What, In Your Opinion, Is the Fantasy Genre Missing?

My books lol

In all seriousness I'm not sure anything is missing per se, because the market does not exist in a vacuum. It will bear whatever fits and reject what doesn't. So asking the question of what's missing probably would need to be directed at the target reader demographic rather than the writing community that delivers to it.

How does one do that? Write the stories you think are needed. If you're right, congrats. If not, try again.

Diversity. Characters, setting, cultures.

The landscape is slowly changing for the better. For example, Tomi Adeyemi's BLM-inspired fantasy sounds amazing, and was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, debut book (and movie) deals of the year. I'm hopeful and optimistic that by the time wee hippo starts reading, she'll be exposed to many different cultures and characters, unlike me.

Putputt said:

Diversity. Characters, setting, cultures.

The landscape is slowly changing for the better. For example, Tomi Adeyemi's BLM-inspired fantasy sounds amazing, and was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, debut book (and movie) deals of the year. I'm hopeful and optimistic that by the time wee hippo starts reading, she'll be exposed to many different cultures and characters, unlike me.

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+1

Putputt said:

For example, Tomi Adeyemi's BLM-inspired fantasy sounds amazing,

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The Bureau of Land Management is inspiring fantasy fiction?

caw

blacbird said:

The Bureau of Land Management is inspiring fantasy fiction?

caw

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I...kinda want to read a fantasy inspired by the Bureau of Land Management. *__*

Putputt said:

I...kinda want to read a fantasy inspired by the Bureau of Land Management. *__*

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You've given me an idea.

*scribbles furiously*

We didn't hear enough in LOTR about the tireless Rangers whose job it was to ensure the boundless plains of Rohan were managed in a sustainable way.

Or the brave men who de-horn unicorns before they can be slaughtered for the poison-antidote market.

I don't think there's nearly enough action-adventure fantasy (as opposed to more intrigue-oriented stories) aimed towards adults being published, especially in full-fledged secondary worlds with more of the high fantasy feel. But obviously I'm way on the other sub-genre end of fantasy from the OP. I used to complain there wasn't enough being published in unique and non-medieval settings, but the genre as a whole seems to have shifted to more non-traditional settings over the last ~5 years.

Back when I was actually in the "YA" demographic (15-20 years ago) there seemed to be a near-total lack of female characters I actually liked and could identify with, but that has massively changed since and now there are well-written kick-ass women in the majority of newer books I read.

Helix said:

You've given me an idea.

*scribbles furiously*

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*scribbles faster*

What some of the others have said already.

Also, it would be cool to see more fantasy where the focus isn't on wars or on the clash of armies on an epic scale and on the fate of the entire world in the face of some vast, implacable evil that seeks to corrupt all. I enjoy epic fantasy, bit it would be fun to read more stories that focus on personal goals, relationships, local-conflicts, and even swashbuckling adventure in settings that are different in ways that change the stakes and dynamics from those we're all familiar with.

The challenge, I guess, lies in making these more personal stories and smaller-scale stakes relatable and important to the reader within a made-up world, rather than having the entire made-up world be what's at stake.

Roxxsmom said:

… it would be cool to see more fantasy where the focus isn't on wars or on the clash of armies on an epic scale and on the fate of the entire world in the face of some vast, implacable evil that seeks to corrupt all....

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I totally agree. I'd also like to see more SF as well as fantasy which are less epic in scale. And even ones where the hero isn't the best killer in the story arenas. Maybe we could even see stories that don't have any killing at all in them!

I really think good YA writers, perhaps. I read YA all the time and most books are over hyped. it makes me sad because great writers make great books which makes great memories, etc. This is just my opinion and maybe I'm not reading the best books. Maybe we can avoid the "super special girl is who is so special and beautiful and smart and cool, did I mention beautiful? saves the world with help of a handsome boy" cliche. I've noticed assassins, demon hunter, etc are very popular as well(maybe just in the bookblr/booktube community).

Rose-Writes said:

I really think good YA writers, perhaps. I read YA all the time and most books are over hyped. it makes me sad because great writers make great books which makes great memories, etc. This is just my opinion and maybe I'm not reading the best books.

