Tags
People are always surprised when I tell them I’m not really into Epic Fantasy. That it’s not – and never was – my favorite genre.
I assume the confusion stems from my love of Tolkien, and Sanderson, but my favorite of Tolkien’s work is The Hobbit (a children’s book) and I only started reading Brandon Sanderson’s “other stuff” because I had to read something while waiting for more Alcatraz (children’s books).
There’s nothing wrong with having Epic Fantasy for a favorite genre – it simply isn’t mine, and it’s a bit strange, to me, when I say this and people stare like I’ve given them a brain-teaser.
Them: “It’s . . . it’s not?”
Me: “Not really.”
Them: “But you LOVE Epic Fantasy!”
Me: “Some Epic Fantasy. Some books, by a few different authors. It’s not my go-to.”
Them: “But. But.”
I wonder if it’s because people think there’s no way anyone could get through Lord of the Rings or Wheel of Time without being passionately in love with the genre. I don’t think this is necessarily true, though. I thoroughly enjoyed those books, but they didn’t make me go questing for more of the same kind, which is what I think a reader does when they really love not just a particular book, but a particular sort of book.
I also wonder if it might be something else: might be that some readers have their first encounter with elves and wizards and dragons in children’s stories, and then “graduate” to adult, Epic Fantasy in later years. The children’s stories give them that first taste of glorious mythical adventure, and when they learn about the vast Epic Fantasy multiverse just waiting to be discovered, it’s so exciting they can’t wait to share.
“If you loved Narnia, and Harry Potter, and Mossflower, JUST WAIT ‘TIL YOU SEE WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE!”
It’s perfectly reasonable reasoning, but in my case, I love these stories not simply because they are full of sword-wielding warriors and magical forests, but because they are also made for children. The made-for-children element is an intrinsic part of the charm, for me, and if you take that away (nine times out of ten) I’m not interested, anymore.
It’s why pitches like, “Harry Potter FOR GROWN-UPS!” or “Narnia FOR GROWN-UPS!” don’t work for me. They switch off the excitement – make my brain go, “Ohhhhh. Never mind, then.”
This is a taste thing, of course. Children’s books are not automatically better than other kinds of books: I’m just more likely to like them.
Anyway, this keeps on surprising people, which in turn surprises me, and really – it’s all kind of fun. Like an Unexpected Party.
Here’s to more of those. :)