Category: Sub-Genres of Fantasy

Sunday Sub-Genres: Flintlock Fantasy

Featured Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Most of us know what steampunk and Victorian fantasy is, but I’m guessing most of us haven’t heard of flintlock fantasy. To be honest, I myself hadn’t prior to researching different fantasy genres to discuss for Sunday Sub-Genres. It isn’t one of the more commonly known or widely spread genres in fantasy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a style of fantasy that appeals to readers and writers alike, so we’d be amiss if we skipped it. Let’s get started!

Defining Flintlock Fantasy

Simply put, flintlock fantasy is fantasy written in a setting with all of the bells and whistles of the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. It received its name because the firearms’ advancement level is usually right around the flintlock stage of gun development. A creative name? Maybe not. But it does serve its purpose. Politically speaking, the scene is more attuned with Napoleonic-era Europe than you see in most fantasy stories, which typically use a more Middle Ages-style structure. So you’re going to see a rise of industry and industrial buildings as well as more technology. This makes things interesting, as you’ll see when you read through the next section of the post.

Writing Flintlock Fantasy

Now we get to the interesting part. We mostly know what to write and expect in typical fantasy genres, but flintlock fantasy is a whole different beast from what we’ve tackled in previous posts on fantasy sub-genres. Still, it makes for some fun combinations in story-telling, so let’s get into it!

Magic

We’re going to start here because this part is pretty unique to flintlock fantasy or any fantasy book that has a more developed society. Magic use can be all over the place in these books. Some have very high magic use while others really don’t. Some may keep the magic hidden away from general society while others may allow it out in the open. But here’s the thing. When you can easily gun down the mage with no magic of your own, things tend to shift in the power balance here. People with magic are no longer the only ones with an edge. They may use the magic to do many things, but if technology can do those same thing or do them more efficiently, then that leaves magic-users with an option: adapt or die in obscurity. Keep in mind that one of the most interesting things in flintlock fantasy is the way the authors end up combining magic and gunpowder. That can create some very interesting combinations and effects. So if you’re writing this genre, you’re going to do some serious thinking about magic and how you want to include it because this is one of the hardest decisions you’ll probably make regarding this type of fantasy.

Society

Here’s a critical one. Flintlock fantasy is set in a society on the cusp of some amazing inventions and changes, as well as some not so great ones. One way of life is slowly dying to give way for another, and depending on how you choose to tell the story, your tale will reflect that. It won’t have much of a choice because of the nature of flintlock fantasy. This opens the door for remarking, through the use of fiction, on the horrors of trends in society as technology began to really barrel forward. It allows writers a chance to make a commentary on history and on what may happen to us in the future because of it. 

Steam Power

Okay, this is a little of a weird one to include, but it’s also really important. You might be tempted to think at this point that this isn’t much different from steampunk besides maybe focusing more on flintlock innovations and what not. But that’s actually very far from the truth. While an argument could be made that these two are closely-related cousins, flintlock fantasy is not steampunk fantasy. So no steam-powered machines of gears and cogs that can do wild things. If it was an actual invention during the time period flintlock is based on, it’s probably fine. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t have anything steam-powered, but it shouldn’t be prominent or the focus because then you’d be writing steampunk, not flintlock fantasy.

Change and Military Might

Remember how I said your society is on the cusp of change? Well, it’s not just technology that changes. When technology changes, everything does. Your warfare tactics have to adapt. Your society alters to adapt to the new amenities and struggles. Most of us probably don’t even realize just how wide-spread the influence of technology is in our lives, and even though the technology in this case will just be gaining the first bit of momentum in a flintlock fantasy’s society, it’s going to create ripples. Nothing is going to be able to remain as it was, especially when it comes to guns and new weapons.

This means that flintlock fantasy often focuses on themes of change or military.

Plot

Flintlock fantasy is one of those sub-genres that has very high plot complexity. Because it draws on readers’ understanding of history, the time spent setting up the world is not as heavy as it would be for other types of fantasy. As such, more time is then devoted to the plot and making it full of action and battle. Since military is often a theme in flintlock fantasy, it’s quite usual to find that flintlock fantasy is more focused on a linear plot surrounding soldiers or military characters of some sort. Things are still changing in this genre, but one of the best ways to explain the plot is to say it’s high-powered. Lots of momentum, lots of forward movement. That’s going to be important if you want to write in this genre. There’s room for you to make it your own, of course, but these are some guidelines generally used for the genre.

Conclusion

Flintlock fantasy can be a lot of fun for the right writers. But it’s also specific in its requirements. If you want to have dwarves facing off against elves with bows, arrows, and swords, well… That’s not going to work in a flintlock fantasy for obvious reasons. They’re going to die because they’ll be up against guns, not bows and arrows, when they face off against the enemy. If you want to write this genre, I cannot stress enough how important it is to read books in the genre! These books can be pretty high violence and can get dark depending on the theme of change that’s focused on or what type of military themes are brought in. But if this is what you want to write, you absolutely must read it! I’ve included some recommendations below.

Brent Weeks’ works in particular are ones I’ve read some of, and I feel he’s a good author to learn from. Reviews are mixed, and there were certainly some things that weren’t the best about some of his earlier work, but he had a good grasp on how to write flintlock style fantasy. His societies are definitely ones on the cusp of change, and the one book I read through entirely (first in the Night Angel Trilogy) had very strong political and military themes. You don’t see as much of the guns side of things, but you definitely get an industrial revolution feel from it.

Sanderson is another very good author to learn from. I personally have learned a great deal from dissecting his work to learn from it, and I highly recommend you read his work, regardless of what sub-genre of fantasy you want to write. He’s a must-read fantasy author in my opinion, and you rob yourself of some seriously useful learning opportunities if you don’t take the time to read his work and digest it. His Mistborn series, Elantris, or Warbreaker are great places to start.

If you’re more of the epic fantasy sort, I can’t recommend his Stormlight Archives more highly. You’ll learn more about writing fantasy, phenomenal world-building, and superb characterization from reading his work and looking at what he does than you will from a lot of writing guides. Almost everything I know and nearly every technique I utilize for world-building in my novels came from what I learned reading the Stormlight Archives. I’ve since added to that knowledge, of course, but I haven’t seen a more valuable example of how to use extensive world-building well than I have in his work.

