AA Institute

Having completed my first book, which tends more towards sci-fi than pure fantasy, I wanted to add more fantasy things in my next book that will be a sequel to the first. But I have not read a lot of fantasy beyond 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'!

So I wanted to know what the popular themes were in classical fantasy stories noawadays. I guess dragons, witches and wizards would be most common (with Harry Potter, Eragon, etc). But what about more exotic things like unicorns, flying horses, fairy tales set in castles in the mountains, and magic carpets, etc....?

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TriCloudStar

Well I can't disagree with that

My question: why the fuck do you want to know what the "popular themes" in modern fantasy are? Trying to get in line behind the herded flock of mindless sheep? Break from the mould! Digress from the matrix that has been presented before you! There are other paths than those that have already been walked!

~Vash

AA Institute

Well you sound just like a few of my friends! That's what they say: keep it original and keep it mind broadening... which is good advice.

I suppose it boils down to whether one is writing for one's self or the more mainstream commercial market. "The herded flock of mindless sheep", as you say, in my area seem to be mostly into romance, poetry and comedy. If I mention life-like voyages to distant worlds populated by beings beyond human comprehension... or interstellar journeys through the dark foreboding territory of the solar Oort cloud, on journeys into the forever spanning 50,000 years or more... They run back to reading the Sun, watching Big Brother on TV or some crash, bang and wallop flick in cinema!!!

So, I need to perhaps meet up half way. Write some soft fantasy and then overlay that with mind broadening hard sci-fi. The 'blending' has to be done subtlely and just right, otherwise it may not flow and upset the system...

AA
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"The ultimate dream adventure awaiting humanity..."
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Dirkin

I am finding that Loss is a really interesting theme to write about... the character in my story has "lost" about 17 different things, from family members, to close friends, to his life, everything.

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'How easily your life flows. The adrenaline only serves makes the sensation sweeter,' the assamite said through blood-soaked lips."

Monkey King

There are reasons there are themes that run through out every genera. One is that if you break any story down enough it falls under one of several reoccuring themes. That's unavoidable. Another reason is that people like things that they are familar with.

Loss is a good theme for any genre, it leads nicely into conflict and gives characters motivation.

Sex sells to young hormonal guys. People outside that demographic like sex, but too much is a major turn off. Keep that in mind.

Another major theme for Fantasy is the epic conflict between good and evil. These lines are much clearer than in Sci-fi.

Normal people doing extraordinary things.

Amazing people doing even more extraordinarythings.

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suzakugaiden

"So, I need to perhaps meet up half way."

That's retarded. If there's ONE thing that the world needs fewer of, its mainstream concessions.

mammamaia

the themes found in fantasy are no different from those found in all fiction genres... the only original themes/plots were painted on their authors caves long ago and everything writers have come up with since, is just creative plagiarism...

the 3 sum up all fiction themes:

man vs self
man vs man
man vs nature

everything you read in fiction is one of, or a combo of those three...

as far as what's 'popular' is concerned, keep in mind that what's popular now won't be by the time you write, sell, publish your book [if you're that good and that lucky]... so, it's a waste of time and energy to refer to what others like or what works best now...

just write the best version of the same old stories that you can, and don't worry about 'what makes a good fantasy story' because the only accurate answer is, ANYthing... the proof is on library book shelves...

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