Author Marlon James Speaks About Writing 'An African Game of Thrones'

Jamaican author, Marlon James, has been all the buzz this past weekend in the fantasy circle with his announcement about writing a fantasy series in which he describes as “an African Game of Thrones”. In my posting in April of 2013 about black authors writing fantasy, I talked about how very very few of them there were. Last year I posted about people of color in fantasy, stating that people of color, who are writers and are fans of fantasy, should write fantasy—epic fantasy. It looks like that’s Mr. James’ focus, and it will be interesting to see what he puts out.

You can read a little about Marlon James’ statements here. 

RELATED POSTS:
People of Color in Fantasy 

Black Authors Writing Fantasy...Where Are They?
Discussion Panel on Black Speculative Fiction - VIDEO

Peter Jackson's Problem With The Hobbit Films

A lot is explained in the video below in regards to The Hobbit movies directed by Peter Jackson. I never thought that the movies were a disaster or ruined The Hobbit story—well, maybe only with the Tauriel, Legolas and Kili romantic triangle. There were no female characters in The Hobbit book, so I guess Jackson and the writers felt like they had to have a female character and throw in a romantic element. In the video below, Peter Jackson and his staff honestly admit that they didn’t have it all together with the films. But it’s nice to see them talking about it so that we know what the deal was. I still enjoyed the movies; the Extended Edition Blu-rays are all a part of my collection, and I will be watching them for years to come.

CNET.com talks about this as well. See here.   

RELATED POSTS: 
From Book to Screen
From Book to Screen (Revisited)

Sci-Fi & Fantasy On The Rise

Last month I talked about the rise of fantasy novels being adapted to the screen; and Orbit Books’ announcement this past weekend about their 50% increase to SFF titles each year (see here) just comes to show that the genre is on the rise in the world of entertainment. Barnes & Noble’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy blog posted an interesting article in regards to this, as well as other publishers jumping on the rising wave (see here).  


RELATED POSTS: 
From Book to Screen
From Book to Screen (Revisited)

Similarities between Harry Potter & The Worst Witch

Fan art by Zaionczyk at DeviantArt.com

As a kid in the 80’s, I loved watching the made-for-TV movie The Worst Witch, starring Fairuza Balk, Charlotte Rae and Tim Curry on HBO. It was a Halloween classic. I had some of the songs replaying in my head all the way into my adulthood (especially Tim Curry’s epic Halloween song)—so much so that I watched some of the movie on You Tube the other day and never realized until then just how similar Harry Potter was to it. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before. The similarities are too close not to be noticed.

Now, to those of you who may not be familiar with the The Worst Witch series of books by British author Jill Murphy, the first book was published in 1974, with sequels following in the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. So, obviously, The Worst Witch was published way before J.K. Rowling ever conceived the idea of Harry Potter. Besides the film that was released in 1986, there was a British television series that ran from 1998 to 2001.

I knew I couldn’t have been the only one to notice the similarities between Harry Potter and The Worst Witch, so I “googled” it and found some links that go into more detail on the similarities (see them below). Now, a lot of people use words like “rip-off” and “plagiarism”, but I don’t know if I would go that far. I love the Harry Potter series and there are things in the series that are crazy similar to the The Worst Witch, but J.K. Rowling still made Harry Potter a story and world in and of itself, despite the similarities. The only thing that kind of bothers me is that Rowling never mentioned any inspiration from Jill Murphy’s books or the The Worst Witch film in any interview. She had to have been influenced by Murphy’s creation. Either she just doesn’t want to admit it, or she just forgot, or it’s just a coincidence. You be the judge.  

Below are some thoughts on this topic throughout the web:

  *  From Wikipedia: 

Many critics have noted that Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch series (first published in 1974 by Allison & Busby), is set in a school for girls, "Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches", reminiscent of Hogwarts. The story concerns an awkward pupil at a boarding-school for witches, who faces a scheming rival student. Her professors include a kindly and elderly headmistress and a bullying, raven-haired potions teacher. Murphy has commented on her frustration at constant comparisons between her work and Harry Potter: "It's irritating … everyone asks the same question and I even get children writing to ask me whether I mind about the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and pointing out similarities. Even worse are reviewers who come across my books, or see the TV series, and, without taking the trouble to find out that it's now over quarter of a century since I wrote my first book, make pointed remarks about 'clever timing' – or say things like 'the Worst Witch stories are not a million miles from J K Rowling's books'. The implications are really quite insulting!"

