Bringing Fantasy Out of the Middle Ages
Over the course of many years, high, epic fantasy has evolved from its roots in Medieval Europe to other cultures around the world. For me, as with many people, my journey into fantasy began with the Chronicles of Narnia, the Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings. Those stories, with perhaps the exception of The Horse and His Boy, are firmly lodged in settings similar to the real life world of Medieval Europe.
A lot of fantasy still dwells in this niche, mainly because J.R.R Tolkien, E. R. Eddison, etc. were all great pioneers of the budding high fantasy genre.
Medieval Europe is cool, don’t get me wrong, with all the castles, and delicate royal lineages, and the rolling landscapes and whatnot, but after a time, reading so many stories that are based off of the same place and era becomes a little boring. The wonderment that the authors’ infused into their stories lost some of its luster because as readers we can point out similarities between other stories we’ve read.
I have noticed that the past few years have yielded an amount of interesting new fantasy stories set in lands and realms that are not akin to any European time period, but explore the intricacies of different influences. I recently read Bradley P. Beaulieu’s Twelve Kings in Sharakhai and I found it very intriguing. The story is set in a fantasy world loosely based off medieval Arabian and Middle Eastern places, and Beaulieu does a good job adding filler that defines the city of Sharakhai as distinctly non-European.
I always feel a little jolt of excitement when I hear about a new fantasy book set in a different world, knowing that we can once again pioneer into farther lands. In 2017 there’s a new book coming out called The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera that uses Mongolian themes.
Personally, a lot of my favorite books come out of the ‘medieval Europe’ category, including the Inheritance Cycle, and Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles, (which takes a turn into a different alley of Europe, rediscovering the Welsh myths). I started out writing not having delved outside of this zone, and created a world that was similar to a lot of the previous iconic fantasy legends. When I got older, I started exploring other influences because I felt that they held a lot of potential and fodder for stories. The novel I finished a while back moves into a desert culture, and I recently wrote a short story in a world very similar to pre-British India.
So while I think that Lord of the Rings will always be a top fantasy read, I also believe that diverging from the European influences is equally important. Exploring different ethnic groups, cultures, ideologies, landscapes, and political systems can give fantasy a fresher face, a slick new coat of paint, if you will.
*For the most part, the top grossing fantasy books/series have used middle European characteristics in their world building, with a few exceptions, including Dune, the Aiel in Wheel of Time, and the numerous little things in Harry Potter.
Painting by N.C. Wyeth, depicting Arthur and Mordred.
Infographic by Isaac Payne