What Do You Mean There Are Different Types of Fantasy?

If you are new to the fantasy genre or have only read the occasional book or series within the genre because of Booktok, then it may surprise you that, yes, there are many subgenres within fantasy itself. You may be surprised to learn this even if you are an avid fantasy reader, but just pick up books that look good. Did you know there are a couple different types of magic systems as well? Today, I am going to do a bit of a deep-dive into what defines fantasy, itself, as well as what makes each subgenre unique. Going in, just know that it is not uncommon for subgenres to overlap. A book can be high fantasy and grimdark fantasy as well as another can be low fantasy and cozy fantasy or vice versa. These are essentially description tags the book community uses to further distinguish types of books so readers might have a better sense of what they are picking up. 

Fantasy

What is fantasy? This seems pretty self-explanatory, but let's talk about it just in case someone doesn't know. Fantasy is an all-encompassing term to describe books that contain magical elements. It differs from science fiction as the elements will often defy the rules of our physical world in a way that cannot be attributed to advancing science and technology. The vast majority of the books discussed on my blog and all of the books listed below will fall into this category. For my purposes, I tend to think of this genre as a tree that branches out into many subgenres. Fantasy is the trunk. Hold on to this metaphor--I'll be coming back to it!

High Fantasy

High fantasy describes any book that is not set in real world history. The terms "high fantasy" and "epic fantasy" tend to get used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences. In my tree metaphor, I would consider high fantasy to be a main limb of the tree, as it's broader and more encompassing, whereas epic fantasy is a smaller branch off of that limb. Basically, if a book is set in a fictional world with a fictional history, it's considered high.

Examples: The Hobbit, Warbreaker, and Priory of the Orange Tree

Low Fantasy

Next on the list is low fantasy. No, it does not mean "lesser." Far from it actually! Fantasy books that are set around real-world places or events are considered low fantasy. These are the books that tend to have magic hidden in the real world. I would consider this to be another main limb of my fantasy tree, as there are many other subgenres that are similar, but again, this one is more general and less specific.

Examples: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Outlander, and Twilight

Epic Fantasy

Now that the "foundation" of fantasy is established, let's start digging into the more specific genres starting with EPIC FANTASY. Epic fantasy are books that have a very large, grand scale story revolving around an equally large cast of characters facing an ultimate big bad with the potential for world-ending stakes. The classic good vs. evil, if you will. These books are typically a part of a large series as there is often way too much to put into just one book. More often than not, epic fantasy books tend to be a branch off of the high fantasy limb in my fantasy tree, but that is definitely not always the case. 

Examples: Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, and Storrmlight Archive

Urban Fantasy

Likewise, I would consider urban fantasy to be a branch of the low fantasy limb for obvious reasons. It takes place in the real world, more specifically, the modern real world. (Anyone else start singing "Real World" by Matchbox 20? No? Just me? Ok, moving on...)

Examples: Dresden Files, Shadowhunter Chronicles, and American Gods

Historical Fantasy

Like urban fantasy, this is often set in the real world, making it a branch off of low fantasy. Historical fantasy typically is a re-imagining of an actual historical event with magical elements inserted. There is usually a balance between realism and fantasy elements. 

Examples: Outlander, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and What the Wind Knows 

Sword and Sorcery

Honestly, I didn't even know this was a subgenre until I started looking into how many different types of fantasy there was. It's defined as a competent hero that fights their way to victory, often with exciting but violent battles. I feel like this is kind of summed up within the definition of other subgenres, but people like it as it's own thing, so who am I to argue? I could see this being a branch off of either high or low fantasy and even being an offshoot of a more specific subgenre as well. 

Examples: Conan, Game of Thrones, and The Name of the Wind

Dark Fantasy

This type of fantasy doesn't necessarily stem from high or low fantasy. What characterizes dark fantasy is the focus on a creepy atmosphere, rather than violence.

Examples: Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and Fairy Tale

Grimdark Fantasy

Again, grimdark fantasy doesn't require any specific setting as far as real-world or fictional. What makes grimdark grimdark is the overall tone. The setting is usually very grim (hence the term grimdark), the characters consist of anti-heroes, and there is often more violence. 

Examples: Lies of Locke Lamora, The Blade Itself, and The Poppy War

Steampunk Fantasy

Unlike all of the other subgenres, this one doesn't usually have a lot of magic or other fantasy elements in it. Steampunk fantasy is usually an alternative Victorian Era, or sometimes Wild West, setting. There is usually a heavy focus on technology, usually that is steam powered. Based on that, I would consider it a branch off of the low fantasy limb.