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You might not be, because I feel I've read some very good YA fantasy ("Every Heart a Doorway," Ash, Akata Witch, and Ruined are some) that come to mind), and I can't say that the overall quality of the writing is inferior to what I've seen in adult fantasy. I've seen some express (here on AW) the opinion that some of the best, most cutting-edge fantasy has been in the YA demographic in recent years, though that's subjective too. There are some overall stylistic differences, and these might not be to everyone's taste, of course. I'm not especially fond of present tense (as a rule), but that's a matter of personal taste, based on the kinds of books I read the most of during my formative years, I suspect. There are quite a few YA novels not written in present tense, however.

What kinds of stories and character arcs would you like to see more of in YA, and what kinds of writing (specifically) do you feel is underrepresented in this genre?

Putputt said:

Diversity. Characters, setting, cultures.

The landscape is slowly changing for the better. For example, Tomi Adeyemi's BLM-inspired fantasy sounds amazing, and was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, debut book (and movie) deals of the year. I'm hopeful and optimistic that by the time wee hippo starts reading, she'll be exposed to many different cultures and characters, unlike me.

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SO agreed. there are diverse fantasy writers out there, but few read them, so they don't get as much press. or, if they get press, it's by-and-large cruel

It's easier to say what I'm tired of--there are so many overworked tropes. What works for me is original world-building (NOT Middle-Earth or Hogwarts knockoffs), three-dimensional characters (Rose-writes has already mentioned the boring Mary Sue/Gary Stu types), and a plot that's well-structured.

I'd like to see more intact families. It seems like the default is always to kill off the parents. That hit me when I visited a blog on Mother's Day and the host was asking us to contribute good mothers from fantasy. The cast was extremely limited and it took real thought to find any more--she'd already listed Molly Weasley. (My contribution was Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones.) So this might be a somewhat unfilled niche.

For me to be interested in adult fantasy: Less super-epic themes, and more LGBT main characters.

(I would like less sex and especially non-consensual stuff as well, and less gritty violent stuff in general, but that's more of a matter of taste, I guess. This is often why I stick to any tamer MG/YA stuff, lol.)

I think some fantasy is still somewhat stuck in the "medieval England" phase. Nothing wrong with that, but it would be nice to see more completely non-earthly fantasy worlds.

Also (and I wonder if this goes somewhat hand-in-hand with the medieval setting) is the treatment and representation of women the genre. This is a touchy subject, but I think most people would agree that their overall representation in fantasy has been lackluster.

CathleenT said:

It's easier to say what I'm tired of--there are so many overworked tropes. What works for me is original world-building (NOT Middle-Earth or Hogwarts knockoffs), three-dimensional characters (Rose-writes has already mentioned the boring Mary Sue/Gary Stu types), and a plot that's well-structured.

I'd like to see more intact families. It seems like the default is always to kill off the parents. That hit me when I visited a blog on Mother's Day and the host was asking us to contribute good mothers from fantasy. The cast was extremely limited and it took real thought to find any more--she'd already listed Molly Weasley. (My contribution was Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones.) So this might be a somewhat unfilled niche.

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I'm going to second this - "killing off family" seems to be a very common trope within the YA Fantasy genre. I would completely read a story about, say, a mother and son fighting unit going out to save the day, or a family that is working in different places, with different magic, to achieve a collaborative goal. Looking back at my fantasy reads from the past few years, many of the ones I've marked as a favorite did not follow this trend and kept some aspect of the family unit alive, and perhaps there was a reason (unconscious!) that I gravitated towards those titles and stories.

CathleenT said:

…I'd like to see more intact families. It seems like the default is always to kill off the parents….

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I agree. Purely from the standpoint of realism parents, siblings, and other family members should be included in any story, not perhaps with a major role but at least there.

