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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 3310 Views
The comparison bothers me, but not because Tolkien isn't relevant. - 09/12/2011 10:05:22 PM 2141 Views
I agree with this. - 09/12/2011 10:21:34 PM 2210 Views
Re: I agree with this. - 10/12/2011 07:09:33 PM 2156 Views
Exactly *NM* - 12/12/2011 12:09:19 PM 1153 Views
Only when shit works are being compared to him - 09/12/2011 10:22:26 PM 2087 Views
Larry, - 10/12/2011 01:13:18 AM 2095 Views
Snide dismissal that will be passed off as for his own entertainment. - 10/12/2011 04:55:43 AM 1962 Views
We get a lot of that around here. *NM* - 10/12/2011 05:18:01 AM 893 Views
makes me wonder... - 10/12/2011 04:37:33 PM 1988 Views
Re: makes me wonder... - 11/12/2011 03:03:15 AM 1935 Views
Well-deserved condescension. - 11/12/2011 03:54:27 AM 2132 Views
You're sure about that? - 11/12/2011 04:20:26 AM 2374 Views
Re: You're sure about that? - 11/12/2011 05:25:08 AM 2041 Views
Re: You're sure about that? - 11/12/2011 06:03:02 AM 1981 Views
i think you shouldn't judge a whole world's school programs on your school - 11/12/2011 06:42:30 AM 1981 Views
Yeah, I'm limited in my knowledge, lol - 11/12/2011 08:03:26 AM 2002 Views
My school was...not great. - 11/12/2011 04:02:36 PM 2006 Views
I'm 24. - 11/12/2011 03:49:06 PM 1959 Views
If you're arguing that children should be able to read genre fiction, fine. - 11/12/2011 08:52:27 PM 1855 Views
Well, I suppose it depends on the type of genre being read - 11/12/2011 09:36:16 PM 2093 Views
How often do you hear the challenging writers mentioned at this site? - 12/12/2011 02:03:05 PM 1850 Views
Only when you, me, and a couple others write reviews - 12/12/2011 04:21:14 PM 2247 Views
Oh, it was the same as it always is - 12/12/2011 05:23:56 PM 1902 Views
True - 12/12/2011 06:29:10 PM 2031 Views
One note - 13/12/2011 12:17:48 AM 2035 Views
Perhaps - 13/12/2011 12:49:34 AM 1984 Views
*Sighs* Such is the plight of those shining few intelects... - 23/12/2011 01:15:47 AM 2029 Views
Much of the actual "Classics", that is, Greek and Latin originals, kids would eat up. - 12/12/2011 03:13:03 AM 1863 Views
Try teaching Apuleius in schools... *NM* - 12/12/2011 04:12:49 AM 1007 Views
Plato is exciting, brutal and scandalous? - 12/12/2011 09:59:13 PM 1953 Views
You're upfront and honest about it; he isn't. The difference matters to me. *NM* - 11/12/2011 05:18:42 AM 1067 Views
Uhh...uh... - 11/12/2011 05:34:23 AM 1939 Views
this is a bit off topic, but out of curiousity... - 11/12/2011 06:28:35 AM 2062 Views
There are no special snowflakes, are there? - 11/12/2011 09:39:21 PM 1873 Views
There are many way of widening one's horizons and broadening one's mind. - 11/12/2011 10:08:24 PM 1617 Views
I said as much in my comment - 11/12/2011 10:20:03 PM 1868 Views
What I don't like- - 12/12/2011 04:28:55 AM 1994 Views
Why don't you name something, then? - 12/12/2011 04:40:29 AM 1930 Views
Sure. - 13/12/2011 07:30:56 AM 1769 Views
Mentioning Ender's Game pretty much shot your argument in the foot. - 13/12/2011 02:02:59 PM 1862 Views
You dismiss the entire video game medium because many games lack value. - 13/12/2011 03:59:11 PM 2023 Views
You're like the McDonald's paid advocate trying to say Big Macs are actually healthy. - 13/12/2011 05:46:37 PM 1778 Views
McDonalds food is inherently unhealthy. - 13/12/2011 06:02:18 PM 2003 Views
For the sake of argument ... - 13/12/2011 04:09:51 PM 1949 Views
Stephenson is not literature, that's for damn sure. - 13/12/2011 05:49:24 PM 1798 Views
Thank you, The Voice of Lews Therin. *NM* - 16/12/2011 05:14:42 AM 1091 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 2013 Views
that's alright. I really have no desire to stroke your twit-ego. *NM* - 10/12/2011 04:36:56 PM 866 Views
Considering the firestorm I appear to have touched off, that may be best. - 12/12/2011 12:57:49 PM 1930 Views
I know, John - 12/12/2011 04:27:04 PM 1844 Views
Re: I know, John - 12/12/2011 05:06:26 PM 1968 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 1847 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 1912 Views
Same guy - 12/12/2011 07:26:13 PM 1958 Views
Ha! Excellent point. *NM* - 11/12/2011 03:44:52 AM 1010 Views
I have to agree. - 09/12/2011 10:54:06 PM 1944 Views
They're there for marketing - 10/12/2011 12:20:17 AM 1953 Views
Most of those comparisons are like that anyway - 10/12/2011 05:32:45 PM 2130 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 1030 Views
To be fair, a lot of it isn't. - 11/12/2011 04:06:07 AM 1919 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 1839 Views
That's true. - 11/12/2011 11:08:01 AM 1805 Views
Maybe they mean something else by using his name. - 11/12/2011 03:50:15 AM 1993 Views
When they don't work, yes. - 11/12/2011 03:18:44 PM 1931 Views
The Tolkien fanaticism gets old. And yes, for me it is unreadable. - 11/12/2011 11:37:53 PM 1869 Views
Yes *NM* - 22/12/2011 07:08:38 PM 1126 Views

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