The BookTok Paradox: Three Problems With Modern Fantasy Novels
The market for fantasy sagas has increased exponentially over the past couple of years, with the rise of BookTok saturating the genre with fresh and eager new writers hoping to publish the next hit. Sarah J. Maas in particular has dominated the community’s attention, and encouraged a whole new audience to delve into a genre that was once reserved for (quote-unquote) nerds.
Here is the thing - I think this is great. It is so gratifying that book lovers have a platform to share our favourite reads and express our fondness for these characters. Yet, there is a controversial discourse sweeping the content creators in this sphere at the moment, and I’d like to share on which side of the argument I land. On the one hand, I agree that not every novel has to be highly intellectual to be enjoyable. Reading should be accessible to everyone, and just because some people merely want an easy read to squeeze into a spare twenty minutes at the end of the day, it does not make their entertainment preferences any less valid. However, some of us have noticed that with the rise in popularity, so accompanies an increase in the same hackneyed tropes and deficient technique in attempts to cash in on a commercially viable trend.
Now, that’s not to say that these new writers are trying to swindle us. The majority have put their all into their work and only wish to fulfil a lifelong dream. But I must say that I personally am finding it more and more difficult to find fantasy novels or series that I care about enough to see through to the end. Which is a huge shame, because in my experience, these stories had exhilarating concepts with huge potential, if only they had included more of these three vital elements…
Credible Worldbuilding
The entire point of the fantasy genre is to create a whole new world order. Whether it is set in the past, the future, or in complete absurdity, the writer must consider why it is that way in order for it to feel real. There are many ways to achieve this; George R.R. Martin routed his fictional universe in the very factual history of England’s Middle Ages. He took famous personalities of the time and supplanted them as characters into his own narrative, creating a political dynamic rooted in the realm of possibility. Deborah Harkness used her characters’ understanding of science to underpin the nature of the fantastical creatures in her ‘All Souls’ Trilogy. This gave what I like to call the “Jurassic Park Effect”, because it made something that is technically impossible feel like it could really happen. So many of the fantasy series I have read recently simply state that the magical order around which they have centred their story is that way because it just ‘is’. There is no background or justification for it, and as such, it renders the premise unbelievable. If writers would just spend a little more time fleshing out the origin of the cultures and sorcery they created, it would allow readers to feel more connected to the concept itself.
2. Resonant Themes & Characterisation
I love a good roman-tasy as much as the next girl, but I cannot STAND it when that’s all there is to the protagonist’s journey. Others might disagree with me, and that’s totally okay, but I believe the popularisation of this kind of surface-level fantasy to be a symptom of a larger issue, being that some writers seem to think that the fantasy element is a large enough distraction from the fact that the themes of their stories are weak. Theme is intricately tied into character; each character represents a different view of the world, as singular and complex as they are. Therefore, if your writing only explores these views on a superficial level, your themes cannot be strong. Take ‘Harry Potter’ for example - yes, there is a goodie and a baddie, but the themes of friendship, prejudice, sacrifice and death are interlaced through a network of complex characters whose actions we cannot always agree with or expect. When characters are multi-dimensional, it confronts the reader with questions, and the intricacy of these questions are what determines the depth of the themes. If we look at the characters of Harry Potter and Voldemort, one is obviously a hero and the other a villain, but if you investigate what they represent further, you will see that it goes beyond that. Voldemort’s hunger for immortality and hatred of muggles is derived from a fear of being powerless, where Harry is willing to die in order to save his friends. The theme is not merely “good versus evil”, instead it asks us: “What do you believe is worth dying for?”. And sadly, in my opinion, not enough fantasy writers are asking these big questions.
3. Appropriate Narrative Voice
This is an aspect that is particularly pertinent to the fantasy genre, which I have noticed is increasingly ignored. Fantasies set in the modern day are much rarer than those set in a more “primitive” era, and yet modern language and phrasing seems to be creeping into fantasy prose where it has no right to be. Unfortunately, I found Raven Kennedy’s ‘The Plated Prisoner’ series to be guilty of this, and it completely ruined the immersion for me. In a world still running on carriages and fire torches, narrators and characters alike have no business talking like they just logged off of Instagram. That’s not to say that these kinds of stories need to be written in Middle English, but it is hard to get that epic feel from a historic fantasy novel when it is devoid of any archaic sentiment or style. One author who I think nailed their narrative voice in correlation to their tale is Tara Sim in her series ‘The Dark Gods’. The other-wordly nature of the setting gave the story a timeless feel, which meant that the contemporary dialogue didn’t feel so out of place, and in fact provided some light-hearted comedy in certain moments. Tone is essential as well as the setting in determining the right voice; heavy topics require nuance and intellect to land, and it is a disservice to the story to disregard the opportunity to connect with the reader.
So, no, I don’t agree that BookTok is “dumbing down” its own community - I think it’s fantastic that more people are getting exposure to such a rich genre. But I do think it can at times perpetuate lazy storytelling. All of this may seem overkill for people who just want to read about some sexy fae (and there is nothing wrong with that, by the way!). But in my humble opinion, fantasy isn’t meant to be straightforward. It is meant to transport you. Truly incredible fantasy isn’t wonderful because you can relate to the events, not like in a romance or a coming-of-age. It is wonderful because it is bigger than the person reading it. We all crave a purpose, and I’m sure that everyone who loves fantasy has dreamed of achieving monumental feats, as our favourite characters have done.
Fantasy is meant to make us small, tiny, insignificant humans feel invincible.
