Fantasy Fiction 101: What is Fantasy Fiction?

Apr 28

What is Fantasy Fiction?

“Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker.”

J.R.R. Tolkien

From the father of Middle Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien; the lady of the wizarding world, J.K. Rowling; the historically-inspired George R.R. Martin; to the crafter of a golden compass, Philip Pullman, the fantasy genre has birthed some of the world’s most impactful, far-reaching tales of heroism, friendship, epic adventure, and triumph over evil. Arguably more than any other genre, fantasy invites authors to dig deep into the rich earth of their imaginations and craft new worlds, vast landscapes, fantastical creatures, and a diverse cast of characters to call it home.

In the most basic of terms, fantasy is the ultimate “What if…?”, but if we were to break it down a little more technically, fantasy is “fiction that depends on magical or supernatural elements” (Athans, The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction, 3). The genre falls under the broader term of Speculative Fiction, storytelling which utilizes the imagination to create worlds, technology, human and/or non-human abilities and powers, and even other realities (“Writing Fantasy: Telling Spellbinding Stories”). You’ll find that fantasy overlaps most often with its closest cousins, science fiction and horror, though the genres differ in their respective purpose. For example, if the supernatural elements are meant to give your readers nightmares for a week, it’s horror; if it the magic is swapped out for futuristic, imagined technology, scientific developments, and incredibly advanced A.I., it’s science fiction.

The “Fantasy Fiction 101” series will serve as an introduction to fantasy for any authors who are interested in adding their own magic touch to this realm of endless imaginative possibilities. The series will cover the bones of fantasy fiction, from introducing the most popular subgenres to filling fantastical worlds with magic, mystery, and creatures of myth and legend. By the time we reach the end of this little journey, my hope is that you will have a greater understanding of what fantasy fiction is, why the genre is so popular, what you should be aware of as an author before you head into the wilderness, and, of course, how to have some fun with your imagination along the journey.

Now, let us begin.

Subgenres of Fantasy Fiction

It’s very easy to get lost in the whirlpool of fantasy subgenres simply because they tend to overlap and leave authors confused about which sandbox they’re playing in. Depending on who you talk to, there will be plenty of argument over the subgenres: what to name them, how to define them, which one is more popular, et cetera. For purposes of this discussion, we’ll be referencing Philip Athans’ The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction to flesh out each of the following subgenres:

Epic Fantasy

J.R.R. Tolkien made epic fantasy a staple of our literary experience with his trilogy The Lord of the Rings, the fantastical tale of Frodo Baggins, his fearless friends and faithful companions, as they embark to save Middle Earth from the terrible forces of the dark lord, Sauron. The subgenre earns its name because these stores are epic in their length (traditionally, more than 100,000 words!) and the stakes are as high as can possibly be. Just as in Tolkien’s work, the hero or heroes of an epic fantasy are fighting to save the world, engaged in the ultimate battle of good versus evil, or facing the creators of the universe themselves, and all within the bounds of a lush, thoroughly realized world that the author has created entirely from scratch.

In short, unless you are very confident in your skills, you may not want to start right off with an epic fantasy if you’re new to the genre. You’ll likely find creating a world from scratch harder than you think, and it can be easy to surrender before the fight has begun. Don’t worry, though - we’ll be covering worldbuilding in this series, so don’t put away your epic fantasy series just yet.

High Fantasy

Epic and high fantasy are closely related, so it’s easy to understand why they get tossed around synonymously in conversation. As an author, you will put the same level of care, imagination, and detail into creating the world, but the stakes in a high fantasy tend to be limited to the hero’s journey; in other words, the story is primarily focused on the desires and needs of an individual. The state of the world is not in imminent danger and there are no earth-shattering climatic battles with the gods on Mount Olympus. At the end of the journey, the hero’s world is the only one that will show signs of change, while the world itself carries on with little interruption.

The high fantasy genre is certainly a step down from its cousin, but it’s a modest descent. You still have worldbuilding to consider, and while you won’t need to fill the stage with a full cast of characters, you’ll need to give readers a hero (or heroine) that they can follow from beginning to end. This is something we’ll also be covering in this series when we discuss casting your characters.

Sword and Sorcery

This subgenre is arguably the simplest and, for some authors, it’s the most fun. Athans describes sword and sorcery as the “results-oriented” fiction, with a very simple goal: kill the bad guy. No fluff, no frills, no fancy footwork, this is literally the subgenre of heads going chop-chop, blood flowing like the Nile, and fabulous ladies dripping with sex appeal and gushing with gratitude for their rescue. If you’re looking for an iconic example, look no further than the character of Conan the Barbarian, created in 1932 by Robert E. Howard for a series of fantasy tales published in Weird Tales magazine.

Dark Fantasy

It’s very easy to confuse dark fantasy with horror - but be careful. Dark fantasy isn’t necessarily intended to scare your readers half to death like horror. What it is intended to do is give readers a world that is already dark: the villain has already won, your protagonists are morally ambiguous antiheroes focused on their own interests more than the wellbeing of others, and the world has devolved into a place where virtue, patience, and kindness are not as much rewarded as they are punished. H.P. Lovecraft dabbled in dark fantasy as much as he did horror, but you’ll find a similar world created in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.

