Set in a fictional world, fantasy is a genre which usually involves magic and myth. This genre is the most fictional because of its characteristics, and just like some of its siblings, it also has its own set of subgenres:
High Fantasy
Set in a heavily fictional world characterized by its own set of rules and morals. Examples are Lord of The Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Low Fantasy
Set in the real world, the low fantasy genre is described as “unexpected magical elements that shock characters” by masterclass.com. The PJO series and Harry Potter series are considered as low fantasy.
Dark Fantasy
This subgenre is characterized by its dark themes and frightening tones. Coraline and The Dark Tower are examples of the latter.
Magical Realism
Similar to low fantasy, but magical concepts are considered part of the world’s realism.
Swords and Sorcery
You can think of an MMORPG game as an example of this one. It involves the epic themes of wielding weapons and adventure with a touch of magic.
Fables
This subgenre is characterized by nonhuman creations that are given human abilities (like speaking).
Fairy Tales
Often intended for children, this subgenre is set in a fictional world where magical and imaginary creatures exist. It’s often told for morals and values.
Superhero Fiction
Set mostly in the real world, it is characterized by people with superpowers they use to save the world.
My favourites from these subgenres are definitely high fantasy and dark fantasy. I love high fantasy because it’s like the ultimate escape from everything around me. I love fantasizing about the existence of another world, where their morals, values, rules, creations are different from us. As for dark fantasy, I love it because of… well, its dark theme xD I love it especially when, ironically with the other favorite of mine, it accurately represents realistic and dark events from our world. I just… like darkness sometimes lol
Definitely both High and Low Fantasy. I definitely admire High Fantasy because the author often thinks a lot about the world-building and having it make sense (though you have to be careful not to have the world-building take over the narration). Low fantasy is something I absolutely love because it feels more relatable / real, in the sense that you know and live in the world it’s set in, so it tends to help you dream ~ However, in my opinion, you have to be careful and think through how magic might have affected the world -not just boom, magic but everything else remains unchanged. In other words, I like when it still makes sense.
Definitely High Fantasy because I’m a real sucker for complex and well-made world-building. High fantasy also provides more room for complex and intricate storylines that make sense when all details are pieced together. One good example of this is Avatar. Avatar had a well-made fictional world. It had slight flaws, but the premise is amazing. Sadly, this good world-building was kinda butchered by Legend of Korra. I like LOK, but it ruined some of the rules that were established in ATLA.
Low fantasy is one of my guilty pleasures, but I only like it if they’re done well, just like how it was on Harry Potter.
Similar to Low Fantasy, I also only like Dark Fantasy if the plot done well and makes sense. Some Dark Fantasy stories fail to make their story interesting since they focus too much on making their story too brutal and gruesome while ignoring how relevant it is to the plot.
As for Superhero Fiction, I love it IF AND ONLY IF it possesses ALL of the following:
Good plot that makes sense from exposition until the end
Likeable, yet flawed 3-dimensional characters with well-developed arcs. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS A MUST
Bad*ss and well-executed action scenes
Non-invincible superpowers. Superheroes still have weaknesses despite their power
This is the reason why love plenty of Shounen manga/anime so much because many of them have all the elements I’ve mentioned above.
Gaslamp Fantasy for the win here. It’s the ultimate child of science fiction, historical, and fantasy. Essentially, it’s steampunk with magic, something set in the Victorian or Edwardian era. The best example of this is the show Carnival Row (which is also awesome and you should check it out) for all the magical creatures in a technologically advanced 1840’s. You get best of fancy old age outfits, classic accents, gaslight cities, and chaotic magical freedom.
