When you think of fantasy, what do you normally think of? You might imagine castles, dragons, and wizards. Great battles being fought and complex magic systems. And you would be right! But these are characteristics of all different kinds of fantasy subgenres. High fantasy might have these characteristics, but what makes it stand out from the others?
If you’re looking to understand what high fantasy is, how it’s different from other fantasies, and how to write it, look no further. Check out its characteristics, history, and more below!
The History of High Fantasy
The fantasy genre has been around for much longer than people think. Fantastical elements and myths can be found in all kinds of early texts from Greek literature to Norse mythology, though most of these only contained elements of fantasy rather than the full characteristics of the high subgenre. That means that, while there were “fantasy” works, they were still in familiar settings rather than the non-Earth ones we’re familiar with today.
That all changed with George MacDonald. This author wrote fantasy novels for children and adults in the early 18th century, but these were different than previous fantastical works. They were outside of our world, containing all kinds of new and wonderful elements. Authors such as William Morris and Lord Dunsany would further popularize this more modern idea of fantasy. And of course, J. R. R. Tolkien would become well-known for revitalizing the high fantasy genre in the mid-20th century. By then, the epic nature of the genre, the non-Earth worlds, and more would establish the “high” in fantasy, and many more fantasy subgenres would branch from that.
The Characteristics of High Fantasy
With this genre, a lot of the characteristics might be considered stereotypical, but that’s because these characteristics were the most common when fantasy really started to pick up. A lot of the other fantasy subgenres would appear later, or in a slightly different form than what we see today. Either way, a lot of characteristics of high fantasy are easy to pinpoint (which also makes it easier to know what to include when you write!).
Obviously, not all fantasy in this subgenre is the same. Characteristics can be used in different ways, but that all depends on the story you want to write. For now, here are several major ones.
1. Magic systems. These can be either hard or soft, meaning they can either have tons of complex rules that can’t be broken in the narrative or they don’t really have rules at all. Witches, wizards, and important characters such as the protagonist often wield these systems.
2. A non-earth setting. This subgenre becomes “high” when everything occurs in a place different from Earth. Here, society, culture, language, and even physics might be different from our reality. This makes worldbuilding vital to your story, and why fantasy is difficult to write at times.
3. Fantasy creatures. Like the setting, creatures in the high subgenre might not exist on Earth either. Many creatures might be based on mythologies, however. Books such as The Hobbit and Eragon, for example, have dragons in them. So check out mythologies you enjoy and see what creatures you find!
Plenty of these fantasy stories also include tropes such as the Chosen One, the Hero figure, a “dark” antagonist,” and some type of adventure. You can subvert tropes or ignore tropes altogether, but when you write, have fun and don’t worry about what people like and don’t like. And speaking of writing…
How to Write High Fantasy
As I said, you don’t have to follow an exact set of steps to make a good fantasy story. Utilizing the tropes in a genre in a new way is always fun to write and exciting for readers to read. But when tackling this genre, especially one as complicated as fantasy, be sure to keep the following in mind.
1. Make the worldbuilding strong. This genre needs LOTS of worldbuilding development, especially since it’s not Earth that readers are examining. Everything will likely be different from what we see every day in the real world. So make the worldbuilding believable. Establish the rules for how things work and keep them. Create unique and cool cultures, societies, myths, and legends. Then place your story inside.
2. Create complex characters. Whether hero, antagonist, or any other character, don’t settle for “types,” that is characters with stereotyped attributes and predictable characteristics. In any story, characters should be complex, even if they’re performing a specific role that many stories have shared before. The antagonist might be a “Dark Lord” personification of evil, but what makes them different from other stories? Your hero might be the Chosen One, but how might you examine this trope differently?
3. Don’t add too much. I mentioned worldbuilding and how much planning is involved, but don’t plan too much. Besides spending too much time creating instead of actually writing, writers tend to overstuff their fantasy with information about the world, especially in the beginning. True, it’s harder to explain a world when so much is different from our own, but take your time, and use exposition when necessary.
4. Balance each of the scenes. Battles are cool in fantasy, and so are descriptions of cool things you want your readers to notice. But both need to be used in moderation. Readers need a chance to breathe between battles and action. They also can get bored if your descriptions drone on and on. This might be hard, but finding the balance in high fantasy will keep your readers engaged from beginning to end.
Lastly, here are some high-fantasy books to check out! Happy reading!
The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
The Wheel of Time series – Robert Jordan
The Sword of Truth series – Terry Goodkind
A Wizard of Earthsea – Ursula K. Le Guin
The Way of Kings – Brandon Sanderson
An Ember in the Ashes – Sabaa Tahir
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