10,000 B.C. and Fake Love

So one might chance upon this blog and say, "What does 10,000 B.C. the movie have to do with fantasy?" Well, my hapless friend, you are mistaken, because 10,000 B.C. IS fantasy. For one, it has no connection to reality. Two, it is hopelessly based on wish-fulfillment. And three, the hero saves the "princess" at the end.

For those of you that aren't aware, 10,000 B.C. is Ronald E's latest creation since movies like Id4, The Day after Tommorow and Stargate. I don't care what anyone says, ID4 was a very good movie. Not only did it have cool aliens, it also upheld that epic feel that's necessary for his type of movies. And, while some people may gawk at me saying this, the speech in the middle of the movie was great. I can't tell you how many times i would go over that, memorizing the words. (Yes, girls, I'm a geek) So what, may you ask, is the outcome of 10,000 B.C. ?

This movie was about 2 minutes away from being a good movie. HORRIBLE ENDING! I mean i know the american public won't readily accept a sad ending as, say the Asian market would, but COME ON! This may be a spoiler, but to kill off the female lead at the very end of the movie then bring her back to life FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN TO HAVE A KISS AT THE END is just plain crap.

Not only is 10,000 B.C. a corney wishfullfillment movie, it's a perfect representation of what's inherantly wrong with the fantasy genra. I mean what kind of 5 year old falls in love with the first chick he sees? I'm all for the, "we belong together" type storyline, but at least set it up. This movie has us believe that these two putzes are sooo destined to be together that they fall in love with each other for no other reason than they locked eyes when they were not even in puberty yet.

Sure, this worked during the infancy stages of speculative fiction but does it really still work? I mean come on. People aren't blown away by action comics number 1's storyline at first glance (unless they're comic fans) and they won't be amazed by such a lackluster storyline such as this. L.E. Modisett, Angus Wells, J.V. Jones and Mercedes Lackey are all victums of this type of storyline.

It's as if we dont even try anymore in these love stories. I may be blind, but trashy love novels should stay in their section. Is love so powerful if it's put on a platter then shoveled into our mouths in droves? Gahhh! 2 Minutes! That's all that it would of taken for it to be a decent fantasy flick.

From D&D to Fantasy Author

So a couple of months ago, I caught a podcast on the web, "The Secrets of Writing Podcast" which was a GREAT find for an aspiring speculative fiction writer like myself. He's a topselling NY Best Seller and he's a fantasy author, which are two things i can really admire in an author. While I really do care about the insight this man has for novice writers, I can't help but notice the trend when I did look into the man's history. Not unlike Ed Greenwood and R. A. Salvadore, Stackpole's inital thrust into the biz was through dungeons and dragons. He, no doubt, played it and eventually got around to designing it. From what i've read of his biography, it became a natural instinct to transfer his worlds onto paper. Thus I stumbled upon the aforementioned "trend". Fantasy authors whose only main thrust into the genra was through the table-top board game.

It got me to thinking. In a couple of years from now will there be a boost in the number of great fantasy authors out there? (besides me *blush*) The similarities are unmistable. D&D had heroic stories of saving the world and defeating the monsters. Diablo 2 had that. D&D had limitless worlds one could explores and live you could lose yourself in. MMORPGs have that. And while some may argue that it is not the same, graphic designers tell you otherwise. How many of us read through that World of Warcraft booklet? How many of us sifted through those game-inspired novelizations in the bookstore?

If you read through Stackpole's work, there's an undenyable feeling of the table-top board game. There's a quest, there's an exploration and there's confrontation. He's more of a plot-centric author, or so he says. His stories are based more on worlds than characters. (although he has great characterization) But does this really translate?


Unlike D&D, MMORPGs are not based on the imaginations of the player. Sure, games like Ultima Online were essentially D&D on the computer, but games have far surpassed that these days. These days, you can see the riffles of the leaves on the tree, every scale on that dragon and you can hear the foosteps of the incoming orge from the comfort of your own home. There's no dungeon master that's speaking in tongues, making the world alive, but RAM converting data into images. One could even say, epic fantasy is dead; that fantasy is left to Harry Potter and Eragon. The naysayers will tell you a plain and simple fact, that video games do not entice the player to interact with the world as much as D&D did.

