Continued Appeal of High Fantasy?

[Jaron]

BS.

Your original point was that Harry Potter was a very different kind of fantasy sewn together from a lot of commonly held notion.

MY point is that Harry Potter is not different at all.

Quit arguing with me.

Ok what was the previous fantasy novel set in a modern day wizard boarding school where the central plot revolved around teenagers going through puberty with wizards?

That isn't the point. The point is not that her combination of elements made a new story, but rather than those individual elements were not new ideas.

[garbon]

That isn't the point. The point is not that her combination of elements made a new story, but rather than those individual elements were not new ideas.

She basically stole major plot points from Final Fantasy VIII. Originality my ass.

[Jaron]

I think Harry Potter was first, Kyle love.

[garbon]

I think Harry Potter was first, Kyle love.

Really because as far as I know most of the series came after.

[garbon]

Ok what was the previous fantasy novel set in a modern day wizard boarding school where the central plot revolved around teenagers going through puberty with wizards?

Wait so is Twilight original because it but Vampires in high school?

[Tamas]

If you ignore his usual russo-fetish, QQ is right: I am bored to no end with standard fantasy, and yes Marty, despite having gay sex, Dragon Age is very standard high fantasy with some darker overtones.

[Sophie Scholl]

I'd be intrigued by some type of setting with Native American type mythology and culture used as a basis.  It's familiar, but would be slightly different from the typical Western European style fantasy, which I still really dig.  I have no problems with Warhammer, Dragon Age, and the like drawing from that.  As others have said, it's the story and the way you use those familiar elements in a new way which makes it fun and interesting for me.

[Scipio]

Speaking for myself, I read fiction the way I play games: Story over setting.

Whether the antagonists are orcs, trollocs or vampiric bunnies is irrelevant as long as I'm being told a good story.

The setting only serves as a vehicle for the story, and if it distracts rather than attracts, it becomes meaningless.

I saw an animated film a while back called "Dragon Hunters" and while I was strangely fascinated by the way they played with physics and the standard format of monsters it just didn't "work" and while it was interesting to watch, I couldn't really enjoy the story.

I think people enjoy what they are familiar with because it's easier to get emotionally involved with what you're familiar with. If you don't have to spend time figuring out how the universe works, you can focus on the meat of the story which is the characters. Most stories follow a very similar format and eventually all become pretty predictable but we still go to see the new Bruce Willis movie or buy the latest Wheel of Time book because we like being entertained in a predictable fashion.

Spoiler alert:














Rand will defeat the Dark One.

He already did, at the end of The Dragon Reborn.  Jordan just didn't want to end his gravy train.

[PDH]

But I agree - people like high fantasy because it's comforting.  It speaks to a few core beliefs that people like to see (special people have special magic powers and are destined to succeed, evil is relatively easy to identify and gets its comeuppance in the end).  Enough modern assumptions are kept which, combined with the reuse of tropes, motifs, monsters and so on makes it very easy to get into new work once you're into the genre.

This is really it.  It is escapism without being too far afield, that boring comfort that Garbon is tired of, the good and evil supposedly set in a different time (yet with people who could easily be living today with their assumptions), all wrapped in a thin veneer of "difference" that allows one to read the same story over and over.

In a way, fantasy mirrors the late Modern the same way UFOs mirror the Cold War.

[saskganesh]

BS.

Your original point was that Harry Potter was a very different kind of fantasy sewn together from a lot of commonly held notion.

MY point is that Harry Potter is not different at all.

Quit arguing with me.

Ok what was the previous fantasy novel set in a modern day wizard boarding school where the central plot revolved around teenagers going through puberty with wizards?

Discworld. but it was a college and the wizards were all grown up. 

[saskganesh]

But I agree - people like high fantasy because it's comforting.  It speaks to a few core beliefs that people like to see (special people have special magic powers and are destined to succeed, evil is relatively easy to identify and gets its comeuppance in the end).  Enough modern assumptions are kept which, combined with the reuse of tropes, motifs, monsters and so on makes it very easy to get into new work once you're into the genre.

This is really it.  It is escapism without being too far afield, that boring comfort that Garbon is tired of, the good and evil supposedly set in a different time (yet with people who could easily be living today with their assumptions), all wrapped in a thin veneer of "difference" that allows one to read the same story over and over.

In a way, fantasy mirrors the late Modern the same way UFOs mirror the Cold War.

interesting.

do you think that Fantasy is more popular today (the 00's) than say in the (Tolkien 60's and the D&D 70's and 80's ?

[saskganesh]

I have already stated I am tired of elves and other tolkienesque/D&D races. any new fantasy game or book that involves those ... at this point ... will probably be ignored by me.

[Solmyr]

But I agree - people like high fantasy because it's comforting.  It speaks to a few core beliefs that people like to see (special people have special magic powers and are destined to succeed, evil is relatively easy to identify and gets its comeuppance in the end).  Enough modern assumptions are kept which, combined with the reuse of tropes, motifs, monsters and so on makes it very easy to get into new work once you're into the genre.

Have you actually played Dragon Age?

I wouldn't call it a game where "evil is relatively easy to identify".

I would. And I have played it.

I agree with Jaron, in DA it's disturbingly clear that every decision has a good and an evil option. That's actually a major complaint about the storyline on the game forums.

[garbon]

that boring comfort that Garbon is tired of

I'm not tired of comfort. It's like Rocky Road. There are times that you need it.

[DisturbedPervert]

I have already stated I am tired of elves and other tolkienesque/D&D races. any new fantasy game or book that involves those ... at this point ... will probably be ignored by me.

So you'll ignore one game every 3-5 years?