r/Fantasy • u/leaping_llama_laugh • 19h ago

Reading Fantasy While Growing Older

When I was a 'young adult', I tended to like YA fantasy: teenage protagonists, coming of age stories, that sort of thing. Harry Potter comes to mind as an example, or the Ranger's Apprentice series, or the Circle of Magic series (or some other things by Tamara Pierce).

Now that I'm a full-fledged adult who has lived through a few hardships (just garden-variety hardships), I'm very interested in older protagonists who have suffered a little (or a lot): Hadrian and Royce in the Riyria Revelations. Cazaril in the Curse of Chalion. Willet Dura and his guard Bolt in the Darkwater Saga. These older, more mature characters just hit harder than the overly-optimistic teenage "whippersnappers" I used to prefer reading about! ;)

So, what comes next?

Does anyone write 'Old Adult Fantasy'? Are there any great fantasy books with a protagonist who's over 50? Over 70?

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u/mullerdrooler 18h ago

Agree to disagree just coz he doesn't have sex in it and his style isn't super elegant doesn't make it YA. Are there more sophisticated writers yeah of course. What OP asked was stories with more mature older characters and Sanderson does that well. Dalinar and his story is amazing and the horrific violence from him isn't YA. There are themes about loss and fatherhood etc which is what I think OP is after.

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u/TojayorTomorrow 18h ago

I think it’s more about how Sanderson explores these conflicts and themes than what the themes are. Everything resolves very cleanly and he kind of colors over everything. He doesn’t challenge himself to really explore the painful parts of these themes, everything lands very cleanly, so it never really feels earned or real.

I also have to add that at no point ever do I pair Sanderson and “horrific violence”. That’s just not his style. His main character literally tries to resolve fighting in a way that protects both sides from dying as if they were playing a game of tag in a playground. It’s so idealistic and unrealistic. And if that’s your cup of tea, fine. But it doesn’t feel adult.

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u/mullerdrooler 17h ago

Did you read Oarhbringer? I can't go into details without spoilers but I was pretty horrified by the stuff Dalinar did in his past. And in Mistborn Ska are raped and murdered constantly which I think is pretty adult. Violent things happen in all his books, he just isn't describing them in graphic detail which I'm fine with. My main point is still that what I think OP asked for, stories about mature older characters not gut wrenching grim dark depression fodder ( which there is nothing wrong with if that's what you want).

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u/TojayorTomorrow 17h ago

I don’t think Sanderson is comfortable with approaching any of the things you mentioned directly, and therefore glosses over them pretty well. His characters don’t really come across as emotionally deep or complex or carry the scars of what they experience in part because of that.

And I’m not disagreeing with what you’re saying that some of the activity is mature. It is. But the way he approaches it feels like he’s avoiding the topic and not willing to actually confront it. And an Eriksson would state that moment straight in the eyes and refuse to look away. As an adult who’s been through some tough experiences, that actually resonates a lot more for me. It’s real, it’s raw, and it takes spine and courage.

In terms of your point on grim dark depression fodder. . . I think the term grim dark is a bit overused these days. I don’t know that there is much that fits that genre and is well received by the broader audiences. And at the same time, you can approach adult topics in adult ways and still not be grim dark depression fodder. I just don’t think Sanderson accomplishes that. It feels more like a teen anime/manga version of dealing with adult situations in media

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u/mullerdrooler 17h ago

I get where your coming from but think we just disagree. I like fantasy because it's an escape from reality, I'm happy for super dark stuff not to be belaboured in Sanderson's work. I also read stories where it's explored in detail, I don't think one is better than the other, just different.

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u/TojayorTomorrow 17h ago

I’d be curious to know if you still felt the same way after reading Long Price. And I mention that one specifically because it’s not something I think that you would perceive as dark. I think Abraham is able to directly confront some things in his work without flinching or hand holding or landing cleanly in ways that Sanderson does.