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Why don't you name something, then? Tom Send a noteboard - 12/12/2011 04:40:29 AM
Most fantasy authors are formulaic and derivative. Most of them have nothing more than a few "oh, that's an interesting idea" moments in their books. There are exceptions. One exception that I mention frequently is Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, which is a profound book regardless of how you want to characterize it.

I suspect you're going to find a lot more relevant science fiction than you will relevant fantasy, because science fiction has so many more ways to be relevant, from dystopian warning novels like 1984 or We or Fahrenheit 451 or Brave New World (all of which are probably literature with the possible exception of the last, which is pretty weak), to heavier science fiction like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov (or Lem, as I previously mentioned).

Fantasy, by its very nature, tends to escapism or absurdity. Once you drop down dragons or elves or fairies or Canadians, the relevance to the real world diminishes automatically. Yes, you can have parables, or fairy tale-type stories with a moral (this is where children's fantasy actually thrives, like the Narnia books or the Harry Potter ones, both of which have value in the realm of children's literature), but chances are if you're writing that type of story you're not doing it to comment on the human condition.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
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Aren't the Tolkien comparisons getting a little...old? - 09/12/2011 09:51:39 PM 3052 Views
The comparison bothers me, but not because Tolkien isn't relevant. - 09/12/2011 10:05:22 PM 1906 Views
I agree with this. - 09/12/2011 10:21:34 PM 1946 Views
Re: I agree with this. - 10/12/2011 07:09:33 PM 1875 Views
Exactly *NM* - 12/12/2011 12:09:19 PM 1007 Views
Only when shit works are being compared to him - 09/12/2011 10:22:26 PM 1798 Views
Larry, - 10/12/2011 01:13:18 AM 1825 Views
Snide dismissal that will be passed off as for his own entertainment. - 10/12/2011 04:55:43 AM 1741 Views
We get a lot of that around here. *NM* - 10/12/2011 05:18:01 AM 771 Views
makes me wonder... - 10/12/2011 04:37:33 PM 1728 Views
Re: makes me wonder... - 11/12/2011 03:03:15 AM 1673 Views
Well-deserved condescension. - 11/12/2011 03:54:27 AM 1901 Views
You're sure about that? - 11/12/2011 04:20:26 AM 2085 Views
Re: You're sure about that? - 11/12/2011 05:25:08 AM 1799 Views
Re: You're sure about that? - 11/12/2011 06:03:02 AM 1678 Views
i think you shouldn't judge a whole world's school programs on your school - 11/12/2011 06:42:30 AM 1718 Views
Yeah, I'm limited in my knowledge, lol - 11/12/2011 08:03:26 AM 1741 Views
My school was...not great. - 11/12/2011 04:02:36 PM 1762 Views
I'm 24. - 11/12/2011 03:49:06 PM 1677 Views
If you're arguing that children should be able to read genre fiction, fine. - 11/12/2011 08:52:27 PM 1608 Views
Well, I suppose it depends on the type of genre being read - 11/12/2011 09:36:16 PM 1834 Views
How often do you hear the challenging writers mentioned at this site? - 12/12/2011 02:03:05 PM 1569 Views
Only when you, me, and a couple others write reviews - 12/12/2011 04:21:14 PM 1994 Views
Oh, it was the same as it always is - 12/12/2011 05:23:56 PM 1655 Views
True - 12/12/2011 06:29:10 PM 1776 Views
One note - 13/12/2011 12:17:48 AM 1783 Views
Perhaps - 13/12/2011 12:49:34 AM 1708 Views
*Sighs* Such is the plight of those shining few intelects... - 23/12/2011 01:15:47 AM 1755 Views
Much of the actual "Classics", that is, Greek and Latin originals, kids would eat up. - 12/12/2011 03:13:03 AM 1585 Views
Try teaching Apuleius in schools... *NM* - 12/12/2011 04:12:49 AM 886 Views
Plato is exciting, brutal and scandalous? - 12/12/2011 09:59:13 PM 1661 Views
You're upfront and honest about it; he isn't. The difference matters to me. *NM* - 11/12/2011 05:18:42 AM 935 Views
Uhh...uh... - 11/12/2011 05:34:23 AM 1691 Views
this is a bit off topic, but out of curiousity... - 11/12/2011 06:28:35 AM 1798 Views
There are no special snowflakes, are there? - 11/12/2011 09:39:21 PM 1606 Views
There are many way of widening one's horizons and broadening one's mind. - 11/12/2011 10:08:24 PM 1358 Views
I said as much in my comment - 11/12/2011 10:20:03 PM 1625 Views
What I don't like- - 12/12/2011 04:28:55 AM 1727 Views
Why don't you name something, then? - 12/12/2011 04:40:29 AM 1667 Views
Sure. - 13/12/2011 07:30:56 AM 1505 Views
Mentioning Ender's Game pretty much shot your argument in the foot. - 13/12/2011 02:02:59 PM 1603 Views
You dismiss the entire video game medium because many games lack value. - 13/12/2011 03:59:11 PM 1752 Views
You're like the McDonald's paid advocate trying to say Big Macs are actually healthy. - 13/12/2011 05:46:37 PM 1561 Views
McDonalds food is inherently unhealthy. - 13/12/2011 06:02:18 PM 1715 Views
For the sake of argument ... - 13/12/2011 04:09:51 PM 1625 Views
Stephenson is not literature, that's for damn sure. - 13/12/2011 05:49:24 PM 1555 Views
Thank you, The Voice of Lews Therin. *NM* - 16/12/2011 05:14:42 AM 950 Views
I'll leave it up to others to define as they wish against their self-conceptions of me - 10/12/2011 10:52:54 AM 1728 Views
that's alright. I really have no desire to stroke your twit-ego. *NM* - 10/12/2011 04:36:56 PM 733 Views
Considering the firestorm I appear to have touched off, that may be best. - 12/12/2011 12:57:49 PM 1697 Views
I know, John - 12/12/2011 04:27:04 PM 1593 Views
Re: I know, John - 12/12/2011 05:06:26 PM 1678 Views
As I've said in the past, I'd be scared if anyone agreed with me anywhere approaching 100% - 12/12/2011 06:33:52 PM 1581 Views
Re: As I've said in the past, I'd be scared if anyone agreed with me anywhere approaching 100% - 12/12/2011 07:13:37 PM 1654 Views
Same guy - 12/12/2011 07:26:13 PM 1726 Views
Ha! Excellent point. *NM* - 11/12/2011 03:44:52 AM 877 Views
I have to agree. - 09/12/2011 10:54:06 PM 1712 Views
They're there for marketing - 10/12/2011 12:20:17 AM 1710 Views
Most of those comparisons are like that anyway - 10/12/2011 05:32:45 PM 1828 Views
Maybe if so much of the genre weren't crap derivative works it wouldn't be so common. *NM* - 11/12/2011 03:44:24 AM 864 Views
To be fair, a lot of it isn't. - 11/12/2011 04:06:07 AM 1635 Views
I suspect that if it really isn't derivative it's not being compared to Tolkien in the first place. - 11/12/2011 04:18:57 AM 1580 Views
That's true. - 11/12/2011 11:08:01 AM 1564 Views
Maybe they mean something else by using his name. - 11/12/2011 03:50:15 AM 1673 Views
When they don't work, yes. - 11/12/2011 03:18:44 PM 1662 Views
The Tolkien fanaticism gets old. And yes, for me it is unreadable. - 11/12/2011 11:37:53 PM 1637 Views
Yes *NM* - 22/12/2011 07:08:38 PM 1004 Views

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