Mythic Scribes Fantasy Survey Part 1

[Philip Overby]

So this is based on Nihal's post about a survey from tumblr. http://mythicscribes.com/forums/chit-chat/10045-small-fantasy-survey.html I thought it would be good to get our members' thoughts and then I'll collect all the data together. Plus, GeekDavid dared me to do this, so there you have it.

For the first part please vote on the genre that your prefer the most. If your preferred genre isn't listed above, please list it below.

Also please comment below on things you'd like to see more in the fantasy genre in general.

 

[Lawfire]

Since you can only pick one, I went with "Low/Gritty Fantasy." I'm a fan of low magic, and more realistic settings (for lack of a better term), but I also like epic, high fantasy as well of various other subgenres.

 

[CupofJoe]

I've selected "Dark Fantasy" but I'm more at the [HP Lovecraft] weird side of the scale and not the [Clive Barker] horror end.

 

[Kn'Trac]

I've selected Dark Fantasy.

I like HP Lovecraft's writings as well, but I prefer the more gothic fantasy writings: Shelley, Byron, Poe, PN Elrod's "I, Strahd".

That being said, I read about any fantasy setting that has at least a good storyline, good character development and a believable world.

Kn'Trac

 

[GeekDavid]

I have always loved the epic fantasy, even though sometimes it crosses with other sub-genres like dark fantasy (Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy, for example).

 

[Addison]

I love all fantasy, but in the long run i go with urban/contemporary as it feels real and closer to home.

 

[Sparkie]

I love our varied membership. We're all fans of some kind of fantasy, yet we all have our distinct preferences. This poll has been up less than 24 hours. In that time, almost every genre has gotten a vote. That's part of what makes this community so cool. From different perspectives, we can all weigh in on what makes the best fantasy story.

 

[Saigonnus]

I like the epic, world-spanning fantasy myself, though truthfully I will read almost anything if it's interesting or entertaining.

 

[GeekDavid]

I like the epic, world-spanning fantasy myself, though truthfully I will read almost anything if it's interesting or entertaining.

Glad to know I'm not the only one.

 

[Lunaairis]

ya same. I'll read anything as long as its entertaining.

 

[GeekDavid]

ya same. I'll read anything as long as its entertaining.

The thing is, I've been known to read most of those categories above, but there's no option for choosing multiple options, so I had to pick one out of a whole host of favorites.

 

[Svrtnsse]

Currently I'm most interested in urban/contemporary fantasy. What fascinates me most about that is how fantasy elements are fitted into the modern day setting and how they affect everyday life for the characters.

 

[Philip Overby]

I didn't list for multiple choices in this one because I wasn't sure the original survey that Nihal posted allowed for multiple choices. Plus, I believe everyone has one genre they may prefer slightly to others.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I think we may be a bit of a too small sample size to make multiple choices all that interesting. It'd just end up showing that most of us have take some kind of interest in most of the different sub-genres.

 

[Feo Takahari]

I voted for gaslamp fantasy because I like worlds that grow and change. A lot of fantasy settings remain exactly the same over thousands of years, and I find that a bit unsatisfying.

 

[Nihal]

There isn't a genre that I particularly like above the others, there are genres that I like less (like urban fantasy :x).

Lately I've been more drawn to stories with gray areas than the classical epic adventure. Oh, and I'm with Feo, I like worlds that change and evolve!

 

[Devor]

I picked Epic Fantasy, even though I've been branching out. A huge scope makes the world feel real and connected, and like everything is coming together in the story.

As for things I'd like to see more of, I want to see more subtle uses of magic, as well as the bigger forms of magic that reshape the world. Basically the things I like to write about. Wizards aren't the end-all of what you can do.

I think we may be a bit of a too small sample size to make multiple choices all that interesting. It'd just end up showing that most of us have take some kind of interest in most of the different sub-genres.

It's not the sample size that's an issue. It's the subset that's reached. Mythic Scribes is already an unusual subset of readers, and there's a lot of members who don't post or keep up with the Chit Chat forum. Since Chit Chat is mostly off topic, there's likely to be a group of traits associated with people who post on the threads here, which might translate into differing preferences in subgenres even from other members. The original survey on Tumblr faced similar problems, even with a huge sample size, because Tumblr appeals to a specific audience.

 

[GeekDavid]

I think Epic Fantasy appeals to me because I, personally, have a strong wanderlust, and Epic Fantasies tend to involve a lot of travel.

 

[Kn'Trac]

I think Epic Fantasy appeals to me because I, personally, have a strong wanderlust, and Epic Fantasies tend to involve a lot of travel.

That they do. Nekhara, the setting I'm working on for my RPG, offers a sandbox environment where you can stay in the same city and have a highly political game or you can explore the vast world (about 1.6 times the size of Earth) in an epic adventure of discovery, high fantasy and horror.

 

[Philip Overby]

I voted for gaslamp fantasy because I like worlds that grow and change. A lot of fantasy settings remain exactly the same over thousands of years, and I find that a bit unsatisfying.

This is a good point. I don't know gaslamp fantasy very well, but it does seem like it's trying new things that I haven't seen in fantasy as much. While I do enjoy a lot of other genres, they do have a certain level of sameness to them. This is one reason I've grown interested in writers who work outside the confines of their genre like China Mieville or Chuck Wendig.