#Epic fantasy saga | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mask131 · 3 months

Text

About the "Tolkienesque renaissance"

The term "Tolkienesque renaissance" is of my own invention and creation, but it is a name I use to designate a very specific wave of fantasy fiction, or rather a specific phenomenon in the evolution of fantasy in the English-speaking literature.

As we all know, Tolkien's shadow cannot be escaped when doing fantasy. Tolkien's works being published began the modern fantasy genre as we know it today. D&D, the other big "influencer" of fantasy, would not have existed without Tolkien. The Peter Jackson trilogy began the fantasy renewal of the 21st century. Epic fantasy is a sub-genre explicitely designed after Tolkien's work.

And the massive influence of Tolkien over fantasy is the most felt in the second half of the 20th century, in English-speaking literature, through something I would call the "Tolkien cold-war". When you take a look at the fantasy books of the second half of the 20th century, you notice a fundamental clash and divide splitting it all in some sort of silent feud or discreet conflict. On one side, you have the "Tolkien followers" - as in, the authors who walk in Tolkien's footsteps ; on the other side, you have the "counter-Tolkien" offering what is essentially a counter-culture in a Tolkien-dominated fantasy.

We all know that Tolkien's success was huge in the early second half of the 20th century. The success of "The Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit" and the "Silmarillion" was especially important during the 60s and 70s - Gandalf for president and all that... People loved Tolkien's fantasy, people WANTED Tolkien's fantasy, and so publishers and others were happy to oblige. This began the "Tolkien followers" movement - but this beginning was a very unfortunate one, because it was one that relied on not just homage, imitation or pastiche... But in pure copy-cat and sometimes complete rip-off. Since people wanted some Tolkien, people were given LITERAL Tolkienesque fantasy. The most famous (or unfamous example of this would be the 1977 's "The Sword of Shannara" novel. This novel was designed to literaly be a simplified "The Lord of the Rings" with only a few details changed here and there. In fact, this is most of what people recall about this book - how blatant of a Tolkien rip-off it is. And yet, this book was a BEST-SELLER of the 70s fantasy, and it was a huge success, and everybody loved it, precisely because it did the same thing Tolkien did, and so you got to enjoy your favorite series all other again. Afterward, Terry Brooks, the author of the novel, expanded it into a complete series moving into much more original and personal directions, as he admitted himself that doing a Tolkien copy-paste was more of a publishing and editorial decision to make sure he would sell and settle himself in the literary landscape rather than an actual artistic project or personal desire. "The Sword of Shannara" got its own sequels, and became its own thing (though VERY reflective of what the 80s American fantasy was in terms of style, tone and content), but nowadays everybody remembers it for being the "Tolkien rip-off" in its first novel.

And yet being a Tolkien rip-off can sell well, and if the "Shannara" series hadn't proved it, "Dungeons and Dragons" did, since its first edition in the late 70s went as far as to just take Tolkien's inventions such as orcs, Balrogs and hobbits, and include it in its game. The same way the Shannara series then found its own tone and content, through the successive editions Dungeons and Dragons then began to build a world of its own... But it confirms what I said: it was the era of the Tolkien rip-offs.

In front of these "Tolkien followers", which were back then "Tolkien imitators", there was another movement that drove fantasy forward - and it was the "counter-Tolkien movement" so to speak. Works of fantasy that willingly chose to depart from Tolkien's formulas and archetypes and tropes, to do their own thing. Sometimes they did it out of an actual dislike of Tolkien's books: for example the "Elric Saga" was created because Moorcock hated the paternalist, moralist tone of The Lord of the Rings, and so he countered Tolkien's world with a protagonist serving the Lords of Chaos, using a soul-sucking evil sword, last remnant of an empire of cruel, decadent and demonic elves, in a tragic world doomed to endless falls and oblivions... (Though, ironically, Moorcock would end up initiating a genre of dark fantasy that Tolkien himself had explored in his unpublished texts...). Others did it not because they disliked Tolkien but wanted to prove you could do something else: for example Ursula Le Guin admired and appreciated Tolkien's works, but she was fed up with all the imitators and pastiches, and so she created her "Earthsea" world. No European setting dominated by white people, but an archepilago of islands with dark-skinned characters. No big war or political manipulations, the stories being about about the life, journeys and evolution of individual people. No sword-wielding hero or horse-riding paladin, but wizards and priestesses as the protagonists. No big prophecy about the end of the world, flashy magical sword or evil overlord ready to destroy the universe (well... almost), but rather philosophical and existential battles doubling as a fight against oneself and one's very existence...