  *  Charles Webb at MTV.com states: 
“If you squint a little, you can see a little bit of The Worst Witch making its way into J.K. Rowling's work, with the same emphasis on a parallel world of magical whimsy with its own rules of reality. I'm not saying there any kind of lift here between the two authors' work--in fact, Rowling was more concerned about her characters growing up and maturing in school than Murphy was in her own work. Not better, not worse--just different focuses.”

  *  io9.com wrote the following:

In this precursor to the Potter books, a young girl from a Mugg – uh – non-magical family attends a boarding school for witches. Which is in an ancient castle surrounded by an enchanted forest. While Mildred Hubble is enrolled at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, where she attends Potions, Broomstick Flying, Chants and Charms classes, she must deal with conflicts with her classmates, a cursed broom, and an attempt to overthrow the school. Also, Mildred and her friends make an invisibility potion. Here's an old Geocities page listing more similarities, including the fact that there's a mean teacher who hates the main character, and a popular blond kid who gets off on the wrong foot with the hero on the very first day.

Is there a Case? The series of Worst Witch books skews younger and tends to the lighter side of magic than the Harry Potter books. Many of the similarities are of the superficial, non-copyrightable type, though Murphy got there first.

  *  From a forum at MythicScribes.com: 

I am sure that Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch is actually the roots of Harry Potter, even though J.K. Rowling has never admitted that. There are simply too many similarities between both worlds for it to be a coincidence, and if Murphy never sued I guess that it's because she did not want to suffer all the hassle.

Just consider these unusual coincidences:

1- Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches is a lonely castle, surrounded by forest.
2- The castle is invisible to non-magical people.
3- There is a village nearby the castle.

4- The forest is forbidden to the students.
5- Mildred Hubble comes from a non-magical background.
6- Mildred has two best friends, Maud and Enid.

7- Mildred has a cat.
8- Miss Hardbroom (scary potions teacher) hates Mildred.
9- Elitist fellow student from an elitist family of Witches hates Mildred.

10- Benevolent, warm-hearted Headmistress loves and helps Mildred.
11- The first year students take special lessons to learn to fly with broomsticks.
12- Miss Cackle's Academy was founded by a witch called Hermione Cackle.

All of these sound familiar, right? There are other similarities, these are just a few!!

Now, if Harry Potter had come first then everyone would scream that The Worst Witch is a Harry Potter rip-off, but in fact the first Mildred Hubble book was written back in 1974... J.K. Rowling is a wonderful writer and a superb storyteller and there are also many differences between WW and HP, but I think that all HP fans (myself included) should accept that WW is actually the roots.

  *  The fan art by Zaionczyk on DeviantArt.com is a fun comparison which illustrates the similarities. A portion of the artwork is shown above for this post, but you can see the whole thing here. 

  *  Lastly, below is a video that someone posted on a Worst Witch fan channel on You Tube…

RELATED POSTS: 
Originality in Fantasy
Inspirations of Fantasy

From Book to Screen (Revisited)

A couple of years ago I posted about fantasy books that were adapted to the screen (see here), and I feel it’s time to say just a little bit more about it. There has been a lot of success with movie adaptations for fantasy novels lately—more than ever before. In the 70’s and 80’s, fantasy was rampant on the screen (both television and movies), but none of them would be as epic and successful as Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (first released in 2001—a month after the first Harry Potter movie). 2001 was like the kick-off year for what would be an avalanche of fantasy movie adaptations (in addition to the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter sequels) with the release of The Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon, Stardust, The Golden Compass, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Seventh Son, and Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. However, the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Hobbit movies would outshine them all.

The small screen (television) has been rolling out fantasy adaptations as well, such as: Legend of the Seeker, based on Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series; Merlin, which was loosely based on the King Arthur legend; and the all-popular Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Coming up in January of next year is the release of The Shannara Chronicles, based on Terry Brooks Shannara series. Of course there were and are more fantasy TV shows, but I’m speaking specifically about fantasy literary fiction that was adapted to the screen.

