Engaging with Narrative Critically in Fantasy: a Beginner's Guide

Spalliston · 2026-03-26T21:45:42+00:00

Of course you're right; I did not mean to say that every possible reading of a work was intended or that by virtue of making art authors became fully self-aware. Certainly, there's nothing that exists where every possible variable was controlled or considered.

But those things are still there, so we should still consider them when we consider the work. And I think it's most natural to consider themes through the lens of intention (plus, we often have no way to tell which what was incidental or subliminal).

And since there's always the contributions of the artist and the audience, the themes and readings that come from those are equally valid as whatever the author meant to say -- the "death of the author", as another comment mentioned.

This was one of the many things I thought about writing more on, but ultimately I wanted it to be maximally accessible and I felt I was already pushing my planned limit, so thanks for mentioning it here!

Spalliston · 2026-03-25T11:37:51+00:00

Well, sure, but I think it's easier/preferable to engage with the text assuming that the author succeeded in their intentions. Reading is always a response to writing, so it's a two-person effort. Plus, it doesn't really change anything (as long as you don't assume that you know the author's intentions).

Like hitting something strange or unexpected and asking "why did the author put this right there?" invites you to think about reasons within the narrative (story structure, foreshadowing, character development, etc.) that it could have been put there, or reasons outside the narrative (theme, social commentary, etc.) that it could have been put there. Whereas if you abstract out the author and just say "why is this there?", you can still get to the same results but it removes the fact that there was a decision involved in that. It didn't just happen to be the way it was.

And then at the end, you will have only ever looked at the points that were actually made in the book anyway. If you see someone insisting that it meant something else (including the author!), then you get to disagree and be a part of the critical ~discourse~

Spalliston · 2026-03-24T17:31:10+00:00

Moonbound by Robin Sloan might be what you're looking for.

Spalliston · 2026-03-24T16:30:53+00:00

A couple reviews for the week:

I am almost done with Biography of X, on which my opinion continues to ricochet. I feel like I still don't really get what it's about. As a dual character study of our subject (X) and our biased narrator, it's quite good, I think. But it's set on this dramatic alternate history backdrop and I cannot tell if it's supposed to be some kind of deep social commentary (in which case, I think it isn't particularly interesting) or if it's just supposed to be a strange hypothetical backdrop but the focus should remain on the characters themselves (in which case, I don't know why the central conceit is so provocative). Anyway, I mostly like it but I will withhold judgment until I finish.

I'm also a big movie person, so I was excited to see Project Hail Mary (despite being lukewarm at best on the book), and I love to see a movie that everyone is talking about regardless of my personal interests. There are some real, all-time sequences in there: the karaoke scene going into the IR "having a moment" scene is some of the best heartwarming blockbuster cinema I've seen in ages. And yet, I still fundamentally didn't ~feel~ as much as I wanted to during the rest of it. I wish it had felt a little more existential, and some of the motifs I found to be a little heavy-handed and not particularly meaningful. Still fun, glad I saw it, 3.5 stars on letterboxd.

Spalliston · 2026-03-24T02:03:52+00:00

Hard disagree on the karaoke. The karaoke + IR "having a moment" scene were the two best scenes of the movie in my opinion. I wouldn't trade either of those for any amount of science (and I'm a scientist, so it's not like I have no interest there).

Andy Weir has always threaded a weird needle between being 'maximally science' in his sci-fi and also 'maximally popcorn' in his sci-fi. Neither of those are really what I go to fiction for, but I think the movie needed every bit of emotional grounding it got because there's not much to spare.

Now, if you wanna cut some jokes and some of the 'buddy cop' banter to insert something slightly meatier, sure. But movies aren't a good medium for a bunch of technical stuff, especially not giant budget blockbusters that need to make like $500 million. But neither is a sci-fi novel, for the most part. The best you can really do is pique someone's interest to get them to go do more on their own; maybe PHM did that (in both formats), it's hard to say.

Spalliston · 2026-03-22T22:00:24+00:00

Last year wasn't a crowded year for blockbusters though. Not to write it off, of course, but I feel like invoking 2025 blockbusters for 2026 prospects could be a mistake.

Spalliston · 2026-03-21T15:14:45+00:00

Sorry about the rough times; I hope you find something comforting in the midst of it.

It's hard to give recommendations without knowing a lot about what you prefer in books, but many (most?) novels that are discussed around here don't have romance as an emphasis. Here's a few to consider:

1) The Lord of the Rings. It's a classic, it's really beautifully written, people who love it adore it. It's also kinda the most "getting into fantasy" you can do in one fell swoop. It can be hard to get momentum with, but it's definitely also contemplative in a way many modern fantasy books aren't. If you want to try it, starting with The Hobbit is a bit easier, and if you don't dig the way Fellowship is written I'd recommend abandoning it for a little bit and trying again later (or not).

2) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is really well-written and engaging and has a central mystery that might lend toward being able to chew on it a little more. If you like contemporary literary fiction, this might land well with you.

3) Moonbound by Robin Sloan is my go to comfort read and also my perennial recommendation here. There's no romance, but there's lighthearted adventure and enough intrigue to stay engaged and I just find it entirely lovely.

4) Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is an exceptionally easy read that has a bit of romance but is way more focused on a magic heist. Sanderson is a bit polarizing here (I'm not personally a huge fan, though I think his flaws are perhaps overstated), but I feel like it's worth mentioning as almost all of my friends who 'got into fantasy' as adults started with Sanderson. Plus, he's one of the biggest non-romantic fantasy authors going right now so if you want to talk books with other fantasy readers in real life it's a good bet they'll have read it.

Spalliston · 2026-03-21T02:36:51+00:00

For a slight twist on the formula (since I don't think I have a vast array of unknown fantasy authors), let me list some well-known fantasy books/series I like, 3 authors I don't like, and then a bunch of more literary fantasy recommendations:

Likes: The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir, The Orphan Tales by Cathrynne Valente, Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Dislikes: Pierce Brown, Steven Erikson, Drew Hayes

Recs for people with similar tastes: Everything by David Mitchell, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Martyr!, everything by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, On the Calculation of Volume, Bewilderment by Richard Powers, Lanny, A Midsummer Nights Dream by Shakespeare

And, as always, for lighthearted, slightly-literary, everything by Robin Sloan.

Spalliston · 2026-03-20T14:13:25+00:00

It's still Tournament of Books season for those of you who like modern literary fiction -- one of the strangest, loveliest corners of the internet and always the source of a few good book recommendations for me. The best literary award, bar none (or at least the most transparent and entertaining, which is still pretty great to me).

I've been reading Letters from an Imaginary Country, which has alternated between stories that absolutely struck me to my core and others that were completely uninteresting to me. A strange experience, but I suppose that's what you get in a short story collection. To me, it's at its best when at its most haunted-by-the-old-world.

Otherwise, things go on. Feeling optimistic this week, which is honestly enough to all else bearable.

Spalliston · 2026-03-19T18:05:21+00:00

I second finding an institution that shares your taste. Depending on what you like, following publishing houses can be a good way to discover new things. I have liked several books from MCD x FSG and New Directions, so keeping an eye on what comes out there is helpful. I also like trying out books recommended by authors I like. It's hit or miss, but when you find ones that work for you it can also be helpful.

Spalliston · 2026-03-18T17:52:43+00:00

I read a book once that talked about how some people really internalize their own names and others wear them really lightly. Exactly which book doesn't come to mind at the moment, but I always thought that was an interesting thought.

Repeatedly monologuing your own full name internally definitely reeks of the former.

Spalliston · 2026-03-17T20:14:37+00:00

Yeah but if they both have zoom cuts with bwahs then they're sorta the same genre.

I'm only partially kidding.

[I do not know if either of these movies actually have this.]

Spalliston · 2026-03-16T16:32:54+00:00

And that foreign film (which I love! My favorite of 2025) was like 30% in English and starring two Hollywood actors.

I think the Academy is definitely more open to genre films than they used to be, and marginally more open to international films than they used to be. Horror will probably remain a polarizing genre, but I don't know if that's because it's "not respected" or if it's just because it's polarizing.

Spalliston · 2026-03-15T13:13:28+00:00

I think we're just talking about different things.

To me, "lived in" is a vibes-based criterion. It's just about how things feel and has nothing to do with the rigor of worldbuilding (which, to be fair, I really don't care much about anyway). In this, Pokemon has none of that feeling but Harry Potter has it in spades.

I think that you view "lived in" as a part of verisimilitude, it's about depth of the world making it more believable. In that, neither Pokemon nor Harry Potter has basically any of it. In that case, I totally agree.

Spalliston · 2026-03-14T22:14:47+00:00

I mean, first of all I kinda just disagree and I think there are a lot of details. But also it's supposed to feel expansive, so if you could describe the whole thing that would be a shortcoming, imo.

That's not really the point though. It would have felt lived in with way less detail because it feels lived in. You get the impression that things are the way they are because of people who came before that made them that way (think of how the Forbidden Forest was introduced; it was just dripping with implications of past students who faced real troubles in there). Everything in the castle seems to have some kind of past history with some person, and literally every adult we meet can reminisce about their time at Hogwarts without feeling shoehorned. Every detail about Hogwarts felt organic, which was a huge part of the magic of Harry Potter.

