Category: Sub-Genres of Fantasy

Sunday Sub-genres: Fantasy of Manners

Ariel Paiement

This week, we’re taking a look at a unique sub-genre of fantasy: fantasy of manners. This genre can be a lot of fun to write, particularly if you’re looking for a niche to write in. So let’s take a look!

Defining Fantasy of Manners

This genre is a combination of fantasy and comedy of errors. The fantasy isn’t necessarily comedic, though it can be at times. The one major thing it always contains is a witty, wry tone. This and the fact that the enemy isn’t some bigger-than-life figure or villain makes this genre significantly different than most.

This is one of the more unusual fantasy sub-genres because it downplays magic, fantastical races, and legendary creatures in favor of a focus on the intricate societal structures, wit, and intrigue of the novel. Usually, these novels also contain a strong romance storyline that all of this goes with.

Some of the influences on the genre were Jane Austen’s social novels, the drawing room comedies written by P.G. Wodehouse, and Charles Dickens. Others have also influenced the sub-genre, but these are some of the major names that had a part in influencing the sub-genre.

Writing Fantasy of Manners

Setting

The first important thing about writing fantasy of manners is the setting. These usually tend to be elaborate, intricate societal settings since the story’s antagonist often comes from internal conflict within a society or from one’s own neighbors. More on that in a moment.

Because the focus is on the tensions between people, and not on facing some enormous outside threat that may appear in other fantasy sub-genres, the setting becomes very important. Since the genre often downplays magic, fantastical beasts, and extraordinary races or even gets rid of them all together, the setting is not what you’d find in high fantasy.

Instead, it tends to be urban and strongly hierarchical. How this hierarchy works depends on the person writing the novel, but it has been said that, if not for the entirely fictional characters and settings, the fantasy of manners sub-genre might be considered historical fiction. Undeniably, authors often draw from history to create these societies rife with intrigue. The Victorian society is a popular place to start.

The last note about setting is that fantasy of manners usually doesn’t have advanced technology of any sort. That stays fairly primitive, but the society itself is extremely sophisticated, allowing for all the intrigue it contains.

The Antagonist

When it comes to an antagonist in fantasy of manners, it won’t be fantastical beasts, an evil warlock from the outside, or pillaging armies. Instead, it will be the neighbors and peers of characters that present the problem. It will be society itself that poses a problem for the character, though sometimes this takes the form of a specific character or characters within that society.

Plot Complexity

This is extremely high in fantasy of manners. The plot complexity may be the most difficult part of the genre because the writer must sustain that wry, witty tone all while creating twists and turns at every point where the reader might have become comfortable. Usually, writers employ a large cast of characters in order to accomplish this difficult task.

Characterization

Characterization in fantasy of manners isn’t necessarily the most unique. However, the characters, despite their lack of originality in some cases, have a high level of engagement to them. They’re not going to bore or tire the reader.

One key note about characterization in fantasy of manners is that the society itself becomes like a character. It is central to the novel in every way and affects the characters as tangibly as another person might.

Conclusion

While writing fantasy of manners is extremely complex and requires a person with wit and dedication, it isn’t impossible. The sub-genre may have started out being something derided by the writing community, but it has established for itself a firm platform and has taken a life of its own even in the name that was initially meant to scorn it. If you’re interested in writing this genre, do some reading from the writers in the genre and then go for it.

Be prepared for a difficult, work-filled genre, but don’t let that scare you. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys writing with a witty, wry tone and complex plot-lines, this may be just the genre of fantasy for you.

Further Reading

Same ranking system as usual

One asterisk = Not appropriate for children and teens under 17

Two asterisks = Haven’t read, unsure of level

*Neil Gaiman’s Stardust (I recommend the movie version for kids that are old enough for PG rated stuff. It’s still fantasy of manners, I feel, but it leaves out the stuff that makes the book entirely inappropriate for children.)

**E.R Eddison’s Mistress of Mistresses

**Paula Volsky’s Illusion (This one has slightly more tech involved than would normally be scene in fantasy of manners, but it is still considered in that genre. I’ve heard the theme and book can get quite dark, so I’m not sure it’s good for children. Use caution with this.)

Sunday Sub-Genres: Mythic Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

This week on Sunday Sub-Genres, we’re taking a look at mythic fantasy. This is the sub-genre of fantasy that most pulls on fantasy’s mythological origins, though it isn’t always in the way that people would expect. The genre is as likely to use obvious mythological origins like Robin Hood or King Arthur as it is to create something completely new. The sub-genre has a lot going for it if you like works with strong magical elements and lots of mythical creatures. So, let’s take a look!

Defining Mythic Fantasy

Mythic fantasy is defined as fantasy that deals with the same themes as traditional myths but with (potentially) different names and powers of gods or mythological creatures that differ in some way from their traditional counterparts.

