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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 2531589" data-attributes="member: 22779">I'll agree with that 100%.  That's pretty much been my point from the beginning.  However, others here are trying to argue that the older writers have defined the genre and any deviation from that basic definition is somehow inferior.  Or at least, that's how I've interpreted what they've said.I would, in no way try to argue that "golden age" fantasy is any better or worse than modern fantasy.  Saying that it's all mindless drivel a la Steel or Sheldon ignores the very excellent work that's being done recently.  Tad Williams creates a fantasy setting in the Dragonbone Chair series that compares favourably in depth and style with anyone's in the business.  I am certainly not going to write off everyone who's writing after 1972 simply because it's "boring" or "derivative".  That's a completely unsupportable arguement and hyperbole to boot.  Let's face it, prior to 1970, fantasy was a tiny little genre read by very few people (with a couple of exceptions).  After the release and giant popularity of DnD, fantasy suddenly becomes a major player.  Those of us old enough to remember, can remember going into a bookstore, and, if they even had a fantasy section, it was a single shelf tucked into the back of the store.  By the mid 80's, the fantasy sections of the larger bookstores rivalled any other section in the store.  It can be argued that it's simple coincidence, but, I'm not buying it.  DnD drove fantasy into the bookstores and onto the bookshelves.  Take a look at the original Thieves World anthologies.  Prior to their release, every fantasy anthology was a giant black hole of lost profits.  Thieves World not only made money, it made a LOT of money.  Now, who was buying those books in 1981?  Was it the standard book buyer who had never bought fantasy books before and suddenly decided that fantasy looked like a good thing?  Or was it the guy who just got into DnD, like the hundreds of thousands like him, looking for stories that looked and felt like a DND game?</blockquote>

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