Is medieval fantasy a dying genre?
Mar 02, 2023 3:19 pm
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Dear reader,
Once upon a time, our dear Grandpa Tolkien wrote a series so spectacular, so genre-defining, that it set the gold standard for fantasy world building. A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, even Dungeons and Dragons: all major franchises that trace their creative roots back to Middle Earth.
For nearly seventy years, fantasy authors (especially epic fantasy authors) have followed in Professor Tolkien's footsteps, writing worlds shamelessly patterned after medieval Europe and filled with elves, dwarves, wizards, and dragons.
But is that coming to an end?
I've heard several prominent "booktubers" discussing the end of Tolkienesque Fantasy, claiming that fans have had their fill of the tired medieval tropes. The winds certainly do seem to be shifting. Brandon Sanderson has amassed an enormous following with his very original world building, and I've recently seen a huge rise in authors of color basing their fantasy worlds off non-European mythology: Black Sun, The Sword of Kaigen, The Poppy Wars, The Jasmine Throne, etc...
But what do you think? Have you grown tired of Eurocentric medieval fantasy? Or does nostalgia prevail? Shoot me an email. I'd love to hear your perspective.
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In other news, we're celebrating "Read an eBook Week"!
Both Fated Blight and Kindred Straits will be available for FREE through Smashwords as part of their "Read an Ebook Week" promotion. The other Sum of Ages books will be available at a steep discount.
The promotion runs from March 5th to March 11th, so make sure to grab your books before time runs out!
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Here are some great giveaways from other independent epic fantasy authors:
You can also get a copy of Welcome to Folengower when you subscribe to Candy D. Mitchell's newsletter:
And you can get a copy of The Shadow Spinner when you subscribe to Eric Kao's newsletter:
The Shield of Nike is also available from a variety of retailers:
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Happy reading,
Ben Schwarting
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My Books:
The Sum of Ages Series is available from a variety of retailers
Kindred Straits is available from a variety of retailers
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