Fantasy Geeks discussion

Hey, all! I thought that it might be interesting for the group to come up with Top 25 lists in different categories of Fantasy. It would be a great resource for group members looking for something new to read and for future group reads and/or discussions.

The first thing that we need to do as a group is decide what categories we'd want to use for these lists and what criteria fit each category. Some ideas that I've had concerning this so far are:

Classic Fantasy (The foundations of the Fantasy genre)

Traditional Fantasy (Knights, Dragons, Wizards and Fair Maidens)

YA Fantasy (Books intended for a Younger Audience)

Children's Fantasy (Books intended for those under 12)

CORE/Must-Read Fantasy (Those special books both classic and contemporary that every Fantasy fan should read)

Sci Fi/Fantasy Mash-up Fantasy setting that incorporates technology or other Science Fiction elements.

Nontraditional Fantasy (This would incorporate all the books out there that aren't in the Traditional mode. This is one area that could be broken down into more specific categories if the group deems it necessary.)

Anyway, let's have some fun with this and some good discussion and see what kind of lists we can come up with as a group.

Here's a possibility for one category under Nontraditional Fantasy: Dystopian/Urban Fantasy

How about Sci Fi mashed with Fantasy? You know, fantasy setting with technology, that kind of stuff.

That's good, I like it. I added it to the master list above.

Interesting. What's the requirement on age for "classic fantasy." Are we saying it has to be more than 20 years old, more than 50 years old? Author must be dead?

The requirement is whatever we decide it should be. I agree that we probably do need some kind of requirement though. It would help to have some sort of parameters for nominations.

Can authors like me nominate our own books? I hope so. Mine fits in that Sci Fi Fantasy mash up category.

How about Gritty/Realistic Fantasy. Examples of authors in this category could be Joe Abercrombie, George RR Martin, Steven Erikson, etc.

I call mine "adult unconventional fantasy" because it had adult characters and adult themes and doesn't follow the usual fantasy thropes (hero's journey, quest). It's also very character-oriented... so I usually put it under "genereal", until I get famous and can claim my own fantasy genre, LOL!

Jaq wrote: "By "adult themes" do you mean situations more relevant to adults than teenagers, or is that a cover for a Romance book? ;)"

even if one male reviewer found romance in my book, no, it's not romance. I mean situations more relevant to adults than teenagers and it's usually outcast/outsider characters trying to fit in (or not)...