That’s a bit of a mouthful, I know. Basically, the extent to which mythic fantasy veers away from traditional mythology is up to the author, but it almost always contains some clash of the gods with the fate of the world in the balance. How this works out is also subject to a lot of interpretation. Some authors choose to pit gods from two differing cultures against each other, while others may choose to have gods from the same culture clash. Heroes may even line up behind the warring factions to add to the chaos further.

Writing Mythic Fantasy

Writing mythic fantasy gives individuals a large degree of space to build their world and setting in a variety of ways. If you like to create cultures that are built entirely around a deity or pantheon, this is a great option because mythic fantasy definitely requires that.

Let’s take a look at some of the unique parts of writing mythic fantasy.

Magic

The level of magic in mythic fantasy is very high. If the character isn’t human, it will have magic or some other fantastical trait. It just will. This means that if you aren’t going to use the traditional mythological creatures, you’ve got some serious world-building ahead of you.

This sounds fun to some people, but I know at least a few who read this are cringing. If you don’t like world-building, you can make your life easier on this front by using the traditional mythological creatures. But you won’t entirely get out of world-building because there’s your pantheon to consider if you choose to use new gods or goddesses.

Character Complexity

This is an area where things really can swing to some extremes. No matter what you do, characters will be complex. The question is just which ones will be. In mythic fantasy, there’s two options. Either the gods are highly complex, fleshed-out characters and the humans are basically non-complex pawns… Or the humans are so complex that they can drive the movements of the gods themselves. How you play it is really up to you and how you want to tell the story. Either leads to some interesting results.

Plot Complexity

If you’re looking for something that’s easy or middle-of-the-road, mythic fantasy isn’t your cup of tea. Plot lines in mythic fantasy can often be obscure or extremely tangled right up to the end, and like the myths they hark back to, every thread of the plot contains meaning.

Those who really enjoy mythology are the ones most likely to enjoy this genre both as readers and writers, though others who like complexity in plot may also like this type of fantasy. If you don’t like any of these things, chances are pretty high that mythic fantasy won’t be your thing.

Violence

This is a fairly significant point because mythic fantasy is different from a lot of other fantasy sub-genres. The violence here isn’t going to be overly gory or descriptive in most cases. You’re going to get some drownings at sea and a few lightning bolts tossed, but it won’t be cutthroat. It’ll be like the myths are. Sure, there’s violence. But it’s not described in gory detail.

Conclusion

Those are the key points of writing mythic fantasy. This can be a really fun genre to write if you enjoy complexity and world-building. If you enjoy neither, you probably won’t have much fun reading or writing this sub-genre. I’ve included some examples of mythic fantasy below. As always, I’ve marked books I haven’t read with two stars if I’m unsure of the reading level and one star if it isn’t appropriate for children and younger teens.

Further Reading

Rick Riordan’s The Red Pyramid and The Lost Hero

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion

**Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon

*Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy (best for ages 13+)

*Terry Brooks’ Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold (ages 13+)

*Tad Williams’ Shadowmarch

Richard Adams’ Watership Down

Sunday Sub-Genres: Superhero Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

This week, we’re back with another fantasy sub-genre post! As a quick update, the plan is to move posts on this topic to Sundays as part of a new Sunday Sub-genres blog section. The posts will be every other week, just as they had been when they were on Fridays. This post is the first in that set of posts.

As I build up content, there will be some other new blog sections as well that will be posted on other days of the week. So, keep an eye out for those.

With that announcement out of the way, this week’s fantasy sub-genre is Superhero Fantasy. Most people might not think that superhero stories are fantasy, but given the elements they possess, almost all superhero stories are considered fantasy. Let’s take a look at the sub-genre.

Defining Superhero Fantasy

As mentioned earlier, most superhero stories are fantasy. However, let’s discuss a little more of what this sub-genre’s definition entails. Superhero fantasy usually involves a main character with some sort of super human ability, a strong sense of morality, and a hidden identity. Usually, the genre centers on fighting crime because, after all, that is what a superhero does.

Typically, superhero fantasy also involves villains that are unforgivably flawed. They must be stopped at all costs because they won’t stop unless someone makes them. There is no redeeming quality about the villains of superhero fantasy. Often, the villains also have a super human quality to them in superhero fantasy. Whether or not it’s an actual superpower may depend on the story.

Now, that’s all well and good, but what makes a superhero story truly a superhero fantasy? Well, the biggest thing that makes it fantasy is the presence of strong fantastical elements. Does the superhero have their abilities because they come from another planet like Superman? Or do they gain the abilities because of some strange, mystical (and definitely non-scientific) circumstance? If they do, chances are your superhero story is considered fantasy.

