7 Reasons to Read Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Fiction
I have a tagline that I use in my newsletter—Fantasy Knows No Bounds. That pretty much sums up why I love writing post-apocalyptic and fantasy fiction and any genre-blending permutations of the two. Science-fiction author Alan Dean Foster described fantasy as the “literature of the impossible” and I think his definition is about as good as it gets. When I write, I tread the ground between what is and what could be.
Creating anything is like a drug. But, the “world-building” inherent in writing post-apocalyptic fantasy fiction takes the high to exponentially greater heights. As an author, I get a real kick out of creating magical worlds for my readers to visit and explore—it’s just plain fun. And, the massive popularity of the post-apocalyptic and fantasy genres leads me to believe that readers find it fun, too. If you’re among the few who have yet to get lost in this fantastical brand of fiction, I’ve come up with 7 compelling reasons for you to open up a new sort of book and, perhaps, your mind.
7 Reasons to Read Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Fiction
1. For the great escape – We live in a technologically advanced era, just the sort of age that many early Science-Fiction writers imagined. We have cell phones and laptops more powerful than anything imagined on Star Trek. Hell, we can even wear them on our wrists. We can travel anywhere in the world within hours. It can be overwhelming. Some forms of fantasy fiction allow readers to time travel to a romanticized world that seems simpler than ours today where people travel by horse or on foot—no futuristic trains, planes or automobiles. Conflicts are resolved definitively by the sword or hand-to-hand combat. Problems are overcome with magic. Other fantasy alters the tech of our time to become better, magical, or simply different in a fresh (and, hopefully, exciting) way. It’s an escape from our over-stressed hi-tech lives.
2. To learn survival skills – If you read or watch the news, you may see our world as a frightening, uncertain place. Reading post-apocalyptic fiction permits readers a measure of control between the pages of a book. Stories about survival after devastation—whether from chemical, biological, or nuclear warfare; natural disasters; or plague and disease—restore faith in the human condition and our resourcefulness. We can be voyeurs without actually having to scavenge for food, huddle around a fire, out run marauding gangs, or fight to overthrow a despotic government. By putting ourselves in the character’s shoes, we challenge our own ability to survive adversity.have cell phones and laptops more powerful than anything imagined on Star Trek. Hell, we can even wear them on our wrists. We can travel anywhere in the world within hours. It can be overwhelming. Some forms of fantasy fiction allow readers to time travel to a romanticized world that seems simpler than ours today where people travel by horse or on foot—no futuristic trains, planes or automobiles. Conflicts are resolved definitively by the sword or hand-to-hand combat. Problems are overcome with magic. Other fantasy alters the tech of our time to become better, magical, or simply different in a fresh (and, hopefully, exciting) way. It’s an escape from our over-stressed hi-tech lives.
3. To explore alternative spirituality – I think religion or some sort of spirituality is a must-have when creating a fictional world (even if it ultimately is a form of atheism). For example, my Malja Chronicles deal with religions that have existed before and after the Devastation, and include different sects of similar beliefs, and how they crash together. In our real world with looming threats of religiously motivated terrorism, “Doomsday Preppers” and speculation about the Mayan Apocalypse, many of us are searching for a set of spiritual beliefs to help us make sense of things.
4. Because it’s liberating – Much post-apocalyptic fantasy, or even science-fiction, envisions a world where all the pressures and rules that we live under go away. Yes, there are new pressures (how will I eat tonight?) but there is an assumed great sense of freedom (why even brush my hair?) that would come when all form of law is abolished. The apocalypse wipes away some or all of what we’re familiar with, allowing a new setting to be built upon the ashes of the old. The possibility of a pure utopian existence is freeing for fans of the fantasy genre.
5. They give you hope – Reading post-apocalyptic fantasy fiction lends credence to the notion that an alternative socio-political universe is possible. In The Malja Chronicles, as another side theme, I take a look at the viability of anarchy and point out that it pretty much will only exist when there are few people spread far apart. The moment people congregate together, rules get established and, inevitably, a hierarchy emerges. Sometimes it takes just one strong character, like the Hunger Games’ heroine Katniss, who stands up against tyranny to restore hope in a soulless world.
6. Everybody loves a good allegory - In a post-apocalyptic setting, everything is changing and, as the characters are challenged, they find out who they really are. Readers go through this process along with them and their own mettle is tested as well. Surviving after the Devastation is a metaphor for growing up, an incredibly powerful one, and young readers can see their own internal struggles in the grand chaos of the story’s heroes and heroines.
7. Because everyone else is doing it –I’m not an advocate for conformity. But just because everybody else is doing something, doesn’t mean you’re conforming if you want to do it, too – assuming the reason you want to do it has nothing to do with what everybody else is doing! Catch all that? And when it comes to reading post-apocalyptic fantasy fiction (or any bit of our geek culture), I say get on board. You’ll quickly discover a large community of like-minded readers and you’ll finally understand what everybody else is talking about.
Why do you read post-apocalyptic fantasy fiction? Or, why not?
Tor.com editor Teresa Nielsen-Hayden has written, “If you ask 20 different readers why they read, they will all be right.” I couldn’t agree more. What are your reasons for reading post-apocalyptic fantasy fiction? I’m interested to know…and, if you’ve visited my blog before, you know what to do. Leave a comment down there (imagine my fingers pointing toward the section below where the comments go).
The post 7 Reasons to Read Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Fiction appeared first on Stuart Jaffe.
