Violence in MG Fantasy

Ferret · Apr 17, 2011

Okay, I've read enough MG fantasy to know that violence is quite common. However, I've noticed that often the big bad isn't killed at the end, at least not by the MC's hand. The bad guys are trapped, or cause their own death, or something like that. I know that Percy Jackson kills monsters all the time, but they're not really dead, so I don't think this counts. Is it acceptable for the MC to cause the ungory death of evil nonhuman (but humanoid) monsters? Or is having the MC kill generally frowned upon?

Thanks in advance!

Amarie · Apr 17, 2011

Good question! I would say even though it isn't common, you could get away with it if the MC felt conflicted/remorse/etc. about it. Same is true in YA. It makes sense because real kids would feel that way, since they aren't the tough heroes of adult thrillers.

Kitty Pryde · Apr 18, 2011

It seems like killing the villain stains the MC's innocence too much in MG. Seems like it's not really done. I just read a recent release, award-nominated MG novel where one of the kids struggles a ton because he thinks he has inadvertently killed a bad guy (though it turns out that he hasn't. The hero needs to retain his goodness while defeating the bad guy in all the MG I've read.

t0dd · Apr 18, 2011

Would Voldemort's fate in the Harry Potter series be a good example of that? By the last volume, of coure, it was probably more young adult than middle grade, but Harry doesn't kill Voldemort in the final confrontation; instead, Voldemort's killing curse rebounds on him.

MsJudy · Apr 18, 2011

I just finished the second Spook's Apprentice book, Curse of the Bane.

*spoiler alert*

The MC is the hero and does kill the bad guy. Now, the level of scare, gore and violence is pretty high in this series, but I don't think it goes overboard. The evil ones are evil, and must be destroyed.

But this one does stand out as a bit stronger than a lot of books because of this.

I think it depends entirely on your world-building. In Curse of the Bane, the killing is clearly necessary and the cost to the MC is very high. I think those elements both need to be established.

Ferret · Apr 18, 2011

Yeah, I definitely see that killing couldn't be portrayed as a minor or trivial thing in MG books. (Even though some of the same kids are playing video games that do this all the time. That's a different issue, though.)

I'll have to read Curse of Bane.

Added: How much do you think the species of the bad guy matters? Is killing humans worse than killing humanoid monsters? What about monsters that aren't humanoid?

clare · Apr 19, 2011

In Suzanne Collins's MG series The Underland Chronicles, the MC does lots of humanoid bad-guy killing. It is always in a kill-or-be-killed war situation, and he does not enjoy it.

Ferret · Apr 19, 2011

Thanks, Clare. That's another series I'll have to check out.

MsJudy · Apr 19, 2011

Oh, and the old fairy tales are quite violent. Jack killed the giant. Hansel and Gretel roasted the witch. Sleeping Beauty's prince slew the dragon. Only recently have we become more squeamish about kid's books.

Dreamspree · Apr 22, 2011

My 11 yr old niece told me she likes the darker books and their violence because it allows her to experience things that she doesn't experience in real life, which is good cuz I hope it means she won't become a murderer when she grows up.

Violence in MG Fantasy

Ferret

Dook!

Amarie

carpe libri

Kitty Pryde

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t0dd

MsJudy

Ferret

Dook!

clare

Ferret

Dook!

MsJudy

Dreamspree

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