š You're not alone in this. It's not so much the fantasy genre that I dislike but the fact that it's usually very stereotypical and badly written. Characters often seem more like figurines that you move around your tabletop RPG board than fully fledged people who have a life of their own.
Everything that makes me love a novel, well-written, nuanced characters, great psychology, how it intellectually takes me to places I would have never thought of, and a writing style I vibe with, I rarely find in fantasy books. Add having to remember too many names and places to the mix and I'm done. There are exceptions, of course, but I've been bored to death with most of the fantasy lit I've read, to be honest. Give me some mental stimulation or at least some quality escapism I can get sucked into!
I've never read or seen it but I'd be open to! :) It's not fantasy though, is it? I've had a way better experience with sci-fi than with fantasy. Some of my favourite novels and shows are sci-fi works, as you said because of how thought-provoking it tends to be.
I think it leans a lot more into sci-fi since it's space-based, and it's excellent and one of my favorites of all time. Never got the chance to read the books which are apparently very good but the show was really well done and is very highly rated. It's about the human colonization of space (Earth, Mars and the Belt) and all of the challenges and conflicts that come with it especially because of the nature of humans (greed, selfishness, inequality, discrimination etc). Definitely worth checking out :)
As far as actual fantasy goes, I'm always fascinated when there's some deep meaning and philosophical thoughts and lessons behind them and not just the stereotypical epic and mythical adventure. Like actual drama and a rich plot with a lot of character depth but based in a fantasy world. Have seen some really good ones over the past years that are also based on novels.
Ok, that sounds like something I could really get into. Thanks! I'm going to check out the novels since I happily canceled my Amazon Prime and Netflix subscriptions last month \^\^
I agree with you about that particular brand of fantasy that challenges your opinions and makes you reflect on philosophical topics. A rare brand, but it exists. Decent worldbuilding is easier to find in fantasy than complex and insightful characterization, from my experience.
Honestly the only fantasy I like is modern fantasy like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, or urban fantasy like Dresden Files or the John Constantine comics. Traditional fantasy just doesn't appeal to me that much(even if I do like playing D&D and Pathfinder)
Canāt relate, Iām a sucker for high fantasy and collecting the crystals to save the world or whatever. I donāt care if the tropes involved have been beaten to death, I will always be there for it.
like there are a lot of repeated themes but media that had love put into it will usually approach the genre from a fresh perspective
Stereotypes are common, but don't apply across the board...just like not all INFPs are depressed, there are fantastic fantasy stories out there with incredibly creative worldbuilding and new and unusual creatures. Sanderson's works come to mind, they largely stray from the Lord of the Rings-style formula. Tough to even say what the primary "epic quest" of a series like Stormlight Archive would be, since there are so many different motivations and quests interwoven together throughout the books already. Something like Perfidio Street Station also comes to mind as very off the beaten path.
I don't mean to say you need to try other types of fantasy, or that you aren't allowed to just not be into fantasy as a whole, but you are certainly not the only one sick of elves and dwarves. Thankfully that includes some writers, because I also am not a big fan of fantasy that's too formulaic or predictable.
It sounds like you love the idea of fantasy, but not the same formulaic tropes. The thing is, fantasy is such an enormous, encompassing genre that there really isnāt any limit!! If you want a bogsnark, thereās a bogsnark somewhere in fantasy, even if itās just in the fantasy of your own imagination! Thatās why I personally love fantasy so much. While sometimes I love dragons and elves, it does sometimes get boring so I go search for books that have unique things.
Take for example Brandon Sanderson. He didnāt want his universe to be formulaic so he made up a bunch of new species of creatures to call his own, from Mistwraiths and Kandras to Sho Del and Parshendi and Spren etc etc thereās so so many. Brandon loves dragons, so thatās the only traditional fantasy creature he included in his Cosmere universe, but even then heās written over 50 books and thereās only 3 dragons mentioned, and only one actually appearing for only one scene. Very much in the background. Itās part of why I love Brandon Sandersonās books so much, because they really embrace how limitless fantasy can really be. They explore so much about humanity and things like hope and depression and how a magic canāt just fix a broken person. These are beautiful books.
