Back in 2016, I emailed members of VIP Readers’ Club to ask what genre they’d like to see me write. The overwhelmingly response was an epic fantasy series and my Fabled Quest Chronicles series was born–with the release of Through Titan's Trail (Book 1) in May 2018. What was supposed to be a trilogy turned into a six-book series with a prequel. The series will be coming to an end with Book 6, The Kingdom at Titan’s End, but there will be at least two sequels.
The fantasy genre has many sub-genres and some overlap with shared common elements. My Fabled Quest Chronicles combines more than a few of these fantasy sub-genres. (Source article and excerpt HERE)
- High or epic fantasy. Set in a magical environment that has its own rules and physical laws, this subgenre’s plots and themes have a grand scale and typically center on a single, well-developed hero or a band of heroes, such as Frodo Baggins and his cohorts in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (1954).
- Sword and sorcery. A subset of high fantasy, it focuses on sword-wielding heroes, such as the titular barbarian in Robert E. Howard’s Conan pulp fiction stories, as well as magic or witchcraft.
- Dark fantasy. Combining elements of fantasy and horror, its aim is to unnerve and frighten readers, like the gargantuan, otherworldly monsters in H. P. Lovecraft’s universe.
- Fables. Using personified animals and the supernatural, fables impart moral lessons, like the stories in Aesop’s Fables and Arabian Nights.
- Fairy tales. Intended for children, these fairy tales and folk tales are typically set in distant magical worlds (with beginnings like “Once upon a time, in a land far, far away…”) where trolls, dragons, witches, and other supernatural characters are an accepted truth, as in the Brothers Grimm’s Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1812).
And here are two more:
- Quest Fantasy. The quest story has a long tradition with which all readers are familiar. Quests are a satisfying story for readers because the hero is working towards a specific goal that will test the hero, but it is an inspiring story. Despite the obstacles a hero encounters on the journey, the hero will overcome them, or recover and keep on trekking. Thus, the arc of the hero is very satisfying, readers will feel all the tension and emotion that quests are fraught with—readers will become invested—and there will be that moment of catharsis. The goal is important, but it’s just an object looming at the end of story—the journey, what’s in between, is what makes the story.
- Science Fantasy. Fantasy that's combined with Science Fiction elements. Often, Science Fantasies take place far into the future where advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The landscapes may be completely unidentifiable from our own.
Here’s my question for you:
Which Is Your Favorite?
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Austin Dragon
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Comments 56
Dark fantasy
It’s hard to choose! Sword & sorcery! Epic fairy tales
Dark fantasy is my favorite.
Oh, hard to choose! I’d say fables are at the top of the list.
Sword and sorcery would have to be my favourite.
Tbh, all of them sound so great to me. Can’t really choose one.
Fairy tales as i have read a lot of books about Fairy tales
High fantasy❤️
Dragon SciFi
Fairy tales as I am very inspired by the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit.
Sword and sorcery as i always dream of doing some sorcery.
I’d probably say high/epic fantasy would be my favourite but fables are always a classic
haven’t read much yet but want to do so! probably lord of the rings, the witcher and the games of thrones are the ones i enjoyed so far!! i do want to read more tho 🙂
My favorite is Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (1954).
Love science fantasy but I’m a huge fan of any version of the fantasy genre!
i enjoy more the Fairy tales.
Science Fantasy
Haven’t read yet, but sounds good
The Lord of The Rings
A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin
I love lots of fantasy, really enjoying “The Poppy War” at the minute!
Any dark romance book will always keep me intrigued
no fav one
Soft spot for Conan for sure!
Gonna have to be all the GrishaVerse books 💯
Definitely fantasy
Anything with swords is a yes
i like dark fantasy with some romance action
love fantasy romance duo !!
Wow
enjoyable
Malazan book of the Fallen has snuck to to the top for now
I like both the traditional epic fantasies like The Lord of the Rings with science fiction fantasies also a favorite.
I would have to say the High and epic fantasy is where I tend to go.
I like all kinds of fantasy. It is hard to separate because each sub genre has its own style
Leaning toward Dark Fantasy
A dark fantasy with a little bit of romance sprinkled in have me frothing at the mouth.
Definitely high or epic fantasy and fairy tales!
High fantasy with magic and a quest is my favorite!
Quest fantasy and epic fantasy!
Definitely dark fantasy as I always like some madness.
I have to say that I think I like them all!!
I like fairy tale retellings.
I’m a horror person for sure! Being on the edge of my seat is so much fun, although I used to give myself nightmares!
love dark fantasy and horror
I love both science fiction and fantasy so my favorite would be science fantasy.
I’d say I like Dark Fantasy. I love horror.
Quest Fantasy is my favorite
Favorite is high or epic fantasy such as Lord of the Rings or Wheel of Time, but a close second is science fiction / fantasy such as Dune, Foundation, or Dorsai series.
no fav
Dark is the Sun
I really enjoy fables.
Science fantasy
any epic fantasy to get lost in another world
Lord of the Rings
Im like Kay but I always have a soft spot for Conan so sword and scorcery is always one i keep a closer eye on
I like all different ones, I like mixtures, but name one of them? Sorry, I can’t. Too many to choose from.