Further Resources and Reading

Brent Weeks’ Night Angel and Lightbringer series (Two separate series. Based on what I’ve read from Weeks, I don’t recommend this for kids. It would be best if readers are fifteen or sixteen at least because it gets pretty violent and has language.)

Brandon Sanderson’s Alloy of the Law (Sanderson is a phenomenal fantasy author to learn from! If you only read one book on the list here, read his. His books are generally suitable for those fourteen and up.)

*Bradley P. Beaulieu’s Lays of Anuskaya

*Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

*Michael A. Stackpole’s At the Queen’s Command

Sunday Sub-Genres: Dying Earth Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Alright, everyone! We’re back this week with another sub-genre to examine. This time, we’ll be looking at dying earth fantasy. This one’s fun if you like apocalyptic fiction with a dash of fantasy or science-fiction. Obviously, the focus here is on fantasy, but science-fiction also has a firm hold on this sub-genre, so that’s a nice crossover if you like both genres.

Defining Dying Earth Fantasy

Dying earth fantasy mainly has to do with the idea of a far-future, apocalyptic world where everything, including the natural laws governing the universe, fails or is failing. It all falls apart in these kinds of novels, and it comes as no surprise to find our heros and heroines struggling to survive in these tales. One important note here, though. Dying earth fantasy is not the same as apocalyptic fiction in that, rather than having some catastrophic disaster occur to cause the dystopian, apocalyptic world, dying earth fantasy has the earth’s depletion as the center driver for everything going wrong in the world. It is the result of long periods of disuse and abuse of a planet, not some unforseen catastrophe like a deadly virus or alien invasions.

Writing Dying Earth Fantasy

Whether you’re writing dying earth fantasy or science fiction, there are some common elements and themes you should consider and include when writing this sub-genre. It isn’t a feel-good type of genre at all, so given that, you have to provide the readers with another reason, some other value to gain, from reading your work. These elements are commonly used to do that and to make dying earth fantasy/sci-fi what it is.

Characterization

With dying-earth fantasy, unlike other sub-genres, characterization doesn’t run extremely deep. The story’s focus is on the dying planet and the struggles faced because of it, not on any one or two characters. The timeline for these books can also end up being quite expansive, so characters can easily come and go, leaving readers with only a bare impression of them. 

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t spend time developing characters at all. Obviously, characterization and development is still important, but it won’t be your main focus, so if it’s a little more general than it would be with other sub-genres, that’s alright.

Plot and Timeline

Remember what I said about long stretches of time in the previous point? Well, it holds true with your plot and timeline both. Most dying earth fantasies will have broad plots that cover large amounts of time. We’re watching as a planet dies, so we don’t expect to find that the time is small. This is part of what separates this sub-genre from apocalyptic fantasy. A catastrophe can cause these same difficulties and more for characters in a much shorter span of time. It takes a lot longer for a planet to die.

Lofty Ideas or Social Implications

Okay, so this sub-genre is huge on this area. Dying earth fantasy almost wouldn’t be dying earth fantasy if it didn’t contain grand ideas and social implications. We’re talking messages about Earth’s future and the way we’re headed or reflection on our past and what it has done to our future. Really, anything within those realms goes, but dying earth fantasy isn’t itself without a theme on one of these areas. So if you’re looking to write this, you better believe you’re going to need a social impact topic that you’re passionate about and can relate to the story of how the world dies. Maybe the book is reflecting on several of those topics, even. But the book will have to reflect on and remark upon the human state and human history in order to extrapolate out to the grand ideas of our future and why it has become as it has. You’ve got a lot of room to work here though because dying earth fantasy usually happens so far in the future that you aren’t restricted to what we have now or what we know now. Whatever your choices in this area, your goal will be to make the reader think about life and human history as well as where it may lead.

Science

I know, I know. We’re talking fantasy here, not sci-fi. But science often plays a role in even the fantasy stories, so we can’t really leave it out of the discussion. Usually, for this sub-genre, science isn’t really hard science. If you’re not a huge science nerd, this is good news. Pretty much, the tech and science that shows up in dying-earth fantasy is going to be forgotten technology or science that is a novelty or seems magical to those now discovering it. So for those of you who aren’t so fond of hard science, this genre is still accessible to you!

Conclusion

Hopefully this has helped you to understand more about how to write this sub-genre. If you’re the type that enjoys really provoking thought in your audience, particularly on social themes and issues, this sub-genre might be a good fit for you. Try your hand at it. You never know where you might end up! As always, if you have questions, feel free to comment below! The list of further reading is below, as usual.

Further Reading and Resources

**Disclaimer: I haven’t read any of these, and as such, I am unsure of the appropriateness for children. Please exercise good judgment and common sense before giving them to or recommending them for children.**

Jack Vance’s Tales of the Dying Earth

George R.R. Martin’s Songs of the Dying Earth

Wilbur Smith’s Dark is the Dying Sun

M. John Harrison’s Virconium

Sunday Sub-Genres: Coming-of-Age Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

This week’s discussion of sub-genres is all about coming-of-age fantasy. This genre, both fantasy and otherwise, is fairly popular, particularly for young adults and teens. Why? Probably because the entire premise has to do with change and growing up or finding your place. But we’ll look at things a bit more closely in this post, so let’s get started!

Defining Coming-of-Age Fantasy

As noted in the introduction, coming-of-age fantasy places a large focus on how someone who is unique in some way or another goes from normal life to a new normal. These stories, as a result, generally start out with the protagonist losing something or someone. Some event acts as a catalyst to force them to move from the comfortable place they were at into the unknown where they will discover themselves and ground themselves in who they really are. 

These can make some awesome stories for teens and young adults since that’s the age where many young people are doing exactly what the characters are doing: finding themselves and figuring out where they fit. But people of all ages can and do enjoy coming-of-age stories, and fantasy lovers are no exception.

