Tag: fantasygenres

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)

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #14

Ariel Paiement

I’m really excited to announce that On Anarchy’s Wings is officially completed! There’s just another few chapters to post on Wattpad and Inkitt before the second book in The Chronicles of Eclesia trilogy is done. The next one will be started at some point when I’ve finished Pathway of the Moon and Trader Prince of Aleshtain: Book 2 of The Legends of Alcardia series. So, in honor of On Anarchy’s Wings’ completion, today’s work-in-progress Wednesday is an excerpt from the book for the last time!

~~~

LAKESH crawled to his feet and winced at the charred, ripping sensation rippling over his back. Even though he’d seen the blast coming and had portalled away in time to evade most of it, he’d still been burned by the cursed Light. So had his Third. And he had fewer healing capabilities, so Lakesh wasn’t even sure the other would pull through. Hopefully he would. In no way did Lakesh want to be stuck on this blasted planet alone. Misery loved company, and he would stick by that saying religiously. If he were human, he might feel bad about dragging his companion into this. After all, it wasn’t as if the other Korithel had asked to end up in this situation. But Lakesh wasn’t human.

He dragged his Third to his feet and snorted. “You’re a sorry mess.”

Taresh groaned and tried to bat his hands away. “Would you let me go? I swear, you’ll rip all the skin off my shoulders and back if you keep this up. And we’re not likely to get any help healing any time soon.”

“Good point.” He dropped Taresh. “Gods, this light is killing me.”

“Same. We’re going to have to go to the outer edges of the habital zones on this planet to stay alive until Ianabha can send us reinforcements.” Taresh sighed. “I hate this place.”

Lakesh smirked and crossed his arms, ignoring the peeling, tearing that sparked along his back. “Don’t worry. Soon enough, those who did this will pay. His sycophants won’t get away with this.”

“Not if Ianabha has any say.” Taresh began plodding toward the horizon with a stifled hiss. “Going to take her forever to get back to us though. Can you even communicate through the link?”

“Not right now. I tried when I woke up. That deplorable Light has blocked up my communicators, and after the frying my back took, every bit of my energy is going toward healing. It’s easing some though.” He caught up with his friend. “You?”

Taresh shook his head.

“Your healing working okay?”

A grimace this time.

Heat surged in Lakesh’s veins, and bitterness mixed with spice washed over his tongue. He glanced over at his Third. “They will pay, Taresh. Save the anger up for when it’ll actually be useful. Got it?”

Taresh nodded but still didn’t speak. Perhaps it pained him. His breathing didn’t sound quite right. Lakesh stared at the sun where it was dipping below the horizon. At least the night was coming fast. They would travel faster without the light making them sicker than they were. He clenched his fists at his sides. When he got his hands on those who had been His channel, he was going to show them suffering unlike anything they’d ever known. That he swore.

A storm was coming, and they would know the darkness in a way few ever could. If Ianabha didn’t make certain of that, he would. A tight smile stretched on his lips. Not one of those Formosians would survive the tidal wave unleashed. Someday soon, they would reach the end of the line, and he would be there, waiting.

~~~

I can’t tell you guys how ecstatic I am about finally finishing this book. The idea was conceived years ago when I finished the very first draft of On Twilight’s Wings, but I never got around to it. The book itself, once I started, began in the planning stages in March and ended the writing process for the draft this month.

All told, it took me roughly six months to write the whole thing, and it has totaled in at 95,135 words. Just about 5,000 shy of the 100,000 word count I anticipated. So the book’s a pretty decent length despite only having 20 chapters all together.

At any rate, I’m pretty happy to have finished the second book. I loved the story and planning it, as well as writing it. I’m sure the third book will be just as much fun, and it’s definitely going to be the grand finale of all the tension and chaos that has been building since book one. I’ll talk more about the book when I’m actually ready to start posting chapters.

For now, the work-in-progress Wednesdays posts will focus solely on Pathway of the Moon and Trader Prince of Aleshtain from PotM’s companion series. (I’m lazy and don’t feel like typing out the titles fully, so I’m going to abbreviate.) TPoA is the sequel to Bane of Ashkarith in terms of order in which the series has been written, but it is actually prior to the events of BoA in the timeline. PotM comes after both books by several hundred years.

But anyway, that’s all for this week, you all! What have you guys been up to? This week was a bit of a longer post just because I finished up a project. Has anyone else finished anything up? Or maybe are you getting close to finishing?

If not, don’t feel left out! I’ve got current projects going that are nowhere close to done. You’re not alone on that. If that’s you, what have you been working on recently?

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.)

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