June Genreflecting: Fantasy: The Details

Based on the Collins English Dictionary, a subgenre is "a category that is a subdivision of a larger genre." (Source) In the case of Fantasy, we have several subgenres that are quite commonplace. They range in setting from distant past, distant future, to alternate present reality and most commonly deal with a coming-of-age scenario for our protagonist. Here are some of the most popular selections:

• Epic fantasy- Sword fights between good and evil set in a magical land..sound familiar? This is the kind of book most people think of when they hear the word "fantasy." It encompasses the likes of Tamora Pierce, J.R.R. Tolkien, and my personal favorite Kristin Cashore. This kind of writing lends itself to many different types of readers whether they prefer group adventures or solo expeditions and magic or braun. Whether you want a long series or a simple read through, this subgenre has something for everyone.
• Faerie- While I believe this one to be self-explanatory, some folks often times confuse faeries with fairy tales. The latter is dealt with in connection with myths and legends so as not to confuse readers. Faerie books deal with the creatures themselves, sprites, nymphs, elves, gnomes, etc. These creatures are all different species of magical beings that can work their charms on, oftentimes to the detriment of, humans. Holly Black, Eoin Colfer, and Melissa Marr are very popular faeries writers in YA. They offer a nice balance between real world and alternate realm settings allowing for diversity in faerie rules.
• Mythic reality- Much like the "urban fantasy" subgenre of paranormal books, mythic reality takes place in the real world. Fantastical creatures and events take place in an otherwise mundane setting allowing the reader to believe in magic all around them. These books oftentimes lend themselves very well to a movie crossover as witnessed by Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series & Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's Beautiful Creatures. 
• Myths, legends, and fairy tales- Personally, these are the kinds of books I think of when I hear "fantasy." My go-to thoughts are of Arthurian legends and the original Grimm's fairy tales. I'm not the biggest fan of epic fantasies or the popular faerie books. I prefer my magic ensconced in these realms. Retellings of popular stories are "in" right now, but there is also a long history of complete reworkings. Some great examples are Jackson Pearce's retellings and Stacey Jay's reworkings. In general though you can find plenty of variety from the likes of Gerald Morris, Francesca Lia Block, and Donna Jo Napoli.

I truly adore getting into writer's heads when it comes to building these worlds. There are so many options and details to think about that I get overwhelmed just contemplating it. Kristin Cashore did an amazing job in an interview with Amazon a few years back detailing how she built the seven kingdom's world. I was kind of shocked at what I perceived to be the backward nature of this process, but in fact it makes tons of sense.

Amazon.com: At what point did the world of the seven kingdoms emerge, and how did it evolve and affect the arc of the story?

KC: I went back to my book plan for this question, too, and was kind of amused to discover that the seven kingdoms emerged very specifically from the opening scene I wanted to use for the book. I wanted the book to begin with Katsa sneaking at midnight through the court of a kingdom other than her own, rescuing a stranger who’d been kidnapped from a strange land. This gave me at least three kingdoms just to start with: Katsa’s, the stranger’s strange land, and the kingdom of the kidnappers. So, from the beginning, I had a sense of a big world, and as I hammered out the plot, that world kept growing. I realized that it worked for there to be a number of kingdoms, most of which were badly run—it fit in with Katsa’s desire to sneak around from kingdom to kingdom doling out undercover justice. It also made the mystery I was building more mysterious—if there are seven kings, it takes longer for your protagonist to figure out who’s responsible for mysterious goings on.

I fleshed out the details of my world as I went along, and that includes its dramatic landscapes and weather, which turned out to be really fun tools for making my characters miserable

From http://www.omnivoracious.com/2008/09/my-grace-is-wri.html

I hope this was informative. Fantasy is such a broad subject that it really helped me find my reading niche when I starting exploring the subgenres. That doesn't mean I don't try things anyway, but it's always good to know what you like from the start. Which one(s) do you prefer? What influential writers am I missing from those very abbreviated lists? Be sure to check back next week for my review of an old fantasy book Briar Rose by Jane Yolen.

Waiting on Wednesday: Empty

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I am so stoked for the October 12th arrival of Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures was such an amazing book that was unique, funky & fresh and Beautiful Darkness is set to follow that track.

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

From Goodreads

This is so mesmerizing! Gatlin is such a magical little Southern town that I just can't get enough of! If Ethan & Lena can keep up their witty repartee, I will be enamored with this book. What are you waiting on this week?

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

MAJOR SPOILERS for Beautiful Creatures. You've been warned.

After the non-claiming event that lead to Macon Ravenwood's death on Lena's 16th birthday, Ethan didn't think things could get a whole lot worse. His girlfriend was depressed and confused, not to mention not coming to school, Amma was beside herself with grief, and his dad was in the looney bin. And that was the happier side of his life in Gatlin.

Lena is very confused about what and who she is now that she is supposed to "claim herself." She harbors both light and dark within herself and in this novel, she chooses to follow the dark path. As a result, her relationship with Ethan is strained, but allows him to seek out his own abilities elsewhere. It's among the caster tunnels with Link and Keeper/librarian-in-training Liv, that Ethan discovers his own powers. Naturally, where Ethan and Link go, trouble follows and it takes some mighty casting to help dig them out.