I will say that dark fantasy, as a subgenre, doesn’t strictly forbid you from incorporating horror elements, depending on your worldbuilding. Just be careful of the intent of your story: if you’re focusing on mentally and emotionally scarring your readers with terror, the narrative is probably drifting into horror with fantastical elements, rather than dark fantasy with a sprinkling of horror. An example of a balancing act takes notes from the Princess Ai manga, where fantastical and mythical creatures have been imprisoned by humans (the villains) and reduced to slaves or subject to terrible experiments. Another example is the animated series Arcane, which features a splendid cast of morally ambiguous characters and rich worldbuilding accented with violence and body horror.

Contemporary Fantasy

You’ll probably hear contemporary fantasy also referred to as urban fantasy, so don’t get confused: they’re the same thing. Of all the subgenres on this list, urban fantasy is the one that associates most closely with horror; it puts werewolves, vampires, even zombies in the real world, but remember, it’s not meant to scare your readers. Urban fantasy weaves magic and the supernatural into the world we’re all familiar with, where the strange lady next door to your New York apartment has an aversion to light and the woods that border your Michigan home are filled with strange noises at night.

For those who love a good bit of folklore and cryptology, urban fantasy is the subgenre you’ll probably find most suited to your liking. Werewolves and vampires are the most popular creatures to fill the pages of a contemporary fantasy novel, but why not a harpy, mermaids, the Michigan Dogman, skinwalkers, or even the horror of Algonquian legend, the wendigo?

We’ll cover tips and tricks when filling your fantasy novel with creatures of myth and legend later in this series, but if you’d like to get familiar with some boogeyman figures from around the world, check out my post on this character type here.

Historical Fantasy

Historical fantasy is grounded in the real world, but not the modern world. It takes readers back in history, generally any time period before the 20th century, but you can go as far back as Victorian England, Ancient Greece, or the Medieval times. Not to be confused with taking inspiration from history, like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the subgenre incorporates fantastical elements (e.g., magic) into a historically based narrative. The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is an excellent example of this subgenre, as is Helene Wecker’s The Golem and the Jinni.

It’s important to note that historical fiction is a subgenre where you, as an author, will need to throw yourself into historical research to properly build the world of your novel. While you will incorporate fantasy into the story, the worldbuilding is more constrained than if you were writing high fantasy or epic fantasy. Also, I highly recommend you utilize an editor who specializes in this subgenre to help you ensure the accuracy of every detail.

Erotic Fantasy

With the growing popularity of the romance genre, it’s no surprise that erotic fantasy, also known as fantasy romance, is rising on the reader charts. It probably goes without saying that most, if not all fantasy stories can (and often do) involve romance to some degree; erotic fantasy, as Athans aptly says, “dials the heat up a few notches - sometimes more than a few” (5). Basically, sex and/or romance are what drives the plot, and how hot the engine gets is entirely up to you and your editor. If you’re interested in a stand-alone example of this genre, Morgan Hawke’s Kiss of the Wolf blends erotic fantasy with a touch of urban fantasy: vampires, werewolves, and enough steam to fill a sauna.

In Closing…

"Fantasy, if it's really convincing, can't become dated, for the simple reason that it represents a flight into a dimension that lies beyond the reach of time."

Walt Disney

You may have read through the provided list of fantasy subgenres and found yourself saying, “But I’m not sure that my story fits into any of these…is it not fantasy then?”

The answer, simply put, is that this list is not exhaustive! One of the greatest parts of being a fantasy writer is that you’re only bound by the limits of your imagination, and that includes subgenres! What if you take dark fantasy and mix it with urban (contemporary) fantasy - and then toss erotic fantasy into the blend? Could you blend epic Fantasy with historical Fantasy? How about a high fantasy novel with an entirely nonhuman cast of characters (i.e., the type you’d find in urban fantasy)?

The possibilities are virtually endless - with one word of caution: “you need to have equal respect for [all] genres that you’re mixing” (Athans, 6). If you don’t give each subgenre its due, the narrative will suffer and you will likely find yourself knee-deep in some conversations with your editor. Also, if you are mixing fantasy subgenres in your story, I recommend asking your editor upfront if they’re familiar with and/or comfortable with all the genres represented therein. If they aren’t, they should be able and willing to refer you to an editor more suited to review your manuscript.

But we’re just getting started here, so for now, start researching which genre(s) you think you would be most interested in playing with. Maybe you’re just getting your feet wet and you’d like to start with a simple Contemporary Fantasy, or you might be feeling spicy and interested in Erotic Fantasy. Or maybe you’re still not convinced that fantasy, as a whole, is the genre for you as an author.

In that case, I’ll see you in the next post, where we’ll take a look at why you should write fantasy fiction at all. And don’t worry - I’ll cover everything you need to know about fantasy, pros and cons, as an author. You don’t want to wander into the wilderness with only half a map.

Until then, keep writing and asking, “What if…?” You’ll be amazed at where your imagination goes when it’s let off the leash.