I never did play the table-top game, despite numerous attempts to join a game. It felt too bland to me. And, in some ways, so does it feel to the reading public. There has to be a reason why G.R.R. Martain does so well or how authors tend to suceed more when writing outside the Forgotten Realms and so forth. Fantasy is still in its inception. Sure, LOTR's myths in itself, can define the genra, but even still ... there has to be more to it. The market is still there for great heroes with swords, of mages who cast spells and of monsters lurking in the darkness. I see it every time I logged (past tense HINT HINT) on World of Warcraft, I see it whenever I hear about the excitement around a new fantasy game and I feel it every time I discover that new author who breaks the boundries of what is and what is not fantasy.

I am not the D&D fantasy generation. I can only hope that I am the next.

-Longbow


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R.I.P Gary Gygax

July 27, 1938 - March 4, 2008

American Idol. What?

Ok, i'll admit that American Idol isn't the first thing you think about when you're trying to corral a blog about Fantasy, but hear me out here. I've always been compelled by the emotions that people have about songs that, to be frank, HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE BETTER! Not that i'm truely clueless, but really, what's the point?

Take, for example, the fine performance of Jason Castro. Albeit a fine performance, but not Jeff Buckley for sure. Although, to be fair, no one can top what Buckley did. My whole point about that is the pain invovled with the song. Now i'm not going to claim to be an pseudo-typical white kid with a guitar, but even i've seen that legendary vid of Johnny Cash doing nine-inch nail's hurt. If you've seen that vid (hint, it's on youtube, hint) you know what i'm talking about. It's not the fact that the guy's singing about pain that brings people to tears, it's the fact that the guy lived through the damn thing. It's his hard voice, that old man pouring his heart out. Hell, when i first heard the song, i didn't even know it was johnny cash (cause i heard it through the radio) but i thought it was a BRILLANT piece of music.

Tieing this in, (this is the fantasy part of the blog, keep up!) this reminds me of series like Robin Hobb's The Farseers and even George R. R. Martin's current series, The Game of Thrones. There's pain there, especially in Hobb's work. If you've ever read those books, starting with the assasin's quest, you know what i'm talking about. I kept reading the book in teh vain hope that something, just something, might save the poor main character from painful after painful experience, but, as i didn't know, that point would never come. That's the thing about pain, it's more interesting than happy-go-lucky storylines *cough* Anne M *cough*

Ok, I lied about that last part. By the time Robin Hobb got to the last book, it had become so depressing that the pain she inflicted on the last character wasn't as driven as the earlier books. Not to mention her next novels blew ass, being as interesting as water evaporating.

Yet, more and more, I come to think about the translation of the feeling you achieve from a musical medium, and its translation to the page, especially fantasy. I've been on a tangent recently, picking book after book of new writers hopping that i'll find the next George R.R. M. and get swept up in a tale that i'll look forward to. (At least until GRRM releases his next book)Gail Z. Martain, One of the new L.E. Modiesett books and even picked up one of the earlier R. Jordan books i've never heard, and still it feels like the same old stuff. Not only that, its predictable.

I can remember the last time i read a book and was genuinely surprised, and that was GRRM's books. You'd be reading along, entranced by GRRM's sweeping landscapes and orantly flawed characters, then get caught up in the fantasy of it all and then start to think that the hero will defeat the villan ... then BOOM GRRM would kill off the very character you were rooting for. Caught off guard the first time, I honestly said, "Well that can't happen again, well done Mr. Martain" Then BOOM the next three chapters are of all of main characters dying, until "literally" one is left.

Does it have to be that drastic? Still, i'd settle for more emotion and less wishfulfillment authors in the market. Damn J.K. Damn Harry Potter. And damn the lemming publishers.

Starting anew ...

A year is a long time ...

Strike that, a year is a LONGGGGGGGG TIME for inactivity. Although I don't necessarily apoligze for the lack of content, writing and updates; I do regret I’ve been sorely lacking in what I envisioned was a blog I would keep up with.

But that’s neither here nor there …

A few couple snippets that’s been festering in my head the past year …

What HAPPENED to MMOS?

There’s nothing like sitting within the realm of heroes and villains, nothing like the feeling of completing that quest or killing that monster. Maybe I’m an addict, but MMOs are a gaming experience unbeknownst to those poor fools that think CS is the end all of the gaming world.

