy seeking adventure. Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi are the wise old wizards. Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are the dark lords, or dark wizards, that have put their brutal curse on the land (or galaxy). Princess Leia is the beautiful princess that must be saved (and she can kick butt too). The Force, of course, is magic.

I can go on and on here… Star Wars is nothing more than big, fat Epic Fantasy with a sci-fi-like setting. That’s what makes Star Wars so unique. It’s a thing of its own; never done before. It’s complete entertainment. It’s complete action. It’s complete fantasy.

Another comparison to Star Wars, in regards to advanced technology in Fantasy, is He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and ThunderCats. There are laser guns, spaceships, and all kinds of stuff in those cartoons, but they are total Fantasy—filled with swords, magic, princes, kings, wizards, dark lords, and on and on. That’s the beauty of the Fantasy genre, there is so much that can be done in it.

In closing, those of us Star Wars fans who actually read the books and see just how deep and epic the Star Wars universe is, we understand that Star Wars stands on it’s own, as an epic tale with a boatload of fantasy elements. Also, let me just note that there are quite a bit of Fantasy authors who have contributed to the mass of Star Wars books. Terry Brooks adapted The Phantom Menace into a book; as well as R.A. Salvatore and Matthew Stover who adapted episodes II and III (they have also written many other Star Wars books). Greg Keyes, Troy Denning, Christie Golden, Paul S. Kemp, Michael A. Stackpole, and Elaine Cunningham, have also authored Star Wars books, just to name a few.

So, Star Wars is Fantasy… Science Fiction is only its nickname.