Please note that, unlike many sub-genres we’ve discussed before, coming-of-age fantasy is often more a theme than it is a specific sub-genre. In virtually any tale, a character can be forced to move from comfort to a hard road towards self-discovery. As a result, the coming-of-age fantasy sub-genre can fit in with many other sub-genres, even if it isn’t the main focus per se. It fits particularly well with epic or high fantasy in many cases because the themes and storylines mesh very well.

Writing Coming-of-Age Fantasy

Now, on to the interesting part! How do we write coming-of-age fantasy? As I said earlier, this sub-genre really works well with almost any genre of fantasy and even with non-fantasy genres. It’s popular with younger audiences because it’s relatable, and because of it’s flexibility, you as a writer can utilize it as a theme with your main sub-genre of fantasy even if you don’t intend to write it as a main sub-genre.

So, let’s dive in to some of the aspects of coming-of-age fantasy.

Magic

Because of the nature of coming-of-age fantasy, the level of magic in your story may vary greatly. Magic is a great way to force the characters to move from innocence to experience in the novel or short story, though, so it is often a strong feature in these stories. Or, at least, the discovery of it and subsequent struggle to learn to use it and control it often ends up being a pivotal point in these stories. Because it’s so useful for getting the ball rolling, most fantasy tales that are going to be specifically coming-of-age stories will feature magic heavily. The protagonist, antagonist, and most of the supporting characters met along the protagonist’s journey will likely be special in some sort of magical way. How, however, is widely variable and entirely up to you.

Violence

Unlike some of the sub-genres we’ve been looking at in the last month or so, coming-of-age fantasy is actually low violence in most cases. If there is violence, it’s rarely disturbing in nature. This makes these books great for younger readers, assuming the content is free from explicit sexual content.

Graphic Content

Speaking of sexual content, this is one area where coming-of-age fantasy really can vary. When older characters are the focus of a coming-of-age novel, I’ve seen a lot of variation in this one. Some of them do include content that won’t be appropriate for younger readers, particularly if the focus is romantic in nature. However, if the character’s story arc is more focused on self-discovery and belonging in other ways, then the stories may still be safe for teens or kids. Because of the low violence level, this area is the main one where parents may worry. As a writer, then, you have to decide on your target audience. If you want something everyone can enjoy, then skip the sexually explicit (and preferably all sexual) content just to be safe. But if you’re aiming for an older audience and choose to include it, that’s your choice too. It’s fine not to be all things to all people. However, you have to decide who you want to appeal to. So this is one area where you’re going to have to make a decision since there isn’t necessarily a standard for the sub-genre one way or another.

Social Implications or Grand Ideas and Themes

This one varies quite a bit too. It honestly depends on the story. Some of our previous sub-genre discussions have been non-negotiable here due to the type of writing. On this one, it’s not such a hard and fast rule that social implications must be made or larger ideas and themes incorporated. It doesn’t mean they won’t be, but here you should go with what feels right for your story. If those kinds of themes and ideas fit in well, then include them. If they don’t, avoid forcing the issue. It isn’t necessary, and readers of the genre don’t necessarily expect it to go one way or the other.

Characterization

By nature, the genre tends to lend itself to higher characterization. The focus is, after all, mainly on the character’s journey of self-discovery and new experiences. This means that the attention is fixed firmly on our protagonist(s), and as such, readers will want to get to know them. Complexity might not always be extremely high in the plot, but the characters must feel real and inviting to the reader because otherwise, the reader won’t want to take the journey witht hem.

Conclusion

I hope this has been helpful to anyone considering writing coming-of-age fantasy or thinking about including it as a theme within another sub-genre. Do you have something to add to the comments made about coming-of-age fantasy? Or maybe you have more questions? Feel free to comment below with either! I’m always happy to hear from you guys as readers and writers!

Further Reading and Resources

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series

**Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy (Hobb is not an author I recommend for children, just based on what I know of her work. For older teens or young adults, they may be a good fit. She is a good writer for those looking to learn what good fantasy looks like.)

Patrick Rothfuss’s The Kingkiller Chronicles (Some of Rothfuss’s work may be suitable for teens, but parental review is suggested.)

**Tad Williams’s Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (Not sure on the appropriateness of this series for children as I haven’t read anything by Williams.)

Sunday Sub-Genres: Arthurian Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

This week’s discussion turns from the darker sub-genres of fantasy to one that hails back to legends. Arthurian fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy that is quite common. People love a good spin on the story of King Arthur, and given the fact that the original legend is bigger than life with many fantastical elements to it (I mean, Merlin exists, right?), it’s hardly surprising that Arthurian fantasies can be found in almost any bookstore if one looks. So let’s dive into this interesting sub-genre to get a good grasp on writing it and what we’re really looking at if we’re reading it.

Defining Arthurian Fantasy

First of all, we’ll start with the definition. This time around, it’s pretty easy. Arthurian fantasy is, simply put, any fantasy that involves some element of King Arthur’s legend and a lot of fantasy. The main appeal here, naturally, is the creativity in the ways Arthur’s legend gets incorporated into the fantasy world. The ways this happens are as varied as the stories themselves. So, there you have it. The definition of Arthurian fantasy.

Writing Arthurian Fantasy

Of course, this is the area that all you writers are actually interested in. We know what Arthurian fantasy is, but how on earth does one go about writing it? Given the myriad ways to incorporate the King Arthur legend into a story, what is really concrete about the genre that authors and writers can use to help themselves really write a true Arthurian fantasy.

Let’s take a look at the common elements and discuss what ingredients you need to write this sub-genre. That should help to clarify the issue, even if the plots and characters may vary.

Plot Complexity

Let’s be honest. While character-driven fiction is increasingly becoming the norm in writing, we all know that character-driven fiction is nothing worth reading if there’s no plot. Granted, you can prop up some really bad plot lines with character-driven fiction, but if the plot is really bad, good characters won’t help at all. In Arthurian fantasy, the plot is especially important. Most of these books, true to the legend itself, have a lot of complexity in their plot. Backstabbing? You got it. Vying for the throne? Check. Evil cousins or half-siblings? Yup. You get the idea. If drama and intrigue can be fit in, they are. All of the betrayals, double-crossing liars, and just straight up enemies lends a great deal of complexity to the plots of Arthurian fantasies. Also worth noting is that most Arthurian fantasies contain a lot of complex layers through use of prophecies and the appearance of quests characters must complete. Politics, betrayal, and intrigue aren’t the only areas where things are complex. So, if you want to write Arthurian fantasy, you’re going to have to write complex plot lines of some sort. It’s just expected.

