What's my pigeon hole?

Well, Tolkien is regarded as high or epic fantasy. Don't know about the other two, never read them.

You'll be fine with the umbrella term "fantasy," but you could pinpoint it more directly with "high fantasy," as long as your story fits the accepted tropes.

I would think High or Epic Fantasy.

Classic Fantasy also has a nice ring to it. But high and epic are more commonly used.

Jordan and Tolkien are definitely high fantasy, the same with brooks I'm pretty sure, at least in part.

I would stick with Fantasy, but use your own descriptor. The sub-genres are so nebulous that you could do better with a wider range of choices that fit your story.

Instead of High or Epic, use Noble or Gallant if your world is populated by chivalrous folks fighting the dark hordes.

Instead of Dark, use Dreary if your world takes horror or oppression and makes it mundane.

MattW said:

I would stick with Fantasy, but use your own descriptor. The sub-genres are so nebulous that you could do better with a wider range of choices that fit your story.

Instead of High or Epic, use Noble or Gallant if your world is populated by chivalrous folks fighting the dark hordes.

Instead of Dark, use Dreary if your world takes horror or oppression and makes it mundane.

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Doesn't that sort of ignore the point that genres are used as a marketing tool? Would a publisher really appreicate the assumption that a book is in its own unique sub-genre? I thought you were doing great with "just stick with 'Fantasy'".

Liosse de Velishaf said:

Doesn't that sort of ignore the point that genres are used as a marketing tool? Would a publisher really appreicate the assumption that a book is in its own unique sub-genre? I thought you were doing great with "just stick with 'Fantasy'".

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Depends.

The marketing decision is usually made by the publisher, and the shelving location by the retailer.

As the author, most of your input is getting the story noticed. In a query, you'd want an agent to know generally where it falls (Fantasy) but something unique about it as well (Other Descriptors). I wouldn't recommend inventing a new sub-genre, nor would I recommend force fitting into two or three existing subs just to convey my own opinion on where it should be stuck.

Then again, the stories I write are Low/Dark Fantasy, so I like the term "Dreary." It suits my cynical eye toward the genre perfectly.

MattW said:

Depends.

The marketing decision is usually made by the publisher, and the shelving location by the retailer.

As the author, most of your input is getting the story noticed. In a query, you'd want an agent to know generally where it falls (Fantasy) but something unique about it as well (Other Descriptors). I wouldn't recommend inventing a new sub-genre, nor would I recommend force fitting into two or three existing subs just to convey my own opinion on where it should be stuck.

Then again, the stories I write are Low/Dark Fantasy, so I like the term "Dreary." It suits my cynical eye toward the genre perfectly.

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Okay, just an innocent question. Perhaps I was distracted by the capital letters... I see where you're coming from now. I would absolutely read something described as "dreary" fantasy.

MattW said:

Then again, the stories I write are Low/Dark Fantasy, so I like the term "Dreary." It suits my cynical eye toward the genre perfectly.

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Except "Dreary Fantasy" isn't an accepted sub-genre. Some agents may look at a query using such a term and toss it into the automatic rejection pile on the grounds that the author obviously hasn't done their own research.

ChaosTitan said:

Except "Dreary Fantasy" isn't an accepted sub-genre. Some agents may look at a query using such a term and toss it into the automatic rejection pile on the grounds that the author obviously hasn't done their own research.

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Maybe my caps made it seem like I was suggesting everyone create their own, but there's still nuance that even the proliferating sub-genres can't describe. The bucket it falls in is a good starting point, but it certainly isn't the only thing, nor is the author really the final arbiter of which "accepted" genre something falls into.



ETA Summary - Don't let your genre or sub-genre do all the talking for you!

repohl said:

I have a novel that's in the Tolkien/Goodkind/Jordan vain. What's the most widely accepted/accurate genre buzzword for this? "Sci-fi"? "Fantasy"? "High Fantasy"? Something else?

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Sorry, couldn't resist.
Am I being mean?

repohl said:

A lot of people seem to think fantasy is a sub-genre of sci-fi.

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There's your chance to sound authoritative and tell them, "No, fantasy and science fiction are separate genres, housed under the umbrella term of Speculative Fiction." And then go into the whole magic v. technology that differentiates the two.

repohl said:

A lot of people seem to think fantasy is a sub-genre of sci-fi.

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repohl said:

You have no idea how many times I say "I have a fantasy novel" and someone immediately replies with "well, good agents for science fiction are...".

A lot of people seem to think fantasy is a sub-genre of sci-fi.

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Darzian said:

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I resemble that expression, however The Rationalizing Logical Side Of Me might make the connection that SF thesedays is sometimes used as a shorthand for the umbrella term "Speculative Fiction" and of course, since SF and Sci-Fi are <ahem> synonymous...

I also make that expression when someone says that they backup their work on CD's (not CD-R's).

What type of Fantasy is determined by the amount of "magic" used. High Fantasy is usually wizards, witches, magical milieus and items; Low Fantasy is like Conan, mostly just items or bad wizard/witch (sometimes a good one will be a temporary ally), but essentially the hero/protagonist/PoV understands little of the magic system; Epic Fantasy is usually a quest through a magical word with or for magical items; Heroic Fantasy is based on one nation or another's mythology; Contemporary/ Fantasy is any of the above in a modern (or semi-modern) milieu; Urban Fantasy is any of the above in a modern city milieu; Dark Fantasy is any horror element crossed with a magic element.

Speculative Fiction is anything that has a magic, supernatural, futuristic, technological theoretical element or being of un-/inhuman origins.

It's funny, Algis Budrys said that Sci-Fi was anything he pointed his finger at and said "that's Sci-Fi". Is a fantasy on another planet sci-fi or fantasy? Depends on the editor/publisher.