This counter-Tolkien genre definitively peaked with the other big name of "dark fantasy" and what would annonce the "grimdark fantasy" a la Game of Thrones: Glen Cook's The Black Company.

But what about the titular "Tolkienesque renaissance" I speak of?

Well, if the "Tolkien followers" had only done bad rip-offs, it would have never lasted, ad the "counter-Tolkien" movement would have won. In fact in the 80s, it almost did! Tolkienesque fantasy was thought of as cliched and stereotyped and overdone and dead. People had enough of these blatant-rip offs, as the hype of the 60s and 70s had died out, and the 80s folks turned to other forms of fantasy - such as The Black Company (Dark Fantasy), or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (Sword and Sorcery), or various parodies and humoristic fantasies, but all far from the "epic fantasy". And yet, something happened... The "Tolkien imitators" became "Tolkien followers" or rather "Tolkien reinventors", and began the "Tolkienesque renaissance".

The Tolkienesque renaissance is this group of fantasy authors, most predominant in the 90s though they began their work by the late 80s, that decided they would make the Tolkienesque fantasy live on. Not just by copying it as their predecessors did, a la Shannara, no. But by reinventing it, freshening up the old ways for a modern audience and new times. They took back all the key ingredients, and the famed archetypes and the usual tropes of the epic fantasy a la Tolkien, and they reused them without shame... But in new ways, with twists and turns, playing on the codes of the genre, while carefully avoiding the cliches and stereotypes of the time. Giving what people liked about epic fantasy, while also producing new works that felt fresh and went into opposite directions - taking lessons from the counter-Tolkien movement.

It is commonly agreed that the series that began this renaissance was David Eddings' The Belgariad, published between 1982 and 1984. Just a look at the Wikipedia article mentions this best-selling, very influential fantasy series was the "last gasp of traditional fantasy, and the founding megasaga of modern fantasy"... Now, I actually have to disagree with Wikipedia's words. I do not consider it a "last gasp of traditional fantasy" since it already began the Tolkienesque renaissance and thus a new generation of fantasy ; and the other qualificative is ridiculous since modern fantasy already began with Tolkien, and the Belgariad is not a mega-saga, but just five average-sized books. But the idea of it being a link between an older and a newer generation of fantasy books is very true.

While The Belgariad has to be put first, second comes Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, which probably is the most famous of the Tolkienesque renaissance works of the 90s and became this behemoth of fantasy literature. And to make a trilogy of iconic works, I will add another 90s success: Tad Williams' "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn". Another iconic work of the Tolkienesque renaissance, though lesser known today than the Belgariad or The Wheel of Time - which is a shame, because Williams' work as a huge and heavy influence on a famous fantasy story of today... "A Song of Ice and Fire", which takes a LOT from "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" (I even call this trilogy the "missing link" between LotR and ASoIaF).

The thing with these Tolkienesque renaissance series is that today, to an audience that was nourished by Tolkien and D&D and Pratchett and other things of the sort, a superficial glance might make them seem like "yet other rip-offs, yet other stereotyped, yet other clichéed" fantasy series. You just have to see the reception of the first season of "The Wheel of Time" tv series - here there was a clash between two generatons of fantasy.

And what these people who take a superficial glance will miss is how inventive and fresh and interesting these series felt back then because they played with or subverted the tropes and the codes of the traditional fantasy. They all played by the usual archetypes - you have an everyman young chosen one, a magical mentor who must "die" at one point, an evil overlord in an ominous half-disembodied state, evil black-clad horsemen going after the hero, elves and dwarves and trolls... And yet, these series twisted these same ingredients they used to bring new flavors.

