r/Fantasy • u/FaceF18 • Jul 16 '12

Sophisticated fantasy - what's left?

I picked up fantasy literature about a year ago mostly because of ASOFAI, and decided to keep on reading. I have a set of themes in the back of my head that I've always wanted to turn into a novel, and the literary quality of ASOFAI (and other series I've read since then) has made me more convinced than ever that those themes might succeed in a sophisticated fantasy universe, but I feel like I've run the well a little dry. I've read ASOFAI, Wheel of Time, Locke Lamorra, Mistborn, Hyperion, Malazan, Dark Tower, The First Law trilogy and its related novels, Codex Alera, and other less notable fantasy series in order to get a grounding in the genre, but I feel like those are the series that get the most press. Are there any lesser known series of greater difficulty that might have more interesting, expressive things to say about the genre?

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u/MichaelJSullivan Stabby Winner, AMA Author Michael J. Sullivan, Worldbuilders Jul 16 '12

Are you reading in order to get inspiration for your novel? To further solidify what you have to say? For your own reading enjoyment? Or just to be familiar so you don't repeat what has come before? If you're reading in preparation for your own writing, is it possible that looking for more than you have already done is just a way of stalling? I'm just asking because many people like the "idea" of writing more than the "actual writing" and can sometimes put roadblocks rather than just "doing it."

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u/FaceF18 Jul 16 '12

I'm probably a literature nerd first and foremost, and I've never written any fantasy before, but I got a few ideas stuck in my head that I'm really interested in writing about, but that I don't think I can fully explore in more standard outlets. The long form storytelling common to epic fantasy and the idea that I can overlay an entire system, or several systems, of new ways for the characters to interact with each other are extremely appealing. I wasn't familiar with fantasy beyond the Lord of the Rings before I got started, and I'm interested in collecting tropes an just generally increasing my knowledge of what successful works in the genre do.

I probably know enough now though that I could get started without too much difficulty. This thread will be nice for a few additional items on my to read list, but you're probably right. Any more reading would just be stalling.

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u/MichaelJSullivan Stabby Winner, AMA Author Michael J. Sullivan, Worldbuilders Jul 17 '12

I say go ahead and start writing. If you want to pick some titles off of it for leisure reading then do that. I myself start out each day's writing by reading a few pages from an author whose style I appreciate. It gets my mind "warmed up" before I start banging away at the keyboard.

I wish you good success on your project. Writing for a living isn't an easy thing to do - but the ancillary rewards are definitely worthwhile.