Reading

Fantasy Literature: How To Choose A Series Right for You

Fantasy Literature is as diverse and expansive as the stories it tells so when someone wanders into the aisle of a bookstore and sees the options of Fantasy Lit, it can be overwhelming.  There are classics, like Lord of the Rings and more contemporary works like A Song of Ice and Fire, also known as A Game of Thrones, or series like The Stormlight Archive or The Wheel of Time.  So, there are countless options in the genre but some of the reads or even the series can be overwhelming.  

In that case, if you’re new to the world of Fantasy then it’s important to know what you’re getting into.  Some series are only three books or so and others can be up to or over a dozen. Yet, some of the books in these series are hundreds of pages…I mean, hundreds and hundreds of pages.  Again though, this is fine if you are used to lengthy books. Yet, Fantasy is a different beast.

A long book is one thing but when you are dealing with numerous characters and new lands and foreign practices or languages, it can become a task for those not familiar with this type of storytelling.  When I started reading Fantasy novels I used note cards as bookmarks and wrote names of characters and notes so I could keep track.

Yet that is no reason to avoid this rich genre.  It’s just important to be mindful of that aspects of Fantasy Lit that can be challenging.  Again, the length of the books and the number of books in a series is something to be mindful of.  Also, the number of characters and the worlds they inhabit are at times a lot to take in. However, these are all things that make this type of literature so exciting and has created legions of devoted fans.

On a final note, there are some great series out there with characters and places you will love but some are unfinished.  Also, some authors, I’m not just thinking of one particular writer, can take years between their novels so you may find yourself wrapped in a book series, finish up to the most current book, and then you’ll be facing years before the next one, let alone the completion of the series.  

While that shouldn’t necessarily keep you from starting a series, it’s just something to be mindful of.  So, with all of that in mind, go forth and get started on a journey with a unique group of people in a wondrous and fantastic land.