Your Favourite Type of Fantasy Genre

[rune]

I wasn't really sure what to call this thread but it is something I have noticed I like in books and wondered if others were the same.

Some people are drawn to epic fantasy, some to mystery fantasy, or contemporary, humour, sword and sorcery and dark fantasy.



There are a few more I think, the range is quite confusing for me.



I’ve noticed I don’t really care for epic and historical fantasy novels though I tend to like all the others. I don’t like historical because I hated history at school and it also tends to share the other thing I don’t care much for in epic’s and that’s detail (lots of it)



Quite often epic authors will add lots of detail about their world, their character, history, religion, you name it they tackle it. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but for me it drowns the story and I just find it slows the pace to much for me.



However, there are some authors that can write an epic but keep it fast paced and interesting. So why can’t all epic author do this? Why do some author over indulge, and include everything but the kitchen sink in their stories. Why can’t they all keep the pace in their plots from slowing down to a crawl?



Authors I have found that seem to be very good at keeping fast pace and thrills in a story but still writes in an epic scope are –



Lynn Flewelling

China Mieville

Anne Bishop

Chris Wooding

Deborah Chester

Mark Anthony

Robin Hobb



Now I do like other epic style authors but these are the only ones I would say can keep a pace from coming to a dead stop.



So what is everyone else tastes? Are you like me and prefer something fast and flowing without having to take notes to follow a plot. Or do you love getting lost in a detailed world.

 

[erickad71]

I like just about all kinds of fantasy. I think most of the time it depends on what kind of mood I'm in...

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I like writers who can challenge my perception of reality, and of the genre, while delivering an engaging story. Right now my fantasy faves are people like Jeff VanderMeer, China Mieville, Jeffrey Ford and Steven Erikson - people who resort to genre norms in differing degrees while carving out a unique vision.

I love Tolkien's work of course, and also his lesser known contemporary - ER Edisson. I think Edisson was the superior writer, but the sheer depth and meticulousness of Tolkien's world-building is a deserved landmark for fantasists. Moorcock is another landmark writer for me, with a sense of melancholy and ambiguity that brought new elements to the genre.

Is there any sort of pattern here? I'm not sure!

 

[Morning Star]

Epic is good for me...I like traditional western fantasy. I really enjoy fantasy with horror elements in it. An excellent example I thought was "Companions on the Road" by Tanith Lee. Here's a link with a little bit of info.

http://www.darkwoodonline.co.uk/si/9049.html

 

[Blue Mythril]

I have a very wide taste in Fantasy novels, I'm even starting to branch out into the Sci-fi now too

However, I don't like the old fashioned dungeons and dragons style fantasy. Too many warlocks and sorcerors and weird creatures that, as rune said, lack any true substance beyond their exterior.

I tend to prefer fantasy that is a bit up close and personal. I really REALLY love a lot of modern writers.

Historical fantasy is a bit of a dodgy area... not many people can pull it off. However, those that do are that damned good they are immediately on my list of favourites.

I love a good old fashioned epic, Tokien got me started on reading fantasy when I was a young lass. never looked back.

I think that I tend to prefer stuff which involves a certain level of mysticism/ spirituality or 'magic' (though I HATE magic that doesn't exact some cost, none of this mathematical magic or simply having it), particularly if it involves some sort of deeper attunement with the environment...

I'm also a sucker for characters that have some unique trait, something that sets them apart from the rest. the good ol complex of being totally unique and yet isolated because of it. OoohI especially love characters with 'unique' and exemplary fighting abilities. personal favourite of mine

I think that about sums me up for now

 

[rune]

I have a very wide taste in Fantasy novels, I'm even starting to branch out into the Sci-fi now too

However, I don't like the old fashioned dungeons and dragons style fantasy. Too many warlocks and sorcerors and weird creatures that, as rune said, lack any true substance beyond their exterior.

I tend to prefer fantasy that is a bit up close and personal. I really REALLY love a lot of modern writers.

Historical fantasy is a bit of a dodgy area... not many people can pull it off. However, those that do are that damned good they are immediately on my list of favourites.

I love a good old fashioned epic, Tokien got me started on reading fantasy when I was a young lass. never looked back.

I think that I tend to prefer stuff which involves a certain level of mysticism/ spirituality or 'magic' (though I HATE magic that doesn't exact some cost, none of this mathematical magic or simply having it), particularly if it involves some sort of deeper attunement with the environment...

I'm also a sucker for characters that have some unique trait, something that sets them apart from the rest. the good ol complex of being totally unique and yet isolated because of it. OoohI especially love characters with 'unique' and exemplary fighting abilities. personal favourite of mine

I think that about sums me up for now

I think we would have similair tastes because I like a lot of the traits you mentioned here For me if there is little magic, or no unique abilities or mystic edge the story doesnt feel fantasy to me. I'm not a battles person, can read some fighting, but not all the time.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

The thing is, it is so hard to handle battle scenes. You need some actual awareness of tactics and weaponry. I think the best battles I've read in a fantasy book are by Steven Erikson.

 

[Morning Star]

I know what you mean, I feel it's a failing on the behalf of the author though, I mean it's easy to picture a scene in your head, but it take's real skill to describe it to somebody so that they can visualise it from scratch. I do enjoy wars and seiges in fantasy novels, especially if there is a good build up to it.