But what happened to the MMOs? There’s practically no MMOs out there … strike that … THERE ARE NO MMOs out there. World of Warcraft, for all its glory, is killing the genra. Sure, studios like Stray Bullet Games and Darkfall’s creators hold the torch for the innovative and fun, but even their promises feel more and more vaporous as the years pass by.

Vanguard? DDO? Guild Wars? Don’t make me laugh.

And, to top it all off, it seems like every few months Blizzard announces, “Congratulations on a new milestone, 10 billion subscribers plus we’ve taken over the world.”

WHAT HAS GAMING COME TO?

Now, in the self necrotic feces loving piece of crap that I am often does, I’ve looked past my hatred for WoW and looked deep within myself … asking the question i’ve avoided like a plague. Have I outgrown games?

Sure, who has the time these days. Ever since I’ve entered the workforce, time has come few and far between. Now, instead of time to kill, it seems like every time I turn on the computer, I’m forcing myself to play some pieceofcrap game that I don’t even enjoy.

Yet, when that nagging feeling of dread knocks at my door, good old shadowbane comes to the rescue. Couple months ago I reactivated my account for the 10th time (lost count really), then got into the sway of things. OOPS, can’t compete versus the Chinese nation, time to cancel and quit again.

Books

Now this, above all things, pisses me off the most. Fantasy Novels have become so drab since Harry Potter’s induction, that it makes me want to gag. Don’t get me wrong, I think the HP books aren’t too shabby, and are a good representation of what attracts people to the, “bow grows up to be a hero” storyline, but in its inception, a slew of Ender’s Game wannabes have come out of the woodwork. I mean what the hell was that aragon … ER I MEAN ERAGON piece of crap book/movie?!?!?! How about the seeker? Need I go on?

Why hasn’t George R. R. Martin’s books ever been adapted to live screen? Why hasn’t Robert Jordan’s movie planning ever pan out? (May he rest in peace) And why, for the love of god, has the Ender’s Game Movie ever finish a script? (Yes, it’s in the works)

Isn’t it Terry Brooks that said Fantasy defines the nature of the human spirit? Wasn’t fantasy not only an escape, but an adventure. As much as I appreciate my feminine colleagues, why is it that every new fantasy novelist I try seems to be 99% touchyfeely and only 1 % real plot? Why is it that every protagonist has to be the wittiest SOB you’ve ever heard of?

Now, as I pick up GRRM’s last novel tonight, I will skim the pages for a worthwhile sorrow and plot. I will forget that I know the ending, lose myself in the verbage, and hope … someday in the future, someone might be worthy enough to take Robert Jordan’s immortal throne atop modern fantasy.
-P. Loanzon

The "Trying to hard" Novel

I was in the bookstore the other day in one of my many attempts at finding a new author to follow. These days, I find myself in a rut. Often, the authors I have been following this past decade have emerged more decrepit and repetitive. They share the same plot lines from book to book, their novels spin into a carousel of long exposition that, to be honest, is hard to keep track of.

I digress.

I was in the book store, then I read the back of this novel. (Which I don't remember the name of) Then I read this fabulous storyline of a church centric fantasy and how the main character is recruited to be a soldier of faith, only to realize the lines become blurred as he learns more and more what it means to become a, "man of god."

Sounds cool right?

Then I flip over to the next page and, low and behold, I scurry the first few pages only to realize this guy writes like he's trying to impress someone. God, I swear this man would spout as many long-phrased adjectives in an attempt to sound smarter than the story would allow.

"The lavish, tepid cranium would saunter over to the verbose, staccato dank cherrywood “or other such nonsense that, obvious, cause this book to be published.

Is it absolutely necessary to pilfer one's novels with these ornate obscure words in a vain attempt to be seen as valid by your peers. I highly doubt the 15 year old who wrote Eragorn has some flaws, but look at the audience of his book.

I remember, WAYYY back in high school, my AP English teacher would advise to use as different adjectives as I could; almost echoing what, this man, obviously thought real writing is.

Needless to say, I put the book down, saddened that such an interesting storyline would be jacked by some inherent need to impress. I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU! I want to scream at that man! Don’t listen to what other people are telling you! Keep it simple. Keep it brief!!!

