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!

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

 Title: I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Author: Iain Reid

Narrator: Candace Thaxton

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Suspense

I purchased this audiobook and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  The author and Simon & Schuster Audio neither requested nor are associated with this review.

Goodreads Description:
You will be scared. But you won’t know why…

I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.

Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”

And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.

In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.

In this smart, suspenseful, and intense literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of José Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.

 
Here's What I Thought: 

I am obligated to start this review by issuing a content warning for discussion related to suicide and serious mental illness. Also, this review will contain spoilers.  I  don't usually like to spoil books, but this one is an exception.

I listened to this book on audio and was immediately hooked.  I think I listened to most of it in one sitting alone.  It starts off with an unnamed narrator driving with her boyfriend, Jake, to meet the parents on his childhood farm.  Their conversation shifts from intellectual, thought provoking topic to an even more intellectual, thought provoking topic.  The narrator reminisces on how her and Jake met--at a bar on trivia night.  He was a genius. She describes a near perfect relationship, but yet... She is thinking of ending things. Oh, and she also has a stalker calling her leaving the same voicemail.

In between chapters, there were these short little blurbs of two unknown people talking about a suicide.  Nothing else is known about these little excerpts.

Back to the main story.  Boy brings home girl to meet the parents.  Boy suddenly becomes withdrawn.  Parents are beyond odd. Stalker is continuously calling.  Girl explores boy's childhood home and makes some odd discoveries. 

This is the part when things really start to get interesting and why I say there will be spoilers.  As I have mentioned before, I am a psych nurse.  By nature, I pick up on little behavioral cues and start to make deductions.  It's literally what I do for a living.

So the narrator notes that mom has odd behavior.  She changes her clothes unexpectedly, smiles at inappropriate times, talks of hearing voices but blames it on tinnitus. The narrator asks Jake about a really old photo, and he explains that it's some long dead relative with a severe mental illness. Her phone dies. Then while the narrator was exploring the house, she comes across a photo that she swears is of her, although Jake claims it's him. She eventually makes her way down to the basement and comes across some very bizarre paintings.  In Jake's room she sees some old photographs as well of Jake when he was younger and then has a very odd conversation with his dad about how it wasn't his mom's fault--her behavior--and it's so good that Jake found her. She is so good for him. (Already my nurse brain is in overdrive with a couple theories.) 

Back in the car, Jake starts questioning the narrator about what she thought of his parents.  He started talking about his brother and how he was sick, but now he was better.  Then he insisted on getting Dairy Queen in the middle of a snow storm and one of the workers told the narrator that she was scared for her and she should get out. Creepy. After they half finished their Dairy Queen he was absolutely insistent that they dispose of the cups now at school in the middle of nowhere.  I don't know about you, but I don't make a special stop just to get rid of a little bit of trash. Here, some major red flags had jumped up. Jake was suddenly unreasonably defensive and almost erratic. (My nurse brain made note of this.)  

At the school, there is an old pick up truck parked that is assumed to be the janitor. Jake throws the cups in the trash and then he starts making out with the narrator.  Well this is another change of pace.  She was resistant, but went along with it. Suddenly Jake freaks out and claims the janitor was watching them. He goes into the school to confront him.  Again, from what we know of Jake, very out of character. 

The narrator eventually follows as it's getting cold in the car.  While in the school, she feels as if the janitor is following her.  She thinks about her stalker again.  Suddenly the doors are chained shut, and Jake's car is gone. 

By this point, I am thinking it will go one of two ways.  It will either play out to be a dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality) plot twist or schizophrenia.  I hate it when authors try to play the dissociative identity disorder card. Absolutely hate it.  It is technically in the DSM-V (the diagnostic manual for psychological disorders), but most mental health professionals are on the consensus that it does not exist.  I would be very excited to see it be a schizophrenia twist, however, as that is something you rarely see.

As this is playing out with the narrator, the snippets between chapters reveal that the man that committed suicide was troubled and they found him in a closet. He did not associate much with anyone and he could have a temper. Our narrator eventually ends up in a closet and the janitor finds her.  Now, as I was listening to the audiobook, I really enjoyed this transition. "What are you waiting for." This is repeated again and again as the narrators voice is first joined and then replaced by a male voice.  He realizes he has no other option.  He goes back to that night at the bar and the girl that talked to him, but he was too afraid to give her his number. He thinks about how things may have been different.  He thinks of how he left his job at the lab, how his parents have been gone many years, and how he became a janitor.  And then he uses a hanger to commit suicide.

