Why do you like fantasy books?

[thoughtwrangler]

To my mind, well-written fantasy, science fiction and horror is more "believable" than most examples of capital-L Literature. One can argue that the reason is because the spectacle of the supernatural distracts from what is otherwise one of the three Stories in human thought.

But I would counter by saying that the Supernatural works as an unconscious metaphor for things that are universal to human experience. When written well, the tale of a young mage coming to terms with their power, or a Vampire struggling with his base urges is every bit as effective for relaying the experiences that inspired the tales as a novel set in the world we know as our own and dealing with those things in a more literal (literary) sense.

 

[spartan231490]

Escapism. It's really the only common core to fantasy, enjoying the escape to a world where so much more is possible. It's no surprise really, that people who live in this world, where so little is fantastic anymore, would feel the appeal of fantasy.

 

[courier006]

I like fantasy because I like the ideas behind magic. With technology, a large group of intelligent people could gather up every single bit of knowledge concerning how every machine in the world works, and that'd be the end of that until new technology is invented. Magic, on the other hand, can be portrayed in a different way. Magic can be this infinite power that we mere mortals can use to flatten mountains, dry up oceans, and warp reality itself, and still only be brushing against the dust on the surface.

 

[CymbaIine]

I don't. I like Tolkien and the world he created, which exceeds the narrative needs of each book. He created Middle Earth from outside-in, not inside-out. The Silmarillion makes a great "bible", and every other character-driven story set in Middle Earth feels like you're homing in from a realm of numerous yet finite possibilities. He created a very grounded fantasy world, if that makes sense.

I think it's a case of starting with the best of the best for me, and not having anywhere else to go after that. What little I've tried reading within the genre after that has been pretty mediocre.

This pretty much reflects my experience only replace Tolkien (who I fucking hate) with George RR Martin. Interestingly the rest of the post (grounded fantasy world) accurately describes my enjoyment of ASOIAF.

I like Harry Potter too but I don't think that counts as fantasy as it's set in the real world. All the other fantasy I have tried to read I find ridiculous.