What compels the literary world in this incessant need to for three pages of DESCRIBING a leaf? Look, I understand “Leaves of Grass.” It’s appeal is broadened by the fact it goes into the natural world… but FANTASY is different. Fantasy is a storyline, emotion. And, while I agree there must be good established depictions of the world he has created… why go overboard?

What is it about fantasy novels these days and being required to be a certain word length? Often the advice is, If it’s shorter than this, it probably isn’t good. But when, if anything, has length determined quality. I can point you to 500k fantasy stories on the net that are complete garbage but, at the same time, I can point you to 1k stories that far exceed anything that might be plastered across some bookshelf.

I get pressure, I really do. To produce a novel in a certain amount of time, to be of proper length. But it becomes harder to sift through the nonsense and sometimes… I wonder how many real fans these guys really have.

Chapter Length

Among the many writing articles i've perused over the years, it seems the topic of chapter length is up in the air. The advice always seems to be, "What is comfortable with you."

One of my favorite authors, L.E. Modisett often takes this adage to the extreme, often having 1 page chapters if not 1 paragraph chapters. Although, this is true for one author, he seems to be the only one that does this. It almost seems like an unspoken bond between the novelist gods and those that scribe for them; that any less than a dozen pages is blasphemy. I digress, there's an aspect of writing that demands detail that, as an aftereffect, lengthens of the chapter.

On the other hand, I can't help but notice that often, some of these novels are TOO much. Is it excusable to just ramble on about idiosyncrasies if it lengthens your word count? Wouldn't it make the book better? The wall is red with blood, we get it. You don't have to explain the texture, smell and all 1000 bricks of it.

I once watched a history channel special that was commenting on the recent outsurge of internet stories that have proliferated over the last years. Sites like http://www.fanfiction.com/ and http://www.fictionpress.com/ have exposed amateur writing to the public and, sometimes, threatened the novelist themselves. One such novelist spoke on the program saying, "Anybody can scribble a few words and they think they are a real writer."

I admit, if you read what some of the writing is, it is not of top touch quality. Most of their descriptions are one liners and yet... i can't help think how increasingly popular it's becoming. If people prefer these dumbed down versions, who's to say it's not correct? Sure it might not have the ornate detail of a real book but people are reading it.... that has to count for something.

Robin Hobb and the depressing storyline

I have to admit, just like some people that were drawn into Eragorn, I was drawn into Robin Hobb's breakthrough novel "Assassin's quest." Like a chump, I got he damn thing which, to those not exposed to that book, is not a bad series.

Here's an informal review. The main character, Fitz, is recruited as a young lad to secretly kill of "undead" like people that has been popping up in his residence. At least that's how it starts. It's been awhile but I think I remember how the rest of the story went and to sum it up, let me tell you how you can envision this epic tale by yourself...

Take your favorite childhood object, cherish it for... say 5 minutes... then go to your fireplace and chuck it in with about a gallon of gasoline and watching to burn into oblivion. This is what Robin Hobb's The Tawny Man Series is about. (Which started with Assassin's quest) It was 6 books of depressing lore that sucked you in word for word in the vain hope that, one day, the main character might get some small measure of justice for the atrocities he's life had brought him. And, like a chump, once you read the first book you can't put it down. It's so damn sad you find yourself hoping against hope... maybe the next chapter... maybe the next line...

"NO!" Robin Hobb recites, thumbing her fingers together in that Mr. Burnish kinda of way. "You shall have no pleasure while I scribe this tale."

But I digress, it's not like she's the first one to do it. The now infamous George R. R. Martin takes this too. Hell by the end of his third book he's literally killed off 90% of the characters he started out with. He kills the mother the father the 3 boys and a daughter. (if memory serves) But unlike Robin Hobb, GRRM's appeal doesn't come from some forlorn hope of the chance of justice.

Let me take you down GRRM's way of thinking. Take the most cliche Fantasy line you can think of. Let's say, "You won't take me alive." Now stirr in some spilberg... then spill in the longevity of Dr. Who, and suddenly the cliche line of "You won't take me alive" is the culmination of a 300 page chapter that blows you're socks off! This is what GRRM excells at, making those moments in fantasy history alive again and making it, for some reason, work. And, while many others try to do this, he is the only one that TRULY excells at it.

I remember, in his recent novel, of this one chapter that has a knight valiently rushing a horde of angry mercenaries for the honor of his lady. Sound corny? Read his latest work, "A fest for Crows" and you'll find yourself leaning back in your chair, just like I did, wallowing in the expert writing you've just witnessed.

