Are there too many hero quest stories?

Nightwraith17

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Haven't yet worked out if this is older middle grade or young adult--I want to get it all written first and figure out the audience, then trim it/ add to it accordingly. So let's say young adult for now.
The story takes place in an original fantasy world, but it is parallel to our own, and takes place in the modern day. A boy is helping in his grandfather's hotel when a strange, panicked guest arrives, seeking directions for a place that doesn't exist. Overnight, the guest vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a small white stone in his place. The boy, for various reasons, nabs the stone and hides it. Over time he realizes this is the Stone of the Seven Realms, and seers are looking for it. (Seers are a society of magical people; his mother was a part of this society but they had a major schism in the group and now the two sides fight each other.) Whoever has the stone is master over the realms. The stone cannot get into the wrong hands or terrible things would happen, and the only place it is secure is the alleged Heart of the Mountain, which no one knows how to access.
So there's this journey of the boy and his siblings trying to hide the stone and get it to safety, and the whole time they're hunted and on the run.
Meanwhile, their little country has been involved in decades of on-again, off-again war with an opposing country due to major problems in history. Another invasion is imminent, but the current leader refuses to do anything, saying it will only make it worse. (There's more to this but it would take a long time to explain.) The boy ends up using the stone, gets stuck in the place between the realms (where he once again finds the strange guest, who is there because the stone backfired on him), and when he finally manages to get himself and the man out, he accidentally goes to the wrong realm. This realm is a warped, twisted place that, long ago, was overrun by the enemy. The boy realizes what will happen to his country if they allow themselves to be invaded and has to get back home before it's too late.

I made the fantasy worlds original, I used all-original creatures, there's no prophecy or anything, and it's set in a closely paralleled modern time so I could give a new spin on the old hero quest story. But has the hero quest story been told too many times?
 

rwm4768

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If you write it well, it can work. I've read plenty of hero quest stories that are quite enjoyable.
 

samchapman

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What rwm4768 said! If you think about it long enough, basically every story is a hero quest story, if by "hero quest" story you mean a story of a character who wants something and has to do something to get it. Lots of people are full of snark about the hero's journey these days, but I'd infinitely rather read it played straight than subverted.
 

Debbie V

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Classics are classic for a reason.
 

sockycat

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I don't think I'll ever tire of hero quests. Give me a good world and great characters and I'll quest until my eyes fall out.
 

Vivairi

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I agree! People like reading what they're familiar with. My novel is a hero's quest without a prophecy and it also takes place in the modern world, so I'm right there with you!

I think your story sounds really interesting, and I'd love to read it someday, if it ever gets published (or if you need a beta reader ;) )
 

MaryLennox

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Classics are classic for a reason.

I was going to say the same thing.

I think there's a difference between classic storytelling and an overused trope. People tire of things like love triangles or the super smart sidekick who magically knows everything. I think a classic story line, such as the hero quest, never goes out of style - as long as it's done well and has some sort of originality to it.
 

Poetical Gore

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Haven't yet worked out if this is older middle grade or young adult--I want to get it all written first and figure out the audience, then trim it/ add to it accordingly. So let's say young adult for now.
The story takes place in an original fantasy world, but it is parallel to our own, and takes place in the modern day. A boy is helping in his grandfather's hotel when a strange, panicked guest arrives, seeking directions for a place that doesn't exist. Overnight, the guest vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a small white stone in his place. The boy, for various reasons, nabs the stone and hides it. Over time he realizes this is the Stone of the Seven Realms, and seers are looking for it. (Seers are a society of magical people; his mother was a part of this society but they had a major schism in the group and now the two sides fight each other.) Whoever has the stone is master over the realms. The stone cannot get into the wrong hands or terrible things would happen, and the only place it is secure is the alleged Heart of the Mountain, which no one knows how to access.
So there's this journey of the boy and his siblings trying to hide the stone and get it to safety, and the whole time they're hunted and on the run.
Meanwhile, their little country has been involved in decades of on-again, off-again war with an opposing country due to major problems in history. Another invasion is imminent, but the current leader refuses to do anything, saying it will only make it worse. (There's more to this but it would take a long time to explain.) The boy ends up using the stone, gets stuck in the place between the realms (where he once again finds the strange guest, who is there because the stone backfired on him), and when he finally manages to get himself and the man out, he accidentally goes to the wrong realm. This realm is a warped, twisted place that, long ago, was overrun by the enemy. The boy realizes what will happen to his country if they allow themselves to be invaded and has to get back home before it's too late.

I made the fantasy worlds original, I used all-original creatures, there's no prophecy or anything, and it's set in a closely paralleled modern time so I could give a new spin on the old hero quest story. But has the hero quest story been told too many times?


Um, this is the most common story in all history. Read Hero With a Thousand Faces.
 

thereeness

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Um, this is the most common story in all history. Read Hero With a Thousand Faces.

It may be common, but this particular story can only be told by Nightwraith. No one else will have their voice. No one else will know the characters and the world better than them. If people stopped telling "common" stories, then there would be no more stories left. The story itself may be "common" but every voice is unique and, like MaryLennox said, as long as there's some originality to it, something that only the author can bring to the tale, then why not write it?

I say go for it Nightwraith. It's your story, it's your world, and only you can tell it.
 

ktzeee

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I don't know about anyone else, but i love a good hero's quest story, especially if said hero is the underdog. I don't think there's any shortage in the market for that type of story, either. :)
 

Laer Carroll

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As I understand it, the Hero's Quest isn't the same as the Hero's Journey though they have similarities.

Journey is circular: boy (and in modern times girl) leaves home to make their fortune, has adventures, and comes home rich (perhaps only in wisdom). The hero/ine changes from child to adult, going through much the same ordeals that everyone does though the exact nature of the ordeals may be different.

Quest leaves home but never comes back. They may change, going from low to high (for instance, poor to rich). Or vice versa: going from high to low (for instance, rich to poor). Or they may not change at all, which is often the case in a series such as detective stories.

Young adult stories can be either one, but they are often quest stories and take the low to high path (often innocent to wise). The goal of the quest may be clear at the beginning (get the hot whoever to go to the prom). Or the hero/ine discovers it along the way - maybe near the very end of the story.