# Epic Fantasy or High Fantasy?



## Dwarven Gold (Feb 24, 2011)

Are epic fantasy and high fantasy the same thing?  If not, what makes them different?


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## Behelit (Feb 24, 2011)

I'd never heard of that sub-genre. Upon looking it up, it appears to be the same thing. 

Epic/High Fantasy is defined as a fantasy in an alternate world. Whether our primary world does not exist, the alternate world is entered through a portal from the primary, or its the alternate world within the primary world. 

_Information was obtained from the unreliable, unable-to-be-referenced Wikipedia._


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## Ravana (Feb 25, 2011)

At a guess? "Epic" fantasy involves more than an half an inch on your bookshelf. 

As far as I know, Behelit is correct. There doesn't appear to be any difference.


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## Philip Overby (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm always interested in discussing sub-genres of fantasy.  Here's my take.

High/epic fantasy tends to be broad in scope with a wide cast of characters and numerous sub-plots.  It also tends to have lots of magic, fantastical creatures, and other things in those veins.  On the other end of the spectrum is Low Fantasy.  Usually smaller in scope (maybe just one area) with essentially no magic at the heroes dispense.  It can also be based in our own world as well.  The Green Mile, the Conan stories or the Black Company series are often referred to as Low Fantasy.

As far as High/Epic fantasy goes, Tolkien, Brooks, Goodkind, Pullman etc. fall into that category.  

There seem to be numerous sub-genres of fantasy out there.  Here are some, if you're interested:

Sword and Sorcery, Urban Fantasy, Epic/High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Mythic, Magic Realism, etc.


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## Ophiucha (Feb 27, 2011)

I consider 'epic' and 'high' fantasy to be separate subgenres. Epic fantasy is, as the name may suggest, epic. It has epic battles, epic journeys, an epic goal, and is probably as thick as your fist. High fantasy is merely a setting, where incidentally most epic fantasy takes place. High fantasy does not have to be epic fantasy. High fantasy is just a setting other than Earth that, as opposed to low fantasy, is full of magic and magical creatures. An epic can take place in either setting, or even our own Earth really. High fantasy OFTEN is epic fantasy, but you can have high political fantasy, high slice-of-life fantasy, high dark fantasy, etc.


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## Kittenmay (Feb 27, 2011)

Pretty much the same thing.


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## Mdnight Falling (Mar 7, 2011)

I think they are the same thing  I've never heard of the sub genre's before but I'd imagine they'd be the same thing LOL


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## Telcontar (Mar 8, 2011)

Yep, same thing.


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## At Dusk I Reign (Mar 9, 2011)

I've always considered 'epic' fantasy a genre which contains the notion of 'time abyss'. This is apparent in Tolkien's work, which references events and people which have long since passed from the earth. High Fantasy, by contrast, is perfectly feasible without any reference to an imaginary past. Personally, I've always gone for 'epic' in anything I've written. It's entirely possible I have delusions of adequacy.


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## Jimmy deadcode (Mar 16, 2011)

'Epic' refers to the scope of a novel, self explanatory really.

'High fantasy' refers to the level of the fantasy elements involved in the setting. It is opposed to 'low fantasy' which describes a world closer to our own with minor fantasy elements.

The vast majority of what people consider fantasy is of the high variety however. When you have people launching fireballs from their hands and imagined races, that pretty much makes it 'high fantasy' right away.


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