The fantasy genre is THRIVING, and definitely resonating with readers and viewers in 2019. We have superheroes, dragons, wizards, fighting polar bears, Aes Sedai, and hobbits coming at us from every direction!
Have you seen all the announcements of upcoming shows coming to HBO and Amazon!? #GOT set the stage for epic television. Here’s to a new era!
So, let’s break it down
What is it about Fantasy that draws people in? What is it about Fantasy that connects with people?
Fantasy is my FAVORITE genre. I have always loved the wonder and magic of various realms, while I have also always been fascinated by World History and other cultures. What you’ll find so often in Fantasy books/television, is that many of the themes, ideas, and settings are based off of history.
• Take Wings of Fire, for example (a popular MG dragon series that I’m reading with my daughter), the dragons are at war, and POWs are used for entertainment as they fight to the death in a stadium. Umm…. hello, Roman history!
• Or what about The Chronicles of Narnia? Mr. Lewis set The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe during World War II, and we read how the children face dire circumstances that parallel the war in a foreign land. Edmond falls preys to the tyrannical witch’s schemes, Peter challenges her dominance of Narnia in battle, and Lucy symbolizes all that’s worth fighting for.
• And then there’s “Game of Thrones” (A Song of Ice and Fire) who’s devoted viewers have blazed to the forefront of Reddit threads and social media with new theories, criticisms, and obsessive fandom. You could liken much in the series to the powerful, wealthy Egyptians, Romans, or even Tudors, the desperation and poverty to the “Dark Ages”, and inner-house rivalry to the “War of Roses”.
Another beautiful element of Fantasy is the reinforcement of valuable lessons, as we see in Harry Potter, for instance. As a MG, YA, or Adult reader, we can read the series purely for fun, and yet, also be reminded of the value of love, family, friendship, redemption, and staying true to our beliefs. We see enough of our day-to-day lives, that we sometimes miss what is right in front of us. By following Harry’s journey into Hogwarts and beyond, we can learn from his selfless mother’s love and Harry’s courage, revealing how we are tempted in our own daily lives to look the other way or live apathetically.
The momentary lapse into fantasy, gives us a new lens to look at our reality.
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Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir
“What’s it about?” A woman asked at a recent book signing.
“It’s fantasy…”
The woman batted her hand, saying, “bleh… I hate that stuff. It’s not real.”
Though I didn’t take offense, it did make me ponder on what is “real”, especially in my own writing.
Identity
Book- More than anything Darion longs to know where he came from, who his birthparents are, and discover his “purpose”. He wants to feel like he belongs.
Life- As an individual, an educator, and now as an adoptive mom, I have seen this very real longing to know one’s identity—and purpose, and I believe it will connect with readers of all backgrounds.
Family Love
Book- In Nav’Aria, we follow two families closely: Darion’s and the First Horn’s family (unicorns). In these families we see sacrifice, loss, jealousy, the duality of love, loyalty, and more.
Life- In our daily lives we experience (or witness), sibling rivalry, family feuds, a mother’s love, adoption, grief, forgiveness, anger, infertility… we see it all. We feel these things, and therefore, can empathize with the character’s in a very real 
way.
History
Book- As a History teacher, you know I’m going to include historical themes! Narco is a tyrant; Vikaris is a valiant war hero; the Stenlen captives are enslaved and treated abominably; the Callers are puppets of propaganda and indoctrination…. We see war, tyranny, nomadic clans, the making of a civilization, alliances, treason….
Life- As we’ve learned from the World Wars, tyranny is terrible, war isn’t glamorous, and the lasting effects of a massive conflict linger for generations. We presently live in a world battling human trafficking, corruption, terror, poverty… we know what reality can hold.
“Fantasy is a natural human activity. It certainly does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity. On the contrary. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make. If men were ever in a state in which they did not want to know or could not perceive truth (facts or evidence), then Fantasy would languish until they were cured. If they ever get into that state (it would not seem at all impossible), Fantasy will perish, and become Morbid Delusion. For creative Fantasy is founded upon the hard recognition that things are so in the world as it appears under the sun; on a recognition of fact, but not a slavery to it. So upon logic was founded the nonsense that displays itself in the tales and rhymes of Lewis Carroll. If men really could not distinguish between frogs and men, fairy-stories about frog-kings would not have arisen.” ― Tolkien on Fairy-stories
By reading Fantasy we can still tap into reality, exploring real-world issues, but in a fresh way. And these examples are only the “tip of the iceberg”… but for now, I’ll conclude with this:
If you haven’t read much Fantasy (or Sci-Fi), I’d encourage you to try it. There is truly something so unique and profound about reading issues that we face today, set in a mythical or fantastical realm.
Many of our greatest thinkers have taught in the fantastical, the satirical, the mythological, and/or in parables to challenge our current political systems, social injustices, and ways of thinking.
If you want some book recommendations, check out the fantasy section in my recent blog post “