There is More to Fantasy Than Pointed Ears and Magic Wands
Will you wander down the rabbit hole of fantasy subgenres?
Wizards who brandish elegant wands to cast powerful spells, elven archers that skillfully dance their way through their forest home, and mighty dragons that soar through the sky to rain fire upon villages are images that probably come to mind when you think of fantasy.
What if I told you that was only the tip of the fantasy iceberg? The umbrella of imagination contains so much more for us to explore.
High or Epic Fantasy
This is perhaps the most thought of subgenre when it comes to fantasy. This typically involves worlds filled to the brim with magic that dictate daily life. Legendary swords, mighty dragons, and medieval societies often populate these worlds.
My ongoing series, Requiem, would fall under this category. Magic and legendary swords included!
Low Fantasy
This subgenre is usually based on the real world with hints of magic or the supernatural added in. Perhaps characters discover a long-lost spell book within the local library or magical creatures are found within the world.
The Forgotten Tome or my It’s Luci, Not Lucifer series would be good examples of low fantasy.
Dark Fantasy
Thieves, organized crime, anti-heroes, and otherworldly monsters lurk within this subgenre. Your heart rate quickens as the tales rattle you to the bones. These stories often are intended to unnerve the reader while entertain.
The nearly completed trilogy of The Town No One Remembers fits within this subgenre.
Sword and Sorcery
Sword-wielding heroes, damsels in distress, and exciting battles. This subgenre is very similar to high fantasy but it’s a beast all in its own right. The main difference is S&S tends to focus on personal battles rather than world-ending ones.
L.A. Sauvette wrote a piece involving an engaging fight scene that I believe could fit within the realm of S&S.
Fairy Tales
Once upon a time in a distant magical world. These subgenres usually consist of evil-step mothers, curses, and monsters that finish with a happily ever after.
Perhaps a stretch, but, I would argue that Jann Christoph von der Pütten’s story challenge about writer’s block which could be classified as a fairy tale. The protagonist is confronted by the personification of writers’ flaws. Ultimately a “curse” is overcome and we’re left with a happily ever after moment.
Fairy Tale Retelling
Sometimes referred to as “modern fairy tales” these stories are either based on or heavily influenced by their fairy tale predecessors. These stories are usually much longer and feature more complex characters and plot development.
Sweet Chaos is working on an ongoing retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Superhero Fiction
Yup, that’s right. Those superheroes fall under the domain of fantasy. Well, a lot of them anyway. The powers of the protagonists are supernatural in nature rather than being explained by scientific means.
Jonathon Sawyer’s Furnace Guy Saves Planet Earth would be a wonderful example of superhero fiction. Who else could survive a dual inside the sun?
We’ve only begun to explore the world of fantasy. There are many more subgenres that I haven’t mentioned yet. Some of the lines are pretty blurred as to what falls under which genre but I think I mentioned the big ones.
What do you think of the examples I offered? Do you think the definitions are wrong as to what each subgenre is?