Magic

This is the one most people wonder about when it comes to fantasy. Magic is one of those borderline situations for Arthurian fantasy. Some of them are really high in magic use while others just aren’t. It all depends on the plot and the focus of the story. So this one leaves you with a lot of wiggle room. You can pretty much write it how you want it. 

Themes

So, this is one that you don’t necessarily see in every sub-genre of fantasy, but in Arthurian fantasy, you may see it more often. For Arthurian fantasy, the themes usually have to do with power, family structure, and moral codes or honor. While these things don’t seem like huge themes or major areas of social implication, they can be used to expand into a commentary on social implications or grander ideas throughout the story. It all depends on the writer and how they choose to do things. But most of them do, at least, focus on moral codes and honorable conduct since that was a big focus in the legend of King Arthur.

Conclusion

Arthurian fantasy is a really nice sub-genre to work with because most people, even if they don’t usually enjoy fantasy, will find something in the sub-genre that they do enjoy just because most people enjoy the legend of Arthur. It doesn’t mean your story will be all things to all people, but it does mean that your chosen sub-genre has a higher chance of appealing to readers who might not otherwise read fantasy. That’s a very nice perk since fantasy, though it is a huge genre, is not everyone’s cup of tea, particularly if they’re happier with scientific explanations and technology than they are with magic and mystical reasoning. Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean that hardcore fantasy may not appeal to as many as Arthurian fantasy does.

Further Reading and Resources

T.H. White’s The Once and Future King (probably fine for teens)

Stephen R. Lawhead’s Taliesan (First in a series. I highly recommend Lawhead for those who like historical style fantasy, but he isn’t meant for pre-teens and younger teens. Sixteen and up should be okay for most of his stuff.)

Jack Whyte’s Uther (Probably not good for kids.)

Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (If you enjoy humor, you’ll really like this one.)

*Nancy Springer’s I Am Mordred

Sunday Sub-Genres: Assassin Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Assassin fantasy is quite an interesting sub-genre of fantasy. This sub-genre is another one that can get quite dark, but this generally occurs more in the world or setting than anything, and the grey morality an assassin brings to the stage can be quite helpful. The genre itself is relatively easy to understand because the name says it all, but let’s go through some of the finer points.

Defining Assassin Fantasy

Like I said earlier, this one’s pretty straightforward. Assassin fantasy is about an assassin and is set in a fantasy world. The complicated parts of the story fall more in the characterization and the plotline than they do in what the genre is. Unlike weird and grimdark fantasy, this one is pretty easily defined, and no one debates the definition. The assassin archetype has been around in fiction for quite some time, though assassin fantasy itself has only become popular in the recent years. With that definition down, let’s look at writing the sub-genre.

Writing Assassin Fantasy

Focus

First of all, assassin fantasy varies widely in its focus. Some assassin fantasy focuses heavily on character development. These stories don’t focus on and really don’t care much about the politics and morality of what’s going on. It’s just about how the character grows and develops through the course of the story. If that happens to include some sort of moral ultimatum or debate, so be it. If not, no one’s losing any sleep. The other side of this, of course, is assassin fantasy that’s all about the politics and morality of the story and its characters. Authors writing this sort of assassin fantasy may go into great detail about the political system or what constitutes right and wrong and why.

Magic

Again, this is another area where the sub-genre doesn’t have one consistent rule. Some books may have a high level of magic while others may have none at all or very little. In some assassin fantasy, the assassin may wield the magic, while in others, he or she could be the one hunting those who use it. It all depends on the angle the author wishes to approach the sub-genre from.

Characterization

This one leaves no question whatsoever. Assassin fantasy is extremely character-driven. You must have this element. Without it, your story will fall short of readers’ expectations for the sub-genre. This means that knowing your character inside and out isn’t negotiable. It’s a must. That may mean that this sub-genre is more difficult for some writers who tend toward less characterization and more thematic or world-focused writing. But, whatever the case may be, this is one element where assassin fantasy won’t waver.

Plot

This one is another area where the lines are well-drawn. The level of complexity in the stories of this sub-genre are very high. These are the types of stories where anyone could stab you in the back, and no one is as they seem. Twists and turns with revelations that make the plot even more complicated are common within the genre. If you as a writer aren’t fond of writing stories with lots of surprises and unexpected situations that make things more complex, this probably isn’t the genre for you. 

Of course, chances are high that you already know whether or not this sub-genre is for you. Because it’s so well-defined, people are usually on one side of the fence or the other about it. It has a lot of violence and many grey areas, so most people have an opinion. If it isn’t something you like reading, it probably won’t be something you like writing. That’s fine, but you should acknowledge that and move on.

Conclusion

This genre can offer some very unique opportunities to explore the greyer and darker areas of life. However, it can also be a bit of a disturbing read or project for some readers and writers because the content is dark and usually violent. If you’re not comfortable with those things, this isn’t the genre for you. As usual, I’ve included a list of books in the genre for those looking to do some extra reading. Due to the nature of the sub-genre, I wouldn’t personally recommend these for anyone younger than 16 or 17.

Additional Resources and Books

Eve Forward’s Villains by Necessity

Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy

Brent Week’s Night Angel Trilogy (I have read the first one in the series and found that I did enjoy it immensely. It had some minor issues in the writing and grammar, but I liked the plot. Other readers’ reviews of it were mixed, but at some point, I hope to put my own review up on the review section of the blog to give another perspective on it.)

Kage Baker’s The Anvil of the World

Cornelia Funke’s Thief Lord (This one is actually intended for children and was a good read.)

Sunday Sub-Genres: Grimdark Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

While we’ve examined some very dark, gritty versions of fantasy, this sub-genre is one of the darkest. It is considered a sub-genre of fantasy that is notorious for its grittiness and darkness. However, whatever the views people have of it, the genre has become more popular since George R.R. Martin’s wildly successful book A Song of Ice and Fire. So let’s take a look.