Let us take the Belgariad briefly, to see how the whole Tolkienesque formula was subverted. Like in Tolkien you've got an order of wizards appeared as elderly, bearded men - but here, they are definitively human beings unlike the otherwordly Istari, and their appearance is explained by them being the disciples of a god that likes to take the appearance of a bearded old man, and who by divine influence made them look like him. You've got a dangerous, all-powerful item the big bad is seeking to destroy the world - but here it is no evil, or corrupting thing. It is rather an item dangerous because of the sheer scope and range of its power, and the temptation isn't becaue it is "evil" power, but just because it is a power so massive it can break the world. You've got a missing king with a stewart/regent holding the throne for him until the lost heir returns - but when said heir returns, the stewart/regent is no evil vizir or scheming usurper, and gladly offers back the throne to its legitimate owner. Belgarath, your Gandalf-stand-in, is far from being the dignified guide and noble mentor of Tolkien, as he is a half-werewolf drunkard that hates any kind of official ceremony or garb and prefers running through the woods or rolling under a table in taverns. And while everything is designed as a Tolkienesque setting, you've got no elves or dwarves or orcs - but humans. And that's a big change compared to more traditional 80s fantasy (like D&D or the Krondor series or Shannara). You have your Nazgûl stand-ins, but they're humans. You've got your Istari, but they're humans. You've got your dwarves equivalent, but they're humans. You've got your orcs equivalents, but human too. And it is shown that it is all a human vs human combat, despite being a world of magic and gods, placing some relativism into it all. (Though the fact they decided to subvert the Tolkienesque good vs evil wordlbuilding by having humans on both sides did cause other aspects of the series to age badly but that's another topic).

I can go on and on but I think you see my point - and this same subversion can be found in the other two series I talked about.

The Wheel of Time begins with the chosen one going on a quest... But which chosen one? That's the problem - there are multiple candidates, and so we begin with a guessing game. And the Aes Sedai are clearly an answer to Tolkien's Istari - but all women instead of all men, and much more numerous and pro-active. As for "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" we have benevolent trolls that are actually more akin to Tolkien's dwarves and have some Inuit-influence, while the Tolkienesque-elves turn out to either be the big bads of the series and the evil guys ; or to be sheltered, useless side-characters that are not helping anyone and cause more problems than anything (I'm exaggerating a bit here, but you get the subversion). Spoilers - but the Galadriel equivalent literaly gets murdered during her second actual appearance, to make it very clear what kind of subversion we are into.

Because this was the game of these books - and the reason they were such huge successes. It wasn't about avoiding or setting themselves free from the tropes and code and archetypes of the genre. Rather it was about reappropiating them, reusing them, twisting them and modernizing them in order to get rid of the stale cliches and frozen stereotypes. It was all a game of imitation yes, but also of derailing - a subtle, discreet, derailing so that everybody got on board of the same type of train, but said train took different tracks to another landscape and worked on a different fuel. (If it makes sense?). It is a game of subtle twists - but unfortunately it is often this subtlety that makes these series overlooked, as people just focus too much on what is identical/similar and not much on what is different... Despite the differences being key here in this effort of renewing what was a dying style. Placing back these books in their context highlights even more how "fresh" they felt back then.

I have one specific point that illustrates this, but I'll need to write a whole post for it...

#fantasy books #fantasy literature #tolkienesque renaissance #tolkien #the belgariad #the wheel of time #memory sorrow and thorn #fantasy series #the elric saga #earthsea #the black company #lord of the rings #lotr #tolkienesque fantasy #dark fantasy #epic fantasy #fantasy cliches #fantasy tropes #the evoluton of fantasy

52 notes · View notes

ungoliantschilde · 7 months

Text

more paintings by Barry Windsor-Smith.

#Painting #Master Class #Comics #Art #Illustration #Barry Windsor-Smith #BWS #Pathways to Fantasy #Epic Illustrated #Gorblimey Press #Opus #Fine Art #Fantasy #Icarus #Conan the Barbarian #the Conan Saga #the Last Atlantean

70 notes · View notes

3ldergodz · 2 months

Text

Uwu blorbo god

#ao3 #writeblr #my writing #fantasy #epic the cyclops saga #epic the troy saga #epic dangerous #epic hero #epic the musical #epic the circe saga #epic the ocean saga #epic the musical x reader #epic hermes #hermes x you #hermes x reader #hermes

15 notes · View notes

arcadialedger · 7 months

Text

Not me becoming a John Gwynne fantasy girly.

I’m halfway through Shadow of the Gods and it is SO GOOD, and I’m so hyped about Malice!

