The world of reading is a dynamic one, especially lately. With the addition of BookTok, Bookstagram, and BookTube, readers are seeing big ebbs and flows of different genres and authors. Everyday readers are using these platforms to get their book thoughts out there. Mash-up genres are huge, indie authors and self-publishing are on the rise, and there are more diverse reading options available than ever before. But, what does that mean for some of our original genres? The world of Fantasy, Romance, and Science-Fiction are consistently taking new form. The question I ask: Is the age of Epic Fantasy dying away?
Fantasy is such a cornerstone of my reading lately and this question has come up a lot especially because of the big typhoon of Romantasy flooding the scene. I am finding that when I talk fantasy with people, their first thought tends to lean into Romantasy and not generalized Fantasy. If you don’t know what Romantasy is, this is a mashed up word made from romance and fantasy. What makes a Romantasy is a fantasy heavy plot containing magical systems, creatures, and worlds with the additional dominant theme of romance throughout. Yes, Fantasy can have romance sprinkled in but Romantasy is Romance heavy in plot. When casually talking about Fantasy, people used to immediately think of The Hobbit by Tolkien; when people think of Fantasy now they immediately see The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. To be honest, I don’t know how this makes me feel. I am genuinely excited for the birth of new reading categories and that people are reading more and more, however, I must admit a small part of me feels that I won’t be able to find a traditionally-published Epic Fantasy for a long time. A part of me lies in bitterness that Romance is seeping into my favorite genre. We are seeing a huge swing in Romantasy and Cozy Fantasy in traditional publishing. This could cause a problem with new up-and-coming authors trying to publish Epic Fantasy, because traditional publishing companies are scouting for what makes money, and what makes money is Romantasy. The plus side of this push-back from traditional publishing companies is the emergence of self-publishing. These swings in genres and public interests are pushing writers to search out new options and outlets for their books. We are seeing major success in self-published Fantasy through authors like Brandon Sanderson, with his secret projects, or Christopher Ruocchio with his Sun Eater Series that is rivaling Dune by Frank Herbert. Writers are finding a way to get their word-counts out and their voices heard!
So, are you a Romantasy lover or are you still living in the golden age of Epic Fantasy? As the pendulum of the book world swings, I wonder what awaits for readers. LitRPG and Progression Fantasies are on the horizon. However, the Romance right now is hard to beat.
Food for the bookish thought.
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann