A panel
consisting of fantasy authors Joe Abercrombie, Lev Grossman, Diana Gabaldon,
George R. R. Martin, and Patrick Rothfuss speak humorously about their writing styles and epic fantasy. This took place at this year’s San Diego
Comic Con on July 26. See video below…
Showing posts with label Epic Fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Epic Fantasy. Show all posts
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
The Secondary World
The
secondary world is practically the ruling art of epic fantasy, holding within
it not only scenery, names and races that are different from our world, but
producing histories, laws and creatures that make it a world in and of itself. It
is not only other-worldly creatures that differentiates the fantasy world from
our own, but it is the law of magic and how it effects that world and its
inhabitants. In epic fantasy, the setting of the secondary world dwells in the
likeness of the medieval period, and seldom veers from it. We can probably
thank J.R.R. Tolkien, who was a medievalist, for such a permanent brand since
it was he who set the mold for (modern) epic fantasy. It makes me wonder if Tolkien
had not been a medievalists, and, instead, created his epic story within a more
modern setting or a setting that reflected the ancient worlds of 3000 years
B.C., would epic fantasy have taken a much different form?
Edward
James, former professor of Medieval History at the University College in Dublin, wrote: “After 1955 fantasy writers no
longer had to explain away their worlds by framing them as dreams, or
travellers’ tales, or by providing them with any fictional link to our own
world at all.” Here James was referring to the publishing of The Lord of the Rings, the original epic
fantasy which popularized the secondary world. Even though Tolkien had said
that Middle-earth was simply a pre-history of our world, we all know that
Middle-earth is a fictional world outside any realm we’ve ever known. Maybe
Tolkien was not ready to admit that he was severing his work from the standards
of previous fantasy literature which always had some ties to the “real” world.
Today, we cannot think of epic/high fantasy being any other way. As Edward
James had also written: “This has become
so standard in modern fantasy that it is not easy to realize how unusual it was
before Tolkien.”
For a
writer, building a secondary world can be a pleasure, almost like a hobby—fed
by many other interests that correspond into a cohesive system. In other ways
it could evolve into an obsession of knitting together histories, magic
systems, and order of societies down to the slightest detail. The latter can be
good, if skillfully used as the backdrop for good characters within a good
story; otherwise, it does no good and is simply just a made-up world. A writer
has to avoid being geeky about their world and concentrate on the story. The
secondary world, no matter how complex, is still only the setting for the
author’s characters and their story—not the story itself.
The
secondary world can be that neutral ground between the author and the reader
where ideas and issues are explored without making things too personal—as they
may be if written in a more contemporary fashion within our world. It can be a
means of helping us relate on some things that we experience in the real world.
The secondary world can be a way to undo the complexity or confusion of our own
world, simplifying things and bringing a kind of focus to the characters and
the story that may be lacking contrast within tales that take place in the
primary world. Yet, at the end of the day, the secondary worlds that we journey
through in fantasy fiction still consist of the same old trials and conflicts
that plague us in this world: life and death; war and peace; good and evil;
etc.
Tolkien
wrote about the secondary world in his 1947 essay, On Fairy Stories. He talks about the art of the “story-maker” to
become a “sub-creator” in order to present a world where the reader can step
into a state of belief of that world. He says of the story-maker: “He makes a Secondary World which your mind
can enter. Inside it, what he relates is “true”: it accords with the laws of
that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside. The
moment disbelief arises, the spell is broken; the magic, or rather art, has
failed. You are then out in the Primary World again, looking at the little
abortive Secondary World from outside.”
In his essay on fairy stories,
Tolkien speaks profoundly on the art of creating a secondary world. The skill
of the writer must be good enough to make their world credible. Tolkien says, “To make a Secondary World inside which the
green sun will be credible, commanding Secondary Belief, will probably require
labour and thought, and will certainly demand a special skill, a kind of elvish
craft. Few attempt such difficult tasks. But when they are attempted and in any
degree accomplished then we have a rare achievement of Art: indeed narrative
art, story-making in its primary and most potent mode.” He also mentions
the course in which writers draw from reality when creating their world,
saying: “Probably every writer making a
secondary world, a fantasy, every sub-creator, wishes in some measure to be a
real maker, or hopes that he is drawing on reality: hopes that the peculiar
quality of this secondary world (if not all the details) are derived from
Reality, or are flowing into it. If he indeed achieves a quality that can
fairly be described by the dictionary definition: “inner consistency of reality,” it is difficult to conceive
how this can be, if the work does not in some way partake of reality.”
So to use a
simple illustration, when watching the makings of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, we see all the
great detail that they went into in order to bring life to Middle-earth on the
screen. They took time to grow vegetation and gardens to make the Shire a
reality. Great detail was given to everything from the cooking ware to the
armory to the selection of the landscape. Now, when watching the films prior to
seeing the behind the scenes creation, the viewer has no care as to how much
work and meticulous designing it took to create the visuals that sucked them
into the film. No, the viewer is simply immersed into a story within an
enigmatic world where they are caught up into 3 hours of wonder, suspense,
humor and adventure. The camera does not zoom in on all the artistry and skill
used to bring life to Middle-earth; its focus is on the characters and the
incorporated scenes used to present an epic story.
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.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Pick Up the Pace
Over the past year or so, I’ve really tackled some long books (some people call them door stoppers); and at the end of the day I would say that they were too long—even the ones that I’ve enjoyed. In my opinion, these types of stories get bogged down with too much world-building and/or character-building—which can be good, but they slow the story down. The problem with some of these books are that they are the first book in a series (by talented, acclaimed authors). Why are established fantasy writers wasting time building a world and characters without giving the readers a good, gripping story in the process? Is it that they think their new idea for a world and its magic system are worth hundreds of pages instead of an intriguing story?
I just
finished a long book by one of these talented, acclaimed authors, and it’s like
nothing really happened throughout the entire book. It seemed to be a
regurgitation of the same thing over and over, which I guess was supposed to
give the reader the sensation that we are really experiencing certain characters’
growth—but it did not work for me. And it seemed to just be chapter after
chapter of world-building. Introductory books like this quench my desire to
read on to the next big volume in the series.
I won’t
name any of the books that I’ve thought lowly of, as I believe that everyone is
entitled to their own opinion; and everyone has different tastes. Personally,
my take is that an author should really work to put forth a story that lays out
a pace that keeps the story moving. Of course, I’m not talking about the
typical fast-paced book where the characters seem two-dimensional
and the story is not worth remembering. I’m referring to books that are published
to pull readers into a series of large volumes meant to be epic and engrossing,
with epic world-building and strong characters. But if the characters—or what
the characters are experiencing—in the story do nothing worth caring about, then
it’s like watching a boat sitting in the middle of the water just going around
in circles, and around in circles, and around in circles... That’s not good
pacing. That’s boring. The reason that most of us read fantasy fiction is so
that we can experience (through the life of the characters) a lifestyle that is
more than monotonous—more extraordinary than our own.
When
reading Stephen King’s It, I thought
the book was too long, but I could not stop enjoying it. The characters were so
interesting and their extreme experiences throughout the entire book kept you
moving with the engrossing flood of happenings within the story. It was good
characters with good pacing that got me through.
Though I
enjoyed the first two books in the A Song
of Ice and Fire series, the pacing in A
Storm of Swords almost made the book feel shorter than the first two, but
it was actually longer. Martin picked up the pace a little more in that book,
and I found myself enjoying the (dark) journey.
Apart from
the long books, I found the pacing in Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass (Northern
Lights), one of the best well-paced, intelligent pieces of fantasy fiction
that I have ever read. However, I felt the latter books in the series lost such a
pace.
I’ve really
enjoyed The Kingkiller Chronicle;
however, I’m hoping author Patrick Rothfuss picks up the pace in the third and
final book of the series—yet to be released.