#books #john gwynne #the shadow of the gods #malice #the faithful and the fallen #the bloodsworn saga #bookworm #fantasy #epic fantasy #the arcadia ledger

16 notes · View notes

cat-esper · 2 months

Text

WIP Intro | Nightland Nexus

Genre: epic fantasy

Vibes: worlds come in every flavor, ensemble cast, culture clash, various levels of technology, complex mix and match magic system, space train, magic geology, there's an evil that sleeps and should not be awakened

It is said the Nightland used to be home to a vast civilization. Until the Cataclysm tore away its atmosphere, killed its people, and isolated the many worlds connected to it via portals. Many years passed and the Nightland was rediscovered, and with the creation of the Nightland Railway, the worlds re-established contact and flourished. Prince Kamarissen of Azura is afraid to take his father's throne. Weakened by a childhood injury and overwhelmed with all that ruling entails, he feels like a failure. But when his uncle stages a coup and kills the king, Kam is forced to flee the palace with his two loyal bodyguards in tow. Without an army or the support of the people, he'll be hard-pressed to regain a throne he doesn't think he's ready for. What he does know is that with his uncle as king, Azura will fall. In the crystalline capital of the desert nation Claromanti, Princess Rian has prepared her entire life to be queen. All that remains is to prove she's worthier of the throne than her six sisters in a competition that will test the limits of their bonds and loyalties. With tensions brewing between Claromanti and its neighboring nations, Rian journeys to Azura in order to secure an alliance, but its new king is not interested in peace. Sef is a thief and a smuggler. With the price of magic in Azura so high only the wealthy can enjoy it, smuggling aether across the Nightland from the other worlds is a lucrative endeavor. But when he steals from the wrong man, he must trade his services in exchange for his life. If he can retrieve a key to a hidden vault and take whatever's inside, his life will be his own again. But the key is in the heart of the Azuran capital, and in the wake of what the people believe is the assassination of the king by his own son, such a feat would seem impossible. Sladen is an outcast. Traveling from world to world and calling none of them home, he seeks to prevent another Cataclysm like the one that destroyed the Nightland. This holy quest consists of two goals. The first is to discover the series of vaults scattered across the worlds and destroy whatever lies within. The second is a list of people whose deaths are vital to preventing a second Cataclysm. Sladen arrives in Azura to claim the next name on his list: the crown prince of Azura himself. Their destinies are on an intercept course and with a darkness growing strong once again beneath the surface of the Nightland, only their talents, knowledge, and magic combined will be enough to stop it.

This is by far my most ambitious world-building project so I expect it will be a very long time before I get to the point where I can start drafting this one, but hopefully the wait will be worth it.

I only have a few songs for the playlist so far:

Immortalized - Hidden Citizens

His Brightest Star Was You - Two Steps From Hell

Start a War - Klergy, Valerie Broussard

#writeblr #writeblr intro #nightland nexus #starfish saga #epic fantasy #writing #writeblr community #writing community #wip

3 notes · View notes

enchantingepics · 2 months

Text

Story Prompt 55

In a land where dragons roamed freely, there was a village nestled at the edge of a dense forest. The villagers had heard rumors about a dragon living nearby, but no one dared to venture close to its lair. That is, until one curious soul decided to check out the dragon's room.

One bright morning, a brave young villager, filled with a mix of fear and excitement, set out on a journey towards the dragon's lair. As he approached the entrance, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

Taking cautious steps, he entered the cavernous space, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. To his surprise, the room was not filled with treasures and gold as he had expected, but rather with books and scrolls scattered about.

"Hmm, this isn't what I expected," he muttered to himself, brows furrowed in confusion.

Just then, a deep rumbling voice echoed through the chamber. "Who dares to enter my domain?"

The young villager froze in place, fear gripping his heart. "Uh, I-I come in peace," he stammered, trying to sound brave.

The dragon emerged from the shadows, towering over him with its massive wings spread wide. Its scales shimmered in the dim light, and its eyes glowed with intelligence.

"What brings you to my lair, little one?" the dragon asked, its voice surprisingly gentle.

The villager gathered his courage and replied, "I-I wanted to see if the rumors were true. They said you hoarded treasures, but I see books instead."

The dragon chuckled, a deep rumble that reverberated through the room. "Ah, you are mistaken, young one. While I do appreciate the occasional shiny trinket, my true treasure lies in knowledge."

"Knowledge?" the villager repeated, intrigued.

"Yes, indeed," the dragon replied, nodding its massive head. "I have spent centuries collecting books and scrolls from far and wide, learning about the world beyond my cave. There is so much to discover, so much to learn."

The villager's fear began to ebb away, replaced by curiosity. "Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked tentatively.

The dragon smiled, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Not at all, young one. Feel free to explore to your heart's content."

And so, the young villager spent hours poring over the dragon's collection, amazed by the wealth of knowledge contained within.