Defining Grimdark Fantasy

Pinning down a definition for grimdark fantasy is difficult. For some, it is a byword for fantasy that is unnecessarily dark. For those who enjoy the genre, they would openly admit that grimdark fantasy is both grim and dark with a lot of grit, but not necessarily without reason. Many times, grimdark is meant to explore the psychology behind those sword-toting heroes and the dark, harsh reality of the world. As a result of showing the grittier side of life, the stories get a bad rap for being brutal, dark, and sometimes depraved. While that may be true of some grimdark, the genre does not require writers to include unnecessary gore or wickedness in order to be grimdark. For those of you who want to remain sensitive to the sensibilities of others while still being true to the reality of life, grimdark can still hold a place for you. The genre is more focused on showing the truth about reality in a fantasy setting and showing that real people don’t always do things for the right moral reason, even when their action may be good in the eyes of others. This is reality, and the fact that you’re writing fantasy doesn’t necessitate keeping everything fairy-tale sparkly (well, Disney version of the fairytales, anyway. The real ones can, themselves, be more grimdark in style than you’d expect.).

Writing Grimdark Fantasy

Since it’s a bit difficult to pin down what grimdark is, let’s take a look at what readers of the genre look for in grimdark.  These are elements commonly found in grimdark that you can use to give your book the sub-genre’s unique flavor for readers of the sub-genre.

Morally Ambiguous Characters

In real life, while there are some things that are morally clear as right or wrong, there are things that aren’t so clear. And even if some things are morally black and white, some people may not see them that way even if they should. Grimdark is all about characters who struggle to figure out what moral black and white are in their situations. This manifests in the question of “why” they did what they did. Why did the knight save the princess? Did he do it because it was the right thing to do or because he wanted something out of it? Was it struggle to decide what to do and whether or not it was worth risking life and limb for this woman? That’s just one example of how moral ambiguity can manifest itself, but the main point is that your characters are just like real people: they struggle to know what is morally right and wrong throughout the novel. Not on every issue, perhaps, but they’ll have their moments.

Messed Up Characters

This one is not necessarily a must for grimdark, but it’s certainly common. Not to be confused with morally confused characters, the messed up characters are the ones who truly are on the side of immorality. They aren’t making mistakes, and they’re probably not confused about how evil what they’re doing is. They act in their own interests every time, and if they leads to a “good” act, great. But you can rest assured that, if they look like a saint, it’s only because it benefits them somehow. They’re wolves in sheep’s clothing. Be aware that if you have a main character like this, which isn’t unheard of in this sub-genre, readers may feel betrayed when they discover the MC isn’t who they assumed he was. This means that you have to be careful in how you reveal the character’s true nature. However, this has been done with great effect and without losing readers, so I wouldn’t say this should discourage you from trying.

Pure Naturalism

With this one, we go back to the motivations we were discussing. Many times, grimdark uses emotional drivers or goals of the characters to drive action. People do all sorts of the things in the name of emotion or a goal they want badly enough. The actions themselves can look good or bad, but the motivations underneath them may not match the appearance of the behavior. Most often, selfishness is a motivation in grimdark fantasy. In this style of grimdark, there is no right or wrong, good or evil. Only what gets the character closer to what they want. This isn’t a requirement to write grimdark. You could just as easily flip this around and have a character motivated by a good goal who does awful things trying to achieve it instead of a character motivated by pure selfishness. Either way, a character following this motto of grimdark will act purely on what will get him closer to the goal, not based on whether the action itself is good or bad.

Tight Narrative Voice

This is one aspect of grimdark that really is a must. A tight narrative voice allows the reader to experience the world through the eyes of the viewpoint character. They don’t get a broad view with an impartial narrator because grimdark is all about the character and his characterization, so naturally, the focus will be with the character. This means that using deep point-of-view, which we will discuss next week on Thursday Technicalities, is a really great writing technique to use for grimdark fantasy.

Plot Complexity and Characterization

These two generally go together in this sub-genre because the plot is moderately complex by itself, but highly complex when you start introducing morally ambiguous, manipulative characters. Grimdark is a sub-genre that is focused mostly on the characters. The plot may be action-oriented, but there will be many twists and turns that you wouldn’t find in other action-oriented plots simply because the characters are capable of anything, just as humans are in real life.

Which leads to another point on the characterization. Grimdark often gets a bad rap because anything goes, no matter how dark and depraved. But here’s the reason why that’s the case: grimdark writers know that humanity is capable of unspeakable evil, and they’re bent on making the reader face a flawed humanity. In some ways, they have a more realistic view of humanity in their writing than those writing high fantasy with sparkly clean characters do. While I don’t advocate gratuitous violence, grimdark definitely has an aspect to it that’s raw and real, which I do advocate in characterization. However, this sort of characterization that forces the reader to view humanity as inherently flawed, is not popular in the lighter sub-genres of fantasy. It has, instead, found its home in grimdark fantasy, which is the grittiest of the fantasy sub-genres. There are no knights in shining armor here, or if there are, they’ve got an unbelievable number of skeletons hidden away in their closets. There is no hero to sweep in and save the day because everyone is flawed, and no one is truly a hero.

Dystopian Setting

This one sort of speaks for itself. Most grimdark fantasy is written in a dystopian setting. The degree to which it is dystopian can vary, but the setting must be dystopian for the book to really fit in with grimdark fantasy. This is actually a fairly common thread through most of the darker sub-genres of fantasy. Not all, of course. But many of them feature dystopian settings because the settings work so well with the content.

Dark Endings

Finally, grimdark doesn’t have good or happy endings. If things work out in the favor of one character or another, you can bet that someone somewhere isn’t happy, and that’s the cue for more bloodshed and violence in most cases. So, really, the books are highly unpredictable. You never know what will happen, and the only thing you can guarantee is that everyone will end the story unhappy for one reason or another. Given this and the bleak sense of humor the sub-genre often employs, it isn’t for everyone. If you like happy endings more, this is not a genre you are going to enjoy reading, and since you have to read it to write it well, you should probably steer clear of it.