My fear
with a lot of long books is that good pacing would be lacking. It’s a lot of
wasted time (for me) to invest in, if the story’s pacing is dowsed with other
non-essentials. Again, I’m not expecting a Star Wars-like read, but just
something that forces me to follow to the end—like E.T. picking up Reese’s
Pieces along the trail to Elliot’s house (Oh, and what wonders he found in that
house).
Monday, March 31, 2014
Epic Characters
Probably
the most gratifying thing about being a reader of fiction is when the
characters take you by the hand and bring you into their world—into their
fears, their struggles, their happiness, and their conflict. Characters that
are likeable can make for a pleasurable read. Characters that are dull or trite
can make for a tedious read. But characters that are epic make a memorable read.
Epic
characters are unforgettable. They’re those fictitious entities that force you
to believe that they actually exist, and that the world they inhabit—in all its
weirdness and impossibilities—is true in every sense.
Characters
can generally appear epic in two different ways. The first is when a character (or
a story of characters) is fresh and groundbreaking in its time. For example,
Tarzan and Conan are not deep, rounded characters, but they were new and
exciting creations in their period. They became beloved and favored throughout
generations—to the point of being adapted multiple times; and we all know who
they are today.
The second
aspect of the epic character is a character that stands out within a grand tale/story.
The characters from The Lord of the Rings,
like Frodo Baggins, Gandalf and Gollum, are probably the most substantial
characters in fantasy literature. In more modern fantasy, Tyrion Lannister from
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and
Fire saga is one of many characters from the series that stands out as
unforgettable. Kvothe from Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle is memorable within a unique fantasy series.
Most of us
would not hesitate to protect our best friend or loved one from harm. We
rejoice when they succeed, and are heavy-hearted when they fail. People in
general do not give much thought when they hear a disturbing story on the news
about someone who has gone missing, or was wounded or killed in some terrible
ordeal. Yes, our hearts may go out to them, but when those people are strangers
to us, there is no great effect on our emotions, our minds or our lives. But when
it’s someone that we know and love, then our whole world is shaken. Taking from
that example—on a far, far lesser scale—we, as readers, respond to the
characters that we encounter within the pages of an engrossing book in like
manner. We may experience various emotions as we begin to love (or sometimes
hate) those characters that set a story ablaze with their very presence.
Just think
of the times when you read fantasy fiction and the characters stole your
attention from the real world and pulled you into theirs; and, afterward, you
are left thinking about them—even years later. It‘s those epic characters that
draw you to want to read their story over and over. It’s those epic characters
that brought life to a world that doesn’t even exist, except within your
imagination (with the skill and aid of the author). It’s those epic characters
that make you smile at the thought of them, knowing that they brought a moment
of joy to your life.
A reader
can find delight in going on an adventure of mystery and magic with Harry
Potter; or wandering the land of Narnia in hopes to encounter the wonderful
presence of Aslan. And such characters will make you want to come back
again—even as years have passed and you look to see the next generation
cherishing the very tales that brought joy to you.
Possibly,
every writer of fantasy creates a character that they feel is epic, but, in
truth, a writer has no way of knowing how their creation will come to life
within the imagination of the reader, for that’s where the process begins. No
writer can dictate that their character is epic. It is the mass of readers,
as a whole, that meets the character and says, “I will follow this character
‘til the end…and I will not forget them.”
RELATED POSTS:
Are Fantasy Readers Looking For Heroes?
Epic Worldbuilding
The Difference Between High Fantasy & Epic Fantasy
Are Fantasy Readers Looking For Heroes?
Epic Worldbuilding
The Difference Between High Fantasy & Epic Fantasy
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Epic Worldbuilding
The best
thing about Epic Fantasy is being able to journey into a new world. Through the
eyes and minds of the characters, the reader is privileged to trek in a world
of different beings and scenery; laws and principles; and be swept into a story
of epic magnitude. However, this is not always as fun and exciting for the
reader if the worldbuilding falls flat (along with weak characters). In many
cases, it seems the author falls into the snare of being more in love with
their worldbuilding than their characters, so as to have the volume of their
world distracting the story.
