Is Epic Fantasy Currently Enjoying A Resurgence?
Over the past weeks I’ve been enjoying a few epic conversations here on the blog. Mainly this spun out of some of the observations around epic fantasy that I saw arising during the Gemmell Awards voting period, and I am interested to know what you think.
So far, the topics we’ve discussed have been:
What Makes for “The New” in Epic Fantasy?
Once again, this week’s question arises out of last week’s discussion. We had got onto cycles in Fantasy and Paul Weimer alluded to ‘sword and sorcery’ being hot now, but having had a dry spell for some time.
I also perceive epic fantasy as having had a dry spell but currently enjoying a resurgence—but am I right? And if you agree, what do you think has driven the resurgence?
I would love to hear your views. 🙂
Lately, Urban Fantasy has definitely been the hot thing in fantasy, with everyone and their sister writing a vampire/faerie/ghost/gargoyle/Reptoid novel set in some urban center.
Many of them have been good, some of them very good.
I do think that Secondary World fantasy is on the rise again, and I think the small ball of Sword and Sorcery or less than Epic fantasy is the big winner thus far. Some of this has been hard to quantify even in terms of stakes scales, but Red Country, for example, seems to be one of the paradigms being shifted to.
I also see more “Flintlock” in my fantasy–Brian McClellan, Django Wexler, Michael J Martinez, and many others. Paradigms not only of technologically higher level worlds, but socially as well.
Paranormal urban fantasy has been huge, although maybe more in YA and on the Romance side than mainstream adult, do you think? Outside of Charles De Lint and Patricia Briggs, I’m hard pushed to think of a lot of adult mainstream urban fantasy…
I haven’t read Red Country yet but understand it has quite a Western influence, reminiscent of Brandon Sanderson’s “The Alloy of Law” or Midori Synder’s “Michael McBride” so am interested that you see it as being more Sword and Sorcery than “Flintlock.” In terms of Sword and Sorcery being the big winner, how so–in terms of numbers published or interesting innovation? Or on re-reading, do you mean that “flintlock” is part of the Sword and Sorcery resurgence?
My wondering re an epic fantasy resurgence stemmed more from series like Daniel Abraham’s “Coin and Dagger,” Patricia Briggs’ “Aralorn”, Elspeth Cooper’s “The Wild Hunt” series, John R Fultz’s “Books of the Shaper”, Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way OF Kings”, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s “Apt” novels and my own “Wall Of Night” series all coming into the market at roughly the same time.
Some additional adult mainstream (I think?) urban fantasy includes Mike Carey (Felix Castor series), Kate Griffin (Matthew Swift series) , Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London series), Tad Williams (his latest ‘The Dirty Streets of Heaven’, is urban fantasy), Jim Butcher (Dresden files).
Ah, I can see I’ve been rumbled as not “hip to the happening urban Fantasy scene” although obviously quite a few of those names I am familiar with, just not making the UF connection. But I like a good Urban Fantasy so “when the book is done” (WALL3 that is) may settle down with a few of these authors and become better acquainted…
Well, there was so little true S&S for so long, that the ones I’ve seen–Jon Sprunk, Saladin Ahmed, K.V Johansen, Violette Malan… has been a sharp rise from that low bar.
Any particular favourites, ie stories that really resonate, amongst those authors, Paul?
We have had the Brit adaptation of game of Thrones’ on television. I haven’t seen a lot of the series at all (maybe half an episode) but I hear people say that it is really good, and of course the Sir Peter Jackson LotR phenomenon.
IMO these are good examples of cinematic adaptation/storytelling. Is it possible that the cinematic arts have been responsible for a resurgence of interest, driving demand (sorry for the econo-speke) for the literature?
Just a passing thought (did you hear the ‘whoosh’ as it passed on by?? :-)..)
Kind regards
Robin
I do think the LoTR films and now A Game Of Thrones on TV must have had an influence, although I do wonder if those introduced to epic fantasy through TV will then read the books or just wait for the next TV series… Because I sometimes I read books nowadays and think: ‘this was so written to be a adapted…’
Anyway, this is meant to be a conversation, hence all about passing thoughts, so keep the whooshing happening!:)
I’ve seen my own S&S series sales expand since last spring, but only UK sales, not USA sales. So region specific trend following can be important.
You mean the resurgence might only be in one country/market and not another? That does seem feasible, even in the internet world where the communities are so much more enmeshed–but expect some diversity is still going to happen.
Ooh – I like that term that Paul used, “Secondary World Fantasy.” That seems so much more apt. I agree that the popularization of Game of Thrones has had an impact. Also, I think that romantic elements are becoming more acceptable in the “straight” fantasy genres. A female-centric fantasy is no longer automatically relegated to PNR – or worse, UF. My agent and I were both surprised that my publisher decided to call my upcoming trilogy “Fantasy,” instead of some romance-hinting genre. That signals a part of this shift, I think. And Hallelujah for it!
I think Fantasy was accepted into the Romance genre around a decade back now with the Luna imprint etc being set up, but the reverse has been a lot slower to ‘take.’ I think NK Jemisin’s One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a good example of a strong romantic angle in contemporary epic Fantasy, although it is still part of a tradition / lineage that I would trace to authors such as Anne McCaffrey in the wider SFF genre. Although not writing epic, her ‘fantastic space opera’ style SF always included strong romantic elements.