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What draws me to a specific genre? Well, there are some plots, some premises that just seem to scream my name from the back covers. I've always been a huge fan of fantasy. There is nothing like the mention of magic, dragons, elves, or fictional worlds to get my reading drool flowing. Classics like Lord of the Rings or newer goodies like The Seven Realms series are just my cup of cocoa. I like to have my mind taken away from the dreary of this world (even if it is into the dreary of another). High fantasy is especially delightful. I think magical worlds existing right there in our own are fun and I can devour a historical fantasy as fast as the next goblin. But there is something so perfectly enticing about books that take place elsewhere. I believe fantasy will always be my first love.
But not my only love, of course. The huge boom in dystopian fiction has really fascinated me as well. I love speculative fiction and science fiction (or are they synonymous, I'm not really clear on this), though I've not read many of the classics in those genres. Stories that take place in space or that have a large chunk of space-related stuff tossed in are a big weakness for me. Having spent four years of my life studying physics and astronomy, that is only natural.
But there is also something so delightfully terrifying about taking a look at our possible horrible future. I remember being super enthralled by Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 in high school. What if that was our future? With the huge surge (thanks to The Hunger Games), I've been quite satiated with the many great futuristic offerings. And I'll be the first to admit I'm terrible at delineating what is dystopian, what's simply futuristic, what's apocalyptic, etc. It's simply convenient for me to toss them all under that umbrella, though obviously many of them are not dystopian in nature.
I guess I'm not much for making sure my books all fit neatly into one little box, though I tend to label things that way for convenience. I like those books that can cross genres or take a little bit of something from multiple genres. I also like my labels. So, I try to lump everything together under one broad label and then hope that I can make lists to help make better connections between books. It's flawed, but it works for me.
Some lists:
Fairy tales
Fairy stories
Medical Dystopian
Not Your Average Magical Creatures
Out of This World (space books)
Steampunk and Historical Fantasy
I'd love to hear your genre-love and any recommendations for my obvious genre appetite.
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I enjoyed reading about your insights into genre fiction...
ReplyDeleteIf you like fairy tale retelling' s you should check out Cinder by Marissa Meyer
I LOVE Cinder and just finished Scarlet. Great stuff!
DeleteThose are some great lists. Wow, I didn't realize there were so many fairy tale retellings! I'd like to add a book series to your "not your average magical creatures" list - the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. You just must read these!
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things about Soul Screamers! I'll have to add them and get my hands on the series.
DeleteI've started really getting into historical fantasy. It's a fun genre.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of fun to see alternate histories with magic :)
DeleteThose lists are awesome! I'm not a very organized person so I'm not really into listing genres but I am always fascinated by people who do! I enjoy all kinds of genres! Fahrenheit 451 was the only assigned reading I enjoyed my sophomore year of high school, it really opened some doors for me, I think!
ReplyDeleteI tended to enjoy most of my high school reading, but that one really stuck with me. I wish I enjoyed more genres, but I tend to be very picky :)
DeleteI agree with you - it's so nice to categorize books by genres/labels, especially when you read as much and as frequently as most book bloggers do. But none of the categories we have seem to quite fit all the books we read. And I love that these books are not easy to define; it makes them more interesting! Glad to meet another speculative fiction fan. :) By the way, I think that speculative fiction is bigger than science fiction. I've always thought of it as an umbrella term that genres like fantasy, sci fi, paranormal, dystopians, and post-apocalyptics all fit underneath.
ReplyDeleteThanks for clarifying the spec fiction thing for me! I always wondered which one was broader. Makes sense that spec fic includes all those others.
DeleteI'm just getting ready to start the Seven Realms series. I'm super excited because I've heard so many good things about it!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely checking out your lists...I'm always on the lookout for more books to read!
Hope you enjoy Seven Realms, it is a fabulous series!
DeleteFantasy holds a special place in my heart I think because it's what I read most when I was young. Not that I think it is juvenile or anything, but it takes me back. And I loved dystopias even before I knew that's what they were called. I love to think "What if?"
ReplyDeleteI've been a fantasy fan most of my life too. Nothing like a little nostalgia huh?
DeleteI agree with Julie, the Soul Screamers series is a must read! I have a love for dystopian, and vampires. Really anything paranormal. I lvoe getting int hose worlds, and seeing how the authors put their unique spins on them!
ReplyDeleteTwo recs for Soul Screamers? Now I really better get on it!
DeleteI usually don't read much Fantasy but it's a genre that I am beginning to explore more.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! There are lots of genres I tend to ignore, so I'm impressed with those who branch out more.
DeleteI'm with you! Fantasy is my favorite! Your magical creatures list just added even more to my reading list. You're always making it bigger! ;)
ReplyDeleteI do my best :)
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