Fantasy Geeks discussion

OK, that's a tough question because fantasy involves so many sub-genres, it's almost impossible to list them all.
Personally, I like other worlds, sword&sorcery, wizards & warrior women, stuff like that. I've had enough of Quests or Hero's Journeys, though, so I'm probably more towards adventure fantasy than LOTR rip offs.
But I know there are other kinds of fantasy, like talking animals, fairies, vampires, werewolves, urban fantasy or whatnot. I don't like magical realism where you have strange things or creatures in our world.
But then, if it's really well written, I'd probably buy your vampire series (I'm talking to you, Joleene Naylor! ;-)). Any interesting plot or character can draw me in, I guess... am I too easy to please? :-)

Jaq wrote: "Barbara wrote: "OK, that's a tough question because fantasy involves so many sub-genres, it's almost impossible to list them all."

Tough questions make for good discussion. ;)"

Absolutely! :-D But there's not one answer (although I like Sara's - except the YA part, LOL)...

I like my fantasy to be as realistic as possible. I of course love fantastical elements(magical objects, different worlds, fantastic creatures), but I like it even more when i can relate the story and the characters to real life. It makes me more attached to the book and it gives the story a deeper meaning.
I also don't like the fantasy to be random. I prefer having a well defined set of rules that direct every fantastic things that's happening.

I am sorry if i have grammar mistakes, English is my third language

Joseph wrote: "I am sorry if i have grammar mistakes, English is my third language"

I learned it third too - but now I speak it better than French (second language)! ;-)
And you write better than many natives, trust me! :-D

My first language is Arabic. And since I come from Lebanon (in the middle east), my second language is french. I also speak a tiny bit of spanish. They force us to learn way too many languages in school :p

Jaq wrote: "Must be a real headache, but it would be great to know several languages."

I moved to French-speaking countries as a child, so I learned French and italian at the same time! ;-) I need to start seriously on a fourth language (at my tender age of almost 50, LOL), but I couldn't make up my mind until then...
Now I only need to go to that language school and learn the price and times for the lessons - which during a lazy spring such as this one might not happen until the fall! :-D

Anyone who speaks and writes in two languages deserves praise. I agree with Barb, Joseph, you write better than some of the natives.

Fantasy comes from fairy tales, or wondertales. Vladimir Propp studied Russian folk or fairy tales and came up with definitions, functions and characters. Now this list is a tad annoying, especially if you don't like such rigid definitions, but it's interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir...

To me fantasy is anything that has a fantastic or wonder-like element. It's very broad. One of my favourite authors: Sheri S. Tepper mixes fantasy and sci-fi elements.

Oh dear lord. I suppose I would definite fantasy as anything containing things that could not, as the scientific and physical constraints of our societies are now, exist. Science fiction differs from fantasy (at least, this is the way my dad explained it to me long ago) in that, given that we--or an alien race--had the technology, the 'fantasy' elements in those books *could* exist.

Personally, I consider everything from magic-realism to high-fantasy, um, fantasy. Because whether your aunt ate a chili pepper that caused her baby to be born with a fiery temper and the ability to coax flame out of water (I just made that up, but mr is like that), or you're an elfen warrior princess, you definitely could not exist in the here and now.

And now... my brain hurts from explaining that. Bahaha. XD

"Because whether your aunt ate a chili pepper that caused her baby to be born with a fiery temper and the ability to coax flame out of water.." I like that! Better copyright that idea here and now, Pikachu! :)

Georgina wrote: ""Because whether your aunt ate a chili pepper that caused her baby to be born with a fiery temper and the ability to coax flame out of water.." I like that! Better copyright that idea here and now,..."

There's no copyright on ideas, Gina, only the execution! ;-) So you'll have to write that story! :-D

Do you write too, Pikachu?

I actually do! I'm trying to get one of my books published as we speak. With any luck, I'll be handing out books on GR's giveaway, someday! ;)

And wow, it only took me a month to respond. Rude, much? That's what I get for disabling group notifications, I suppose!