3 notes · View notes

ticklishcicada · 2 years

Photo

Zack thinks stealing might be a cool thing to do right now

context is in my zack lives au tag

#zack lives au #zack fair #cloud strife #ff7 #Final Fantasy #comatose cloud adventures #the epic finale of the groccery store saga!!!!!#comic #say goodbye to nameless npc #and the shopping cart

64 notes · View notes

lethesbeastie · 2 years

Text

Artfight revenge on Kibara of their character Saigo!

I cannot physically stop myself from going ham on my revenge attacks it's not possible I have to show my gratitude or I will combust

#artfight #artfight2022 #artfight attack #team bloom #i realize now this sorta has similar vibes to that scene from the lion king akfhskfjs #but like if the lion king were an epic fantasy saga

36 notes · View notes

spottedstar24 · 9 months

Text

Just a bunch of my OCs from my fantasy novel…ya know, evolving as characters do 😭. Seriously this song has me in its grip and won’t let go!

#epic the musical #epic the troy saga #epic the cyclops saga #just a man #my ocs #my oc art #fantasy #fantasy books

3 notes · View notes

iamjaynaemarie · 2 years

Text

You know, if I had to tell everyone what happened to me, it would be another book all together, and right now I have my hands full with books. I am so busy now that I have just been told to give up my dreams PhD work and just concentrate on writing books.

First things first: @tkwrtrilogy3 is back. First of all there will be a crash course on what the new people that showed up missed. That begins tomorrow the writing begins October 7 as you can see by the lovely illustration above.

So much to do and so much time to do it. Considering this book is a trilogy, and it has an extra three books attached to it, I’ll probably be writing this one until I’m 70. I just turned 50 so that tells you a lot. OK, so I write fast. Maybe 65. Be grateful. Oh. It is already twice as long than the entire first season of Rings of Power (probably longer).

Next: The New King in Town @lesecretdelamaisondubourbon So, you probably missed it. Not only am I Thranduil, I am also Louis XIV currently. I will be his Daddy, too.

You don’t wanna know. Well maybe you do. Let’s just say I have extensively covered his love life and survey says: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

If you were ever on my Instagram, you would know there’s a new lady in town for His Majesty Louis XIV. and none of you know who she is because she’s new to a degree. Anyway, let’s just say they had fun (and will continue to have fun. However, if you are reading the book on Tumblr, Louis is still a baby. I had to jump ahead for theme reason on Instagram and I’m afraid if you go over there you’ll want him to grow faster. I would also like to tell everybody that his brother Philippe he has a story to tell.

Oh, does Monsieur have a story to tell. That belongs to my co-author, @fortunatelyclevercandy. As they say, true friendship never expires. Don’t worry you’ll like it I’ve already read some of the story and it’s: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Oh, right. The Secret of the House of Bourbon is also a trilogy. I write trilogies. Why? Because I’d like to write. A lot. I also read as much as I write. And sometimes in French. HOB (as we call it) covers 196 years of the House of Bourbon. I wanted to start with Louis XIII, but my co-author loves her some Philippe, so to stay consistent, I headed over to Louis XIV. That was probably the absolute best decision I ever made in my life and I suck at making decisions. I really suck at making decisions. I try my best not to make any of them. So, like I always do, I ended up beginning a story in the middle. I am in Book III and it is all about Louis XIV. Yes, there are women. More than you can imagine but not as many as his grandfather Henri IV. There is no one earth who can have that many women except for his grandfather Henri IV. Oh, and by the way, this is not fanfiction based on anything like a television show perhaps. This is all about the history and the history is wilder than the television show. How wild? Let’s just say somebody made me go through 500 pictures of one poem before they decided OK, this doesn’t have to be a PG-13 novel. 😑 I mean it doesn’t have to be like Tolkien. We are grownups. I think we’re grown ups. Well, she might be more than I am. But we’re definitely grownups. So anyway this is a grown-up book about grown-ups just happened to start as children before they become grown-ups. In 17th-century France. Yeah. Did you know Louis was born with two teeth? 🦷

We are adults. Fun fact: My birthday is September 4. The day before Louis XIV. Ain’t that a kick in the head?

So, I guess this is it. I guess I am coming back. It’ll take a while to get used to being back after such a Trumatic experience I went through, but I’m happy to be back to doing what I love. Writing. Oh, one more thing:

Hee hee 😛 So, I guess we’re back. 😉 For me, there’s no place like the throne.

11 notes · View notes