Examples: Infernal Devices, Boneshaker, and The Falconer

Science Fantasy

Science fantasy blends the elements of science fiction and fantasy. It tends to have heavy elements of technology, but will often have elements that are not explained by advancing technology and science. I would branch this subgenre off of low fantasy, as well.

Examples: Cinder, The Fifth Season, and This Is How You Lose a Time War

Portal Fantasy

Portal fantasy is kind of like a bridge between high and low fantasy. It is defined by characters traveling from the real world to a fantasy world through, you guessed it, a portal!

Examples: Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pan, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Paranormal Romance

Paranormal romance would be a branch off of low fantasy as they are set in the real world with paranormal characters such as vampires, werewolves, and ghosts. As the name suggests, romance is also a key plot element.

Examples: Twilight, Vampire Academy, and Beautiful Creatures

Fantasy Romance

Fantasy romance is the romance subgenre that branches off of high fantasy. These books take place in entirely fictional worlds and also have a heavy emphasis on romance. 

Examples: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Shadow and Bone, and From Blood and Ash

Medieval Fantasy/Arthurian Fantasy

Books in this subgenre usually are more high fantasy type books, but they can be set in the real world as well. They are inspired by the Medieval time period and often center around myths and legends.

Examples: The Once and Future King, The Mists of Avalon, and The Farseer Trilogy

Cozy Fantasy

Cozy fantasy is just what it sounds like. Cozy. These books are lighthearted, low stakes, and low violence. The are the perfect palate cleanser after completing an epic fantasy. They are also perfect for if you just aren't into the intense high stakes the other subgenres have but still like to read about magic. This is another subgenre that can branch off of either high or low fantasy.

Examples: House in the Cerulean Sea, Legends and Lattes, and The Goblin Emporer

Fantasy Retellings

Another self-naming subgenre, fantasy retellings are fairy tales and myths reimagined. There is a huge trend right now of doing spicy retellings. 

Examples:  The Song of Achilles, Alice, and A Touch of Darkness

Magic Systems

Whew! That was a lot to get through. Honestly, there are many more subgenres than what I covered here, but I tried to hit the main ones that people like to talk about. Now on to magic systems. Thankfully, this section will be much shorter, as there are essentially two types: hard magic systems and soft magic systems. 

Hard Magic Systems

Hard magic systems have set rules and limitations. The magic is consistent and predictable. It's almost as if there is a scientific formula to how the magic works. By writers choosing to use a hard magic system, the characters will often have problem-solve within their set limitations to overcome obstacles. The reader will also get a deep understanding of the magic system. A strength of this magic system, in my opinion, is that characters cannot just magic themselves out of a situation and magic can't be used to move the plot forward (usually). I like the law and order of hard magic systems.

Examples: Allomancy in Mistborn, Surgebinding in Stormlight Archives, and Coporalki, Etherealki, Materialki in Grishaverse

Soft Magic System

Soft magic systems are the opposite. They typically have few rules, if any, and are used more to inspire awe and wonder. With soft magic systems, there is more sense of mystery than with hard magic. It's also easier to adapt to an ever changing story. Although I can definitely see the pros to soft magic, for me the cons tend to be deal breakers: Soft magic systems often lead to magic being used as a plot device. "Oh no! The character is trapped, but he got out because magic!" This leads to convenient endings, which frustrates me. Another drawback to soft magic systems is inconsistencies. Due to being able to adapt to the story, there are often inconsistencies that just get explained away with a wave of the wand. Personally, I like rules.

Examples: Gandalf's magic in The Lord of the Rings, and Naming in The Kingkiller Chronicles

Hybrid Magic System

I know... I know! I said there were only two sections here. But, there are actually three. The last one is a hybrid magic system. This is when the magic system has rules of what magic can and cannot do, but they are easily and frequently bent, if not flat out broken, to fit the needs of the plot. Then, when the rules of magic change, it's usually explained that suddenly it works because "reasons."

Example: the magic in Harry Potter

Conclusion

Although the definitions of everything above is accurate, some of it (primarily with my tree metophor) is my interpretation. Also, it should be noted that classifying many books as one thing or another is subjective, so if you don't agree with where I classified something, that is totally fine. Some of these subgenres are not ones that I would normally read, so I was at the mercy of Google for giving me recommendations for them. This was meant to be a "brief" rundown of different types of fantasy and different types of magic systems to help you make sense of what people like me are talking about. 

Let me know what you think of posts like this. Love it? Hate it? Want me to do more deep dives into elements of fantasy literature? Let me know in the comments below!