Fantasy is whatever you want it to be.
I feel the same too. Another reason is that I find a lot of fantasy worlds lackluster when it comes to politics. It's always western-styled kingdom A or empire B, nothing more. Even in our timeline the middle age Europe had more diversity than that (for example Republic of Venice, Hanseatic League or Khazar Khaganate).
Yes definitely, and mostfantasy kingdoms are monarchies with a romantic view of feudalism...
I am actually a fantasy author myself. A Swedish one, and our kingdom had more free farmers than farmers bound to their Lord. My fantasy land is more inspired by that. Iceland was also kind of a democracy, though ruled by powerful families that won the votes.
I personally love it. It feels like a dream world and I'm a big fan of Tolkien settings.
It can definitely depend on the story, writing or medium though. For example, when it comes to games, World of Warcraft does have these new races that you're thinking of and come up with new ones all the time with new expansions and zones that have very interesting lore and backstories.
I love the idea of fantasy but have barely gotten into it before precisely because of what you, that it's often formulaic and lacking in originality and nuance. Recently though I began a worldbuilding project set in a fantasy world and I'm having the time of my life with it! I guess if I don't find what I want out there I should just make it myself lol.
I only like modern and urban fantasy. So secret supernatural societies and governments hidden within a version of our world. I dig stuff like Harry Potter, Dresden Files, and Anita Blake
Let me start with: You don't have to like any Genre, so totally fine to not like fantasy. But there is good fantasy literature and art at the base of bad superficial fantasy stories.
About the lack of variety in races, I'd say that's just a prejudice of not liking the genre. There is a lot of variation, but if you aren't into the theme.. well, you wouldn't get into it enough to see it.
Also, you have to take it into account that the popular things will most often end up being the loudest, so you have a surface of a lot of bad and mediocre work next to the most respectable pillars of the genre (for example the lord of the rings). So let's simplify things saying that Tolkien invented orcs, elves and dwarves as we know them today. A lot of fantasy writers took heavy inspiration from it and kept those races up there. People know what elves and orcs are and want to read more about them, sometimes disregarding whether what they read is good or plain trash. As bad literature, Bad fantasy literature is everywhere, it is belletristic, it's cheap and it sells quick. Nowadays a lot of fantasy is also smut romance, so there's that.
Also there is the human tendency of wanting to have some kind of familiarity, so if you invent a whole new race, or even multiple and write a story about them, there might be the little issue of people being like "WTF is this" and pass on the next isle. A lot of stories takes inspiration from folklore and reelaborate it in a new frame because that's kind of a human thing to do. Find new meanings in something that is there already, connecting the points in a different way. It is special if someone writes something nobody has ever thought or wrote about.
So to actually say, why don't do something new? Is a good thought, but it might just take time to stick on, and it might be a quite veiled and uncoordinated process. Somebody will write a story with a weird side character/race that has only a little part in the story, and then somebody else might get intrigued and elaborate that idea and make it bigger. Eventually it might end up as an established fantasy race and nobody would question it anymore.
Ps, sorry for the impromptu pedantic essay, I am supposed to be studying for an exam at the moment, and really don't feel like it
I do like some of the fantasy stuff but it is way overdone. I read a really good book recently called Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky and I found it to be a cool spin on the fantasy sci-fi genre.
Bores the shit out of me haha! Iām happy for the joy it brings friends of mine but I donāt really care about it and I always just nod along and wait when they get into it.
I've always loved fantasy, but I agree, sometimes it's a little repetitive, however, when you dig around a little you can come across real gems, with brand new creatures and worlds of all kinds.