To add on to the big and small screen fantasy fiction adaptations, today’s (October 1^ST) announcement of Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle series being acquired by Lionsgate for movie, television and video game (read about it here) shows that the fire is still burning hot for fantasy books converting to screen. Of course the Game of Thrones TV show breaking a record at the Emmy Awards (see here) comes to show that fantasy has what it takes to compete in the very competitive market of onscreen entertainment.

So, like the flux of comic book movie and TV mania, fantasy is creating its own waves on the screen, and we need only to sit back and enjoy (hopefully).

RELATED POSTS: 
From Book to Screen
Wheel of Time TV Series

Science Fiction vs Fantasy - VIDEO

SF/F authors discuss the differences between Science Fiction and Fantasy.

RELATED POSTS: 
Thin Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy

Thin Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy (continued)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Family Feud - VIDEO

Thin Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy (continued)

Science Fiction and Fantasy are two genres that have been grouped together for as long as I can remember (even longer than that, actually) and it’s not really too hard to see why. As a child growing up in the 80’s, seeing a mash-up of spaceships, robots, swords and magic was common in the realm of cartoons and movies; such as, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, Krull, Heavy Metal and Flash Gordon. But there were books mixing these two genres together way before the 80’s.

A ground-breaking novel of its time, Dune by Frank Herbert, published in 1965, is a story set in the distant future with interstellar space travel, politics, religion, technology and ecology. Often called the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune holds an authority in the science fiction genre like no other. Dune is like science fiction’s Lord of the Rings; in the words of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke: “Dune seems to me unique among novels in the depth of characterization and the extraordinary detail of the world it creates. I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings.” The journey and mystic feel of the novel gives the story an appeal that fantasy readers can gravitate to—with psychic powers in place of magic, swords as weapons, prophecies and the semi-feudal political structure of the empire. Douglas Cohen explains on Tor.com how Dune is science fiction for fans of fantasy—that post is here.

Another popular science fiction series is the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey—the first book, Dragonflight, published in 1968. One would think with the word “dragon” in the titles, and the covers of these books showcasing this fantastical creature, that the Pern novels were straight fantasy. But, again, we’re dealing with a story that takes place in the distant future, were mankind inhabits a planet called Pern, but society is reduced to a more post Middle Ages-type of setting with low technology. The dragons are basically “animals” genetically modified so that the humans can communicate with them through telepathy and use them to fight off virus-like organisms called Thread. Again, it is psychic abilities that give the characters their “magic-like” abilities.

One who has often been accredited as one of the founders of “science fantasy” is Christopher Stasheff, who had his first book in the Warlock of Gramarye series published in 1969. The first book, called The Warlock in Spite of Himself, tells the story of undercover agent, Rodney Gallowglass, who discovers a planet called Gramarye inhabited with people who dwell within a medieval-type civilization. Riding around on Fess, his robotic companion—who takes the guise of a robot horse—Rodney Gallowglass’s use of technology makes him a wizard in the eyes of the inhabitants. There are other parts of the series where “real” magic comes into the act. These books are not trying to be science fiction, nor are they trying to be fantasy. The author uses the components of both genres to kind of illustrate his political views within an adventurous story.

Even earlier than the works mentioned above, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars (or Barsoom) series, starting with the publication of A Princess of Mars in 1917, told the story of John Carter from planet Earth finding himself on Mars and having great strength and special abilities, making him renown as a hero on Mars—a work containing a lot of fantasy-like overtones. Later authors, like Jack Vance, Arthur C. Clarke and John Norman, were inspired by Burroughs’ Barsoom series. John Norman’s Gor series, first published in 1966 with Tarnsman of Gor, goes along the same vein as Burroughs’  Barsoom series—a man from Earth going on a journey within an alien planet. Books like these tend to fall under the subgenre phrased as “Sword and Planet”, a phrase said to have been invented by Donald A. Wollheim (founder of DAW books) in the 60’s. Sword and Planet pertains to science fantasy stories which take place on other planets, where the protagonist is usually someone from Earth and the combat is usually hand-to-hand, with swords as the typical weapon.

Hard Science Fiction is based entirely on more plausible science within the story, but in the “softer” Science Fiction you will find stories where physic powers and telepathy are the “magic” within the stories, found in many books like the Saga of the Pliocene Exile by Julian May and Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover series, in addition to Dune and the Pern novels.