With that
said, there are many times where the world is pretty good, but the volume of
the worldbuilding still seems to be louder than the story—or at least equal with
the characters. I kind of equate this with music production. I listen to a lot
of indie music, and there are cases where the music production is good, but not
great. The band sounds really good, but the keyboard may be too loud, where the
drums are not quite loud enough; or the guitar almost drowns out the vocals, or
vice versa. It can be the same way in writing a story—where the worldbuilding
seems to compete with character/story. In quality music production all the
tracks are mixed perfectly together so that all the instruments and vocals come
together as one masterful piece. It should be likewise in fantasy fiction.
Authors of
Epic Fantasy spend a lot of time building their worlds, making every effort to
convey what their imagination is producing. There are instances where an
author’s world has many parts, aspects and creatures, yet they all don’t seem
to tie together. It’s like a world where there is no gravity, and the author
kind of grabs an idea that just floats by and throws it in the story for tension
or because it sounds cool. It often bothers me when I’m reading a story and a
monster just appears and attacks the characters. Such a monster was never
mentioned before, yet we see that the characters know about it, because we’re
in their head, and they’re disclosing the name of such a creature, but they’re
not even equipped to fight it. But when the said character was strolling about,
there was no hint of caution to be on the lookout for such a creature—yet it’s
supposed to be a known threat in their area. When the people in the bush of Africa go about, they are cautious of the
wildlife around them, they know the potential of encountering a lion or some
other wild beast. They don’t just walk about unprepared.
So an
author has to set the gravity in their world, pulling everything (laws, magic,
economics, creatures, lifestyle, etc.) into order, so that it works and makes
sense within the realm. Everything has to be grounded and believable within
that world. Most readers fear the info dump, where the author inundates the
reader with facts about their created realm, instead of just letting the
characters reveal the world as we follow them through it.
The master
of epic fantasy worldbuilding would have to be J.R.R. Tolkien. The man spent
years creating a myth and the world (Middle-earth) to contain that myth. With
all the races and elements he created to inhabit Middle-earth, Tolkien doesn’t
hit the reader with explanations of the otherworldly things of his world, but
starts with something familiar—like unexpected guests for dinner in The Hobbit. As the story unfolds, we go
deeper and deeper into a world rich with ancient histories and workings beyond
our own world. Tolkien does the same with The
Fellowship of the Ring, starting the story off with a birthday party. It’s
good to start the reader with something familiar before slamming them with the
otherworldly—almost like warming them up to the new world before turning up the
fire (yet without slowing the pace).
Without
worldbuilding there is no background and setting for the characters. The
characters know the world they're in, and it is through them that the reader
experiences that world. The use of multiple viewpoint characters is essential in
epic works like the Wheel of Time and
A Song of Ice and Fire. The worlds in
these two series are massive in scale (more so with the Wheel of Time). Robert Jordan’s work of histories, magic systems,
order of societies and mix of races drives the reader deep into a world
perfectly illustrated and realized through his characters. George R.R. Martin’s
use of multiple character point of views fleshes out just about every aspect of
his world—with more to come. As the reader persists into the worlds of Jordan
and Martin, they enter farther into a world that they’ve grown to love,
continuing to discover things they never knew or realized. And the greatest
aspect of this is when one re-reads the work and discovers something within the
world that they failed to notice before.
In The Kingkiller Chronicle, Patrick Rothfuss’
masterful ability to use the first-person point of view and bring the reader
into a world concept not usually seen in the fantasy genre is a refreshing
experience. Rothfuss’ use of an interesting character like Kvothe sheds light
into a world where people seem to really exist—buying and selling; marrying;
working; going to school; hanging out—and the reader is privileged to
experience everyday life, as well as the extraordinary life, in the story.
The power
to immerse readers into an epic story is through the vehicle of strong
worldbuilding. The tracks of plot are laid down for the vehicle to move on, and
the characters drive that vehicle—with the reader in the back seat—experiencing
a journey that will be endured and perceived differently by each person who
rides along. The skilled restraint of the author not to reveal his world all at
once, with forced, gradual detail, is tough to harness. When the author allows
the reader to experience his/her world by freeing the reader to use their own
imagination, yet grounding the world to plausibility in all aspects, the event
of reading such a story is unforgettable.
