Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Reading As Fantasy

This week at Teen-Seen the theme is Fantasy and that always ties in nicely with reading, since there's so many sub-genres under that heading. Plus, as I've said, reading for me is an escape - hence a fantasy - no matter what genre (or sub-genre) I'm reading.

Lately fantasy for teens seems completely sucked into the vampire realm. While I've got nothing against vamps or weres, (especially when they're Kenyon's Dark-Hunters) today I'm most curious if adults read fantasy at all.

I remember McCaffrey's dragon riders being the ultimate reading adventure of my teen years and I eagerly awaited the day I could share those books with my daughter. Fostering her love of reading - and love of reading fantasy- paid off as she's turned me to the books of authors like Eoin Colfer, PC Cast and Kristin Cast and Tamora Pierce.

I've often wondered if the magical and otherworldly sense of a fantasy is what gives an author like CS Lewis or Tolkien the timeless appeal to bridge generations.

If you were -or are- a fantasy fan, what makes the read worthwhile?

Do you think fantasy authors have a timeless factor other genres lack?

Happy Reading!
Regan


Buy my books at Echelon Press, Quake, or Amazon

4 comments:

  1. Guess I'm a fantasy snob...Love some. Don't care for others. For me, there has to be emotional connection. The other "stuff" is fun to imagine and read about, but I have to feel a bond with the characters -- they must be timeless.

    Diana
    http://www.booklandheights.blogspot.com
    http://www.wendelwordsworth.com
    http://www.basicblackblog.blogspot.com

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  2. I'm of the CS Lewis, Tolkien fantasy persuasion. The first fantasy I can remember truly loving was "Alice In Wonderland." I'd sit in front of my mirror and wish my way through it to some other land. Never happened. *sigh*

    Guess that's why I write about Cynthia and Gus traveling through a magic trunk!

    Also why I gravitated toward The Pixie Chicks!

    Mary
    http://www.cynthiasattic.blogspot.com
    http://www.woofersclub.blogspot.com
    http://www.marycunninghambooks.com

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  3. Loved Alice in Wonderland - just like Mary, I wanted to climb thru the mirror, too. Also liked A Wrinkle in Time and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. As a teen, I read the Tolkien saga - still have 3 of the 4 original paperbacks I bought with my own pennies (yes, PENNIES), saved from my allowance.

    Nowadays, I drift to mysteries and leave the fantasy books to my son. Don't know why. He's 16, and deeply into the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

    I am currently reading Zamora's Ultimate Challenge - really enjoyable!

    Gayle Carline
    http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com

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  4. thanks for the great responses, ladies!

    Regan

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