As I am reading The Chronicles of the Black Company, a blurb on the back struck me as being something of an important statement when it comes to stories and how they are written.
“With the Black Company series Glen Cook single-handedly changed the face of fantasy—something a lot of people didn’t notice and maybe still don’t. He brought the story down to a human level, dispensing with the cliché archetypes of princes, kings, and evil sorcerers. Reading his stuff was like reading Vietnam War fiction on peyote.” [emphasis mine]
– Steven Erikson, author of the series: Malazan Book of the Fallen.
And, while it does take some effort at first to get into the mindset of the world of the Black Company (that peyote element is not terribly far off at times), I am having to agree with Erikson. Even after these many years since the first book was published in his series, it seems that there is an overabundance of fantasy books that rely on the archetypes and tropes Erikson puts down. Many books are essentially medieval superhero novels that strictly follow the Hero’s cycle outlined by Joseph Campbell. In many cases, there are no consequences for using “super powers”, no leash to prevent them from getting out of hand, be it magic, tools, or skills. Many stories in the genre are little more than “power fantasies”, even if called something else. And, often, they don’t feel real (I know, that’s sometimes the point).
I like a “lived-in” quality of some fantasy and science-fiction worlds, where there are not so much palaces, but worn down castles, crumbling from siege; or where a magic user can overdo it (or can’t always do it), or suffer significant health consequences as a result — to the point of death in some cases. You know, making a world that is less fantastic and more… human. With or without magic. With or without swords.
That’s not to say that high fantasy (swaaards and sworcery!) with the heroes cycle doesn’t have its place, but I find myself much more in thrall with stories where those tropes are not played to the hilt. And have to appreciate authors who are looking for more down-to-earth ways of telling a fantastic yarn.
Have you read any good fantasy lately that skips the “nobody who climbs rank to save the world” theme? Tell me about it in the comments.
19 responses to “Half-penny Thoughts — 27oct25”
I haven’t read fantasy or science-fiction in a long while, but your post is motivating and that’s a great quote. Thank you for sharing along with your analysis. 📖
Thanks Michele. I’m no expert, I’m just trying to get my hands around the things that make good fiction. 🙂
You’re welcome, Michael. 🤓
Kathryn Kurtz, Anne McCaffrey, Robin McKinley. (Hmmm- these are all women from the 70’s and 80’s. Weird. I haven’t done a ton of fantasy since pre-college, really, but I sure used to love it. Maybe the tropes say something about us as readers. Maybe that Rowling person loused it up for everyone else . . .)
Actually, you probably have to blame Tolkien for the modern variants of the tropes. Rowling was just in the right place at the right time to leverage the tropes (his and a few others). Those are good examples of authors, but they still did the super hero cycle thing, best that I can recall. 🙂
Yeah, hard to write a book without a hero! I think I liked those cause the protagonists were usually outsiders
Some of the books I have liked best the past couple of years have put aside some of those zero-to-hero tropes with morally grey characters who are largely average folks just trying to get by.
see, that’s even more interesting. it’s up to us average folks to recognize that life itself is worth the telling
Heinlein Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Friday “My mother was a test tube my father was a knife”
Heinlein was cut of an entirely different cloth. He tended to be forward looking rather than backward looking. Not really fantasy though. Or was he? No secret: he’s someone i tend to read his entire catalog about once a decade. 🙂
What’s your fave?
Toss up between: Time Enough For Love, Number of the Beast, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Friday. There is a part of me who likes the juvenile space adventures he cut his teeth on, too. The Stone Family (“The Rolling Stones”) is just too much ❤️
I think Friday’s mine. JOB, A Comedy of Justice formed a lot of my social consciousness or whatever you want to call it, and for straight up space adventure I’ll take The Cat Who Walks anyday but I needed more from the ending, just cutting it off like that was too cute even if he did fill it in later. And for some reason I could never get into the one that’s supposed to be the best, Stranger in A Strange Land.
SiaSL has its high points, but some head scratchers too. I liked Job and one of my cats is named after Pixel, soooo 🙂
👏🏻
I don’t often read the genre, Michael, so I can’t comment. An interesting post, however. 🙂
Thanks.
I enjoy the world created by Stephanie Hudson – their is an entire series complete with spin offs. The first book is called “Afterlife” and the series is Afterlife Saga. I won’t say more cause spoilers but if you give it a go enjoy!
I’ll look at it. My “to read” pile is threatening to topple over on me, but I’m game for trying something new.