-A.M. Aguilar
Why Fantasy and Fiction?
“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”
One of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis 😀 . The genres I read the most are fantasy, fiction, contemporary, and romance. But if you know me personally or have been following me for a while, then you know that my favorite book genres are definitely Fantasy and Fiction.
I love how authors can convey reality and fairytales in stories that make our imagination strive for that spark of magic. Today I decided to talk a little bit about why this remarkable genres are my go-to choice on books and series.
“Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.”
Fantasy is a genre of fiction, where the stories are set in a fictional universe often inspired by real world myth or folklore. These amazing worlds that authors create can also be based on our world but in a dystopian manner; a futuristic universe. Fictional worlds are filled with all kinds of interesting, charming and dynamic characters, plus adventures they go through that make these books a fantastical treasure 😉 .
Let’s get started on this appreciation post for Fantasy and Fiction! What makes this genre one of the best there is… 😀
Reading fantasy is not about reading children stories and books for young kids. People have misunderstood this genre and think that these books are only for children, when some of the best plot developments and original characters of literature can be found in Fictional books.
Fantasy is about exploring other worlds, where the laws that govern ours may not apply, but are replaced by others. For example, dragons exists but they are the equivalent of a natural disaster in our world, but with a lot more trouble 🙂 . A place where possibilities unfold, where almost anything can happen and also the consequences of such possibilities.
Fantasy is for those who want and need to completely abandon the “now.” It is about escaping reality for a while, as I always like to say, but Lloyd Alexander explained it better: “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.” Might as well do a proper escape to a very different world than my own, because authors can do very interesting things when they’re not constrained to writing about what’s possible.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know.”
There are also a lot of philosophical and moral conflicts in fantasy stories that can help you understand real life conflicts or cast a new light upon these, with a chance of seeing the old things with new eyes. Fantasy (and fiction in general) takes us to different places, whether they’re better or worse than our real life, that make a fun, intriguing and wonderful experience to read! You have the chance of traveling to amazing worlds and getting to live incredible adventures next to admiring characters.
The world of fantasy tends to be filled with all kinds of different characters and they are all brave, courageos and usually, realistic. Fantasy authors recognize the importance of grounding their fantastical stories in real, strong, relatable characters and that is usually what first draws me into a fantasy book. Living the stories people who desire to make a change in their world and teach you what bravery, loyalty, love and heroism really is 🙂 .
What’s not to love about epic, wonderful stories in magical worlds that you can fully immerse in and completely forget your real life for hours? There is magic, demons, witches, sorcerers, warriors, demon hunters, gods and goddesses, heroes and villains, love stories; almost anything you can imagine! There IS a story told about it, in fantasy.
If you have not dived into fantasy stories yet, then this is your sign. It is your turn to grab a fiction or fantasy book and enjoy bewildering stories that can change your life and your perspective of this world 🙂 .