[Menteith]

I am currently reading Ship of destiny and I'm not too happy about it. Liveshiptraders started a great story about one family and one pirate. Now entire realms and even races are at stake andd it all draws to a classical
all-threads-united-last-battle-and-the-world-is-saved-ending http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/frown.gif

Why does all fantasy have to be or become epic. If anyone could recommend some great fantasy of smaller scale, probably only about the fate of some individuals I would be most grateful.

Ps: I do like ship of destiny nevertheless but it is definately weaker than the first two books.

[Asraloth]

yes, it is true, that most fantasy is epic. fantasy has its roots in mythology, which was always epic.

as for suggestions, i would say try some David Gemmel, he writes great heroic fantasy, and while its not totally non-epic, his books focus more on the story of one, or a small group of people and their struggles. it is more personal, rather than great and sprawling, which is what i assume you want.

Start with his drenai saga, then have a look at some of his standalones, like Dark Moon, which was a book i really enjoyed, and where the "epicness" is only a background going on behind the characters.

that is all i can think of, but you will find that most fantasy is epic, in fact it is probably one of the words you'll find somewhere on every blurb of fantasy books.

[estranghero]

...you will find that most fantasy is epic, in fact it is probably one of the words you'll find somewhere on every blurb of fantasy books.

Not necessarily.

There are certain differences between fantasy stories, i.e. sub-genres.

Most well-known of course are epics like Tolkien's LoTR. Others are modern or urban fantasies like those of Charles deLint, which don't necessarily relate stories about world-in-dangers but more of saving souls. Others are high fantasy like Patricia McKillip, Peter Beagle, and CJ Cherryh which detail people or kingdoms in danger but not necessarily the whole world. And then there are alternate history fantasies like Guy Gavriel Kay (can I put him here?) and Harry Turtledove which tell-- like the title sez-- historical fantasies, i.e. political upheavals and the like.

David Gemmell, as mentioned, is heroic fantasy and is sometimes only epic.

[Asraloth]

i think epic is a term that gets thrown around too much and i am very much aware that not all fantasy is epic, but most current, bookshelf stuff is.

you have to really hunt to find the other stuff, at least in my country you do.
you mentioned the sub-genres, and some authors you mentioned i have read; Kay, for example, could be considered epic, especially STS. I think romantic elements (and by this i mean romance in the literal sense, not mills and boons) can also make something epic.

epic doesn't nessecarily mean the entire world is at stake. it is an ambiguous term. the Epic of Gilgamesh, perhaps the oldest of them, was about one hero, and did not involve entire realms and races, does that make it non-epic?

it is a difficult term to define, especially since every second movie these days is pitched as an epic.

[Caly]

You might try Mary Brown if you are looking for something a little different. She's pretty good and definitely not epic. She just writes stories about people and animals. I find stories with talking animals pretty annoying, but she made it work.

I am sure there are more out there, but I am drawing a blank right now.

Caleyna

[Llama]

Frankly, I tend to find most epic fantasy boring and predictable. A few suggestions for a different type of fantasy novel:

John Crowley's LITTLE BIG
Brooks Hansen's CHESS GARDEN
Anything by Lisa Goldstein, but especially THE RED MAGICIAN and THE DREAM YEARS
Jonathan Carroll's LAND OF LAUGHS, now back in print
William Browning Spencer's ZOD WALLOP
Jeffrey Barlough's DARK SLEEPER
Elizabeth Hand's WAKING THE MOON

[Menteith]

First let me thank you for the suggestions, I will check them out.
Asraloth: I disagree with you about the Gilgamesh epos. There are substantial changes about races(being with the animals) and realms(Building of Uruk, the flood etc.) in it. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif But you are right about my intention and the perhaps too common use of
the word "epic" nevertheless...

Ps: It is not that I dislike Fantasy of epic scale, I just long for some variety.

[This message has been edited by Menteith (edited March 13, 2002).]