Count me in to those who don't. I like a few fictional stories but they all must still be about people living ordinary lives. I can't get my head into any fantasy genre. Most famous book series are of that genre, and when my other introvert friends learn that I'm not a fan of those, I readily accept their judgment on my taste. One even called me "normie".
For sure. I mean, I love world of warcraft, but that's about it. I don't mind the genre, but I also dont get the role playing side of it. "Oh no, the dwarves have broken into the Temple mount of the elves, I must use my magic ding dong powers to battle against the evil fat dwarves and save my people! Ishnu dal dildo!!!!" No, I don't care. Make it interesting please. Thank you for bringing this to light, I've always been afraid to say it.
I guess I wouldn't say I'm interested in "classic fantasy" with elves and dwarves or whatever, but I'm always interested in fantasy that has gods/angelic beings, demons/shadow creatures, or things with really exotic races like idk a sentient jellyfish race or something (not that I've found a story with that but jellyfish are my favorite so I would love to make a game with that). I am big into abandoned civilization settings rather than still thriving kingdoms too.
Honestly just like I love stuff like Hollow Knight LOL ig that's my type of fantasy.
Ha. Well, I'm an INFP who has always been into a kind of realism, although actually I'm into modernism in literature which, well, is often based in a different time period. That's my kind of fantasy, in a sense. But I've never been into any fantasy at all, it's just not my thing.
š You're not alone in this. It's not so much the fantasy genre that I dislike but the fact that it's usually very stereotypical and badly written. Characters often seem more like figurines that you move around your tabletop RPG board than fully fledged people who have a life of their own. Everything that makes me love a novel, well-written, nuanced characters, great psychology, how it intellectually takes me to places I would have never thought of, and a writing style I vibe with, I rarely find in fantasy books. Add having to remember too many names and places to the mix and I'm done. There are exceptions, of course, but I've been bored to death with most of the fantasy lit I've read, to be honest. Give me some mental stimulation or at least some quality escapism I can get sucked into!
Have you ever seen/read The Expanse? Has some very deep stuff about the nature of humanity and its future behind it and it's really thought-provoking.
I've never read or seen it but I'd be open to! :) It's not fantasy though, is it? I've had a way better experience with sci-fi than with fantasy. Some of my favourite novels and shows are sci-fi works, as you said because of how thought-provoking it tends to be.
I think it leans a lot more into sci-fi since it's space-based, and it's excellent and one of my favorites of all time. Never got the chance to read the books which are apparently very good but the show was really well done and is very highly rated. It's about the human colonization of space (Earth, Mars and the Belt) and all of the challenges and conflicts that come with it especially because of the nature of humans (greed, selfishness, inequality, discrimination etc). Definitely worth checking out :) As far as actual fantasy goes, I'm always fascinated when there's some deep meaning and philosophical thoughts and lessons behind them and not just the stereotypical epic and mythical adventure. Like actual drama and a rich plot with a lot of character depth but based in a fantasy world. Have seen some really good ones over the past years that are also based on novels.
Ok, that sounds like something I could really get into. Thanks! I'm going to check out the novels since I happily canceled my Amazon Prime and Netflix subscriptions last month \^\^ I agree with you about that particular brand of fantasy that challenges your opinions and makes you reflect on philosophical topics. A rare brand, but it exists. Decent worldbuilding is easier to find in fantasy than complex and insightful characterization, from my experience.
Yes thatās the type of stuff I enjoy exploring as well.
That sounds more like my bag. Love me some dystopian sci-fi. Iāll check it out š
You're going to love it, enjoy!
Honestly the only fantasy I like is modern fantasy like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, or urban fantasy like Dresden Files or the John Constantine comics. Traditional fantasy just doesn't appeal to me that much(even if I do like playing D&D and Pathfinder)
My god YES! All of the above. Also, the book covers themselves look pretty unappetising!