RELATED POSTS:
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History in Fantasy - Part 2
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The Secondary World
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The Difference Between High Fantasy & Epic Fantasy
Panel of Fantasy Authors Discuss Worldbuilding - VIDEO
History in Fantasy - Part 1
History in Fantasy - Part 2
History in Fantasy - Part 3
The Secondary World
The Problem with Fantasy Societies
The Difference Between High Fantasy & Epic Fantasy
Panel of Fantasy Authors Discuss Worldbuilding - VIDEO
Sunday, October 27, 2013
The War Ingredient
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.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Discussion Panel on Epic Fantasy - VIDEO
I found this video to be an interesting discussion on Epic Fantasy. See video below (divided into 4 parts).
A panel from the World Fantasy Convention in 2010, featuring David Drake, John Fultz, Blake Charlton, David B. Coe and Freda Warrington.
Filmed by Moses Siregar III of http://sciencefictionfantasybooks.net
A panel from the World Fantasy Convention in 2010, featuring David Drake, John Fultz, Blake Charlton, David B. Coe and Freda Warrington.
Filmed by Moses Siregar III of http://sciencefictionfantasybooks.net
Part 1 of 4
Part 2 of 4
Part 3 of 4
Part 4 of 4
Saturday, September 14, 2013
A Follow Up to The Dark and Gritty
A couple of
months ago I posted about The Dark and Gritty in fantasy fiction; and I just
found a post by bestselling author Elizabeth Moon on Orbit Books’ website that
I feel gives an excellent illustration to the point I was trying to make.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
George R.R. Martin vs J.R.R. Tolkien
For awhile now, there's been talk about George R.R. Martin being the next Tolkien (or the American Tolkien). But how can you even compare the two? Tolkien started the modern fantasy genre. Martin didn’t really start anything. People say that Martin brought in a new kind of fantasy—realistic and gritty. But Glen Cook started “realistic” and “gritty” fantasy over a decade before A Game of Thrones was published. Sure, Martin has produced deeper characterization and intrigue in his books, but I wouldn’t say that he started anything.
In my
opinion, to compare Martin to Tolkien is not fair to both writers. First off,
Tolkien is an inspiration to nearly all modern fantasy authors, Martin
included. Tolkien has put the “epic” into fantasy, and set the mold. No one
today, if ever, will be able to build the kind of detailed world that he
did—and who has the degree and time to create their own language like Tolkien
did? He spent decades on this stuff. His knowledge and time spent creating his
world is in itself “epic” in scale. Tolkien gave the world a story that people
of all types and ages could enjoy over and over through generations. It is set
in stone as a classic, and recommended reading, even for those who do not read
fantasy. The story of Middle-earth has been a source for academic purposes, and
a tool for the craft of storytelling and world-building. The Hobbit and the
Lord of the Rings is a world-wide literary phenomenon, that will continue to
pass on to my children’s generation, and to their children, and their
children’s children, and so forth.
Martin is a
fantastic writer that has produced a good, gritty, graphic piece of fantasy
fiction. A Song of Ice and Fire is a treat in modern fantasy, and is a
trend-setter, but that’s about it. Like Twilight is to Paranormal Romance, or
like Fifty Shades of Grey is to Erotica, or like Harry Potter is to YA Fantasy;
A Song of Ice and Fire is to modern Epic Fantasy. That’s it. It has just become
popular. Just because A Game of Thrones is hugely successful doesn’t make
Martin out to be some great, groundbreaking writer of our time who will set the
standard for a new genre. There’s no doubt that Martin has and will inspire a
lot of new authors, but every great and popular author does that. It’s nothing
new. A Song of Ice and Fire is not something that can be past along to one’s
children; or is acceptable to many types of people like the Lord of the Rings.