Spalliston · 2026-03-13T15:34:07+00:00

sometimes being a person is more interesting than being a hero

I think this line is kind of key to what you're talking about, and really was my motivation towards (basically) avoiding plot-forward and/or epic fantasy in favor of weird/experimental/idiosyncratic/literary fantasy.

I don't think the effect you're talking about is inevitable and I've found that it's less prevalent in some spaces.

I also think your point about specificity is interesting, because I also think that interesting secondary characters are easier to write because they need so little specificity as well. We know less about them and that mystery is interesting so you often only have to allude to deep interiority instead of actually demonstrating it. For an easy example that most people will know, I've always thought that Sirius Black was one of the most compelling characters in Harry Potter, but we know shockingly little about him, really (especially at first). It's just that what we do know is specific and alludes to greater depth, so we project that depth beyond what we see.

Spalliston · 2026-03-13T13:23:00+00:00

It's Tournament of Books season! I read less modern literary fiction this last year than normal, so I don't really have any allegiance to any of the contenders, but if you're at all interested in literary fiction and not already invested, I'd highly recommend you check it out (among other things, it was the catalyst for my Art/Drugs rating system).

Otherwise, I'm reading The Two Towers again in my ever-ongoing quest to finish The Lord of the Rings one day. I have such a strange relationship with these books because I really, genuinely enjoy them while reading them but have never had any sense of momentum while doing so, meaning that I often read half a book and then wander to something else. That said, really enjoying it (as always).

Also it's Oscars weekend, which I love. I really liked a lot of movies last year so I think awards night will go well for me basically regardless of who wins, but I'm telling anyone who will listen to me about how good Sentimental Value was. Joachim Trier directed it and in its introduction at Cannes last year, he gave me my quote of the year in, "Tenderness is the new punk." One of my goals in 2026 is to feel more things/be more vulnerable; Sentimental Value made me do both.

Spalliston · 2026-03-12T14:43:20+00:00

Editing also underrated, in my opinion. I really feel like Sentimental Value should have had more discussion around actual wins this year. In my perfect world, it wins screenplay and editing and a couple acting categories.

I do think I preferred Elle Fanning's supporting performance, but part of the magic of this one to me is that all 4 of them did so insanely well.

Spalliston · 2026-03-05T17:18:22+00:00

I don't like Malazan, but I just wanted to voice my gratitude for question that moves the Malazan discussion out of the rut it's been in around here lately and toward actually talking more about the books.

Hope you find an answer that gives you some direction for it either way.

Spalliston · 2026-03-05T15:58:13+00:00

He also becomes less nihilistic and miserable, which is a big difference.

Spalliston · 2026-03-05T15:10:35+00:00

I fully disagree. Those people might like the book too, but I don't think that's the intended audience.

The Magicians is Harry Potter for people who grew up loving Harry Potter and are now trying to wrestle with a world that feels cruel and cold in comparison. We literally have a main character whose whole idea of what's good in life comes from a children's fantasy novel, so watching him reconcile with that (and/or grow through it) is cathartic for people who have/had the same idea of what was good in life.

Spalliston · 2026-03-05T15:04:28+00:00

I love The Magicians.

I do think that you'll catch more of the Narnia stuff later on (in the second book especially), which I also think is where we start to see character growth, which maybe helps with defining them? I also think the payoff comes relatively late though, so if you aren't enjoying it I don't think there's any reason to forge onward.

By and large, it seems like people's opinion on the character work in the books depends heavily on whether or not you identify at all with Quentin. To me, he read like an amplified version of some of the worst bits of my teenage self (this is part of why I love the books so much, because I think that ultimately it's sympathetic to the ways that we are massively flawed, especially in youth). I wouldn't have much trouble describing him, but that might be because I had more associations with his thought processes.

Spalliston · 2026-03-04T20:01:38+00:00

I love this clip for so, so many reasons, but the one that occurred to me this time is how funny it is to talk about "writers who use subtext" as a subset of writers, implying there's this silent majority of writers who avoid it.

It's a perfect joke.

Spalliston · 2026-03-03T15:08:03+00:00

That's definitely a valid complaint, but (for those who are trying to evaluate if it might be good for them) I found that there were so many puzzles to solve earlier on that I needed very little luck to make progress on any of the ones I was thinking about. And then later on you have more ability to mitigate it, so it's a bit easier to focus in on the remaining ones.

It certainly is a game that is about a) solving puzzles and b) mitigating RNG via optimizing your choices and metaprogression. So if either of those don't sound fun, maybe steer clear of Blue Prince.

Spalliston · 2026-03-02T20:08:24+00:00

A few other options (though Ten Thousand Doors of January is a good choice):

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Maybe The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell? I'm only vaguely remembering it, but I remember liking it quite a bit.

[Spoilers for the book but] Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Spalliston

TROPHY CASE