F is for Fantasy #AtoZChallenge

by Donna Huber

For the A to Z Challenge, I'm discussing different book genres/categories. Each day, I will give a few details about the genre/category and an example or two. I would love to know your thoughts on the genre/category and if you have any reading suggestions. Be sure to check out all of my A to Z posts.

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Fantasy is one of the super genres along with Romance and Crime Fiction. It is a popular genre for every age group but there has been an increase in popularity among young adults, which is evidenced by such blockbusters as Harry Potter, Twilight, Cassandra Claire's Mortal Instruments, and several series by Sarah J. Maas among others.

Fantasy novels can be set completely in a made-up world, can bridge between our real world and the fantasy world, or set in some altered reality of our world. World-building is foundational to the genre as writers of fantasy do not have to adhere to history or even the laws of nature. Elements of folklore, fairytale, or mythology are often included.

Works of fantasy existed in ancient Babylon and ancient Egypt. We know of the mythological tales of ancient Greece. And where would Marvel be without the stories of Odin from Norse mythology? Beowulf is an example from Old English that has had a great influence on the genre. 

The modern fantasy genre is considered to have been started by Scottish author George MacDonald when his novel Phantastes was published in 1858. While there were several fantasy novels written in the latter half of the 1800s, the genre gained popularity in the 20th century. Like adventure fiction (see A is for Adventure Fiction), fantasy was popular with American Pulp magazines. The first all fantasy fiction magazine was started in 1923. It was in the 1960s, with the publication of Tolkiens's The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that the genre reached new heights in popularity and moved it into the mainstream.

I read some fantasy, but I prefer fantasy that has some roots in our world and my favorite ones usually have a character that is discovering the fantasy world (like with Harry Potter). For this site, MK reads and reviews a lot of fantasy. Tomorrow she's reviewing several fantasy novels that come out this month. 

The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn

Cordelia Bone's meticulously crafted life and career in Dallas are crashing down around her thanks to a philandering husband with criminal debts.

When her older, carefree sister, Eustace—a cannabis grower in Boulder, calls to inform her the great aunt they never met has died and they must travel to a small town in Connecticut to deal with the estate, she sees an opportunity to unload the house and save herself.

But once there, the sisters learn they are getting much more than they bargained for. The Victorian mansion they stand to inherit is bound in a dynasty trust controlled by their late aunt's aging attorney who insists they inhabit the house and retain it but keeps them in the dark about the peculiar rituals of their ancestors. Not to mention a sexy, tattooed groundskeeper with a shrouded past who refuses to leave the carriage house and a crypt full of dead relatives looming at the property line.

As both women grapple with their current predicament, they come face to face with a haunting family secret, the truth of what happened to their mother, and the enemy that's been stalking them from the shadows for generations. In a twisting torrent of terror and blood, the sisters must uncover the power within them to heal their fractured relationship, reverse their mysteriously declining health, and claim the lineage they wanted to escape but now must embrace if they are to survive at Bone Hill.

Buy The Witches of Bone Hill at Amazon

Read my review and MK's review of this novel.

Is fantasy one of your favorite genres? What fantasy novels would you recommend reading?

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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