Female Centric Audience

One point that’s always perplexed me is the incontrovertible fact, according to some, that the easiest way to gain an audience in fantasy, is appealing to the pseudo-intellectual sub-genre of feminine-entrenched plotlines. While I’ve nothing against authors like M. Lackey, J.V. Jones or even Jo Walton, it has always angered me that the majority of authors that I sift through are soap-opera fantasy, where the main plot takes a backseat to cutsie-type banter between characters who always seem witty, fun-loving and misplaced in world that treat death as a commonplace occurrence. For example, I once bought M. Lackey’s Owlknight trilogy of books, and while there did seem to be a central theme around the protagonist based around his own magic, the whole book almost seemed stuck in this love conquers all role that irked me a bit. Even after horrific battles with enemy mages, the protagonist always found time for, what was essentially, a high school romance.

So, if these types of books are true sellers, why are the so-called “Great” fantasy authors always based around more grand storylines? On the other hand though, one has to point out the male-centric fantasy that serves as the polar opposite of the feminine-fantasy types, namely, Dungeons and Dragons, R. A Salvadore and any fantasy associated with Diana Duane, where the book reads like a video game. I recall in one of R.A Salvadore’s books, he actually gave his main character a, and I quote, “quest”

I understand that the market for books has dropped with the onset of the technological evolution, but why is it that fantasy publishers who target young males continually think the only thing that appeals to them are, “World of Warcrap books” that are so superficial, you could cut them with a knife and nothing would come out except dog doo doo.

And is there even a market anymore for the feminist fantasy? I’m all for female characters and quest-like male books, but what happens when the D&D generation passes on?

I don’t really have an answer to this, but it is a point of interest that, as I read books on fantasy … they point out you need a certain type of dialogue and feeling if you want to easily get your book published.