I always feel like we don't have enough High Fantasy out there in the world anymore, which pretty much upsets me. Anything from hard-core fantasy like Tamora Pierce and Lord of the Rings or YA like Graceling by Kristin Cashore, The Thief Series by Megan Whale Turner, and Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken. Also TV shows like Legend of the Seeker (which got canceled but is EPIC) and the new Game of Thrones, which i'm obsessed with. Pretty much, those are the only ones I can name off the top of my head. As someone who's novels with almost 95% been High Fantasy, there's something absolutely magical about being the sole creator of everything in that book.
(note: Dystopian is considered a kind of fantasy, since you're making a complete new concept and world but from our own. But for this post's sake, i'm only counting Epic/High Fantasy. But Dystopian is always loved)
So today, i'm going to give you six reasons why High Fantasy is EPIC.
1. It's always something new.
Whether it's hobbits or people with graces, you'll be getting something with High Fantasy that you never have before! While I love paranormal, sometimes all the creatures seem to blend together (until someone epic--Die For Me by Amy Plum in specific--brings me back to it!). Reading HF never gives you that feeling, since it's something different everytime!
2. The world-building.
It will always be amazingly epic. The world is completely created by them, and I think it's amazing to be able to see this entire world full of things we can't and don't recognize. It really adds suspense to the story, since we never know what's over those mountions or at the end of the forest. Sometimes I feel that this is probably the thing that makes HF so daunting for a lot of people. But if done right, of course, jumping into these worlds is so amazing!
3. The journey story
I can tell you right now that if you're looking into a HF book, it's most likely a journey story. The title is kind of self-explanitory, but if you don't know! It's a story that takes place getting from one point to another, from whatever quest/mission/journey you've been entitled too. In Graceling Katsa has to go with Po through all the seven kingdoms to find out who was responsible for kidnapping his grandfather. In Brightly Woven, Sydelle has to go with North to the capital city. Either way, journey stories can be difficult to do, and they always seem to pull it off.
4. The characters
The character in High Fantasy always catch me by surprise. Characters are the beating heart of every story, but I love seeing how characters bend to laws in High Fantasy books. Seeing as how the author has complete control of rules and concept inside their own world, characters always come in with a bit of a chip on their shoulder and I like seeing them overcome that and shatter their kingdoms rules. This is probably what High Fantasy has most in common with Dystopian.
5. The creatures
Really, this is probably one of my favorite parts. All the creatures that the author gets to make up (including the character's powers themselves) are always so original and vivid in my mind that they had to have their own number. One of my favorites was definitely Brightly Woven and North's cape that give him the power they need to get from one side of the continent to the other. High Fantasy has a way of making things you wouldn't find were possible a reality, and I totally applaud them for it.
(also, if you haven't read Graceling OR Brightly Woven, get on that nowz. Also, The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. I haven't really figured out if it is High Fantasy or not...but i'm pretty sure yes.)
Happy Reading!
-Harmony
p.s the wonky posting this week was brought to you by: AP WORLD HISTORY TEST ON THURSDAY. *dies*
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