Dublin worldcon

[tagmeth]

The Dublin schedule is out.  I'm pleased to find that I'm on four events.  Hope to see some of you at some of them!

Autographs: Friday at 11:00
16 Aug 2019, Friday 11:00 - 11:50, Level 4 Foyer (CCD)
Is epic fantasy conservative?
Format: Panel
16 Aug 2019, Friday 13:00 - 13:50, Wicklow Hall-1 (CCD)
Back in 2013, Gollancz’s Twitter account made the

Comments

[mindstalk]

As for whether the epic fantasy is generally conservative, I have no idea. Not sure I've read that much of it. The Prydain books owed a lot to Tolkien IMO, though the setting was the size of a postage stamp; you've got some righteous kings going with the Sons of Don but they're magical beings who sail away. The final message is a liberal "it doesn't matter who Taran's parents were, just what he does".

Bujold's Chalion and Sharing Knife series are king of epic low fantasy. Secondary world but magic is usually subtle, but some stakes are reasonably high. Conservative? No one's leading a democratic revolution in Chalion and it's like 1400s Europe in many ways. Sharing Knife is a lordless world where the characters challenge social expectations, though.

[tagmeth]

i think Lloyd Alexander is the one who coined the phrase high fantasy. My definition certainly fits his series. I tend not to read the type of epic fantasy I described either. It makes my skin crawl.

Fantasy vs. epic fantasy vs. high fantasy

[mindstalk]

My main complaint about epic fantasy (aside from the brave young hero set forth on his Destiny with A Sword and a number of sidekicks who may or may not survive the journey) is that they're all plunked down in some sort of pseudo-medieval mess which a) isn't really medieval and b) takes no note of what would in fact happen after 200 years of "nothing going on." David Eddings is the worst of this--thousands and thousands of years of "history" pass and about the only thing that changes technologically is....a certain embroidery design falls out of fashion. It makes me want to pound my head against a wall

Re: Fantasy vs. epic fantasy vs. high fantasy

[mindstalk]

Guild secrecy is actually a true to history element, and served to slow development of crafts and technology. Imperial China fiercely guarded the secrets of its silk production, and there are surviving examples of medieval glass (Chartres blue) and metallurgy (Wootz steel) that we no longer understand how to produce, and cannot duplicate. We no longer know what the Byzantine naval incendiary called "Greek fire" even [i]was[/i].

One of my favorite little bits along the way is where Kallystine is experimenting with a recipe to extend her youth, that Auntie Rawneth had told her about, but not in detail. Her Kendar maid's hand is prematurely aged from it, instead. What the book doesn't say that observant readers will know, is that what Kallystine is attempting to produce is the drug, "dragon's blood", which Taniscent uses to tragic effect at Bortis' urging in God Stalk. The giveaway is that aging is a side effect of the successful potion, and as much of the effect as Kallystine manages to create before her Kendar maid slips behind her

Re: Fantasy vs. epic fantasy vs. high fantasy

[fir_bholg]

Above comment is mine. I did not mean to post anonymously. I almost wish it made me sign in, to prevent that.