 

[dwndrgn]

I have wide and varied tastes. Joining this forum has made me try out new stuff with unique twists and plots so that is good. But, I think that some of my favorite elements are magic, dragons, humor and realism. Doesn't that sound odd? Realism? Well, if an author can make all the above realistic, that's an author for me.

 

[igneouscarl]

Tolkien was definitely my introduction to the fantasy genre and sustained my interest while I got to grips with the wide range of authors. I read through the Eddings Sagas- Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium, Tamuli and the sequel but now the though of them makes me cringe. The length of a book/ series really puts me off. I stare at the massive works of Robin Hobb and Robert Jordan and say to myself, someday. Saying that I absolutely love Garth Nix’s Sabriel series and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials are books I never wanted to leave.

My perfect pick-up-and-read fantasy books would be Magician, Tigana and Stardust for being so fun.

Yeah I shall plug Stardust while I’m rambling- it’s by Neil Gaiman and it’s a wonderful fairy tale – go check it out if you haven’t already.

And I agree with knivesout- it’s best when it challenges the norms of the genre, I detest a generic conforming copycat fantasy book.

 

[WolvenShaman]

I tend to like the horrible detail books *grin* New languages, worlds, places where's they've put at least a little logic behind the workings of things, etc., etc. Mercedes Lackey does a decent job of this, as do some of the Star Wars novels.

However, I also like the typical plotline: Star Wars, Conan, etc.- can't get much more simple than those movies Typical fantasy books don't often interest me though- my hubby is a wizard man for example, but I just can't get into it, lol. Humans and other humanoids are (99% of the time) all the same

Sorry if that's too vague, I'm having a horrible time concentrating on anything at the moment...

 

[littlemissattitude]

As I've said before around here, I really like urban fantasy - fantasy set more or less in our own, modern world. I don't like historical fantasy so much. And I don't like rehashes of traditional worlds very much, either. I like it when a fantasy author explores new ground, born of his or her own imagination, rather than simply trying to imitate what someone else has already done successfully. This is not to say that I won't read fantasy unless it it completely unique, but I'm very picky about the fantasy I read, I think. Maybe too picky, but I read in a lot of genres other than fantasy (and in fact came to fantasy quite late, even though I've been reading science fiction since I was a child), and I'm picky about what I read in those genres as well.

One of the things I like so much about this forum is that I've been introduced to a number of books and authors that I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise.

 

[polymorphikos]

I love pulp heroic fantasy. C A Smith, Robert E Howard, H P Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Anything with bejeweled breastplates and flashing swords and a giant spider (King Kong is one of my favourite movies).

But I also like the serious stuff, just not so much. Self-refferentials like Eddings are great, as is the Riftwar saga. To be truthful, though, I've sort of gone off mainstream fantasy aside from pulp for the moment. That was where all the originality and excitement and beauty of language resided, back when you could put anything in a story without it being laughed at. We need more giant, man-eating snakes and the wrestling of lions in mainstream adventure fiction, damn it.

 

[dwndrgn]

The thing is, it is so hard to handle battle scenes. You need some actual awareness of tactics and weaponry. I think the best battles I've read in a fantasy book are by Steven Erikson.

Completely off topic, please forgive me
JP - if you really like realistic battles and you have an interest in history, I'd suggest Bernard Cornwell. His battles are all taken from real life (some changed a bit to fit his story, and he goes out of his way to point out what he has added and/or changed at the end which I love) and he tells it in a way that makes you feel as if you are there, one of those idle rich, adventure-seekers who picnic out at battle sites to watch the 'fun'.

As far as fantasy battles, there is one book I just read that completely escapes me at the moment that included a very detailed battle with absolutely credible tactics and manueverings. Doggone it. What was it? Sheesh, I'll have to do some research now. Thanks a lot!

 

[Lacedaemonian]

George RR Martin took a lot of his inspiration from the works of Bernard Cornwell. I like any form of fantasy as long as it is well written with well drafted characters and a superb storyline.

 

[SpaceShip]

I have wide and varied tastes. Joining this forum has made me try out new stuff with unique twists and plots so that is good. But, I think that some of my favorite elements are magic, dragons, humor and realism. Doesn't that sound odd? Realism? Well, if an author can make all the above realistic, that's an author for me.

Well, I know this is an old thread (but then, so am I) but it's one I haven't come across before. Like dwndrgn I like magic, dragons (of course), humour (a necessity) and realism. But it's the realism that clinches it for me. I can't stand it when the characters are completely unrealistic - they have to have at least a small chance of me thinking "yeah, I reckon they do exist", otherwise I rapidly lose interest in the book, even if the story is good.

 

[nixie]

Mmmm I like most fantasy but do seem to lean more towards to epic

 

[Culhwch]

I like good epic fantasy, particularly that with a dynastical approach - Martin's ASoIaF a case in point. I think it was that aspect that first endeared me to Feist, though since reading more widely in the genre I can't bring myself to read him anymore.

 

[elvet]

I'm still new enough to the genre so that my tastes are still developing. I like epic fantasy (Tolkien, Donaldson, Tad Williams, etc.) and certain historical fantasy (druids, Arthurian, Vikings). So far I can say that I'm not too fond of Urban fantasy, but I may not have read enough of it to know (tried Gaiman and Chris Moore).

 

[aarti]

I like epic fantasy and historical fantasy- particularly that set in a quasi-Georgian/Regency/Victorian era.