Well, I like it to start of with a character (Mostly at a young age.) to be...normal or miserable.
Then, they found out something that would make you say "Well, that's somthin' ya don't see everyday!"
Mostly, I like it when it's about a secret world:)
And I want it to be VERY creative and imaginative:D And it has an important lesson.

Oh yeah, the whole "The-main character-and-his/her-friend-go-on-a-quest-to-stop-evil-or-stuff" never gets old!!!

Althea wrote: "Well, I like it to start of with a character (Mostly at a young age.) to be...normal or miserable.
Then, they found out something that would make you say "Well, that's somthin' ya don't see everyda..."

Totally second the whole "The-mail character-and-his/her-friend-go-on-a-quest-to-stop-evil-or-stuff" never gets old!!!! NEVER! :) ...and I really, really enjoy when an author comes up with a new and fantastic way to put the world (whichever one it may be...the more fantastical the creatures that inhabit said world, the better) in peril! :)

April wrote: "Althea wrote: "Well, I like it to start of with a character (Mostly at a young age.) to be...normal or miserable.
Then, they found out something that would make you say "Well, that's somthin' ya do..."

Yeah! And then the main character and his/her friends are the one who can save it.

Oh yes! and throw in a time-traveling highlander for good measure....who meets a fiery woman who'll have none of his "I'm-here-to-save-the-world-as-you-know-it-and-I-just-happen-to-be-really-handsome-and-smug-but-you'll-eventually-fall-in-love-with-me-even-though-I'm-a-bad-druid-dude!" stuff...but, we all know what happens! :)

April wrote: "Oh yes! and throw in a time-traveling highlander for good measure....who meets a fiery woman who'll have none of his "I'm-here-to-save-the-world-as-you-know-it-and-I-just-happen-to-be-really-hands..."

LOL!

Pikachu wrote: "I actually do! I'm trying to get one of my books published as we speak. With any luck, I'll be handing out books on GR's giveaway, someday! ;)"

Great! Looking forward to it. :)

I understand about the delay in replying. Happens to me all the time. Not enough hours in the day. I check my messages in the morning and sometimes late at day. Things slip through.

Good luck with all, Pikachu! (Just raided your bookshelves too, thanks :))

Georgina wrote: "Pikachu wrote: "I actually do! I'm trying to get one of my books published as we speak. With any luck, I'll be handing out books on GR's giveaway, someday! ;)"

Great! Looking forward to it. :)

I ..."

Raid all you like! My detailed shelves are as much for me as they are for my lurkers and followers. (And really, who doesn't love a good lurk every now and then?)

This totally made my day! Do let me know if yours shows up on the GR giveaways! I love fairytales and fairytale retellings. Yours looks like it fits both categories. :)

I love lurking! I've found brilliant books that way. Goodreads is like the world's biggest library. I always check out reviews too. My to-read list is exploding with new books, but I'm a big reader, so I keep adding. :)

(I've made both my novel and four fairy tales free on smashwords at the moment. Trying to get The Taint: Sorrow's Child to go free on amazon too, but it may take a while. Won't put the links here, though.)

Do you write Fantasy, Pikachu?

For me, like many of the people that posted before, fantasy is anything that this world is not, as long as it doesn't revolve around either aliens or highly advanced technology, which would kind of pushes it to SciFi.(However, there are some great fantasy elements in a whole bunch of SciFi, the most famous of which will probably always be the Force.

Plot and characters. Give me that and I will read it. I love real people in impossible scenarios. I really haven't tired of anything as long as it is written well.

I lean more towards traditional medieval-style fantasy when I think of fantasy as a genre. This is not to say that I don't enjoy other types of fantasy, but when I get into a mood for a fantasy novel I like swords & sorcery, dungeons & dragons, tolkieny goodness.

Stefan wrote: "I lean more towards traditional medieval-style fantasy when I think of fantasy as a genre. This is not to say that I don't enjoy other types of fantasy, but when I get into a mood for a fantasy nov..."

same here - not really into all that urban fantasy stuff! Yeah, witches, vampires and fairies in the real world are also part of fantasy - but as I do believe in fairies even in real life, it doesn't sound fantasy enough to me, LOL!

