[Pluvious]

I've enjoyed reading fantasy since I was a teenager. However, although I love the genre-the swords, the castles, the warfare, the knights, the magic, the historical aspect of it-I feel there is very little truly "good" fanasy work out there. I used to enjoy fantasy no matter what it was-whether Weis and Hickman, Brooks, Feist, Salvatore, or whoever. Now though, I require a high degree of believability, solid characters who are truly part of the world and who don't lose their luster after a few short chapters, an interesting world, and of course quality writing.

The only one I find currently meets these qualifications is George R.R. Martin. Does anyone else agree with me? I mean, it doesn't really seem to be that hard to write well and make the story come to life-but everything I read seems to come up short. Robert Jordan's female characters don't seem real. His writing is too longwinded at times. Some of the better writers like a Katherine Kerr or a Robin Hobb don't magic or war quite exciting enough. They deliver in most other areas, but the rest falls just short.

Authors such as Eddings or Feist or Salvatore are a bit too silly with their characters for my taste. And some fantasy is really bad also. If you aren't careful you will try something out and it will just be your basic magic and knights and castles-with horrific writing.

I have been reading some American Literature in school recently and have been studying in detail the concept of realism and the realistic movement. For those who aren't familiar with this it deals with the type of writing which involves writing where you live and what you know. This these writers felt was the key to art and literature during this time period. And much of this realistic thinking continues today. From what I have seen many feel that the better authors write about "issues" that are current and real. They try not to delve too deeply into the real of romance and fantasy-most likely with the intent of finding or delivering some "truth" about mankind. Obviously this is much different than fantasy writing, which deals with worlds and ideas that are not what most people consider real.

I state this simply because I would like to know if anyone else thinks that perhaps many writers avoid the genre of fantasy because they consider it not pertinent to our lives, and thus not truthful or beneficial? Or maybe you have another explanation as to why fantasy is not of high quality? Or possibly you think fantasy is good? I would like to know.

[allanon]

Well,I have another taste. I think that Feist IS a good author, Brooks IS a good author and Tolkien IS a good author.They had a good atmosphere and this is the most important.I don't think that Katharine Kerr is a good author-too much sex , too much blood...And, finally about Martin.He can be a great historical author,but he is only pretty good in fantasy.But I like him.

[Cellandros]

I think there's a good bit of good fantasy out there today. I don't mind writers who present more outlandish style characters or stories as long as the plot is well thought out; and characters develop.

What is happening in my mind is the quantity of bad fantasy is on the rise. Fifteen or Twenty years ago there wasn't as much being published. Editors were scared to publish is and as a result they only went with what was superb (and even then it was seen as a risk). Once the fantasy boom hit in the mid-eighties and hit again a few years later, carbon copies, and rushed sequels are on the rise. So now for every good book published, there's a bad one published as well.

Its interesting to see though that fantasy as a genre is now spilt into so many sub-genres. And the fan base seems to be spilt into those sub-genres and are begining to close their minds to the other stuff that's out there. I hope this changes or else it will lead to authors honing on one element of a story that suits that particular sub-genre (characters or plot) at the expense of the other areas.

[Giarc]

Interesting question Pluvius.

Personally I like the fantasy genre precisely /because/ it is set in fantasical worlds and thus, not directly linked to my own. In short, it's great for escapism. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif Frankly, I don't need an author to describe in painfully acute detail the shortcomings of this world. As a reader, I'm already very familiar with it. If an author wishes to make a point in a book that is set in this world it's like smacking someone over the head with a frozen tuna IMO. Anyone with a brain should learn from what they observe in day to day life. Books set in this world entertain only with their characters and plot. Fantasy can do both of the above, but also entertain with the fantasy world setting itself.

Like you, however, I must admit to preferring fantasy authors who have more depth to them. And this is where I think good fantasy can teach lessons about humanity
in a way that non fantasy/SF cannot. By divorcing the 'lesson' from this world, it can make the concept more palatable. Once the lesson is accepted in principle, subconsciously even, then this may occasion a change in attitude. And that's the way to change the real world IMHO http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif Bad fantasy, however, can take it too far and become preachy (eg Marion Z B).

[FitzChivalry]

Hmm.. i'm not sure what is happening is that the fantasy books are getting worse and not the opposite, the fantasy readers are getting more choosy. We get a really big selection now so we can choose better and not read fantasy that we don't like.
Take The Shannara Series for example, when it was released it became a best seller mainly because there wasn't much other fantasy to read, compared to many of today's fantasy series i find The Shannara Series to be pretty simplistic and boring and basically just a re-telling of Lord of the Rings.
And a lot of the other "old" series are not as good too. (belgaraid comes to mind as another overrated series).
So i think the amount of bad fantasy today is bigger only because the total amount of fantasy books released today is bigger, the percantage of bad fantasy out of the whole is not really bigger than before and i suspect that some of the series that are considered to be classic wouldn't reach that status if they were released today.

[Zeddicus Zul Zorander]

Well pluvious i think there is still good fantasy out there.I love Goodkind and Salvatore. Goodkinds Temple of the Winds wasnt that good but his latest book is awesome. i love the way he doesnt use all the usual fantasy characters(elfs dwarfs orks etc...)Im not that old to have read the classics but i have read tolkien(who hasnt)and i read a little Bradbury and Asimov(neither of which i believe is fantasy). I hope you find a good fantasy book you like and if you do post it.

[wolfshead]

I think it's a valid point to mention that there is so much more fantasy to choose from out there--of course we will be pickier. When i first started reading in the genre over 27 years ago, there was a single shelf of fantasy in the biggest bookstore in town. This contained Tolkien, Lewis, and TH White, and not a lot else, as I remember. When something new was published, I was delighted, even if the book (like Sword of Shannara) was very derivative.i read books in the 70's I wouldm't touch with a bargepole now--and some of my 'old favourites', on a recent re-read, seem pretty lame!

[wynterfel]

Well Pluvius that's why they call it 'fantasy'! *grin*

There are a lot of fantasy authors out there with 'believable' characters. Try Stephen Donaldson or Judith Tarr for a start. I understand Tarr even writes historical novels. But it does seem that the more 'believable' characters abound in sci-fi. Bradbury, Niven, Leigh, Anderson, le Guinn, churn out the most three dimensional characters in the genre.

[Maya]

the only reason there is so little fantasy out there is because fantasy authors need two things 1. a superb imagination 2. good writing skill. i know i didn't need to tell you all that but people with one of these things don't usually have the other. in my local library maybe 1% of the books are fantasy or even less. all the rest of the novels are written by authors with very little imagination but concentrate on, as mentioned before, real life. i don't want moral messages in the books i read. i get enough of them force-fed through TV.

[Keyoke]

Well, I think one author said it best about his series, but, I think it applies to the most of the genre of Fantasy..

"I put ordinary people in extra-ordinary situations, and see what happens." -Feist.