sci-fi fantasy lit column!

[rm]

So I'm going to be doing a column for Gather on the world of sci-fi and fantasy literature. My introductory piece is going on be on the ascendancy of this genre and why it's not what the people who aren't immersed in it generally denigrate it as. If any of you want to talk to me about why you enjoy this work and what it means to you and how the reception your interest in it as a consumer has evolved over the years, please leave comments and let me know if I can quote you if you provide this info in your comments. I am excited about this!

But, they want a catchy title to help brand it. What the hell should I call it?

Also exciting: a big check for some writing I did will be here exactly when I need it.

Comments

[devikun.livejournal.com]

Hi, came here via wordsofastory to try and be helpful...

Not sure what you mean by 'reception' though; if you mean the reception of others to the fact that I read fantasy, that carefully interested look that appears on people's face when I mention it, then that hasn't really changed much for me. Most people still look that way. I generally don't discuss it (like some dirty secret? "I read...(mutter) fantasyfiction" *cough), but only because I can usually spot the people who don't get it and the people who do, or are genuinely willing to at least. For the don't gets, if I make such a social faux pas, I move on quickly to some other topic; the effort of trying to convince them some of this stuff is actually staggeringly good exceeds my care factor that they leave the conversation convinced...

But some of it is staggeringly good. I've been reading fatasy since middle high school (more than 10 years now), and the more I read, the higher my expectations become and the more refined my likes and dislikes. I have less tolerance now than I did then for 'crap'. There's stuff that I've read I've thought was horrid, and stuff I flat out refuse to read because I know it will be horrid. I've read a lot of the so-called must reads and been burned by long-running series and hard-to-get final volumes (and I don't care how good Robert Jordan is supposed to be - I'm not interested in never ending series). I've paid my dues as a fan and I feel like it's my consumer right to be harsh, judegmental and hard to please.

But I've also matured enough to realise that 'crap' is a subjective label and all those D&D and Forgotten Realms out there - someone likes them, it's just not *me*. And that's fine. I'll stick to my Parker and my Erikson and my Martin and when they stop pleasing me, I'll mourn and then find someone else.

And when someone starts talking to me about Prachett (who is hugely entertaining I know but whom I just can't get excited about) then I'll be the one listening with the carefully interested look on my face.


Err, so I don't know if that's helpful or anything, but you can quote me if you want, and feel free to ask me questions if you need to too!