Guide to Popular Genres of Fantasy Books
The question of genre often comes up in discussions about fantasy books, either as a question about what a genre label means, or in books reviews where people feel they’ve been misled about which genre a story fits into; the “this isn’t cyberpunk” conversation that has plagued some corners of the internet for decades now. In this article we’ll attempt to untangle the unsightly mess of genre terms to help you navigate the world of fantasy fiction, and we’ll give our opinion about what some of the more common genre labels mean.
What we mean by fantasy
We think it’s worth covering this, especially since we used the word “cyberpunk” earlier and we wouldn’t normally include that as a fantasy genre. We really don’t want to add to the confusion. Broadly, the term “fantasy” refers to a speculative fiction story, where the “non-real” elements are driven by magic rather than technology. Of course this is a little too neat and, fantasy authors being what they are, there are quite a lot of grey areas, but we think this definition holds up most of the time. This is an extremely broad group, which is why there are so many more specific categories that a story might be put into.
Why does it matter what genre a fantasy story fits into?
One one level, genre doesn’t really matter, but it is useful for two main reasons:
It helps publishers to reach people who might like the book they’re selling.
It helps readers to find stories they might enjoy.
This search for “more stories like x” is the reason we have so many fantasy sub-genres, and why the lines between them are the subject of so much “energetic discussion”.
Where it gets sticky
A genre label is there to group stories together by common characteristics, to help readers narrow down their search for a story they might enjoy. However, this is an evolved system, not a designed one, so there is a lot of variation in the characteristics used.
For example, a genre label might tell you about the feel of the story, like Grim-Dark or Cosy Fantasy, or it might focus on the kind of setting, like Historical or Contemporary Fantasy. The label “Contemporary” doesn’t tell you anything about the relative grittiness of the story, and the label “Cosy” gives you no real detail about the setting.
Most discussions we’ve seen on the lines of “this story isn’t really x” occur because readers enjoyed a particular book and wanted a similar ride from the next one. It’s important to realise that stories within a genre can and will be very different from each other, and that the lines between genres are blurry at best.
This is our opinion
As lifelong fantasy fans, we long ago exhausted our interest in discussing the fine lines of sub-genre categorisation, and the definitions change all the time as fantasy fiction and its audience evolves. These are some of the most common labels and what we think they mean, at the time of writing, in a good light, while sober and properly caffeinated.
It shouldn’t need to be said, but this is not an attempt at an exhaustive list.
Nobody has time for that.
High Fantasy
Most of the articles we’ve seen about fantasy sub-genres include this one early on, we think because it’s often seen as the “base-line”. This is what most people think of when you tell them you’re reading a fantasy story.
A High Fantasy story will be set in a secondary world, and will include powerful or commonplace magic, usually at least some non-human characters and a variety of magical creatures. The story will usually feel grand in scale, and it often, but not always, comes down to a clear good vs evil fight.
Epic Fantasy
This one is often lumped in or confused with High Fantasy, we think because many stories fit easily into both - but there are some that don’t.
Epic fantasy stories are characterised by the length of the journey, often in terms of the number of pages, but certainly in terms of the metaphorical distance between the beginning and the end. There will be vast, sweeping changes in the lives of the characters, and/or in the shape of the setting.
This label doesn’t tell you much about the relative grittiness of the story, the magic level or the detail of the setting or the plot. It will, however, be set in a secondary world, and it will feel big, grand and well …. epic.
Many Epic Fantasy stories are told over several novels and its common to see trilogies and longer series in this sub-genre.
Grim-Dark
Take Epic or High Fantasy, dial the suckometer up to eleven, and you have Grim-Dark. Expect the ending to punch you in the guts, and expect to get there via extreme and graphic violence of all kinds. Usually the setting will have an all pervading feeling of hopelessness, and the protagonists will either fight against this or revel in it.
Grim-Dark has been accused of wallowing and even fetishising this darkness, but in our opinion the best Grim-Dark stories show the value of a little hope and light, and how they’re worth fighting for, even in a world full of blood-soaked horror.
Contemporary Fantasy
These are stories set in a version of our world, but with fantasy elements. The setting may treat these elements as a normal part of life, or more commonly they may be hidden from “the muggles”.
This label tells you very little about the setting, other than that its contemporary, or about the feel, the plot, the magic level or indeed anything else. As a result, it has a few sub-genres to help fans narrow down their search.
Dark Fantasy
Contemporary fantasy stories using classic horror elements, tropes and themes. Dark Fantasy stories may also include traditional monsters, like werewolves and vampires, as protagonists or important supporting characters. Stories with this label are likely to have graphic violence and on-page sex, though romance plots are usually either complex or doomed.
Paranormal Fantasy
The line between this one and Dark Fantasy can be difficult to place, because it comes down to the feel of the setting. The same elements can be present - for example werewolves and vampires cast as “people” - but the themes tend to be more hopeful and any violence will be less graphic. Stories with this label are more likely to contain romance as an important force in the plot, and the ending is more likely to be unambiguously positive.
Urban Fantasy
Urban Fantasy stories are not just Contemporary Fantasy stories that are set in a city - they’re stories that couldn’t have been set anywhere else. The city itself must be an important part how setting and story feel - and its common to see the city described as a character in reviews and discussions.
Many Urban Fantasy stories have a “punk” feel, where the protagonists are idealistic rebels pitted against the dark forces that control their world, though the label by no means guarantees this.
Historical Fantasy
Historical Fantasy is fantasy set in a “real world” historical setting. This could involve the retelling of real historical events with magical elements added in, or it could be a self-contained fantasy story with real historical places and events as a backdrop. Magical elements will usually be secretive so as to be avoid inconveniently disrupting the real-world history. As with Contemporary Fantasy, this label is just about when/where the story is set and it tells you very little about the content.
There is a potential sub-genre where real historical events are re-imagined in a secondary world, as demonstrated by the mighty Guy Gavriel Kay.
Cosy Fantasy
This is another label that tells you about the feel of the story, rather than the setting. In a Cosy Fantasy, you can expect a lighter feel, and the stakes are generally personal and non-lethal. Sex will usually happen “off page” as will any serious violence.
This is fantasy with the safety catch on, though as the polar opposite of Grim-Dark, we think it’s at it’s best with a touch of darkness, and we’re often surprised by how much jeopardy can be created with those small, personal stakes.
So, that’s our guide to popular fantasy genres.
We hope we were helpful.