But maybe that's just me.

-Longbow

TableTop D&D

Look, I get it. Getting together with friends... playing a game... escaping reality... I do. I get the appeal of table top D&D. And, while this may have been fun back in the days when color TV was for the alpha males of society, it made sense. But something about manually keeping track of stats, talking to a dungeon master that you know personally and casting a spell by saying, "I cast a spell" somewhat creeps me out.

I've tried it. Just once. And I felt dumb the entire time I was playing it. Not that I would ever tell my buds that but something about it felt a little too over the top. There's nothing wrong with spinning a good tale but arguments over +5 hammers that are written in a small little book, doesn't overplay the fact that i'm standing right next to you.

Maybe I'm a closet Fantasy Fan, afraid to admit that I love reading stories about honor, elves and magic. But I digress. It is said that the Elder Scroll series was conceptualized by a group a friends that created their own world for a table top D&D. I guess that makes sense. Having to create a world really fills out the details you would have not otherwise thought. Oblivion is the most intricate and well plotted RPGs on the market today, if not ever.

But that doesn't mean i'm rolling 1d10 hoping that my attack hits.

-Longbow

The Carebear

For those to enumerated by their dice-rolling sessions in the basement, this passage is not for you. For those of us with a pulse, you have no doubt been flashed with what has been termed "Crap", also known as World of Warcraft.

My own reservations aside, the carebear seems an ample fit in this EQish mentality of playing what is essentially a single player game. I digress, but the importance of these people cannot be unmeasured. Games like Shadowbane and Darkfall, however player vs player oriented, seem to (or at least will) thrive on this carebear.

What is a carebear you ask? A carebear is the person (not limited to a particular sex) that plays the game to fight monsters. A carebear is more casually oriented, often new the genra of mmorpg gaming or was introducted to mmorpg via the Carebear mentality. This is the type of gamer that pays the 10 bucks a month for the "experience" more than the interactions with fellow players. While, this is not bad, this is the same type of person that's more inclined to spam "dying sucks" on the forums 24 hours a day.

And yet, as an avid Shadowbane Fan, I find without the carebears, a part of the community has died. You can no longer find that lost guy in Khar (a public town in Shadowbane) that's screaming for help or a better weapon. Gone is that guy who is farming 24/7 at that particular spot to get that particular sword, which you jack in the meanwhile. And gone are the days when there's a million merchant towns to ravage, or that guildmate you can go to because you know he has all the stuff.

We, as pvp addicts, would like to think that we don't need the carebear. "If you don't like pvp, don't play the game" was the common mantra that we repeated over and over again in our heads, as if repetition alone might suffice to stave off our burning desire for the carebear.

Because it is a need. A need for variety. We need that person in the game that's different from us and that seeks different goals. It makes the game feel epic, it makes the game come alive. If everyone was just like you, how boring would the world be? Even if you're all brown, you dont like the same things your neighbor likes. You're not him.

So stay Mr. Carebear. Stay and cultivate on our doorstep and hog that prime farming spot. We'll be waiting, with a sword in hand... and a rose hidden in our boot.

-Longbow

Dungeon Siege Movie

Uwe Boll, the director of the new upcoming Dungeon Siege Movie, was once quoted to saying that he wanted to make a movie as epic as Lord of the Rings. It was at that moment that the collective hope of fans, praying that the movie might be good, was destroyed. Already, since the release of the trailer, there has been huge outpourings of hate on what a disaster it will be. One fan on aintitcool.com's talkback feature said it was a bunch of LOTR scenes put together in one.

Now, i'm not one to always jump to conclusions but the resume of Uwe Boll does not favor well in his regard. BloodRayne and Alone in the dark are his creations. Need I say more?

He could have said a lot of things. "I just want to tell a good story," could have been one. "I want to give some quality Fantasy Tolkein would be proud of," is another one he could have shot at us. No, instead he wants to make another fast and the furious. He wants to make bad boys 2. Instead of giving us hope into good characters, he gives us Mortal Combat 5.

