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<blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 8718980" data-attributes="member: 7023840"><p>I think maybe my point (which was made in a short fashion) was a little unclear.</p><p></p><p>I think that, for example, "genre books" can be "good books." I think that fantasy books <em>can be</em> great books.</p><p></p><p>...but, it is also true that genre books in general (whether it's romance, fantasy, mysteries, westerns, or other genres) can be of, for lack of a better phrase, non-literary quality.</p><p></p><p>That's the first step in what I was getting at. Is this an "A" <em>as a book qua book</em>? I'm pretty sure it's not Murakami, to use an obvious example. And that's okay! </p><p></p><p>But is it <em>good as a fantasy book</em>? Not all books have to be great literature to be enjoyable. Sometimes, the pleasure of a good fantasy book is that it is readable. I'm not sure that the GoT Series, for example, is <em>great literature</em> (although it certainly borders on it, and I am amenable to arguments for it), but it is certain a great fantasy series.</p><p></p><p>And that's really the other major dividing line; most work-for-hire books (those that are <em>required</em> to be in a specific universe ... the D&D universe, the Halo universe, the Star Wars universe, etc.) may be fine writing and entertaining, but most (for various reasons) will not be as good fantasy as the best fantasy books that the author created on their own. It doesn't mean that they aren't entertaining, or that people who love that IP won't love it (after all, there is a reason that they are written), but IME if you're looking for the <em>Greatest Fantasy Series (and/or Novels) of All Time</em> you don't find works-for-hire based on corporate IP.</p><p></p><p>That's what I mean. I love fantasy. I grew up reading it; some of my fondest memories are snuggling up and having my mind blown by Roger Zelazny, while some of my earliest reading memories are of Prydain.</p><p></p><p>I just don't think it's weird to think that, for example, Tolkien and Jemisin and Zelazny and Donaldson and Schwab and Rothfuss were doing something different with fantasy than this book. And that's okay!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Snarf Zagyg, post: 8718980, member: 7023840"] I think maybe my point (which was made in a short fashion) was a little unclear. I think that, for example, "genre books" can be "good books." I think that fantasy books [I]can be[/I] great books. ...but, it is also true that genre books in general (whether it's romance, fantasy, mysteries, westerns, or other genres) can be of, for lack of a better phrase, non-literary quality. That's the first step in what I was getting at. Is this an "A" [I]as a book qua book[/I]? I'm pretty sure it's not Murakami, to use an obvious example. And that's okay! But is it [I]good as a fantasy book[/I]? Not all books have to be great literature to be enjoyable. Sometimes, the pleasure of a good fantasy book is that it is readable. I'm not sure that the GoT Series, for example, is [I]great literature[/I] (although it certainly borders on it, and I am amenable to arguments for it), but it is certain a great fantasy series. And that's really the other major dividing line; most work-for-hire books (those that are [I]required[/I] to be in a specific universe ... the D&D universe, the Halo universe, the Star Wars universe, etc.) may be fine writing and entertaining, but most (for various reasons) will not be as good fantasy as the best fantasy books that the author created on their own. It doesn't mean that they aren't entertaining, or that people who love that IP won't love it (after all, there is a reason that they are written), but IME if you're looking for the [I]Greatest Fantasy Series (and/or Novels) of All Time[/I] you don't find works-for-hire based on corporate IP. That's what I mean. I love fantasy. I grew up reading it; some of my fondest memories are snuggling up and having my mind blown by Roger Zelazny, while some of my earliest reading memories are of Prydain. I just don't think it's weird to think that, for example, Tolkien and Jemisin and Zelazny and Donaldson and Schwab and Rothfuss were doing something different with fantasy than this book. And that's okay! [/QUOTE]
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