I have nothing against those other types of "fantasy" and I even read them. However, they're not what I consider fantasy, I guess I put them into a different genre in my head.

Stefan wrote: "I have nothing against those other types of "fantasy" and I even read them. However, they're not what I consider fantasy, I guess I put them into a different genre in my head."

Exactly what I mean *says the writers who writes witches in the present under another pen-name*

Stefan wrote: "I lean more towards traditional medieval-style fantasy when I think of fantasy as a genre. This is not to say that I don't enjoy other types of fantasy, but when I get into a mood for a fantasy nov..."

ditto here. I like my fantasy to be epic, grand scale, lots of characters, a magical world and lots of swords and manly warrior-type men ;) Dragons are nice, but not a necessity.

Stefan wrote: "I lean more towards traditional medieval-style fantasy when I think of fantasy as a genre. This is not to say that I don't enjoy other types of fantasy, but when I get into a mood for a fantasy nov..."

Stefan and Joleene, my favorite kind of book too. I read anything but there is something about that specific genre that flips a switch in my head like nothing else.

Any recommendations?

J. wrote: "Any recommendations?"

Looks like you've got Tolkien, Jordan, Brooks and some of the other biggies covered already. Have you read Terry Brooks other series starting with Magic Kingdom For Sale/Sold? If you're looking for a little lighter fare, it's a fun series as is the Ethshar series by Lawrence Watt Evans which starts with The Misenchanted Sword.

Other series that I can think of that you might enjoy are Dragonlance and the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore (Both of which have mixed reviews by those of us who have read them after high-school, but I enjoy them.) You might also like The Guardians of the Flame by Joel Rosenberg which starts with The Sleeping Dragon.

Stefan wrote: "J. wrote: "Any recommendations?"

Looks like you've got Tolkien, Jordan, Brooks and some of the other biggies covered already. Have you read Terry Brooks other series starting with Magic Kingdom Fo..."

Stefan, I've always had a hard time reading Salvatore. Can't put my finger on it. I will look into the The other two. Thanks.

Well, like I said, Salvatore and DragonLance aren't for everybody.

I did forget to mention, since you like George R.R. Martin, you might want to give John Marco a try. I haven't read his second series, but Tyrants and Kings which starts with The Jackal of Nar was very good.

Georgina wrote: "I love lurking! I've found brilliant books that way. Goodreads is like the world's biggest library. I always check out reviews too. My to-read list is exploding with new books, but I'm a big reader..."

Once again, I am a fail at responding to you, Georgina. You must be beginning to think I hate you. ;)

Like the universe, my tbr shelf seems to be expanding at an ever-increasing rate I have no hope of catching up to. It's very depressing, but at least I'm finding some good reads.

How have your books been doing? Do you provide free downloads on kindle? I went on a massive downloading spree a couple months ago; it seems like a great way for indie authors to get some exposure - especially since there's no cost (I admit to being a member of the "I PAID $6 FOR THIS POS?!?! ONE STAR!!" camp).

I do write fantasy, actually! And science-fiction. And espionage. The only thing I can't write is fluffy romance. In fact, I kind of hate fluffy romance as a rule. I think in my past life, I must have been a boy. ;)

Pikachu - do you actually read those free downloads? I get them free only when I'm not sure I'll like the author (or that particular book from a known author), but I'm afraid many readers who after free downloads never get to read what they got.
As a reader, I'd never pay 6$ for an ebook - in fact there's one I'm keeping an eye on, but it's even more than that (because it's lie 6 or 7 EURO), but I'm not buying it, even if I like the sample. Actually, there's two. But as they're from trad publishers and I don't feel like supporting them, I'll wait until my TBR (of mostly indie) pile goes down! :)
And July saw the Smashwords sale, plenty of free titles over there even for Kindle... and still I sold full price on Amazon! :( I'll never understand this market... therefore - back to writing! :)