Now, I can’t go away without mentioning Star Wars. I won’t say much about it because I have already discussed Star Wars a couple of years ago on this blog (you can read about it here), but I think what makes Star Wars such a huge success is because it’s a perfect mix of science fiction and fantasy with great adventures and unforgettable characters.

So, when you really look at the long history of science fiction, you really can see the reason why these two genres tend to co-exist together. They share a section together in the bookstores, and they share the successful explosion of speculative fiction in the 20^TH century. But let’s not forget that Fantasy has been around much longer than Science Fiction, and the two of them married together really makes a great match.  


RELATED POSTS: 
Thin Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy
Science Fiction vs Fantasy - VIDEO
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Family Feud - VIDEO

Thin Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy

First of all, to my followers, my apologies for not posting as much this year. I have been really focused on finishing my book, and I am glad to say that I’m on track to finish by the end of this year. With that said, I am working on new articles, and one happens to be about the Thin Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy. However, before I post my view on this topic, I would like to share a link to a blog post that author Judith Tarr wrote earlier this year, which is a great perspective on this subject.

Click on the link here. 

RELATED POSTS: 

Thin Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy (continued)
Science Fiction vs Fantasy - VIDEO
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Family Feud - VIDEO

Dinosaurs in Fantasy

Today, Tuesday, July 28, is the release date here in the U.S. for a new book by author Victor Milán called The Dinosaur Lords. Ever since the cover was revealed in the Fall of 2014, with brilliant artwork by Richard Anderson and a short blurb from George R.R. Martin across the top, The Dinosaur Lords has been a long anticipated book. Knights riding dinosaurs into battle is an idea and image that has sparked excitement among a lot of fans of fantasy fiction.

My first thought was like everyone else, thinking how cool the idea was, but also thinking that it would have to be done well in order for it to work. If you get real technical, the word dinosaur is not even 200 years old; so how can an author make that work in a piece of fantasy fiction set in a world based on 14^TH century Europe? After reading an excerpt consisting of the prologue and the first two chapters, I’ve found that Mr. Milán definitely makes it work. Even though he uses the actual scientific names of the dinosaurs (such as the familiar Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, just to name a few), he makes it work with a text within his secondary world called The Book of True Names. By using the actual names of the dinosaurs it helps the reader have a clear visual of the creatures that grace the pages.

The Dinosaur Lords is the first of a trilogy, with the second installment currently named The Dinosaur Knights, yet to be released. This could be the start of something new in the fantasy genre. Though Victor Milán would not be the first to include dinosaurs in a work of fantasy fiction, he is the first to actually have dinosaurs without making them something different, and actually calling them by their names. The only other piece of epic fantasy fiction that I can think of that used dinosaurs is Ricardo Pinto’s The Stone Dance of the Chameleon series, but they were not called dinosaurs in the books. In those books the beast known as a Huimur was a lot like a Triceratops, and there was another creature, called an Aquar, that was akin to another type of dinosaur, but I don’t know which to compare it to. You can see pictures and excerpts from the books at the author’s website here and here.

Dragons have always been the reptilian creatures that have dominated fantasy fiction, and they will always be. But adding dinosaurs within the genre is just another good thing—if done well. We are yet to see how Mr. Milán’s trilogy will be received and how it will inspire future works within the genre. Fantasy fiction still has the potential to expand and grow, as long as writers are willing to think outside the box.  

RELATED POSTS: 
The Dragon Ingredient
The Secondary World
Inspirations of Fantasy
Epic Worldbuilding

Fantasy Fiction Club Humor - VIDEO

Check out the video below of college geeks at their best. Only those of us who know our fantasy fiction can truly enjoy the humor of what these guys did. Entertaining and funny.

RELATED POSTS:

The Difference Between High Fantasy & Epic Fantasy

A Discussion Panel of Fantasy Authors - VIDEO 

How A Game of Thrones Changed Fantasy...or Did It? - VIDEO  

Discussion Panel on Epic Fantasy - VIDEO

Fantasy Authors Discuss the Genre & Writing - VIDEO

Writing Hero Stories for Modern Readers - VIDEO

RELATED POSTS: 

Are Fantasy Readers Looking For Heroes?

