Acquired Tastes: New Fantasy Novelists

Longtime readers of epic fantasy like myself, in lieu of waiting with bated breath for the latest opus from either Robert Jordan (whose last effort, Knife of Dreams, was magnificent) or George Martin (whose last effort, A Feast for Crows, was dismal), have taken to exploring relatively new fantasy authors, and with good reason. Newcomers such as Steph Swainston and Joe Abercrombie, if their initial works are a valid indicator of their storytelling gifts, have much to impart to a whole new generation of fantasy readers, at least insofar as characterization and sheer cheekiness is concerned.

Swainston seems further along, at least in terms of artfully distilling both sure-handed characterization and delightfully surreal plotting, though her graphic depiction of the horrors of addiction (in the person of Jant, the winged immortal narrator of her critically acclaimed The Year of Our War) demands a mature sensibility that prevents me from wholeheartedly recommending it to younger readers, as I'm not entirely certain if I'm mature enough to be reading it.

But Abercrombie's book, for all of its pretensions towards generating sympathy for its supposedly blatantly characterized anti-heroes, is really all about heroes. All his principal, supposedly "grim" and "morally compromised" heroes may dally with the darker aspects of the human experience from time to time, but they never seem to seriously want to live the life of the morally bankrupt. Plus, they're great fun and wonderful wits, not in the almost unbearable way that the characters of David Eddings can sometimes be (seriously, how can almost everyone in the Belgariad possess the same gently subversive humor and adopt the same patterns of slyly affectionate wit?). Despite the blurb on the back cover, and the stubborn insistence of its main characters, this book is a celebration of heroism, in spite of it all.


Photo Credits:
Image of The Blade Itself comes courtesy of Amazon.