While a strange man named John Breed tries to lure Lena to the dark side of casting and Riley is still lurking around, Lena and Ethan are not really free to claim anything. It will take a lot of will-power and determination in order to make their choices possible. If they can do it all by her 17th moon.

Beautiful Darkness is a roller coaster ride of a book that won't disappoint fans of the first novel. Like many second novels before it, this book is kind of a holding place for the next big action that I am sure is imminent in the next installment. In this story, we learn more about Ethan and Lena's relationship. We already know how it has come to exist, but now we learn how it will grow and change as their abilities develop.

I was very pleased to see that we got to learn more about the history of both sides of Gatlin as the two cannot be separated. Liv was such a lovely character to assist in this facet. She really gave Caster Gatlin a more youthful take than Marian. I felt like Caster Gatlin was more accessible when it was being discovered secretly than having a knowledgeable librarian escort you. John Breed and Riley were also very helpful in moving the story along. They add a dark balance to Liv and Link's light.

With an ending that you'll be sure to tune in for, Beautiful Darkness certainly ranks high on my picks for 2010. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate has lived in Gatlin his whole life. Nothing really changes in this town except in death. That's why Lena Duchannes, Old Man Ravenwood's niece, is such a cause of commotion in this little town. Not only is she beautiful and quirky with her flowing black hair and junky charm necklace, but she's also strangely powerful in a "break-the-classroom-window-when-she's-angry" kind of way. Maybe that's part of the reason Ethan is so drawn to her.

Their magnetic attraction pulls them together and their overlapping family histories seem to have some importance. These two can talk to one another with just their minds and have a connection that runs deeper than any of them have ever known. Lena is a Caster and her 16th bithday, the day that she is Claimed for Light or Dark, is coming soon. Ethan and Lena start on a journey attempting to discover how they can keep her from going Dark and stay together. Of course nothing is ever as easy as it seems, especially when you throw in Dark Caster family members bent on making Lena's sweet sixteen impossible.

This was such a phenomenal book! You may remember that back in January I went to see these authors and posted about it here. I feel like such a dork for not posting about the actual book until now. Kami & Margaret did a fantastic job combining their work into a smooth, fun read.

Lena Duchannes and Ethan Wate are such well-defined and entrancing characters. I was absolutely enamored with their relationship, which was definitely different based on the fact that they spent most of their time avoiding the rest of their classmates and digging through a Casting book that burned Ethan's mortal hands. They were bright and witty in their own unique ways that I found truly enjoyable.

The setting was immaculate! If you've never visited the South, then you got a pretty spot-on representation of small town life in a historic place. There is history all around small Southern towns and the people are, shall we say, close with a certain mistrust of outside influences. Now that doesn't mean that they are backwater morons without the ability to integrate current cultural norms into their lives, but there is just a certain way of life that thrives in small Southern towns that I think this novel really captures.

The plotline is fresh and inventive with a mysterious quality that I have yet to see replicated. Truly an experience, I think everyone should at least attempt to read this book. It's equal parts mystery and magical with a little paranormal on the side. There is something for everyone in this wonderful book. Enjoy!

Author Signing: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Words cannot fully capture the amazing event that was the Beautiful Creatures signing. Kami & Margaret are the most gracious women I have met in quite some time and are an absolute hoot in person! Very real and down-to-Earth, these women were an absolute pleasure to listen to.

They let us know some exciting facts about Beautiful Creatures and how far it has come already: to be published in 25 countries, 18 languages, and multiple fansites in different countries. They describe it as a "Southern Gothic supernatural romance" and "history and mystery." The story is set in the South, not only because Kami hails from the South originally (and has family still here who came to the signing!) but because they feel like the South is a place where magic can still happen. I thought that was a wonderful compliment. There is something to be said for the mysteriousness of my dear beloved South. Kami & Margaret even mentioned that some town that inspired Gatlin in both look and feel were Beaufort, North Carolina, Summerville, South Carolina, & Monck's Corner, South Carolina.

Kami & Margaret also elaborated on their writing style. While it only took them 12 weeks to write Beautiful Creatures, it took them 9 months to revise it entirely. Taking turns, one would write a chapter and then hand it over to the other. The second person had free reign over what they did with the chapter while it was in their possession. Each chapter went back and forth between the writers 5 or 6 times before the final product was produced. Obviously, there is no real way to tell who wrote what in such a chaotic system, so they both take credit for it all. They self-describe their work as "the perfect storm of Southern writing and fantasy that we read as teens." As for why they wrote from a boy's point of view, the ladies explained that it hadn't been done much in the teen fantasy realm because while male characters are usually love interests, we as readers never really get to see what's going on in their minds. Kami & Margaret decided to shed a little light on that subject.

Notice the pin on my sweater? :D

I think the most exciting news was the fact that Warner Brothers has optioned the book for a movie deal!! Richard LaGravenese is set to be the director, so far, and it is shaping up to be a 2011 release. Nothing major has been nailed down yet, but keep your ears and eyes open for news throughout the year.

The book signing was a great experience and something that I absolutely love taking part in. I want to give a big shout out to Georgia McBride, a local author & online sensation I met at the signing & Vania who is lucky enough to be traveling with Kami & Margaret to document their journey. Ladies, it was fantabulous to meet you & I hope to see you again.

Vania & I at the signing