Conclusion

Grimdark fantasy is a tough sub-genre to write and to read. Its audience is smaller because of the gritty, violent, and depressing nature of the writing. However, for those looking for fiction that takes a real, hard look at what humanity is like underneath all of the various facades it puts up, grimdark is a great place to start. While it may have an overly cynical view of humanity sometimes, readers and writers will come away from it with an understand of just how flawed humanity is.

Additional Reading and Resources

**Because of the nature of grimdark fantasy and how few of these books I have actually looked at in any detail, I do not recommend any of this reading material for children under the age of 18. Please exercise discretion on the books for this. The articles are intended for writers of the genre, so those, with the exception of some language, should be safe enough for teens to read.**

Matt Larkin’s article on grimdark

Mythic Scribes’ article on grimdark fantasy for writers and readers

George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones

Steven Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon

Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Fools

Luke Scull’s The Grim Company

Sunday Sub-Genres: Dark and Gothic Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

This week’s study of fantasy sub-genres is all about gothic or dark fantasy. This genre can be quite interesting since the definitions of it vary depending on who is defining it. However, there are some common points in the definitions, so we’ll go over how it can be commonly defined and what elements you need in the writing to make it gothic or dark fantasy.

Defining Gothic/Dark Fantasy

To start off with, gothic or dark fantasy is not horror. It may contain some elements that are reminiscent of or common to the genre of horror, but horror is written with the intent to scare while gothic and dark fantasy is written with more of an intent to explore a topic that looks at the darker side of life. To that end, then, gothic and dark fantasy aren’t horror.

They do, however, typically deal with the darker side of life and human nature. Commonly, the stories may be written from the monster’s perspective or from a villain’s point-of-view. This isn’t a necessity, however. Just one popular option. Whoever the lead character is, the books classified as dark or gothic fantasy will deal with darker themes. They aren’t horror, but they also won’t shy away from gritty, gory topics.

This usually means that dark and gothic fantasy is not where you’re going to find your knights in shining armor being pristine, upstanding citizens or your villains being pure evil with no good quality to them. While dark and gothic fantasy may not blur the lines between right and wrong, necessarily, it certainly examines the fact that our nature is not one-sided. Those who do what we would say is good may not do it for good reasons, and those who do what we term evil may do it with the best intentions. It doesn’t change what is right or wrong, of course, but it means that the novel may be more subtle in its presentation of good versus evil compared to novels of other sub-genres.

Writing Gothic and Dark Fantasy

When it comes to writing Gothic or dark fantasy, the rules are similar to writing weird fantasy. This is because, often, Gothic and dark fantasy are similar to the weird fantasy genre. However, the two aren’t exactly the same, so let’s look at some elements of Gothic and dark fantasy that you can use to make that distinction in your writing.

The Dark Side

First off, weird fantasy’s focus in on what is weird and unusual. Gothic and dark fantasy may look at that too, but it isn’t the focus. Instead, your focus in writing Gothic and dark fantasy is on the darker side of life. This could include exploring the darker aspects of human nature, human psychology, or the world as a whole. Really, anything that is a darker aspect of the world could be your focus, but the stories in the Gothic and dark fantasy sub-genre must focus on the dark side.

Complicated Characters

I’m not saying that characters in other sub-genres aren’t complex. They are. But in dark and Gothic fantasy, these characters are a little bit more complex in another way. For example, you might have a character who is an assassin but only kills those who have displayed behavior that warrants their death. Or, you may have the knight who is supposedly very altruistic but is really only doing the right things because he wants power and control or he wants to be in a position to force a girl to marry him. Any number of things could be a part of why the character is complex, but dark and Gothic fantasy usually involve characters who look all good or all evil on the surface when in fact the truth is something quite different. This is part of exploring the darker nature of humanity and our psychology, and it manifests itself most clearly in the characters and their complex psychological side.

The World

It’s a given that any fantasy sub-genre is going to have aspects of the fantastical or supernatural involved. It wouldn’t be fantasy without it. But with dark and Gothic fantasy, these elements are blended with horror-like elements to produce something truly dark and uncanny. Now, this is done, again, with the intent of exploring some darker theme or reflection, not with the intent to horrify. But the key here is that the world and setting used for dark and Gothic fantasy isn’t going to be pretty. It will reflect the same darkness and, in many cases, straight up twisted wickedness of the people whose hearts will be explored or exposed in the exploration of the dark side we discussed earlier. This doesn’t mean everything has to be shown or has to be allowable or approved. While some authors may choose to blur lines, that isn’t a requirement. It just means that the author can’t create a perfect fairy-tale world where everything dark is swept under the rug out of the readers’ sight. No. It will be visible in varying levels of darkness and uncannyness, depending on the author’s preference. Whether or not that darkness is shown as being wrong, right, or grey area-material is dependent entirely on the author’s worldview and preferences.

Conclusion

Hopefully this has given you a strong starting point for writing Gothic and dark fantasy. If you’ve already been writing it but haven’t been sure what your work would actually be considered, I hope this has helped to clarify the issue for you.

You can find the further reading and resources below as always. A note of caution here is that I wouldn’t recommend any of these books for children, whether I’ve read them or not, because usually the subject matter of dark and Gothic fantasy makes it too mature for younger teens and children. Doesn’t mean the books are bad. It just means the intended audience is rarely children.

Have questions or more suggestions for writing Gothic and dark fantasy? Feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to get back to any questions promptly. Have a great week, everyone!

Further Reading and Resources

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline

Gothic Fantasy’s Short Story Compilations

Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Jewel of Seven Stars (This is an exception to my general recommendation not to give these books to children. Teens can read these books without a problem, but they likely need a strong constitution and shouldn’t read them before bed unless they’re not easily scared.)

Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat

Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Grey Woman and Other Tales

Sunday Sub-Genres: Weird Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

This week, we’re going to talk about weird fantasy. Weird fantasy is a little bit more of an odd genre, but it’s no less popular for it. People who like fantasy and horror will likely find that they enjoy weird fantasy. So let’s take a look.

