Why I Love High Fantasy
Fantasy is an enormous genre.
It has often been said that there is room in Fantasy for everyone, and this means that the Fantasy genre is constantly growing and evolving. Classic fantasy has always shared its shelf-space with its brother, Science Fiction, but the wave of new sub-genres into the Fantasy category - steam punk, paranormal fantasy, YA fantasy, romantic fantasy, historical fantasy, urban fantasy - means that it is increasingly difficult to celebrate the virtues of the High Fantasy novel without feeling crowded out by the newcomers.
Don't get me wrong - I am more than happy to settle down to read urban fantasy or even (dare I say it) a paranormal romance, but my heart belongs to High Fantasy.
High Fantasy; its sweeping scope, larger-than-life heroes, devilishly evil villains, breath-taking landscapes and stories which can run for generations, and many, many novels. Every time I open a new High Fantasy novel and pour over the intricate map, my breath catches, wondering what new worlds and people this book will introduce me to. In a world of ambiguity, these books celebrate the struggle of good versus evil. They hold a mirror up to our own world yet make us wish to be somewhere else and someone else, if only for as long as our eyes skim over the pages.
High Fantasy novels are the novels that stay with me, long after the reading is done. The characters often feel as real as friends - I laugh with them, cry with them, wish them love and happiness but fear for disaster. I share their dreams, their hopes and their journey, all the while feeling the terrible weight of the decisions they must make - and the consequences which will ensue should they fail.
I love High Fantasy. If you do too, I hope you will enjoy this site.
It has often been said that there is room in Fantasy for everyone, and this means that the Fantasy genre is constantly growing and evolving. Classic fantasy has always shared its shelf-space with its brother, Science Fiction, but the wave of new sub-genres into the Fantasy category - steam punk, paranormal fantasy, YA fantasy, romantic fantasy, historical fantasy, urban fantasy - means that it is increasingly difficult to celebrate the virtues of the High Fantasy novel without feeling crowded out by the newcomers.
Don't get me wrong - I am more than happy to settle down to read urban fantasy or even (dare I say it) a paranormal romance, but my heart belongs to High Fantasy.
High Fantasy; its sweeping scope, larger-than-life heroes, devilishly evil villains, breath-taking landscapes and stories which can run for generations, and many, many novels. Every time I open a new High Fantasy novel and pour over the intricate map, my breath catches, wondering what new worlds and people this book will introduce me to. In a world of ambiguity, these books celebrate the struggle of good versus evil. They hold a mirror up to our own world yet make us wish to be somewhere else and someone else, if only for as long as our eyes skim over the pages.
High Fantasy novels are the novels that stay with me, long after the reading is done. The characters often feel as real as friends - I laugh with them, cry with them, wish them love and happiness but fear for disaster. I share their dreams, their hopes and their journey, all the while feeling the terrible weight of the decisions they must make - and the consequences which will ensue should they fail.
I love High Fantasy. If you do too, I hope you will enjoy this site.