So let
Tolkien be Tolkien, and let Martin be Martin… Let the Lord of the Rings be the
Lord of the Rings, and let A Song of Ice and Fire be A Song of Ice and Fire…
And may I add, let A Song of Ice and Fire be completed some day (two more books
to go, yet no end in sight). It’s not right to compare the two authors. Tolkien
is of a whole other literary time and generation; and Martin has yet to
complete his series, and has grown into huge success for only the past few
years. He is still with us, and has not left a legacy of great, epic literary
accomplishments.
Let’s put
aside the comparisons between these two authors, because it just doesn’t work.
Let’s enjoy the classic, and let’s enjoy the modern—and let’s enjoy the diverse
fantasy genre.
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POSTS:
Monday, August 5, 2013
The Dwarf Ingredient
Like elves, my introduction to dwarfs was through popular culture; particularly Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Hobbit cartoon. The dwarf was my favorite character to play in the Sega video game, Golden Axe—that axe of his was lethal, and his ramming move was so cool. Dwarfs (or dwarves; a spelling made most popular by J.R.R. Tolkien) are the stuff of Norse and Germanic mythology, and have been a key ingredient in high fantasy since Tolkien made them popular in his Middle-earth world.
The classic archetype of dwarves in fantasy is the stocky,
long-bearded beings who live in the mountains, smithing and mining; usually
keeping to themselves. With the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels, the
dwarf archetype continues with very little creativity. German writer Markus
Heitz tried to give dwarves an interesting spin in his Dwarves series, but
nothing entirely unique. But, I have heard of an out-of-print book by Gordon R.
Dickson, called The Earth Lords, which is set in the frontier of late 19TH
century Canada, where dwarves
enslave humans under the earth, and are plotting to eradicate mankind. This is
a stand alone book that sounds like it may be worth reading, just to see what
kind of story unfolds with such a concept.
I will name
three dwarfs that have stood out to me in fantasy fiction—yet one is really not
a dwarf at all. First is Gimli from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. To me, Gimli
is not the greatest of characters; however, his relationship with the elf, Legolas,
is quite memorable. The dwarves and the elves in Middle-earth have an ancient
feud with one another, but Gimli takes a big step to be the first of his kind
to befriend an elf—even giving reverence to Lady Galadriel—making him a good
character, in the sense of casting aside old prejudices.
Second is
Jugar from The Annals of Drakis trilogy by Tracy Hickman. When reading the
series, I could not get enough of Jugar. I loved him; even to the end. He was
witty, funny, mysterious, and was the igniter and extinguisher of the entire
trilogy. I thought Hickman did a superb job in having the reader believe that
Jugar was one way, when really he was a whole other person. You have to read
the series in order to know what I’m talking about; but, Jugar is a character I
continue to think about, even long after reading the books.
Last is
Tyrion from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Tyrion is not a
dwarf, but is a man that was born with dwarfism; like many people in real life.
I join the rest of the fans of the series in saying that Tyrion is definitely
one of my favorite characters in the books. He is a man that has to hold his
own, and keep his wits about him in a world where men and women look down on
him, not just in the literal sense, but figuratively as well. He is surely not
a saint, but has his moments of being likeable. I think Martin did a fantastic
job in putting Tyrion Lannister in his series, shattering the “dwarf”
stereotype. I can’t think of the books being anything without him.
In
conclusion, dwarves have certainly been overused in the fantasy genre; and are
often not fleshed out very much, with the exception of the characters mentioned
above. Like I have mentioned regarding other “ingredients” that I have posted
about in the fantasy genre, dwarves need to be given a unique overhaul; keeping
true to their essence, but going deeper than what has been presented to us thus
far.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Satan Isn’t Scary Anymore
I’ve been
reading a collection of the classic tales of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard,
and I’ve noticed just how dated these stories are. Don’t get me wrong, they are
well written and quite entertaining. But what I’m referring to in this instance
is whenever Solomon Kane faces the other-worldly creatures in these tales they’re
usually described as something from hell, or like Satan himself. Though there
are a lot of creepy things that Solomon Kane faces, and Howard does a good job
of describing how horrific the creatures are, it doesn’t scare me like the
readers who read them around the time the stories were published. These stories
were written in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. This was before television
and horror movies desensitized people; a time where dark, supernatural things,
especially the Devil, were something feared whenever thought of.
