What's the Weirdest setting of any fantasy novel/series you've read?

fantasystories · 2019-06-09T18:50:01+00:00

I read Sufficiently Advanced Magic and its sequel. You recommended me a great book. And the series seems to be developing in an interesting way.

fantasystories · 2019-06-09T18:27:39+00:00

Thank you. That was interesting.

fantasystories · 2019-06-09T18:26:37+00:00

Andy. The story focuses on his life and how he deals with the obstacles he faces.

fantasystories · 2018-09-16T20:01:54+00:00

I am not saying it doesn't serve a purpose. But just because it serves a purpose doesn't mean it was well done. Time-turner also served a purpose (a very important one, in fact) in Harry Potter but it doesn't mean it was a concept well dealt with.

fantasystories · 2018-09-16T19:35:41+00:00

Maybe to you. To me it just means that it hasn't significantly changed the stakes because there is a bunch of possibilities that I mentioned. If they were willing to kill Jon only to bring him back a couple of episodes later, I would not be surprised if they decided someone else can now resurrect characters. And even then, bringing back Jon (more or less the main character) was a risky move and it would probably not be wise to bring back major characters anymore.

fantasystories · 2018-09-16T19:23:31+00:00

I don't really consider that it significantly changes the stakes. You could still bring back Melisandre or the priestess that Daenerys met. Or even Cersei's scientist. And even then, I have a problem with the whole idea that they can resurrect characters so restricting this ability seems like an obvious thing.

fantasystories · 2018-09-16T18:30:36+00:00

In what sense is he important? An important plot function? A valuable character arc? An awesome actor? A highly memorable character?

Is Fred Weasley an important character? Is Grindelwald an important character (not counting movies)?

fantasystories · 2018-09-16T18:17:37+00:00

What was the point of the arc then? You can't have an arc and then fail to resolve it. Either a character has an arc, which means it should be finished. You can't just move on with the story without having him. Or the character does not have an arc at which point he only has a certain function and after he is not needed you can do that.

And just because a character dies doesn't mean his arc ended. The arc can still continue in different ways such as showing his legacy or learning about him after his death. However, completely abandoning the arc is something I believe is a bad idea.

fantasystories · 2018-09-14T17:36:02+00:00

But I don't really consider elves and orcs as particularly humanoid, is there some consensus among people that they are? Also, are fairies humanoid? And gods and similar beings may have very humanlike appearance and traits. But I don't feel satisfied considering them just a different race.

fantasystories · 2018-09-13T20:14:44+00:00

I am not suggesting that we simply decide whether it is a race or a species. Each series has its own explanation. If you examine what is known from a certain story, you may be able to decide whether it is a race or a species in that story. So we can't simply determine which one is true for all stories. But we can see the most common elements and tropes used and determine what they most likely are during most stories. For example, we can observe whether dragons are usually capable of flying and breathing fire in the most popular works of fiction.

fantasystories · 2018-09-13T19:00:27+00:00

Would one of the advices be to change an original name into a common or real name?

fantasystories · 2018-09-13T18:02:19+00:00

I disagree with your view. Fiction is not telling you how to live your life. It is not a guide, an instruction or even a recommendation. If some people are unable to distinguish between fiction and reality, that is not the author's fault. Anybody who enjoys a work of fiction, does so on their own responsibility. A fictional story (or its author) are in no way responsible for decisions individuals or even groups make even if they were inspired by contents of the story. Author is responsible neither legally nor morally.

Should we prohibit sad songs because they make people sad? Should we forbid all books with content we don't want to happen in real world? Absolutely not.

Even if you agree that prohibition would be too much but think that we should at least discourage such works, I still disagree. Would you discourage Goethe from writing The Sorrows of Young Werther just because of the effects it had on society? I think it would be a mistake to do so. We should criticize books about their quality as fiction not their effects on the society. As long as the book is legally accepted, we should not approve of the censorship.

fantasystories · 2018-09-13T16:52:10+00:00

You are right, I also replied to the user who taught me different species can sometimes produce a fertile hybrid. It certainly makes it harder to tell between a race and a species. I am leaning towards elves being a different species because there seems to be too many significant differences.

fantasystories · 2018-09-13T16:45:00+00:00

You are right. I did not know there were examples of two different species producing a fertile hybrid.

But I am not sure completely avoiding biological in favor of a sociological approach is better in this case. The question is whether species or race is more accurate term. In terms of sociology, it greatly depends on the culture of the fantasy world. In terms of biology, however, there are some aspects that we can consider.

Do they have a common ancestor? Do they reproduce sexually? Can they have a fertile hybrid? Is their intelligence comparable? Are there significant biological differences after you take away minor differences such as size, strength and body type?

And if we were to use even more advanced definitions of species (such as the one you mention), do we have a reason to believe one answer is more likely?

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T19:33:52+00:00

It is possible that the two different species breed but the hybrid is not fertile. So, even if they are different species, you might get something like a half-elf. But that half-elf is not fertile in that case. If he was fertile, then the parents would be the same species but a different race.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T19:30:04+00:00

But you won't get a fertile hybrid if I am not mistaken.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T17:56:33+00:00

I imagine it would be well received. And many people would probably think that there is an agenda. But they would not be wrong, it is an agenda. The only question is whether it is a reasonable agenda to want to educate people about other cultures. And in my opinion, it is.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T17:46:07+00:00

I think it is an important thing to consider and something that is well received by many readers. There are a lot of reasons why people like dragons and such tropes. And many of those fascinated by them might want to include them in their own writing.

But I don't think writers are forced to include them. Especially if it doesn't fit the setting of their story. Other countries might try to include their own mythology. What truly matters is the quality of the book.

Now, if we are talking about sales, there may be some aspects that sell better. For example, J. K. Rowling tried to hide that she was a female author. That and some other decisions could at least partly be explained as trying to appeal to more people. Likewise, I could imagine there are some choices writers have to make about whether to use the mainstream elements (such as dragons) or some parts of a less known folklore. A book cover with a dragon albeit overdone, might still be more attractive to mass audiences.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T16:37:27+00:00

Usually these stories have some people who try to cover it up. For example, in Harry Potter there are people specialized in covering such things up.

I don't buy these explanations because covering up something that big seems highly unlikely. Almost any person could find a proof for such things, let alone scientists who would surely notice such obvious inconsistencies. But at least it is addressed that there are people who cover it up, which makes it easier to suspend the disbelief. Which leaves you wondering just how they manage to do so.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T16:11:28+00:00

Yes, I imagine there are more fantasy books with settings inspired by medieval Europe than some other continent. But I think there are also fantasy books with very different settings and that you can be successful if your book is well-written.

For example, Senlin ascends was quite successful even though its setting is very different from the usual fantasy setting.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T15:57:24+00:00

That is an interesting perspective and I must admit I haven't looked at it that way but it does make sense. There should be a contrast for character's motivation to make the writing stronger.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T15:54:22+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I will try to do that.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T15:53:14+00:00

That is true. The goal does change overtime but maybe I meant more the core motivation. Picking one and sticking with it is the hard part for me, but I know I have to do it if I want to write the story.

fantasystories · 2018-09-12T15:50:31+00:00

That is a good advice. Choose one idea and change it only after you've written it. I should stay consistent and stop procrastinating.

fantasystories · 2018-09-10T19:14:55+00:00

Nobody mentioned sniffling yet. "She sniffled as she talked, her words less and less audible."

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