Epic Characters 
The Evolution of Modern Fantasy - VIDEO 

What Makes Fantasy Epic? - VIDEO

At the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, Washington this past weekend, there was a panel of fantasy authors discussing the multiple aspects of Epic Fantasy. The panel featured authors Peter Orullian, Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, Peter V. Brett, and Steven Erikson; and it made for an interesting discussion among these authors. See the video below. Enjoy!

RELATED POSTS:
A Discussion Panel of Fantasy Authors - VIDEO 
The Evolution of Modern Fantasy - VIDEO 
Discussion About Epic Fantasy with Brian McClellan and Sam Sykes - VIDEO 
How A Game of Thrones Changed Fantasy...or Did It? - VIDEO  
Brandon Sanderson & Brian McClellan on Google+ Hangouts - VIDEO 
Discussion Panel on Epic Fantasy - VIDEO
Fantasy Authors Discuss the Genre & Writing - VIDEO
Discussion Panel on Magic Systems - VIDEO   

Discussion About Epic Fantasy with Brian McClellan and Sam Sykes - VIDEO

Here is an interesting and fun discussion about Epic Fantasy with authors Brian McClellan and Sam Sykes, hosted by Orbit Books via Google+ Hangouts (Feb. 24, 2015).

RELATED POSTS:
A Discussion Panel of Fantasy Authors - VIDEO 
How A Game of Thrones Changed Fantasy...or Did It? - VIDEO  
Brandon Sanderson & Brian McClellan on Google+ Hangouts - VIDEO 
Discussion Panel on Epic Fantasy - VIDEO
Fantasy Authors Discuss the Genre & Writing - VIDEO
Discussion Panel on Magic Systems - VIDEO   

George R.R. Martin and Publisher Tom Doherty - VIDEO

Here is a very interesting video of a long interview with George R.R. Martin and Tom Doherty from October 23rd of last year at the Brown University Library in Providence, Rhode Island. It is rare to see two giants in fantasy fiction (one a publisher and the other an author) sitting together and discussing the genre. The bulk of the conversation is centered around Martin (of course) and his A Song of Ice and Fire series, but having Tom Doherty (founder of Tor Books) discussing the fantasy genre and the industry is really great. 

Now, this video is over 90 minutes long (you can pretty much skip the first 5 minutes), so you want to make some time and grab a snack before you watch. 

RELATED POSTS: 
A Discussion Panel of Fantasy Authors - VIDEO 
How A Game of Thrones Changed Fantasy...or Did It? - VIDEO 
Fantasy Authors Discuss the Genre & Writing - VIDEO

Are Fantasy Readers Looking For Heroes?

 

It seems like we can look back on most fantastical tales and read about the hero’s journey in some form or another. Mythologist and writer Joseph Campbell explored this well in his monomyth, which, after the study of much of the world’s myths and stories, concluded that all of these tales, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to The Odyssey to the Arthurian Legend to modern works of literature, pretty much all tell the same kind of story—the hero’s journey. We see the same type of story in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Sword of Shannara trilogy, The Eye of the World, Harry Potter, the Mistborn trilogy, and, though not yet complete, we can see signs of it in The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss.

What draws a reader to fantasy fiction? Is it adventure, magic, or heroism? Fantasy fiction, which draws much inspiration from mythology, mostly carries the same principles of a character—a character who comes from common, humble beginnings and braves a quest (often reluctantly) that changes them and their world. For the most part, the typical reader of fantasy is looking for a story to escape in—to venture into a new world where they expect to be swept away until the end. The only way for the reader to experience this adventure is through the character(s) of the story—a person who they can walk beside, or become, and take on the world and challenges that befall.

Are fantasy readers trying to escape the mundane by entering an adventure, almost becoming that hero through the duration of the story—seeking to be that hero? Is there an inner desire for purpose, a reason in which we feed on the accomplishments and successes of the fictional hero—wanting to be heroes ourselves? I would like to think that is what we desire, because the mundane life is monotonous and strenuous. We must escape, and experience some kind of success—be it through a fictional hero or by being inspired by the hero.

Stories where the characters are rich and believable give us just a pinch—a smidgen—of reality, where we can put ourselves in that character’s position and experience the moment. When reading about young Kvothe’s life in the The Kingkiller Chronicle we can live those moments where he is down out of his luck, or where he is doing amazing things—which may be too amazing, but, hey, it’s fantasy. Same can be said of Kip Guile in Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series. The flawed heroes of today’s modern fantasy help us believe (or just enjoy) that people like us can overcome or do great feats. Even the “perfect” heroes of fiction, past and present, can make one feel good.