Dante
Alighieri’s 14TH century allegorical poem, Inferno (better known as
Dante’s Inferno), depicted Satan trapped in the middle of Hell, waist-deep in
ice, giant, with three faces, gnawing on traitorous men like Brutus, Cassius
and Judas Iscariot. In John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, Satan is the
defier against God, rebelling and taking a third of the angels with him and
warring against the heavenly host. He is the deceiver of mankind.
It seems
like in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, mediums of all sorts used Satan as the image of
absolute fear and evil. He was in literature, horror films, and Rock/Heavy
Metal music. I remember being a kid in the 80’s and Satan seemed to be
everywhere in the movies, in music, and in the news (Satanic crimes and
murders). Now, it seems like all that started to fade out in the late 90’s, and
the fearful image of Satan has been swept under the rug; and no one recalls
much of it anymore, except to say, “Remember when?”
In fantasy
fiction, many villainous characters have been inspired by Satan. Those who have
not read past The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings may think that Sauron is the
Satan figure in Tolkien’s creation. But when you read his other works, like The Silmarillion, you find out about the one who
Sauron was seduced by, and who Sauron served. That is Morgoth, who was Melkor
before he turned to darkness. Morgoth, like Satan, was the most powerful of his
kind, but wanted to do things his way and rebelled against the creator, Eru,
and brought darkness to creation. After Morgoth was defeated and cast into the
outer void, Sauron imitated his master, thus continuing the likeness of
Morgoth.
In C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, Jadis, the White Witch, rebels
against her sister, refusing to submit to her and wanting the throne for
herself. She later usurps the throne of Narnia and plunges the world into a
dark winter for 100 years. She has minions of all types of evil creatures. All
traitors belong to her, and as we see in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,
she means to take Edmund’s life (since he was declared a traitor), but Aslan
(the Christ-figure in the books) chooses to die on his behalf. The White Witch
leads the “crucifixion” (so to speak) of Aslan, with all her minions; just like
Satan had his way with Jesus on the day of his crucifixion.
Even The Wheel of
Time books by Robert Jordan have the Dark One, also known as Shai'tan,
which is Arabic for adversary, which
is the same meaning for Satan. In Jordan’s series, Shai’tan, the Dark One,
is known as the “opponent of the Creator’; and was bound by the Creator at the
moment of creation.
Things get
twisted around in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels trilogy; a dark fantasy where the
character, Saetan, the High Lord of Hell, is the good guy, as well as those who
dwell in Hell. In this world, Darkness is the power of right; basically good
and evil are reversed.
Piers
Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality series is basically about mortal people
becoming immortal incarnations of Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil and Good
(Satan is the incarnation of Evil). The first five books simply deal with Satan
using and tricking these newly turned immortal incarnations for his own evil
purposes, and these incarnations fight against him. By book six another mortal
assumes the incarnation of Evil (Satan), but he actually has a good side, and
the evil things that Satan has done in the past begins to become rationalized
and seen to be for some greater purpose.
More
recently, Sara Douglass’ novel, The Devil’s Diadem, is set in 12TH
century England where there is a mysterious plague sweeping the land, and it is
later found out that imps from hell and the devil himself are sending the
plague in search for a stolen artifact.
In closing,
Satan has been used and imitated in fantasy fiction and allegory for generations,
and it appears that his likeness is diminishing more and more in the genre;
save for a few elements in urban fantasy, which deals more with demons in
different fictional representations. The more you look at it, the dark lord
imitation of Satan is becoming yesterday’s element in the genre, as Satan and
Satan-like characters no longer scare us or have us biting our nails in
suspense, because it’s been used and told and retold so many times. More and
more villains in the genre are simply appearing as the dark side of man, or
just an opposing force. Satan isn’t scary anymore. But the ancient telling of
this being, fallen from grace, through the Bible, and reinterpreted through the
mythologies of many civilizations and stories up to today, is epic in scale. It is the source of the retelling of the clash between good and evil, which drives
the majority of the genre.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
The Elf Ingredient
When I was a kid, whenever someone talked about elves, the first thing to come to mind were the little people that helped Santa make toys at the North Pole; or those little men that helped the poor cobbler make an abundance of shoes while he slept at night; or those little Keebler elves that made awesome cookies. And don’t forget Snap, Crackle and Pop, the elf mascots for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies. Richard Doyle’s illustrations in Andrew Lang’s 1884 fairy tale, The Princess Nobody, gave us the image of cute little elves, as described in Lang’s fairy tale.
