The Fantasy Books That Shaped Writer-Me

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

(A nod & shout-out to

Erica Drayton

for the idea & encouragement to write this)

Fantasy is a genre of story - and yet so much more than that. Novels and short stories transport both children and adults to settings that may or may not actually exist, populated with magical creatures and saviors, adventurers, princesses, wizards, and all sorts of other folk we would never meet otherwise. There are also videos, podcasts, and YouTube channels that didn’t exist when I was young. Fantasy stories have come a long way since I was an impressionable age.

The genre itself is ripe with subgenres that I’ll get into in another post, but today, let’s examine the fantasy books that shaped me as an author.

Like so many other fantasy genre enthusiasts, my love affair with fantasy began with The Hobbit. 

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

How could someone not be curious enough to keep reading?

For so many of us, the very idea an overlooked underdog could live in such a vast world, have adventures and be an integral part of others' journeys was mind-blowing! But while that idea drew me in, what kept me reading with a flashlight under the covers was the immersive details, the characters so real, I wanted to have tea with them, or even better be a part of their next adventure. The next books in the trilogy (which were not originally a part of Professor Tolkien’s plan) allowed me to do just that. So of course, I had to read those too! 

The movie series directed by Peter Jackson is the best screen adaptation, as far as I’m concerned, and went a long way toward bringing Middle Earth to a whole new generation of fans. I re-watch all three foundation movies every year, in order. In fact, it’s almost that time again.

Split Infinity by Piers Anthony was another series starter that I absorbed over and over again. It taught me to never make assumptions about people’s circumstances, and how to write a complicated plot. The gist of it is,

On the technological, decadent world of Proton, someone was trying to destroy Stile, serf and master Gamesman. His only escape lay in Phaze, a world totally ruled by magic. Soon he learned that his alternate self had already been murdered, and that he was next. On Proton, his fate depended on winning the great Games. On Phaze, he must master magic to survive. And if he used any magic at all, his friends were determined to kill him at once! 

No small feat there!

Despite being written in 1980, and despite the fact that the author’s later works are over-the-top sexist, this book also demonstrated that it was okay to make fantasy funny. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent with this book when I was in school. It was certainly more interesting than my peers!

Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey transported me to a world I could never have imagined, and actually riding a dragon? Woah, now that was an engaging concept! The books in that series taught me to dream big, really big! (Is there any fantastical creature cooler than a dragon?) Rereads make me wince at the sexism, manipulation, and cringe-worthy behaviour of some of the characters, but as with Split Infinity, the foundation of this series was written in another time, and it is very much a product of those times. Like the Harry Potter series, Dragonriders were the product of a woman’s imagination and not one who had all the resources in the world when she wrote. This series was a solid example of what one woman could achieve if she had the right drive.

The Harry Potter series was, and still is, so much more than a tale for children. It has influenced how I create character arcs and development, and how those characters can influence not only other characters but the overall plot as well. While I don’t agree with Rowling’s politics, I do acknowledge the gift she gave us when she wrote that enormous series. The writing and construction of the series stand up well under scrutiny, and to this day, I still wish I was half as talented as J.K Rowling.

The movie series adds another layer to our immersion in Harry’s world. I admit, I’m a collector and watch-every-year sort of fan.

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo is a much newer tale, and again the foundation of a series. (I’m seeing a theme in my reading habits here!)

The protagonist is (again) an under-appreciated and insecure orphan that gets pulled through extraordinary circumstances, and changes the world around her. 

(Yup, I’m definitely seeing a theme to my reading)

As with the other work I’ve mentioned, the worldbuilding in what’s become known as “The Grishaverse” is mind-blowingly vast, completely immersive, and delightfully all-consuming. Bardugo’s characters are as real as you and I, even if their circumstances are not our own. Her writing exemplifies complex interpersonal themes, uncertainty, and pacing, and mixes those with magic and the classic battle of good vs evil.

I’ve never seen the Netflix series, and likely never will. The books continue to feed my imagination just fine, thank you.

There have been more fantasy tales than these that have shaped the writer in me, but I’ll stop there for today. I may write another day about those others. In the meantime, tell me what your favorite fantasy stories are!