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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 2408225" data-attributes="member: 63">I'm in an odd position when it comes to fantasy fiction. I grew up reading genre series novels -- things like Star Trek, D&D novels, the occasional Robots in Time series. Then in college I got a degree in Creative Writing, and was exposed to a lot of literary writing. Even though my advisor Jim Grimsley writes some fantasy, he discouraged me from 'D&D writing.'In the past four years I've read maybe a dozen sci-fi and fantasy novels that aren't from series like D&D, or Star Trek, or other media tie-ins.  I loved Octavia Butler, enjoyed Neal Stephenson and William Gibson, am alright China Mieville, was entertained by the Prydain Chronicles, appreciative of the sci-fi of Larry Niven, and I'm getting to like the nice characterizations of . . . I forget the name, but it's the person who wrote Otherland.Anyway, I'm writing my own fantasy novel, and . . . really, it's undeniable: it's a D&D novel. It's a self-referential D&D novel -- the characters know what they do is a little odd, they're aware of cliches like people never dying if they fall over waterfalls, and they talk more like characters in a Joss Whedon show than anything R.A. Salvatore would write -- but it's still heavily grounded in the "group of adventurers fight monsters" style. Whenever I do get into the 'speculative' side of storytelling (i.e., whenever I present some strange aspect of the world or society), I don't really explain how it works, just how it affects the characters.Is that a problem? I read the first 100 pages of Song of Ice & Fire and just didn't get into it. The politics and conspiracies felt dry, and the focus was not on the kids enough. I got eager to see some action.What do people like in their sci-fi and fantasy? I imagine a conversation here would be a little biased, but do people like D&D novel-style fiction? Or do you think it's trite (which it tends to be)? Do you prefer more intellectual fantasy, or action-oriented? What else do you enjoy or look forward to?</blockquote>

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