On the other hand, if your story has superheros with powers because of special suits or science experiments gone wrong, it’s more likely that your superhero story would be closer to the sci-fi side than fantasy. And if that’s the sort of story you’re writing, that’s okay. It’s just not the focus of this post. (Though some of the elements for writing it may end up being the same regardless.)

Writing Superhero Fantasy

With the definition of superhero fantasy clear in our minds, let’s take a look at writing it. These elements can actually be used to write any superhero story. The way you use them is what will determine whether it’s fantasy or sci-fi.

Superhero

It goes without saying that a superhero fantasy needs a superhero. The trouble is that superhero fantasy and heroic fantasy can get their lines crossed a bit here, so some discussion of what a main character should and should not be in a superhero fantasy is needed.

First off, a heroic fantasy usually involves one or more heroes, and those heroes may or may not have special abilities. That’s pretty straightforward, mostly. If they don’t have powers or it’s not one main character with the powers, chances are, you’re not writing about a superhero.

The more subtle difference in superhero fantasy versus heroic fantasy is in the character of the characters. Heroic fantasy’s characters are almost always going to be flawed. Sometimes even fatally so. Morality can be a bit of a gray area for these characters.

Not so with superhero fantasy. If you watch even a little bit of the superhero genre on TV or read comics, you’ll quickly notice that the main characters of these stories don’t have any gray areas with their morality (for the most part). They know right is right and wrong is wrong.

The bad guys aren’t going to get away on their watch if they have anything to say about it. Don’t bother trying to bribe these guys or throw them off the scent because they’re not going to give up until the villain is behind bars (or subjected to some form of justice).

This is an important part of crafting a superhero. The powers have to go hand-in-hand with a strong moral compass and unwillingness to compromise with evil, whatever that may be in a given story.

Despite their high moral code and strict adherence to it, superheros still have struggles. Often, superhero fantasy will go into the psychological struggles of the characters and will show why they ultimately choose good over evil. Or don’t if the goal of the story is to have a superhero gone bad.

Either way, superhero fantasy is going to explore who the superheros really are and what made them that way. The genre is heavy on characterization, so good characterization absolutely cannot be ignored.

Supervillains

This was mentioned earlier, but one of the defining traits of the antagonist for a superhero fantasy is that they’re a supervillain. Like the superhero, they have some sort of special power, but they’re using it for evil. Whatever their motivations, they won’t stop until the superhero puts an end to it.

Also mentioned above was the note that the supervillains have no redeeming traits. This is the biggest difference between heroic fantasy and superhero fantasy. Heroic fantasy might afford the villain some quarter by way of a redeeming quality or saving grace. Superhero fantasy doesn’t. After all, you have to balance out the unflinching, morally pure hero somehow. And what better way to do that than to have an utterly despicable antagonist?

But just because the supervillains are entirely evil doesn’t mean they’re flat. Superhero fantasy thrives on deep characterization, so if you’re going to write this genre, your readers are going to expect you to get deep into the psychological and emotional aspects of the villain. Why are they doing this? What’s their intention? What drove them to do what they are? All of those questions are ones superhero fantasy often explores.

Crime

Usually, superhero fantasy deals with crime. The superhero needs somewhere to turn his mind when he has such a hatred for evil. This comes out in fighting crime.

Fighting crime could occur in a number of ways. First, the character may be a vigilante, working without sanction or help from the local authorities. Arrow and his gang are a good example of this. Second, they might be working independently of law enforcement but with full support from the local authorities despite that. This would include heroes like Superman.

The final category is the superhero that works with law enforcement, even if law enforcement may not know about their two identities. For example, Barry Allen works for the police department in Central City, but he’s also the Flash. Not many of the cops he works with know this, but even as the Flash, he has the goodwill (if not the support) of the police department. A twist on this one that does seem more popular is to have superheros who worked with the government or in the military at some point or another. Quite a few popular superheros have done this, with Captain America being one of the better known heroes.

Conclusion

These are only the main things that make superhero fantasy what it is. There’s certainly more that can be learned about the genre. This should help you as you get your feet wet in the genre, but it should only be the starting point. I’ve added some additional resources and some examples of superhero fantasy below to help you as you do further research.

If you enjoy reading in the superhero fantasy sub-genre, what books do you recommend? You can put them in the comments. Just please ensure that you make a note in your comment if the book isn’t clean and appropriate for children since I do have some younger readers who may be reading through the comments too.

Further Reading and Resources:

Blogs:

Best Fantasy Books (This blog has a bit about the genre, but it also has a fair number of suggestions for books in the genre.)

Writer’s Digest

Books:

*= Not for children

**= Unsure of reading level; exercise caution

Brandon Sanderson’s Steelheart

Jeremy Kraatz’s The Cloak Society

**Tracy Hickman’s Wayne of Gotham

**Marissa Meyer’s Renegades