-Longbow

Gaming and the big battles

If you've never delved into the obscene vice which is the MMORPG then you've been missing alot. MMORPG stands for Massive Multiplayer Onling Roleplaying Game, also known as sucking an obscene amount of money monthly while provides tiny bits of content to keep them hooked. And, while this appraisal may be unkind, I assure you it is not far from the truth. While the original MMORPG was Merdian 59, the first mainstream one was in the infamous EverQuest. You know the one. You heard the story of that kid who died, then the news agencies found he had like 6 Everquest accounts. BULLSHIT!

I digress, even before I go off on that tangent. The massive multiplayer has been the sucktube for all those Fantasy Fans who either didn't have to balls to rack up a D&D set or just couldn't find anyone interested. And, while the level-me-now and hunt-for-items have been the mainstay of the EverQuest clones, it has been a tad bit overdone. Don't know what I'm talking about? Sure you do.

Lets move on.

If anything Lord of the Rings have given us, it's the selfinduced coma we all achieve when we imagine that perfect massive battle with elves, dwarven Lords and kings. Dark Ages of Camelot tried to sate this innate desire so did games like Shadowbane. But it always lacked the technology component necessary to achieve such things. To dumb it down, for those not intune with the MMORPG landscape... Imagine Xbox online, where the games can span to 4v4 on most of their games. (with exceptions of course) Then imagine Counterstrike where you can have like 8v8 and still other PC games that can have like 16v16. Got the image? That's right. Now pound you head against the desk and imagine 300v300. That's what you'll get with games like Shadowbane and the upcoming Darkfall. Drooling yet? I thought so.

And yet, I find myself wonder how fast the server will crash when it happens. For those not following along, NO single game has been able to solve the "massive battle" crash. DAOC failed, Shadowbane Failed, World of Warcraft failed. And yet that massive battle is what we dream of; play endless hours for. Not the battle specifically but the dream that there's something bigger in that game, that there's a whole world you can be a part of, effect and change.

But maybe its just me. I still dream of that big battle. Here's hoping Darkfall won't be a bust as well.

-Long"Talking to those who already know what i'm talking about"bow

What's with all the Dragons?

Dragon Sword, Dragon Quest, Dragon Heart, Dragon Slayer, Dungeons and Dragons and Dragonheart 2! What do all these have in common? They are all B movies and/or major motion pictures. In fact if you look at what percentage of fantasy movies being made, you'll find that 90%+ percent of those movies will be about dragons! Don't get me wrong, I love the Dragon. I loved the AM's Perm series as a kid and the DnD books always gave a decent viewing of those mythical creatures... BUT COME ON! How much more can we, as consumers, take? When did fantasy HAVE to be about dragons?

Look, I get it, I really do. If you consider from a "realistic" point of view, a movie about dragons does kinda make sense. It gives you that FX effect without having to create a whole battle full of different characters, it simplifies your stories being that you don't have to create intricate storylines around multiple plotlines and it gives you that "Epic" feel. BUT what it also does is instant portray it as a complete copout. I mean let's face it, the only reason Dragons are so cool is because their ABSENCE not their complete showing-every-scene-in-every-frame. What makes Dragons so unquie is that you hear about them in whispers, you hear about their feats from survivors from the latest attack and then when you finally see them, they are great! In this, Eragon does hold some small value (if i'm assuming that's how they wrote the book because i never got through the whole thing).

The Scifi "Dragon" movie of the week isn't the greatest of comparisons but it does parallel what is a misinterpretation of the Fantasy Genre. Then again, maybe the "Dragon" thing is Fantasy's version of the "Star Trek" cliche.

-Longbow

Orson Scott Card and Scifi

For those unfamilar with the work of OSC, he wrote Ender's Game. For those that have never heard of Ender's game, you should just kill yourself now. What is ender's game? Think of Harry Potter on Crack. But, the key is here, Ender's game was written like 20 years or so before HP ever even was thought up of. When you think, "Rise To power" You think Ender's game as a stepping stone to that cliche.

I digress, i'm not here to talk about the glory of Ender's Game. (Even though it rocks) I'm here to talk about what OSC said in one of his interviews. He said that, when he was starting out, he wrote this one short story about a boy liberating a town (or something like that) Preety standard stuff. Boy saves town yadda yadda yadda. But, when he submitted it to a publisher it got rejected on the grounds that it wasn't, "Scifi enough." What did they mean? OSC explains that even though he described, in ornate detail, the wierd planet this story was proposed on, it did not contain any Scifi qualities that made up something of Science Fiction.

