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Where is the industry heading?

 
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Drizzt



Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Posts: 1081
Location: Easington, UK

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:10 am    Post subject: Where is the industry heading? Reply with quote

Where do we all reckon the industry is heading? Well all read and enjoy fantasy, but over the last few years - as with any industry - changes, subtle and outright, have been afoot. So where will we be in a year's time? What 'type' of fantasy will we be seeing more of on the shelves?

Over the last few years, though it may just be me, I've been seeing less and less 'epic' fantasy on shop shelves. By this I mean the big, army-ridden, battle-soaked, quest-loving books which brought fantasy to where it is. Instead, I'm seeing more and more 'urban' fantasy books. By this I mean books set either in our time or in a setting close enough to it to count, but which fall into fantasy. I've also seen more and more books which are a hybrid of fantasy and old legend in the same manner as Mark Chadbourn. I'm losing count of the books in the fantasy section which boast of featuring Celtic or Arthurian legend...

Is there still a place for books like those James brought to us in The Raven? The Ascendants? I'd like to think so, but the pickings seem to be slimming somewhat in favour of the likes of Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora books, Joe Abercrombie's works, Terry Brooks' Shannara Genesis books...

So, what will be on the shelf in a year's time? What won't?
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Deornoth



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 446

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with you re. the whole urban fantasy thing, there seems to be an awful lot more 'feisty female vampire hunter' stuff on the shelves as well (some good, some horrible... Sad ) I'm a fan of epic fantasy too and my options for a good read are starting to become limited. My options for a good re-read however are still looking just fine Wink
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Lizzy



Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 674
Location: the wilds of the West

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I reckon the epic/high fantasy will still be written and published, it still sells doesn't it? And if it's done well, is brilliant fun to read.

But I also think the genre has plenty of room for newer ideas, ones that stand the tropes on their heads and re writes the stereotypical hero, ala Lynch and Abercrombie. You need to put in fresh stuff to stop it all stagnating.

Nothing wrong with good Urban/dark fantasy, (but you'd expect me to say that) as long as a fresh twist continues to be put on it.

Thing is I'm much more driven by character than plot when it comes to books I like. I read across several genres and the books I rate most are the ones where I really enjoy the characters. Yes of course the plot matters, but however fantastic the plot is, if the characters don't reach into my soul (either as someone I love or hate) then it doesn't work that well for me, it's just an ok book.

I also dislike all the subgenre classification, probably because I read across a broad spctrum and don't see the point. It makes it all sound a bit elitist to me. Same when people get snobby about young adult fiction (I mean in terms of saying 'I wouldn't read it because I'm an adult') Some of the best books I've read have been young adult. But then again I look forward to The Sarah Jane adventures on CBBC so maybe I'm still 14. Wink
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Wulfa_Coldheart



Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 97
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well urban fantasy is on the rise, but I think it's more of a short term trend than a long running one. I think some of the authors and serieses that have appeared during this urban fantasy trend will carry one, but most will vanish after a while.

I think what we have seen is a change in the type of epic/high fantasy. I think there is a great deal of difference between the likes of Abercrombie/Lynch and Erikson/Bakker.

Epic/high fantasy will always be around due to the hardcore fantasy fans who like to read it. Urban fantasy appeals to the same, but also a wider audience.
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Drizzt



Joined: 07 Mar 2005
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Location: Easington, UK

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Urban fantasy appeals to the same, but also a wider audience.


I wouldn't quite go along with that... unless we're each defining urban fantasy differently! Razz

I love high fantasy, it's what got me into the genre. Urban fantasy... I dunno, it's never had the same appeal for me though I have read some damned good UF books. For want of a better phrasing here, UF isn't (normally) quite fantastical enough for me. I like riding with a character across some unknown land on some merry adventure... wandering around, say, Seattle in the company of a lesbian vampire doesn't quite have the same appeal to me (yes, I know I've left myself open to some comments here! Razz ).

But, over the last few years, I reckon there has been a shift of sorts in the market towards Urban stuff. It's becoming more popular thanks to, as Wulfa mentioned, the likes of Lynch and Abercrombie.

Quote:
I think there is a great deal of difference between the likes of Abercrombie/Lynch and Erikson/Bakker.


I'm yet to tinker with Joe Abercrombie, but I do like Lynch. If UF leans more in this direction then I'll be a happy chappy and will happily eat my above words! Twisted Evil
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Alia



Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 246

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 6:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If we talk about some new genres that have recently appeared, I'm a great fan of New Weird, like China Mieville or Ian Macleod.
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Max Power



Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 467
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 5:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with Lizzy - I'm a fan of dark fantasy, and I do like the Chadbourn style, but it's about characters ane the way they can engage me. Bad dark fantasy is horrible (unspeakably evil 'bad guy' and sick sexual perversions just for the sake of it...), but characters save a book for me.

I think you'll always have your heavyweight authors, and your pulp fiction ones too, and I think all types will remain. I doubt whether you'll get many Tolkeins or Eddings-type writers for a while as the field has changed since I started reading.
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DeathJunior



Joined: 20 Oct 2006
Posts: 177
Location: Louth, England

PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I kinda enjoy writing cult gothic (Urban Fantasy) books, though I still need to work on it a little. But as to the fantasy industry changing, of course it is. Genres evolve and devolve as new and old ideas keep coming forward. They'll go through stages and cycles and they'll either come back to their original form or become something different entirely depending on social, environmental, political etc comments and happenings at the time of release.
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Drizzt



Joined: 07 Mar 2005
Posts: 1081
Location: Easington, UK

PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DeathJunior wrote:
I kinda enjoy writing cult gothic (Urban Fantasy) books, though I still need to work on it a little. But as to the fantasy industry changing, of course it is. Genres evolve and devolve as new and old ideas keep coming forward. They'll go through stages and cycles and they'll either come back to their original form or become something different entirely depending on social, environmental, political etc comments and happenings at the time of release.


Brilliant answer, you actually said nothing! Twisted Evil Which styles of fantasy do you see rising/falling?
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Deornoth



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 446

PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't think he said nothing, it was more of a generalised comment... (At least, that's what I thought Wink )
There does seem to be a downturn in epic fantasy (my favourite kind!), is this a backlash against the Lord of the Rings film? I don't know... What do you think?
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DeathJunior



Joined: 20 Oct 2006
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I said the industry is fading again but in a few cycles it'll probably be back again... in a round about way.
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dragonkillernz



Joined: 09 Oct 2004
Posts: 365
Location: New Zealand

PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think epic fantasy is back on the rise. One only has to look at the popularity of other mediums of entertainment and it's embrace of fantasy, like movies (there's been heaps of fantasy crap lately, most of it crap, to be honest Razz ), games and TV. With the rise in these other forms, it's bound to spill over into books as well. I know that reading is not as popular as it used to be, but it is still a viable source of entertainment, and as more people discover some great books, like all the aforementioned authors, it is bound to garner more interest with the younger generations.
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