BFF

[ninebelow]

You know the brand of fantasy written by Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, George RR Martin, Robin Hobb, Steve Erikson, etc, etc? What do you call that?

Poll

Comments

[andrewducker]

David Eddings has Gods Walking The Earth, Immense Magical Power and Good/Evil dichotomies.

GRRM has complex politics, low levels of magic, a bunch of thoroughly unpleasant people all round.

While they both fall under "epic" fantasy, they do seem to me to be very different beasts.

[lil_shepherd]

Yes.

In using the term 'heroic fantasy' for this I think I am showing my age.

[dyfferent]

I am sad that 'sword and sorcery' seems to be going out of fashion as a label, as it's most apt.

[communicator]

Me too!

[ajr]

I associate 'sword and sorcery' with books that are massively shorter than the ones cited above; Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books (natch), and Moorcock's Elric books spring to mind as fitting the bill. Can't think of anything recent that suits the label. The Steel Remains, possibly.

[dyfferent]

I would call all of these sword & sorcery; to me it's a theme and not a set length.

[davidcook]

I've also seen them disparagingly labelled "Extruded Fantasy Product" ...

[oxfordhacker]

I actually call it 'generic fantasy'. If I'm feeling kinder, 'Tolkein-esque fantasy'. If I'm feeling less kind, 'Tough Guide fantasy'. I realise that these aren't necessarily fair descriptions, but people know what I mean.

[fjm]

You forgot to add "the stuff I don't read".