In this, I kinda agree with OSC. While you don't need magic in EVERY Fantasy story, it cannot be just a story without a staple from the genra. It's not enough for a boy to save the day, he has to do it in the context of Fantasy, to distinguish it from a "present-day" story.

Ok, i'm ranting and this probably isn't making much sense. I'll stop now.

-Lonbow

Tolkien's Elves

One might not fully comprehend how Tolkein set the standard. One might not even realize how influencial his work was and, how it limited fantasy right off the get go. I mean look at Star Trek and the Vulcans; tall, elegant and with an unearthly beauty. Sound familar? How about the so-called Standard of the Dungeons and Dragons/Forgotten Realms Series? Andre Norton and the With World's Green People of the Valley?

They're more than just another fantasy race but a standard of that boy discovering the vale of the elves for the first time, a la Frodo. It's that cliche that all fantasy must ALWAYS be about discovering a new fantastical world that is different from anything ever imagined. Don't believe me? Go to your local bookstore (Borders for me) and just stroll down the isle and look at the backcovers for books. Sure you'll find the morsals of goodness that don't revolve around Eragon crap but the magority's centered around this fake ideal of, "The land of the elves." Oh lets talk to talking dragons! Lets Dance with the Fairies. And yet when you look at the Fantasy Best Sellers, outside of the Potter Clones, most of them are about something more.

Tolkien's Elves are an anchor, weighing down into some primal belief that angels walk among us. World of Warcraft proves this in their oh-so cliche Elves. Hell, even their dark Elves contain in them an elegant beauty that follows the trend.

Why am I putting such a big deal about this? Because this is how people thought of Science Fiction in media back in the beginnings of Television. People thought, "Scifi is only for the children." How many watched those black and whites about that space hero fighting intergalactic foes? Millions. (I forgot the name of that show) And yet today Scifi explores adult themes previously unencountered, opening storylines that intrigue the imagination. How many engineers have been influenced by Star Trek? Hundreds! Even in the upper escholons you'll find a couple of them! Scifi allowed for the technology boom, opened people eyes to what was possible.

Don't get me wrong, Fantasy will never achieve that kind of status. Instead, Fantasy is the opportunity for viewers to get out of their daily lives and live the tales that people long ago told. Fantasy can give that escape from the dolldrums of life by indulging your senses to Roman Drama without the cliche Costumes, into the European, "Game of Thrones" and thrust you into worlds where generals die at the hands of tyrants.

-Longbow

Gaming and Fantasy

Let me say this once, Dungeons and Dragons and the BEST and WORST thing that could ever have happened to Fantasy and Gaming. What is it about what is termed, "Mainstream" and what is considered the minority? Sure, we'll welcome High Fantasy in the form of LOTR (One of the largest grossing series of ALL TIME) and yet we'll only make Child Fantasy from that point forward. I digress, DnD did wonders for Fantasy Gaming and RPGs in general. Without the tabletop DnD there would be no Everquest or World of Warcraft but a pleathora of FPSs that all look the same.

What are the downfalls? The incessant need for Fantasy Gaming to concentrate on the mundane and the irrelvant, i.e. the uber-shiny-powerful-magic sword. A writing in writer's digest once said, "Fantasy is the reexamination of human emotion." Instead we are driven by some materialistic need to, "Keep up with the Joneszes" I hate Everquest. If I wanted to play a single player game, i'd bust out my old nintendo. Sure, I get what's so appealing about it but isn't killing the same big monsters over and over, boring? I want dynamics! I want EPIC Fantasy!

Why are games like World of Warcraft so succesful out of the bat? Why are movies like LOTR, "Mainstream," in every sense of the word? BECAUSE FANTASY IS MAINSTREAM! People mistake some child RTP story as fantasy. When you ask the average person what's fantasy, They'll say a child with a magic sword. But Fantasy was more than that to Tolkein. Fantasy is more than that to G.R.R. Martin. Fantasy is more than that to Anne M. It's allowing yourself to meet that new creature born of pure evil. It's enveloping your world with that Fantasic World of Commerce melded with Nature. It's that king, sitting on the thorne, debating the inconsistancies int he world about him.

What's Fantasy? It's Shadowbane. It's Darkfall. Most of all, It's emotion.

