Fantasy, an introspective

Expectations of an audience

What makes up fantasy?

According to Google’s AI, the definition of fantasy fiction is a broad and diverse subgenre of fiction that includes elements that can't exist in the real world, such as magic, mythology, or other worlds.

But when you say, “I write fantasy”, people seem to fall into three camps of expectation. The Sexy Vampire Romance, Good Against Evil, or LORD OF THE RINGS with sex (Game of Thrones). So how do you define a genre that is simultaneously so broad and yet comes with such narrow expectations of the audience?

Let’s talk about it.

Noblebright, Grimbright, Nobledark, Grimdark.

People want to know what type of fantasy they are about to indulge in. That’s fair enough. The above is a series of super genres that give us a good idea of where the genre is at.

Let’s start with Noblebright: This is the realm of Tolkien. Good triumphing over evil, as heroes fight for the good in the world. The darkness and shadows shall pass, and all that is bright shall shine out the clearer. LORD OF THE RINGS is the keystone of this part of the genre.

Then there is Grimbright. The keystone for me is the LEGEND OF DRIZZT by R.A. Salvatore. Good sets out to vanquish evil, and it does. Friends stand side by side in battle, to accomplish goals of a more personal nature. But the world is usually never saved. It continues on, almost unaware of the struggles of the heroes. But perhaps the negligible differences made by the fight matter in the end.

Nobledark: The world is broken, ruled by tyrants and politics. As always, the good guys rise to fight evil and the honorable triumph at unbelievable cost—maybe costs so high it's not even worth it. The characters are truly flawed. The world is dark and terrible, and for all the victory to put the shadow away, another shadow comes upon the Horizon, sometimes a twisted form of the hero. Sometimes the hero is only a bit better than the villain. You know of what I speak—Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

Grimdark, the epitome of emo fantasy. Here there be dragons. Picture a world where good cannot triumph over evil, because all there is gray. There is no good or bad, just people seeking personal gain or fighting for personal morals. Life is brutal, unfair, and those that are honorable do not live long. Though those who fight for what they believe can carve out a legend, if they are willing to do what it takes. There can be beauty here in the darkness, but it will never save the world. The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski fits into this genre well.

Most popular? Why?

The bestselling of these genres is Noblebright by far and away, with Nobledark coming in as a distant second.

But Game of Thrones is so popular! I hear you say.

Correct. It is. So is Dune, which falls into this category as well. But Noblebright carries with it Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Avatar the Last Air Bender, Star Wars, Narnia: giants, the lot of them.

And let’s face it. The world is full of snakes, everywhere you look. But the people who inspire us, make us really feel something are those who go against the odds and win. That is Noblebright at its core. To face off against odds insurmountable and topple them for the good of the world. It is the childhood fairy tale that keeps our faith.

The most incredible aspect of human nature is that when faced with unbelievable odds and just an ounce of hope, we will fight to the bitter end, clutching that little strand of hope.

Isn’t it something to watch that play out on the page and really make a difference. Is that not so inspiring as to conjure a grain of hope for yourself? It is for me.  

I’ll leave you with a quote by Samwise Gamgee. Probably my second favorite quote of all time from Tolkien’s work: It's like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer.

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