So I included them in my two books with a teenage character. In one there's a somewhat distant but protective older brother in whom my heroine confides that her accident turned her into something strange. He is at first worried, then ruefully amused that she has turned into an unstoppable killing machine. "Now it's YOU who has to protect ME!" In the other my late-teen heroine is able to emotionally deal with her similar change because she still has a loving pair of parents and two annoying but loving younger sisters. In both books they only occasionally affect my heroine's story but they are crucial to understanding her character and enabling her to carry out her story arc.

If you'll forgive me bringing in a different but related medium, TV, one of the things I liked about the Netflix show Stranger Things was the several family members we see, including some who are dysfunctional but still trying to act as parents. There are also grownups who act as parents though they're unrelated. Such as a sheriff whom we first see as distant and careless with his official responsibilities, but later we learn is that way because of a daughter's troubled past.

Speaking of ST, fans will be happy to hear that shooting is done and post-production begun on Season 2, and it will go live this Halloween, October 31[SUP]st[/SUP].

Non-human main characters would be nice to see more of. Like a dragonrider book from the PoV of the dragon. Or what it's like coming of age as a female dwarf. Or science fantasy where a magical alien race makes first contact with the humans, or magic-based planar or dimensional travel where one fantasy race makes first contact with another and they learn about each others' cultures and biology.

I've put down countless books because the synopsis involves some sort of war. I'd love it if we veered away from this and attempted something different. Not saying war is a terrible idea as it is some individuals realities. Just a bit of diversity. I find myself, in addition, slightly frustrated with the ultimate evil idea. If we don't stop this guy, he's going to unleash some drastic, over-dramatic and overly-powerful thing that's going to destroy everything. Again, not saying we shouldn't go down that path. If the story calls for it, by all means! But, again, diversity in this particular area would be nice. Dramatic plot lines that might, in some cases, affect a small amount of people, and not with a higher aim for world domination or destruction.

That's my two cents!

sunandshadow said:

Non-human main characters would be nice to see more of. Like a dragonrider book from the PoV of the dragon. Or what it's like coming of age as a female dwarf. Or science fantasy where a magical alien race makes first contact with the humans, or magic-based planar or dimensional travel where one fantasy race makes first contact with another and they learn about each others' cultures and biology.

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Hurrah, 3/3 ;-)


There are some lovely non weternt fantasies out there these days. Really good ones and v different.

I would love to see a lot more non-western and specifically non-medieval fantasy books. The problem is that such books very often tend to draw criticism if the author isn't from said culture or something resembling it. Not of Japanese decent? You probably shouldn't write anything resembling samurai culture. Not of Chinese decent (or possibly Asian decent of any kind), stay away from chi and family worship and dynastic societies. Not a Native American? Don't touch plains culture, non-druidic nature worship, or nativism themes in general. Etc. etc.

Anyone can write medieval stuff, though, without cries of cultural appropriation or worry of walking into the myriad mine fields where something resembles something else and will offend someone which in turn offends more people. It doesn't matter if it includes white or western-religion stereotypes or veers wide of the actual historic culture. Any type of character can headline medieval texts (though it is less common), whereas a lead in other stories has to match the culture or it's offensive. (See: the great wall movie that had an absolutely plausible reason for white guys at the great wall that actually played into the plot. The movie sucked and didn't use ANY of it's characters well, but that's not the point. That white-guy aspect of it got a ton of crap.)

Don't get me wrong. I am against exploiting a culture or whole-sale stealing myths and that type of thing. But I feel like it has gone too far, and everyone is terrified of exploring all these other rich settings. There is this very narrow path authors seem to be allowed to walk with non-medieval fantasy that must stay as close to the actual inspiring cultures as possible without actually including anything people think is special or sacred or unique to that background. Thus any such writing requires WAY more research than someone who can just plop down medieval sorts of things according to need or what interests them. Fantasy writers don't tend to be the research types, so this just turns them away. Quite honestly, I think this kind of thinking is slowly killing those rich histories and interest in them. Like languages dying out from diminishing use or purists.

I wish people would let us celebrate other cultures and explore their potentials and might-have-been's if war-monger white and Spanish guys hadn't destroyed so much of it. The young especially, I think, are dying for this diversity and expansion beyond tired mythologies.