Trampling the legacy, remaking the myth: Re: Building a better Fantasy story

» Qin - Re: Building a better Fantasy story

Having read....way too many fantasy novels (You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough), I've found that frankly, I'm a little more than sick of dwarves, elves, etc. I will agree with you on the fact that they have become cliched beings. I'm not certain who's to originally blame, TSR, Terry Brooks, etc. It'd be unfair to lay blame in any one place.
If you notice popular culture, when something strikes gold, others try to immitate it. Thus, when Star Wars hit paydirt, suddenly we had Battlestar: Galactica, Black Hole, etc.
It's innevitable, it's human nature, and it's something I'v grown used to.
Whereas the old generation of writers reused Tolkien's ideas, the new generation of writers are (some) reusing Jordan's myths. Terry Brooks is to Tolkien as Goodkind is to Jordan.
I myself do not believe we need anymore Tolkien rewrites. I'd much rather that writers move in a different direction. I forgive Dragonlance on the basis that the Chronicles, Legends, and War of the Souls books have a colorful cast of characters that I myself care for deeply.
Anyhow, the only writer who seems to fullfill the desire you have is Dennis McKiernan, a little known writer who kever recieves due credit, perhaps because his books are far too similar to Tolkien (one needs only to read the Hel's Crucible Duology to understand that), but his writing style nonetheless is similar to Tolkien's, if not a bit less dense.
The fantasy genre is on the upswing right now. We have a variety of writers attempting to go in a different direction than the norm, and I'm grateful for that. I site George Martin, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, Tad Williams, Gregory Keyes, David Wingrove, and Anne McCaffrey as my evidence. Each and every one of these writers has written something that has taken the fantasy genre outside of the Tolkien sub-category (anyone who considers fantasy to have been 'created' by Tolkien is in serious need of a reality check) and into new territory. Were they inspired by Tolkien? Maybe, maybe not. I can certainly say that his work has no immediate impact upon my writing as I did not like Lord of the Rings one bit; I actally prefer The Silmarillion, but only if Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth is blaring in the backround.
I will state that I have read several Forgotten Realms novels and enjoyed them on a very basic entertainment level of reading. R.A. Salvatore paints wonderful scenic pictures in his writing, as does Elaine Cunningham, who has a much more lyrical style of writing. I can't comment on Ed Greenwood, the founding father of Aber-Toril/The Forgotten Realms, which is undeniably, a fun place to visit. Just load up Baldur's Gate I and II, Icewind Dale, The Tale of the Sword Coast, or the upcoming Heart of Winter to see for yourself.
Consider this, and honestly, think about this before letting your emotions overtake you and lead to my being flamed: If there's anyone to blame for ruining the fantasy genre, it's not D&D, it's not Terry Brooks, or David Eddings, it's Tolkien himself.
Then again, I have Tolkien to thank for the wonder drug known as EverQuest, so maybe he's not so bad afterall...

-Qin-

-- posted by Qin