Five Things in Fantasy that I Love

I was a little harsh to fantasy in the last post (but you have to be honest with the things—and people—that you love). So now let’s talk about the five things fantasy does that no other genre is able to pull off.

So here we go. In no particular order:

1) Escapism- This one is obvious. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats fantasy for escapism. Not even science fiction. Because you still have the same rules that govern our universe (now some sci-fi has fantasy but I think that goes squarely into our realm). You can have so many different cool ideas that don’t have to make any sense or make sense by the basis of your magic system (so long as you don’t go all out of control with it like some people do, see last post for details). George R.R. Martin gave a pretty good answer about what makes fantasy amazing (though I disagree with him about heaven which is neither here nor there.)

2) Good vs. Evil- I can get sick and tired of the Big Dark Evil being in a fantasy series as much as the next guy or gal, but I do love when it’s done well, and make no doubt about it, fantasy is the only one that can do the ultimate fight against light and darkness. It’s what makes Star Wars fantasy. Sci-Fi is more shades of gray while fantasy can have a moral absolute and for a guy like me who enjoys heroes who are heroic and moral, I tend to veer toward any book which represents a standard we want to see in the world and ourselves fighting against the injustice we hate.

3) Monsters and Dragons- You can have this in sci-fi (Jurassic Park) too. The problem comes down to how the monster is perceived. In fantasy a monster can be unknowable and some sagely creature or a hideous eldritch god from the abyss. In sci-fi it can be explained and monsters are way less cool when you can explain them. We don’t need to be zoologists to want to see a female dancer assassin take down a Manticore. We can just be readers.

4) Locals-The sweeping vista of the Vale of Arryn, the Tower of Minas Tirith, the tundra of Hoth, and the colorful walls of Redwall. Need I say more? Add your own in the comments below. I’m curious.

5) Religion- This is an odd one, I admit, and most authors do it badly. Either they are clearly irreligious and have a bone to pick with people of faith or they are stuck preaching form a pulpit. Both can get annoying. The redeeming factor is that we have a genre where gods and mortals can converse, where the devoted can pray and see results (or not and lament about it). This is interesting as we all still grapple with the questions of why are we here, what is our purpose, and where do we go when we die. Fantasy can tell amazing stories about those topics. It’s a shame that most times it doesn’t and yet, when it does, it blows away the competition.