Low Fantasy

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

However, I suspect a one reason for changing the names may be to prevent people calling foul of historical mistakes, which has to be an intimidating prospect.

That's why I write alternate history fantasy - if anyone complains about historical accuracy, I can just say "well Elizabeth I didn't get married either - this is not our universe"

Of course I try to get all the non-alternate stuff as accurate as possible, otherwise it might as well be an invented world!

Originally Posted by I, Brian

There's no harm in having a magical character in an historical setting - just a damn good justification as to why someone with such power hasn't become a huge meglomaniac...

Heh - my entire trilogy revolves around dealing with exactly these problems

[Teresa Edgerton]

Originally Posted by Anne Lyle

I would classify ASOIAF as epic fantasy

You're right, Anne. Epic Fantasy is what I meant.

But high, middle (OK, there is no middle), or low, fantasy has never, so far as I know, been classified according to the morals or ideals of the characters, and the dividing line between High Fantasy and Epic Fantasy has always been a vague one. For some readers they are practically synonymous.

[Starchaser3000]

@IBrian

I don't know much about Byzantine history except that it was generally divided into several divisions. The eras went like Constantine-Justinian-Iconoclasm-pre crusades-crusades-decline. Interesting how when Europe was in the dark ages, that Empire was more akin to the eastern civilizations when it came to administration and control. Anyway, I have never seen a MOVIE that was connected to this empire in any time period. Would be interested in seeing more historical epic movies about them.

[Hypnos164]

Originally Posted by Anne Lyle

Heh - my entire trilogy revolves around dealing with exactly these problems

Grr - you made me all interested in your book and its not out for months and months! Amazon wish list it is then.

[Anne Lyle]

Weeks and weeks, surely? End of March is now only two months away!

Glad you like the sound of it. There's a review due out on Drying Ink this weekend - do check it out!

[Kyndylan]

Well, the two titles that jumped out at me are Mieville's The City and The City and Mary Gentle's Ash: A Secret History although both are books I find hard to put into a specific genre anyway.

Of course, the lack of consensus as to what low fantasy is muddies the issue, but personally while I think copious amounts of magic or non-human races definitely falls into "high", I don't think that the lack thereof necessitates "low" if that makes sense. A prime example being GRRM. (I wrote that, then remembered the dragons - high fantasy if ever there was one!)

Who's read Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London? Where would you place that, containing as it does wizards, vampires and river gods, but apart from that being very "realistic"? I can't bring myself to call it high, but neither by my own vague definitions does it fall in to low.

[thaddeus6th]

The Drying Ink chap seemed very taken with your book

[Anne Lyle]

He was rather, wasn't he?

It's evidently not to everyone's tastes, but I'd be worried if it was. The majority verdict appears to be positive...

[williamjm]

Originally Posted by Kyndylan

Who's read Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London? Where would you place that, containing as it does wizards, vampires and river gods, but apart from that being very "realistic"? I can't bring myself to call it high, but neither by my own vague definitions does it fall in to low.

It's Urban Fantasy, which certainly isn't High Fantasy. Since we seem to be struggling to define Low Fantasy, I'm not sure whether it would fall into that category or not, I think it might be too vague a category to be useful.

[Nearly Headless Ned]

Originally Posted by soulsinging

This is exactly what has turned me off fantasy, and writer like Kay and Kearney are at the heart of it. If a "fantasy" novel is being used as little more than a vehicle for recreating past cultures the author finds interesting, then there's no point to me reading it. I'd just as soon read a book that tells me about that real culture and learn something useful in the process. I can imagine my own stories just fine past that.

I mean seriously, isn't Europe's history of warring clans and conquest interesting enough that it doesn't need to be dressed up with fake names, a random wizard, and a good made up set piece or two?

I suppose its because we all ready know what's happened. I'd love to read a series of novels based on The War Of The Roses but I've been spoilered by history and that takes a little bit away from the suspense. Hence why I love A Game Of Thrones.