When I
discovered Tolkien’s tall, beautiful beings of Middle-earth I thought to
myself, “these are elves?” Fairy tales and children’s fiction had given me
images of little people with pointy ears in stockings; and I was oblivious to
Norse mythology, which is where modern fantasy derived it’s depictions of
elves. With characters like Legolas, Elrond and Lady Galadriel, Tolkien sparked
a love for elves, and writers of the fantasy genre have been staffing their
books with elf characters ever since.
Next to
dragons, elves have to be the most widely used mythical character in fantasy. Before
fantasy was even a genre in literary fiction, The King of Elfland’s Daughter by
Lord Dunsany was published in 1924. The novel is a fantasy classic, telling
the story of the mortal man, Alveric, who ventures to Elfland to find and marry
the lovely elf princess, Lirazel, the daughter of the King of Elfland. Alveric
weds Lirazel and they have a son together, but Lirazel grows homesick for
Elfland, and Alveric has to search for her again, after she leaves for her homeland.
It’s a fantastical story with poetic prose, complete with elements of magic and
romance, with a witch, unicorns and a troll as part of the journey. Lord
Dunsany’s novel surely is part of the roots of modern fantasy; but Tolkien’s
release of The Hobbit in 1937 was big, and, nearly two decades later, The Lord
of the Rings became even more significant. Elves in fiction had never been
portrayed like what was seen in Middle-earth, and this pretty much set the
standard for modern fantasy fiction.
One cannot
leave out Poul Anderson’s 1954 (forgotten) classic, The Broken Sword, which is
grittier and faster paced than Tolkien’s work; and is heavy in the Norse myth in
regards to the elves and the setting. The elves in this book are not worth
remembering like Tolkien’s crafted characters.
Elves have
continued throughout the works of many fantasy writers in their series for
decades; like Terry Brooks with his Shannara books, Raymond E. Feist with his
Riftwar Cycle series, as well as the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels. The
aim these days is to break the Tolkien tradition of elves; and there was even a
period where there was focus on producing more dark and evil elves.
Probably
the most famous of the dark elves (or drow—ebony-skinned elves) is Drizzt
Do’Urden. Drizzt was created by author R.A. Salvatore, and written about in 18
different novels (introduced in the Icewind Dale Trilogy, but made most popular
in the Dark Elf Trilogy). Dark elves are known for being evil (generally) and
living underground, but Drizzt chose to forsake his people’s evil ways, taking
to the surface, where he learned to be a ranger and eventually became a hero in Northwest Faerûn.
Two
compelling series of fantasy fiction where elves were depicted as cruel
overlords are the Halfblood Chronicles by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey,
and the Annals of Drakis by Tracy Hickman. In the Halfblood Chronicles, the
elves came from another dimension and took over the Earth, enslaving mankind.
In the Annals of Drakis, elves have built an empire where they enslaved many
races by the use of aether magic, which makes the slaves forget their past, and
they think their lives are fine and noble under the rule of the elves. The
difference with the elves in Hickman’s series is that they are not the
attractive elves we’ve come to know in the genre. These elves have elongated
heads, sharp teeth and black eyes. Basically, they’re kind
of creepy; especially when one of the females has a thing for the human hero
of the story.
There are
so many books that I could point to that harbor elves within their pages. Like
many ingredients used in fantasy fiction, this is one that has been used in
epic/high fantasy abundantly. Elves have been key characters in high fantasy since
the beginning; and there looks to be no end in sight.
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