Defining Weird Fantasy

Weird fantasy is a sub-genre of speculative fiction that started with H.P. Lovecraft. Pinning down exactly what the genre is can be a bit difficult since it’s a mix of several things. Generally speaking, weird fantasy is a blend between horror, paranormal, and fantasy genres. However, it isn’t uncommon for the genre to include strange, nontraditional aliens, so science fiction can be blended in as well.

The genre typically avoids the typical players in the paranormal scene, such as vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, or vastly reinvents them for the purposes of the genre. So if you’re looking for these features in the genre, you won’t find them. At least, not as you may have expected to.

It should be noted that weird fantasy is neither horror or Gothic fantasy but is instead something entirely different that cannot be classified in either genre. This is likely owing to the blending of horror, paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi.

Writing Weird Fantasy

Weird fantasy can describe a lot of things, but let’s take a look at how you can write any type of weird fiction by using the main elements and moods of weird fiction.

Main Elements of Every Weird Fantasy

Before we jump into the four types of weird fiction or fantasy, let’s cover the basic elements that are present in all of them. First, every weird fantasy must contain some aspect of underlying horror or abnormality, usually in the form of some object or entity. Second, it should contain the general effects of horror. Third, it needs an object to focus or embody the horror or abnormality with. Fourth, it should contain the appropriate fear responses to the horror. And fifth and finally, it should contain the effects of the horror on the given situation.

Mood and Focus #1

The first type is one where the mood and focus is one how the marvel or horror relates to some event, condition, or phenomenon. Usually, these types of weird fantasy work well with a mood focused on a general situation, condition, legend, or intellectual subject. It can also work well with a mood that expresses a pictorial concept.

Mood and Focus #2

The second type focuses on the actions of people in response to the marvel or phenomenon. This one works better with a mood expressing a specific feeling or a mood that expresses a specific dramatic situation or climax.

Pivotal Points of Weird Fantasy

No matter what, weird fantasy should always have a focus on the effects of the weird on the world. The truly weird cannot fail to have an impact, and if people in your novel treat it as though it doesn’t or as if it is commonplace, it ceases to be weird and becomes poorly written as a result.

Conclusion

Weird fantasy is definitely a bit of a strange genre within speculative fiction and fantasy. However, for those who enjoy clear horror aspects blended with fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi, weird fantasy is a great genre to write. If you’re thinking about experimenting with it, the aspects discussed above should be a good starting place for you to do so. So now, all that remains is to go do it.

Further Reading and Resources

Disclaimer: I don’t really read much in the way of weird fantasy, so none of the books below are ones I’m going to suggest for children since weird fantasy can get pretty dark and I haven’t read any of them.

H.P Lovecraft’s Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories

Arthur Machen’s The White People

Laird Barron’s The Imago Sequence

Sunday Sub-Genres: Arcanepunk Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Arcanepunk is one of those sub-genres of fantasy that mixes multiple aspects of different genres together. This can make it an interesting genre to work with if you enjoy mixing parts from different genres or sub-genres together. If you aren’t fond of doing that and prefer something that’s very cut-and-dry, however, this may not be the genre for you. That said, let’s take a look!

Defining Arcanepunk Fantasy

Arcanepunk fantasy is an intriguing mix of science and magic. Often, the world may feel very old fashioned and can borrow from steampunk or other fantasy genres that have a more archaic feel to them. However, the technology itself is typically 19th century or higher in its advancement, and the people generally have access to it. Not everyone will be studied in it like a wizard or scientist might be, but they have a general knowledge that can be utilized in daily life.

The other interesting point that arcanepunk focuses on is the way magic and science have developed together. This is the genre where you’ll see crystal power sources replacing coal or glyphs replacing electricity in a device. This makes for quite an interesting combination of magic and science in the devices people use on a daily basis.

Writing Arcanepunk Fantasy

When it comes to writing arcanepunk, authors are faced with a few unique challenges. Let’s take a look at a few.

Magic and Tech Development

The first challenge facing writers is the unique combination of magic and technology. To begin with, anyone writing arcanepunk has to choose what level of magic and tech their world will possess. But in doing so, they also have to remember that magic and technology developed together. So, they have to determine how magic will be interwoven with the technology that people use on a daily basis. This may involve replacement of power sources with magical powerhouses or spells to power sections of an otherwise technological device. Or perhaps the entire device needs magic to operate but is built entirely with machinery and technology?

This is what an author of arcanepunk has to think about. It’s similar to steampunk in that sense since steampunk also requires a writer to determine how to weave two systems that otherwise wouldn’t coexist together. But this can also make arcanepunk a lot of fun to work with because it provides boundless opportunities for invention and creation to go on while building the world. 

Worlds

Unlike steampunk, which is limited to Victorian-style settings, arcanepunk can be used in almost any type of setting. The genre often does take on an old-fashioned feel, as I mentioned earlier, but it doesn’t have to and it isn’t limited to only Victorian-style settings. This leaves you quite a bit of leeway to create your world in an arcanepunk fantasy novel.

Those who don’t like being restricted by the setting requirements of steampunk but still prefer an old-fashioned feel with magic and science intertwined may like arcanepunk for precisely the freedom this allows. The sub-genre may be more obscure, but it’s definitely more broad with more freedom to experiment and explore. Additionally, for those of you who love sci-fi and fantasy, this is a nice in-between since it blends the two. So, there is that.

Institutions and Governments

Since your society is one that possesses both tech and magic on a level that makes it easy for the average Joe to use it, it makes sense that there would be governments to regulate the use of it. Governments would be more concerned about regulating how the tech and magic is used to avoid mass weaponizing of inventions.

On the other hand, if your society has all this stuff, someone has to build it, and they had to learn somewhere. So institutions for learning magic and technology are also frequent features in arcanepunk. These institutions are the drivers behind the world’s leading scientists and magicians because they trained those people. Not only that, they may do a lot of research themselves since they have so many smart people gathered in one place to teach society’s brightest students. 

The impact of governmental and institutional rule will vary depending on the arcanepunk story and its focus, but this is a factor that can heavily impact the world and how it develops, so take some time to consider it. Even if the government or institution doesn’t factor in directly, it can have a long-reaching arm that impacts the story indirectly.