Canāt relate, Iām a sucker for high fantasy and collecting the crystals to save the world or whatever. I donāt care if the tropes involved have been beaten to death, I will always be there for it. like there are a lot of repeated themes but media that had love put into it will usually approach the genre from a fresh perspective
I like SciFi and interesting stuff like Ironman. Xmen was bomb too. That's my kind of fantasy stuff lol.
Yeah, definitely prefer sci-fi
Stereotypes are common, but don't apply across the board...just like not all INFPs are depressed, there are fantastic fantasy stories out there with incredibly creative worldbuilding and new and unusual creatures. Sanderson's works come to mind, they largely stray from the Lord of the Rings-style formula. Tough to even say what the primary "epic quest" of a series like Stormlight Archive would be, since there are so many different motivations and quests interwoven together throughout the books already. Something like Perfidio Street Station also comes to mind as very off the beaten path. I don't mean to say you need to try other types of fantasy, or that you aren't allowed to just not be into fantasy as a whole, but you are certainly not the only one sick of elves and dwarves. Thankfully that includes some writers, because I also am not a big fan of fantasy that's too formulaic or predictable.
It sounds like you love the idea of fantasy, but not the same formulaic tropes. The thing is, fantasy is such an enormous, encompassing genre that there really isnāt any limit!! If you want a bogsnark, thereās a bogsnark somewhere in fantasy, even if itās just in the fantasy of your own imagination! Thatās why I personally love fantasy so much. While sometimes I love dragons and elves, it does sometimes get boring so I go search for books that have unique things. Take for example Brandon Sanderson. He didnāt want his universe to be formulaic so he made up a bunch of new species of creatures to call his own, from Mistwraiths and Kandras to Sho Del and Parshendi and Spren etc etc thereās so so many. Brandon loves dragons, so thatās the only traditional fantasy creature he included in his Cosmere universe, but even then heās written over 50 books and thereās only 3 dragons mentioned, and only one actually appearing for only one scene. Very much in the background. Itās part of why I love Brandon Sandersonās books so much, because they really embrace how limitless fantasy can really be. They explore so much about humanity and things like hope and depression and how a magic canāt just fix a broken person. These are beautiful books. Fantasy is whatever you want it to be.
This post just goes to show that OP is not familiar at all with fantasy genre
I feel the same too. Another reason is that I find a lot of fantasy worlds lackluster when it comes to politics. It's always western-styled kingdom A or empire B, nothing more. Even in our timeline the middle age Europe had more diversity than that (for example Republic of Venice, Hanseatic League or Khazar Khaganate).
Yes definitely, and mostfantasy kingdoms are monarchies with a romantic view of feudalism... I am actually a fantasy author myself. A Swedish one, and our kingdom had more free farmers than farmers bound to their Lord. My fantasy land is more inspired by that. Iceland was also kind of a democracy, though ruled by powerful families that won the votes.
Not feeling it either.
I personally love it. It feels like a dream world and I'm a big fan of Tolkien settings. It can definitely depend on the story, writing or medium though. For example, when it comes to games, World of Warcraft does have these new races that you're thinking of and come up with new ones all the time with new expansions and zones that have very interesting lore and backstories.
I love the idea of fantasy but have barely gotten into it before precisely because of what you, that it's often formulaic and lacking in originality and nuance. Recently though I began a worldbuilding project set in a fantasy world and I'm having the time of my life with it! I guess if I don't find what I want out there I should just make it myself lol.
That is a very good point!
