Fantasy Books
Posted on | February 26, 2009 | No Comments
All kids love fantasy books, but as we get older, many of us stray from the genre. You see, we are taught that fantasy fiction books are ?genre fiction.? They are seen as geeky in some circles, and most older kids think it is more acceptable to read books about sports or teenagers growing up. I think that this is a shame. Fantasy literature is one of the richest bodies of fiction in the whole world. From fantasy children’s books all the way up to the grown up classics of writers like Peter S. Beagle and Ursula K. LeGuinn, fantasy is a genre which powerfully reflects on timeless themes.
When I was a kid, I loved fantasy books, as well as mythology. I loved sword and sorcery stuff back then. Although I liked some more realistic fantasy stories such as ?The Giver,? my favorite ones were the stories involving medieval settings and epic battles. I was a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings, as well as the writings of C. S. Lewis. I would run around, pretending to be the characters from the various books that I was reading.
As I got older, my tastes in fantasy books broadened a little bit. I discovered the realm of post-apocalyptic fantasy, and really dived right in to it. It was fascinating to think about what the world might be like after society crumbled, and I looked forward to reading those fantasy books with a mixture of dread and pleasure. It was the first time that I was ever scared by the books I was reading, and I found the whole experience to be strangely enjoyable.
Nowadays, my favorite fantasy books are a little bit more complex. Juts a few months ago, I read the novel Kiln People by David Brin, and I immediately fell in love. It sort of lies on the line between science fiction and fantasy. It is a book about a society where people are able to make duplicates of themselves to run around and do the chores that they would normally do. It is actually a detective story set in that bizarre other world, and is one of the very best stories that I have ever had the fortune to read. I also like to read fantasy books to my own kids every night. They are both good readers, and absolutely devour the books that I share with them.
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