A lot of reviews that I have read that are negative seem to be because they don't understand what happened. This is why I decided to do a review with spoilers, that way I could explain it.  Although Reid never said a diagnosis, I am confident that the narrator had schizophrenia.There is a highly genetic component. People with this disorder typically don't socialize well, have labile moods, and become fixated on things.  My theory is the janitor suffered from schizophrenia and, as a coping mechanism, developed a delusion that it was his brother who was sick and he had this happy life with his girlfriend, but like most delusions, there were holes in it and he couldn't handle it any more. When the narrator, Jake, and the janitor merged, we were seeing him come back to reality.  From my experience, this is a very well done portrayal of this devastating mental illness that has such a poor prognosis.  

Another thing that I did find really unnerving early on is how much the narrator's inner monologue matched my own regarding thoughts toward self, relationships, life, everything.  It's very off-putting to have your own inner thoughts told to you by someone else. 

All this put together lead to a very satisfied five star rating.  I am usually hyper critical when anything comes close to psych, but I thought Reid did an outstanding job and I really don't have any complaints. 

Any Thoughts?

I would love to hear what you think! If you have any additional thoughts or want to talk more about the book, be sure to leave a comment or send me an email!

About The Author:

 

 Iain Reid is the author of two critically acclaimed, award-winning books of nonfiction. His debut novel, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, was an international bestseller, and was translated into more than a dozen languages. Oscar-winner Charlie Kaufman is writing and directing the film adaptation for Netflix. Foe is Reid's second novel.

Links: 

reid_iain

Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry

Narrator: Samuel Roukin

Genre: Fantasy and Horror

I purchased this audiobook and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  Christina Henry and Recorded Books, Inc. neither requested nor are associated with this review.

Goodreads Description:

There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy.

Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.

Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever.


Here's What I Thought:
First things first. Peter lies. And so does Disney.  It is widely known that Disney.... Well, Disney-fies everything.  The original story of Peter Pan was much darker than the animated film that first caused me to fall in love with the tale so many years ago, and this retelling is no different.  This is the story of Jamie, the first Lost Boy who would grow up to be none other than the infamous Captain Hook.

The book starts with Jamie starting to have some misgivings about Peter after many, many seasons of living on the island.  He tells how he has been there the longest.  There have been many other boys, of course, but Jamie had buried most of them.  And on rare occasion, they would start to grow up and run off to live with the pirates.  The loss of all the other boys was starting to wear on Jamie.  Jamie took care of them all.  All Peter cared about was raids, adventure, and battle.  Then, one day Jamie realize that he had grown. Just a little bit. But on an island where you never grew up, what did this mean?

Peter has a dark side.  He is selfish. He is cruel.  He thrives off violence and bloodshed.  He manipulates the boys into loving him.  He also has many secrets about him, about the island, and about how he stays young forever.  Him and Jamie. Always Jamie.  Jamie could never leave him, because he was the first and Peter liked him best. But Jamie didn't love him anymore.

Christina Henry did a beautiful job painting this dark story. She does not do a lot of world building, but to be fair, we all know Neverland. Second star to the right and straight on til morning. She did, however, create a young Captain Hook--Jaime--that you not only loved, but identified with and cried with and so many other emotions. My heart broke for him as he learned the truth about Peter, the boy he loved so, and Peter's island--as it was Peter's island. As Jamie started growing, he started growing up. He asked many questions that we all asked ourselves at one point in our lives and continue to ask ourselves well into adulthood.  This isn't a fairytale. This is a coming of age story with a dark twist.

Besides world building, Henry also did not develop many of the other characters other than Jamie, and Peter through Jamie's eyes.  Although I wish the other characters had a more substantial role, I do think that it is fitting. This is Jamie's story.

I listened to this book on Audible and, although I loved the story, Samuel Roukin was not my ideal narrator.  He was a little flat and did not have a lot of vocal range.  Despite this, his narration was still pretty easy to listen to.  He just wasn't my ideal pick.  For narration, I give this book 3 stars.

The story itself, however, deserves much more than the narration. I dreamed of going to Neverland as a child and Christina Henry took me there as an adult. Captain Hook is no longer the villain.  He was redeemed, and I can only hope that he gets his revenge.  With a little faith, trust, and pixie dust, I give this book four and a half stars. It will take you on an emotional journey and I, for one, can't wait to go back.

Quote:

“Was this, too, part of growing up? Was it facing the bad things you’d done as well as the good, and knowing all your mistakes had consequences? Peter made mistakes all the time— he was thoughtless; he hurt people. But it never troubled him, not for a moment. He forgot all about it in an instant. That was being a boy.”

                                                                                -Jamie

About The Author:

CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the CHRONICLES OF ALICE duology, ALICE and RED QUEEN, a dark and twisted take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as LOST BOY: THE TRUE STORY OF CAPTAIN HOOK, an origin story of Captain Hook from Peter Pan.

She is also the author of the national bestselling BLACK WINGS series (BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and BLACK SPRING) featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle Beezle.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with samurai, zombies and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

Links:
 www.christinahenry.net
 twitter.com/C_Henry_Author
 facebook.com/authorChristinaHenry
 www.goodreads.com/CHenryAuthor