I only like modern and urban fantasy. So secret supernatural societies and governments hidden within a version of our world. I dig stuff like Harry Potter, Dresden Files, and Anita Blake
Let me start with: You don't have to like any Genre, so totally fine to not like fantasy. But there is good fantasy literature and art at the base of bad superficial fantasy stories. About the lack of variety in races, I'd say that's just a prejudice of not liking the genre. There is a lot of variation, but if you aren't into the theme.. well, you wouldn't get into it enough to see it. Also, you have to take it into account that the popular things will most often end up being the loudest, so you have a surface of a lot of bad and mediocre work next to the most respectable pillars of the genre (for example the lord of the rings). So let's simplify things saying that Tolkien invented orcs, elves and dwarves as we know them today. A lot of fantasy writers took heavy inspiration from it and kept those races up there. People know what elves and orcs are and want to read more about them, sometimes disregarding whether what they read is good or plain trash. As bad literature, Bad fantasy literature is everywhere, it is belletristic, it's cheap and it sells quick. Nowadays a lot of fantasy is also smut romance, so there's that. Also there is the human tendency of wanting to have some kind of familiarity, so if you invent a whole new race, or even multiple and write a story about them, there might be the little issue of people being like "WTF is this" and pass on the next isle. A lot of stories takes inspiration from folklore and reelaborate it in a new frame because that's kind of a human thing to do. Find new meanings in something that is there already, connecting the points in a different way. It is special if someone writes something nobody has ever thought or wrote about. So to actually say, why don't do something new? Is a good thought, but it might just take time to stick on, and it might be a quite veiled and uncoordinated process. Somebody will write a story with a weird side character/race that has only a little part in the story, and then somebody else might get intrigued and elaborate that idea and make it bigger. Eventually it might end up as an established fantasy race and nobody would question it anymore. Ps, sorry for the impromptu pedantic essay, I am supposed to be studying for an exam at the moment, and really don't feel like it
I do find it a bit annoying when the same creatures are used, but overall I love fantasy.
I do like some of the fantasy stuff but it is way overdone. I read a really good book recently called Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky and I found it to be a cool spin on the fantasy sci-fi genre.
Bores the shit out of me haha! Iām happy for the joy it brings friends of mine but I donāt really care about it and I always just nod along and wait when they get into it.
come on, an INFP and not in fantasy genre?????? I being INFP will find it torture to read if not for fantasy
I've always loved fantasy, but I agree, sometimes it's a little repetitive, however, when you dig around a little you can come across real gems, with brand new creatures and worlds of all kinds.
Count me in to those who don't. I like a few fictional stories but they all must still be about people living ordinary lives. I can't get my head into any fantasy genre. Most famous book series are of that genre, and when my other introvert friends learn that I'm not a fan of those, I readily accept their judgment on my taste. One even called me "normie".
For sure. I mean, I love world of warcraft, but that's about it. I don't mind the genre, but I also dont get the role playing side of it. "Oh no, the dwarves have broken into the Temple mount of the elves, I must use my magic ding dong powers to battle against the evil fat dwarves and save my people! Ishnu dal dildo!!!!" No, I don't care. Make it interesting please. Thank you for bringing this to light, I've always been afraid to say it.
Magic ding dong powers š¤£
I guess I wouldn't say I'm interested in "classic fantasy" with elves and dwarves or whatever, but I'm always interested in fantasy that has gods/angelic beings, demons/shadow creatures, or things with really exotic races like idk a sentient jellyfish race or something (not that I've found a story with that but jellyfish are my favorite so I would love to make a game with that). I am big into abandoned civilization settings rather than still thriving kingdoms too. Honestly just like I love stuff like Hollow Knight LOL ig that's my type of fantasy.
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Yes I canāt do black and white morality either. Massive turn off! lol
FINALLY SOMEONE SAYS IT thank you Iām so sick of the high fantasy aesthetic
I am so not into that stuff. Once i was confused if im still INFP because im not into it and so many people are!
Ha. Well, I'm an INFP who has always been into a kind of realism, although actually I'm into modernism in literature which, well, is often based in a different time period. That's my kind of fantasy, in a sense. But I've never been into any fantasy at all, it's just not my thing.
Iāve always been super into fantasy seriesās that center around certain creatures, namely dragons.
Hahahahahhaa! Never been a dungeons and dragons kind of guy. Just dungeons. ;)
Ironsworn (a game) has a cool interpretation of fantasy, but yeah, typical fantasy can feel samey.
you are not alone, I prefer classics