What the best stories do—and tales of fantasy do it better than anything else—is strip away the familiar in order to reveal a more prevailing, universal truth. They help us notice the breathtaking world we otherwise take for granted. They give us dragons, monsters, and witches, and then they inspire within us a knight courageous enough to slay the dragon, a hero brave enough to stand up to the monster, a heroine coy enough to sneak past the witch.
