The current state of fantasy literature

[takyris]

I know because I was that little kid, too. And I was a snob, too.

"Great stories are about people finding power or losing power. Mediocre stories are about people wielding power."

So tacky, how about the novel? Gaining power? Losing power? Wielding power?

Crap. Wielding, I think. But my fight scenes are awesome.

Actually, I hadn't thought of it that way, but of the three heroes, Bennet is gaining power, Draixis is losing power, and Mina is both gaining and losing power. So I'm kinda all over the place.

 

[Wrath of the Swarm]

As a side issue, why would anyone ever bother gaining power if it's never used? Why would losing power matter if it wasn't to be used?

Change makes for better stories than stasis, but that doesn't mean that tales where the level of available power remains constant won't be good stories. There can be change of worldview, of knowledge and understanding, of the relationships between the characters and their circumstances. (And I've really got to let go of the extended clauses...)

 

[barsoomcore]

Right, right. Could we say mediocre fiction is purely about wielding power? But yeah, I'm not 100% sold on the idea myself. It does give you an interesting twist on things, though, and it's worth a thought or two.

But my fight scenes are awesome.

Dude. I'm so there.

 

[barsoomcore]

Oh, and anyone serious about writing and reading ought to read Stephen King's Danse Macabre. One of the best books on story-telling ever, even though it's ostensibly a survey of horror in radio, print, TV and movies of the past fifty years.

A fascinating book worth anyone's time.