Welcome to the Spectrum of
Speculative Fiction Blog Hop. This
event, over the weekend, links the blogs of a group of speculative fiction
writers whose work covers the whole gamut of fantasy, science fiction and supernatural
horror. You can find links to all the
blogs involved at the bottom of this post, where you can read about the authors
and their books, as well as entering for their various giveaways.
Combining the sordid world of espionage with dark magic, The Treason of Memory is an action-packed adventure story set in a fantasy world of flintlocks and rapiers.
To enter, you just have to visit my website at http://www.nykiblatchley.co.uk/, go to the Contact page (via the sidebar) and send me a message letting me know you wish to enter, and which ebook format you use. At the end of the blog hop, I'll choose a winner by means of the latest, cutting-edge randomising system (the details are top secret, but it involves slips of paper and a hat) and both announce and contact the winner.
I mainly write fantasy, but
that's a very broad category, and I don't even stick to it all the time. My very first published story was horror,
and I've strayed into SF and historical fiction as well, but the heart of my
writing lies between epic fantasy and sword & sorcery, though not always in
"traditional" settings.
So what is it that attracts
me to these kind of stories? Well, the
cop-out answer would be "just because". From the time I was about eight, I loved the legends of King
Arthur, and I devoured every retelling I could find. It didn't matter, somehow, that they all told the same stories ―
the little differences were worth it. I
read and loved the Narnia books, too, and when I read Lord of the Rings
at fifteen, that was that. I was hooked
for life.
I think there are three
things that I love most about both reading and writing books like this. One is, quite simply, the sense of wonder:
there's no limit to what it's possible to encounter in fantasy. You want to experience flying by your own
power? Casting spells that can change
the world? Debating philosophy with an
sentient plant? Fantasy can give it all
to you. (At least, I don't know if
anyone's done the last. Note ― write a
philosophical plant into a story.)
The second thing is that
I've always loved history, and fantasy ― especially epic fantasy ― offers a
unique opportunity to explore more history than exists in the real world. World-making, which is such a big part of
epic fantasy, involves creating countries, peoples and their histories in a way
that's both unique and believable. That
means understanding how history works, and applying it to something that didn't
exist before.
The third thing is that
fantasy (speculative fiction in general, but fantasy in particular) offers the
chance to ask big questions without being bogged down in specifics.
Realistic fiction is fine for examining how things work in the real world,
but it's generally about topics everyone already has an opinion on. A social realist could write a novel
examining how, say, the middle-east conflict affects people caught up in
it. A fantasy writer, by making it a conflict
between fictional nations, or even between elves and dwarves, can examine the
basic moral issues of what happens when two antagonistic peoples claim the same
territory.
It's not just big political
issues. You and I will never be offered
absolute power over the world at the risk of absolute corruption, since there
are no real rings of power. We'll never
have to achieve an ethical balance in the use of magic, or find out how we'd
deal with being immortal; but fantasy can challenge us to consider how we'd
respond to these, and that can help us understand our moral stance.
In a recent blog post, I
pointed out that all fiction is set in an invented world ― it's just that
fantasy is more honest about it than most.
All kinds of fiction have things they can do better than any other, but
I feel that fantasy is the purest type of fiction and, at its best, can reach
the greatest heights.
Besides, it's fun. That's the main thing, isn't it?
Yep, having fun is definitely the main thing. :)
ReplyDeleteI considered The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings my gateway drug into the world of Fantasy, leading me to the harder drug of Science Fiction. I was about the same age too, 15. Even confess to the nerdiness of writing fellow addicts in elvish script.
ReplyDeleteIt was my gateway and hard drug too. Although I read and write a much wider range of styles, Tolkien will always be something special to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for both the comments.
I agree with the points you make about the opportunities offered to writers by the fantasy genre. I would say that many though fail to work out the moral framework of their unique world. We see (to my mind) far too many kingdoms, empires, tyrants, nobles of all kinds and warleaders as dictators, without much attempt at offering an alternative. Usually the nearest the hero gets to making an ethical decision is fighting to put the 'rightful' princeling on the throne. Maybe I'm funny, but I like my fantasy heroes to be morally heroic too, not just handy with the battleaxe.
ReplyDeleteI quite agree, Jane, and I'm certainly not saying that all fantasy lives up to the best, any more than any other genre does. There is plenty of fantasy, though, that doesn't take the easy options.
ReplyDeleteYou wait until mine is released: it's a moralising fest if ever. I love telling people how they ought to behave, next best thing to really ruling the universe.
ReplyDeleteAnd the winner of my draw is Rosie, who gets a copy of my ebook The Treason of Memory. Congratulations, and thanks to those who read and commented. Thanks also to Peter Lukes for organising the whole bash.
ReplyDelete