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So, one of my favorite authors in ever just finished another series set in an Ersatz Renaissance France with fantasy elements. I'm wondering what's next for the talented Jacqueline Carey because frankly there aren't that many great Olde Thyme Fantasy writers. She makes some true, epic fantasy. Plus I love the world she created and the characters that have populated it. I still can't decide if I love Phedre or Moiren better. Both had their strengths, both had their weaknesses, and both were truly great heroines with unique love stories that were actually interesting as opposed to cliched or plot by numbers.
I like urban fantasy but it's beginning to grate on me. I get that it's popular right now, but that also means that now there's a lot of crap to wade through to get to the good stuff. I also like steampunk but sometimes it doesn't strike that crucial balance between science, danger, mystique and Britishness that it needs too. A lot of it falls kinda flat. I could use some recommendations right now.
Though I did start reading Kelley Armstrong's works and I'm liking them.
Anyway: Mystical Creatures. A lot of fantasy right now is sticking to a small and thoroughly over-used number of them right now. Vampires, Weres/Shifters, ghosts, dwarfs and elves. Ask anyone on the street about any of these creatures and they'll tell you why they love or hate Twilight, True Blood, The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter. We've kind of forgotten about dragons, griffons, sea monsters, giants, pagan gods and demons, faeries, unicorns, and other strange beasts that have no practical purpose whatsoever (think Grendel and his mother in Beowulf (not that horrid CGI monstrosity)). True, most of the things I named were in Harry Potter, but work with me here. You'll see these things on the edge of good fantasy works, but never a story about them. Remember when dragons were huge, scary, incredibly difficult to defeat and had hordes of treasure for no discernable reason? THAT WAS AWESOME!! Bring that back. Bring back the unknown, the mysterious, the alien. I'm sick of all this "But for the grace of God go I" b.s. that vampires and shifters give us. Bring back the sublime to my fantasy. I'm sick of all this mirror-holding business turning badass vampires and wraiths into sparkly vampires and helpful ghosts. Give me back the mischevious and terrifying imps and fae that grant a gift to humans only to drown them in a lake a few pages later. Give me back the fantastic in fantasy!
2 comments:
My goodness, I know what you mean! I long for fantasy as I used to read. I am tired of urban fantasy because it is so cookie cutter. It's getting to the point where if you've read one vampire/werewolf/fairy novel, you've read them all.
That said, I have stumbled upon some pretty good fantasy books of late that you might enjoy. These series captivated my attention and really sparked my imagination. The worlds are rich or take familiar themes in a different way.
The Raine Benares series by Lisa Shearin follows an Elf as she struggles against her own bad luck and circumstances. The first book is "Magic Lost, Trouble Found". Give these books a chance. Raine can be a little obnoxious at first, but her story is interesting.
The Princess series by Jim C Hines is excellent. If you like twisted fairy tale stories, I think you'd like this. Hines creates three-dimensional characters from the Grimm/Anderson fairy tale characters. These are not the Disney princesses (and we're sincerely grateful they're not). The first book in the series is "The Stepsister Scheme".
You'd also like the Doppelganger books by Marie Brennan. "Warrior" and "Witch" really create their own world and explore a society to its fullest. Basically, when a witch is born a doppelganger is created. In order for a witch to use her powers, the doppelganger must be killed... so what happens when the doppelganger survives? Interesting premise and really interesting execution. You'll like it.
I hope you look some of these titles up, I think you might like them. Enjoy.
~Barb :)
Holy crap, I didn't realize this post had a comment! I'm so sorry! I actually did try the Raine Benares series but had trouble with "Super Obvious Heroine is Super Obvious" writing. I do plan on getting back to it, as Felicia Day loves them too. I actually picked up Witch and thought I picked up a sequel by accident. Will try again, it was two years ago. Most certainly will try The Princess series, it sounds awesome. Thanks for the suggestions!
Also, how the hell are you!?
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