Conclusion

That’s it on arcanepunk, everybody! Next time, we’ll be taking a look at weird fantasy, a sub-genre that heads an entirely different direction. But for now, as usual, I have a list of further reading materials for interested parties! If you have a question or a suggestion for me regarding Sunday Sub-Genres, feel free to leave a comment below. I’m always open for questions and suggestions.

Further Reading and Resources

**Randall Garrett’s Too Many Magicians

Terry Prachett’s Discworld series (Suitable for mid-to-older teens. Not meant for younger children, really, though individual books may be alright.)

**Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s Darksword Trilogy

Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus Trilogy (Children’s fantasy)

Sunday Sub-genres: Contemporary Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

This week, on Sunday Sub-Genres, we’re looking at Contemporary Fantasy. We actually already discussed one of the sub-genres of Contemporary Fantasy in this article on Urban Fantasy. But this week, let’s look at the sub-genre that started Urban Fantasy.

Defining Contemporary Fantasy

Contemporary fantasy is fantasy that’s set in the time period of the writer. For those of us writing today, it would be present time. For those who wrote contemporary fantasy in the past, it would’ve been whatever was modern day for them.

The key with contemporary fantasy, much like with urban fantasy, is that the magical elements and creatures are very rarely seen or understood as such. They live hidden in the shadows of our world or spill into our world from alternate worlds not known to the general populace. This distinctive take on magic is the hallmark of contemporary and urban fantasy both, which is easy to understand since urban fantasy branched off from contemporary fantasy in the first place.

Of note is the fact that the setting for contemporary fantasy does not have to be in a city or the outskirts of one like urban fantasy does. In fact, often the only thing that makes something urban fantasy instead of contemporary is a city setting instead of a place that isn’t city or suburb.

Writing Urban Fantasy

Secret Worlds

One of the tricks with contemporary (also known as modern) fantasy is that the world of the fantastical is a secret. Somehow, it has managed to operate under the radar so that few, if any, humans know about it. How this works is something that each individual author must determine. But there must be an explanation, otherwise our suspense of belief or our willingness to accept things that we wouldn’t otherwise accept will be severely challenged.

There are many ways authors go about achieving this. You have methods like Cassandra Clare’s Immortal Instruments where the creatures disguise themselves as human or are able to cloak themselves from human eyes altogether. Other authors have utilized alternate worlds.

I myself am a fan of mixing the two and using both the element of disguise and the idea of travel between different realms to keep the mortal humans in novels from discovering the world of the fantastical.

These are all valid options, and what you choose to do is up to you and the story you want to tell. But before you do anything else, you should decide how this very key element of your story will work. Everything else hinges on this.

Systems of Magic

At some point, I’ll have an entire article that goes into this subject because it’s detailed and has many caveats to it. But for now, let’s just say that there are plenty of options available to choose from for your system. What you do is, once again, entirely up to you. But what you choose will also depend on the first element you discussed because how you keep things hushed up when funny, magical stuff happens will define, to some extent, what sort of magic you can have.

After all, it’s kind of hard to cover up two giants in the sky throwing lightning bolts at each other if a bunch of people see it and take pictures. Unless you have some explanation for how no one would see that or understand what was going on, this sort of possibility in your magic system just won’t fly.

So spend some time working out how magic works. Even if it’s hidden, it’s still going to be an undercurrent, or even a pivotal piece, in how your world operates. Just because it’s under the radar doesn’t mean it isn’t important.

Creatures and Mythology

Inevitably, modern or contemporary fantasy authors seem to want to include werewolves, vampires, and the rest of that crew. While there’s nothing wrong with this, if your story is going to feature them, you need to define them. I think, after seeing the myriad of supernatural shows and books that cropped up both before and after Twilight, we all understand that no one has exactly the same take on vampires, werewolves, or really any supernatural creature. So make sure you’re clear about what your creatures are and are not up front.

Along with this, the idea of including gods and mythology in contemporary fantasy has become more and more popular over the years. There’s not something that’s necessarily wrong with this, but it does raise a few questions. If they’re there for name recognition only, it’s probably not a big deal. But if they’re going to be a main part of the story, you have to start asking yourself if they really need to be there and, if they do, why they don’t just solve all the problems. If you’re going to include them, you’d better answer these two questions. Otherwise, you may run into some serious problems with these types of characters.

Conclusion

Contemporary or modern fantasy can be a lot of fun for writers. It allows them to bring fantasy into a setting they know best: the modern world all around them. Often, it also allows them to use places or settings that are near and dear to their hearts, making the locations in the book that much more real and vivid.

I’ve given you just a few of the things you need to think about when starting into contemporary fantasy, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg of what you could go into when planning or working on modern fantasy. I encourage you to keep exploring. Read some of the books listed below to get a better grasp on the genre and what’s possible with it, and spend some time looking into how to write it if you’re just starting out.

Whatever you do, don’t be afraid to give it a try! It might be exactly the thing for you. And if not, that’s okay. You learned something new about yourself.

If you have suggestions for contemporary fantasy novels, please feel free to leave it in the comments! If it isn’t clean or YA-appropriate, please mark it as such so younger readers or parents looking for books for their children know to steer clear.

Have another tip for writing contemporary fantasy that I didn’t cover? Share that in the comments too! I’d love to see what those of you who frequently (or even not-so-frequently) have learned about writing in this sub-genre.

Further Reading and Resources

As always, I mark things that aren’t appropriate for younger audiences with a note on the age level (if it isn’t 18+) and one star. If I haven’t read it yet, I mark it with two stars so everyone knows I’m not necessarily recommending the content for younger readers.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series

**Neil Gaiman’s American Gods

**Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files

Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (There’s a movie adaptation of this now, I believe, and it was pretty good. Suitable for pre-teens and teens. As far as I know, the book is also good. It’s YA.)

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones (This is also considered urban fantasy since it takes place in New York and Brooklyn.)

Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (This is one that’s actually suitable for little kids. It’s a kids’ picture book.)

C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time

Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series (If your younger readers like adventure and genius kids, this is a great series for them. It was, and honestly still is, one of my favorite children’s and juvenile fiction series.)