Below is a video of a panel of fantasy authors at the Phoenix Comicon earlier this month discussing magic systems. The video quality is not that good, but the discussion is perfect. The authors are: Jaye Wells, Myke Cole, Jim Butcher, Sam Sykes, Stephen Blackmoore and Patrick Rothfuss.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Discussion Panel on Magic Systems - VIDEO
Below is a video of a panel of fantasy authors at the Phoenix Comicon earlier this month discussing magic systems. The video quality is not that good, but the discussion is perfect. The authors are: Jaye Wells, Myke Cole, Jim Butcher, Sam Sykes, Stephen Blackmoore and Patrick Rothfuss.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Inspirations of Fantasy
We can say
that all writers collect the seeds acquired from an assortment of influences
and plant them in their gardens of literary creativity. Not only that, but
there are the nuggets of life’s experiences and the flow of imagination that
fuels the drive of the writer’s story. Fantasy fiction is that one facet of
speculative fiction where not only the fantastic is given liberty to reign, but
an author can interject a riot of influences in a pliable universe.
Religion
and mythology inspired ancient epics like Gilgamesh,
The Odyssey and Beowulf. Fairy tales sprouted from the folklore of legends and
imaginative narratives of morals, humor and fears. Without these foundations,
modern fantasy would not exist.
The titan
of modern fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, poured all of his inspirations, passions and
experiences into his creation. The Hobbit,
The Lord of the Rings, and all other Middle-earth
companion books, would not have existed if it weren’t for the intelligence,
knowledge, faith and experiences of Tolkien bleeding into his work as he spent
years building a world that would dominate the genre for decades. It wasn’t
only mythology and early works of fantasy that inspired Tolkien’s epic, but it
was his knowledge of history, language, culture, as well as his service in
World War I. These motivations, joined with masterful storytelling, are what
produced the saga adored by millions today.
I think
what gives George R.R. Martin’s work of A
Song of Ice and Fire such great intrigue and grandeur is Martin’s
inspiration from historical events like the War of the Roses, and the
historical fiction of French author Maurice Druon. Nothing is more fascinating
than the accounts of history—true stories of real people and momentous events
of the past. That’s what I’ve come to enjoy in
fantasy—books that have some sort of inspiration from history and/or real life
situations, making for a more believable fictional world.
Similar to
the ancient epics, modern fantasy continues to be inspired by the faith and
beliefs of authors. C.S. Lewis’ Christianity was a key influence on his Chronicles of Narnia; with the result of
a messianic lion (Aslan). Philip Pullman’s His
Dark Materials produced a work of fiction that drew upon John Milton’s Paradise Lost to tell a story with
Atheist overtones. Likewise, Brandon Sanderson’s many works of fantasy show
reflections of Mormon ideas, such as mortals attaining divinity; and it
continues in his largest epic yet—The
Stormlight Archive.
Sometimes
it’s simply just the activities and occupations of a writer’s life that sparks
an imaginative epic. Though the love of fantasy fiction altogether can be the
basis of inspiration for all fantasy authors, nothing forms the author’s story
like that in which he/she is familiar with. Patrick Rothfuss’ life and
experiences in college clearly comes through, masterfully, in his Kingkiller Chronicle, giving readers
more than just a heroic adventure story. Before writing fulltime, the late Sara
Douglass was a registered nurse, which gave her the ability to write some
pretty graphic scenes of brutal childbirth and what happens to the human body
in certain conditions. Playing role-playing games like AD&D (Advanced
Dungeons & Dragons) set the creative wheels spinning for Steven Erikson. He
and a friend simply wanted to build a better and stronger role-playing
universe, and thus the Malazan Empire was created, along with a whole cast of
characters and histories, which would evolve into the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
Obviously,
fantasy stories can come from a vast pool of inspirations; however, it seems
too often that writers draw their inspirations from the same sources. It can be
nice seeing different renderings of similar settings and ideas in the genre,
but it can get stale after awhile. We are definitely in a new age where most
readers are anticipating something “original” in fantasy. If writers are
dipping into the same limited reservoir of ideas, then you tend to have a
stagnant genre. Yet when writers venture out a little and wade in a pool of
fresh concepts—marrying it with exceptional storytelling—then the fantasy
genre, once again, can celebrate another landmark in its great frontier.
RELATED POSTS:
History in Fantasy - Part 1
History in Fantasy - Part 2
History in Fantasy - Part 3
RELATED POSTS:
History in Fantasy - Part 1
History in Fantasy - Part 2
History in Fantasy - Part 3
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