The epics of old and the mythologies throughout history seemed to have always painted (at least one part of) mankind as conqueror of monsters and gods. Mankind is weak and frail, yet the creators of myth, legend and fantasy have always strived to show mankind as victors over great forces; over challenges that, in the natural, would destroy any man—even heroes. There’s something in us that strives to be victorious; to be something more than what we are. Today’s fantasy is a continuation of those myths and epics that inspired culture and literature—yet we’re having more fun with it than just taking it seriously. But, every now and then, a writer will take the fun a little deeper, inspiring and touching a mass of readers.

In closing, the fantasy reader is basically looking for a story to enjoy. But a strong character that can come to life in the reader’s mind becomes someone in which the reader hopes will excel to hero status. So, yes, I would say that fantasy readers are looking for heroes.  

 

RELATED POSTS: 

Epic Characters 





Honoring Black Authors of Science Fiction/Fantasy - VIDEO

Since February in the U.S.A. is Black History Month, I thought I’d share the short video below from Open Road Media, honoring black authors of Science Fiction/Fantasy.

RELATED POSTS:
People of Color in Fantasy 

Discussion Panel on Black Speculative Fiction - VIDEO
Black Authors Writing Fantasy...Where Are They?

The Difference Between High Fantasy & Epic Fantasy

For quite a while now, there has been constant discussion regarding the difference between High Fantasy and Epic Fantasy. Most have concluded that the two are interchangeable, and that there’s not much difference between the two. High Fantasy is not a term that a lot of fantasy authors use these days to describe what they write. Most subgenre terms used today are Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Grim-Dark, YA Fantasy, or just plain Fantasy. High Fantasy has kind of fallen out of term, and has likely evolved into the term Epic Fantasy, which is why the two terms are considered to be interchangeable.

I’m not completely sold on the two terms being the same. I agree that High Fantasy is a work of fiction set in a secondary world filled with a riot of fantasy races—like elves, dwarves, dragons, gnomes, and so on. The setting is mostly based on the medieval period, populated with a character or more bound on a task or adventure. Examples are: The Hobbit, Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels.

Epic Fantasy takes the High Fantasy elements and ramps up the magnitude of the story. The stakes are greater; the land/world is in peril; the conflict shakes all who dwell in the world of the story. J.R.R. Tolkien took his High Fantasy world of Middle-earth (introduced in The Hobbit) and composed it masterfully into a long epic: The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings is Epic Fantasy, and really the first of its kind in modern fiction, setting the mold for High/Epic Fantasy up to today. Just as Leo Tolstoy’s novel, War and Peace, took historical fiction to an epic scale, Epic Fantasy is that transformation of High Fantasy into epic proportions; usually a long story, stretched out over multiple volumes and building a host of characters within an ongoing conflict.

Epic Fantasy does not have to keep the exact identity of what High Fantasy is. It still dwells in a secondary world; however, one is not bound to only use the medieval setting, nor use the many different fantasy races often found in High Fantasy. Works like the Wheel of Time series and the first Shannara trilogy are epic fantasies that followed in the same vein as the Lord of the Rings. But Epic Fantasy does not have to stay in that fashion.

Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy is Epic Fantasy and has the medieval setting, but does not have “sorcery” or “magic” so to speak, but abilities (powers). And there are no fantastical creatures, at least not like we’re used to seeing, as all the different kinds of beings in the story are of humans. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is epic, and, though it has dragons in it, and even giants, you will not find very many High Fantasy components within the story, as they are toned down around a host of characters in a dark medieval setting, but still very much fantasy in many ways.

Thanks to the likes of the new Flintlock Fantasy, works like Brent Weeks Lightbringer series, Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage trilogy, and Django Wexler’s Shadow Campaigns series, Epic Fantasy does not have to dwell in a secondary world based only on a medieval setting. 

So, to sum it up, High Fantasy can be Epic Fantasy, but it is not always. And Epic Fantasy does not necessarily have to have all the elements that make up High Fantasy. But, these two terms are closely related—not interchangeable—but near-identical siblings.

RELATED POSTS:
The Secondary World
Inspirations of Fantasy
Epic Worldbuilding
Epic Characters