FatCat
Maester
Fantasy to me is the ultimate metaphor. You can build an entire world based solely on imagination and that gives an incredibly complex way to mirror the real. Creatures, swords, steampunk; a good story will be able to use these themes to say something about the world we live in today without the need to preach about it. Themes are the undercurrent, swordfights, magicians, and dragons just happen to take the main stage. The sheer power of the imagination can let you get away with so much, it's sad that there are so many fantasy novels these days that are simply photocopies of re-imagined ideas. That's the way I look at it at least....