Epic adventure requires an epic setting. Read on and consider how fantasy novels blend magic with the grandeur of nature to create powerful entertainment.

Two common elements in most fantasy novels are nature and magic. They are linked to each other and exulted as ideals in fantasy worlds. This creates much of what fantasy readers find appealing in fantasy fiction because the glorification of nature and magic is a pleasing opponent to the concrete and steel and technology that overwhelms modern life.

Characters in fantasy novels often must cross hostile wastes, brave cold mountain passes, and lose their way in dark primeval forests. In fact, readers of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" would agree that most of the story takes place outdoors. And in Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance" trilogy, the hero Eragon and his dragon Saphira spend long stretches of the story in deserts, forests, and mountains.

The emphasis on nature within the fantasy fiction genre adds to its ability to entertain with escapism. Nature is lacking from much of modern life, and especially in urban life, and imagining adventure and freedom upon the open land is a relief and a pleasure. Often while reading fantasy fiction, you can recall the security that your ancestors took from the bright crackle of a camp fire while camping upon a hostile plain. Or you can summon up that natural fear of being alone among the trees when you can feel that something is watching you.

And the partner of nature in the fantasy genre is magic. It is the force that drives the world. It governs and/or exploits societies, and magic acts as the fulcrum of the struggles in the story. Plots are often driven by rivalries between magic users, or forces of good battle with the aid of magic against evil enemies. In fantasy settings, magic is what confers power whether it is on individuals or ruling elites as opposed to technology that empowers the real world.

In fantasy fiction, the supernatural is valid and science is little used. Exploring the wonders of a world run by magic engages readers because it brings them closer to the mysteries of nature. Magic comes from the natural world, and depending on the story, sometimes the Gods, and fantasy enthusiasts are comfortable with magic as a source of power.

Magic acts as a nice foil to the technology that is omnipresent in modern life for most people. Technology is powerful and amazing and seems quite magical, but deep down everyone knows that it can be explained. That it is all wires and chips and circuits and software and that many people know how to make it and manipulate it. Factories spit out millions of awesome gadgets and televisions and computer mother boards. Technology simply lacks that special exclusivity that magic has in a fantasy novel. Not everyone in a fantasy story has magical powers, and powerful items aren't as easy to come by as a cell phone.

The foundation of nature and magic that holds up many fantasy settings appeals to fantasy readers because people often have a longing for a simpler world un-blighted by highways and telephone poles. Within Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" there are undertones in this epic that suggest a wistful regret for the loss of nature to the rise of industry. For example, the place Isengard in the trilogy is described as once being green and having "groves of fruitful trees" but the corrupt Saruman spoiled the land to build an army. "Iron wheels revolved there endlessly, and hammers thudded." Tolkien wrote.

In general, fantasy literature upholds nature as the ideal and authors give much effort to describing its beauty and awesome power. That which destroys nature is portrayed as evil and rightly so. And magic is often portrayed as superior to technology because it is akin to nature. A nice example of this is presented in Paolini's second novel "Eldest" in which he writes how the elves sing plants and trees into accommodating shapes and shelters.

Technology is not absent from fantasy literature, but it has a lesser presence in society. Fantasy settings are typically cast in pre-industrial agricultural and merchant societies. Technology is limited to trades and crafts, which are much more pleasing and benign than real world factories and nuclear power plants.

Although magic can be good because of its relationship to nature, it of course is a power that can be corrupted and twisted to evil -- as all power can. The struggle between good and evil is also an important part of the fantasy formula, but that is a whole other subject.

Free fantasy short story -- Challenging Lessons

About the Author

Tracy Falbe is the author of the well-reviewed fantasy fiction series The Rys Chronicles in which ambitious rebels struggle against evil and the lives and souls of thousands are at risk. A free ebook download of her first novel is available at http://www.braveluck.com

# posted by M-a-g-M-a-i : 5:36 PM