-Longbow

Raymond E. Feist

What was the first successful RPG on the PC? The Answer is the adaptation of REF's Kronodor Series (Or however u spell it). I've read quite a bit of his stuff through the years and, although it's not the most indepth, "Care about the characters" type of story, I found myself idlying flipping the pages in interest. The obscene thing about REF is that he almost distances the reader from the character. Hell most of his books reads like a video game more than an actual novel, which is refreshing because he gives no false pretences about trying to make a "Chracter Driven Story." In this, it's almost like he's trying to be more like the Scifi genre. His Kronodor (Again, spelling :P) Series reads like quests. At most points in the story, the main character would meet someone, get a questlike tale, then go to a place, fight monsters, then get an important clue! Sound like a quest to you?

If anything, I found it fun and refreshing from the emotional moshpit which seems to be what i normally delve into. Maybe that's why REF's Betrayl at K, was the first award winning RPG on the PC.

-Longbow

Eragon

Now I don't mean to blast another author because there's nothing as impressive (or uplifting) than an 18 year old writing a fantasy novel, getting it published, and getting a movie deal. BUT, this atrocious HALFASSRIPOFF of good fantasy epics is going too far. I had a friend who bought the book (yes a friend, not me) and i took a run through and, while it had a good hook, was caulk full of wishful thinking and ripoffs.

Lets take the name for one, Eragorn? Aragorn? Anyone? I mean the guy doesn't even hide it. Oh and 10 bucks that he's Pern Novels on his shelf, linded up one by one. I mean they've been talking to AM for years about making movies/animations of her popular Pern Series but never got around to it. The RTP thing is a bit much because they've been dozens and yes i mean DOZENS of novels about dragonriders in which you can take this novel and go scene by scene.

What started me on this rampage? The Trailer is up. And, while I hope it dawned to follow the quality of HP and LOTR, it instead desired to hire an actor from the HORRID Dungeons and Dragons fame. Jeremy Irons? COME ON! that ship's sailed longggg ago. And John Malcovich? How less powerful an actor can you get? Don't get me wrong, by no means is JM a bad actor but he's demanor is better suited for stuff like Con Air more than a face of a movie villan. He's too soft spoken. If they treated his character like THe villian in Gladiator, that'd be one thing. But not, he's supposed to be that cliche badguy that chases a boy who has an inherant destiny. This movie won't tank but, like it or not, it won't do good either.

-Longbow

Rise to Power versus Deeply Depressing

Lets face it, a whole bunch of fantasy fans got into the genre in the first place by reading a rise to power type of novel. What's a Rise to Power Novel? You know the type, and no I'm not talking about that kiddy fantasy movie not-to-be-spoken-of.

The basic jist is boy lives life, supplanted by boy realizes power supplanted by boy rises the ranks. Ok, ok, I get ahead of myself because lts face it, "Boy" is usually "girl." But that's another topic for another day. Lets get back on topic, L.E.Modisett and his Recluse series, Harry Potter and Enders game are all ones we've all fallen in love with, based on our generation. I have some friends that remember when Ender's game was the first book they read, which got them into Scifi, or even kids today who tell me about HP, blah blah blah. Not to mention the Dragonlance/Forgotten Realms series, every other book is the Rise-To-Power mantra.

And then theirs DD, deeply depressing. Ever heard of Robin Hobb? Me, like many male fantasy fools (mff) found themselves enticed by the title, "Assassin's Quest." I said to myself... "hey! Assasins! Cool!" Then you read the first couple chapters and it's about this kid who's being persecuted, then turns into an Assassin. 6 books later your crying to yourself late at night, realizing the whole series is just making this character's life into a living hell.

A more up-to-date version would be George R. R. Martin's creation and his lately one "Feast of Crows." Talk about depressing! At one point in the 2nd book, he litterally KILLED OFF EVERY SINGLE MAIN CHARACTER. (With exceptions of course) And, like a sap, I was first in line to preorder my copy of his next stringyoualong novel.

But, while the RTP books got me into Fantasy initally, I feel myself drawn to the DD books. Not because of i cut myself at night, (dramatic pause) but because I feel more reading each page, I feel and care about the character that much more. Maybe it's just me, but I the Dragonlance "Lets say Sorcercer 10 times per paragraph to entice the readers," style of novels just don't do anything for me anymore.

-Longbow