TM: Modern/Contemporary Characters in Fantasy Settings

[Alex C]

So... What do you guys think of modern or contemporary characters who enter fantasy settings?

Normally I probably wouldn't read something like The Magicians because usually that premise bothers me, but I can't really comment specifically on this book yet as I just started.

It seems like these kind of stories are more likely to be written for children, and also way more likely to be made into a movie.

Does it change your opinion when the story is directed to adults rather than children?
What about film vs literature?
Is there a reason why there are so many movies made in this genre? (Wizard of Oz, Chronicles of Narnia, John Carter, etc..)
Is the premise inherently childish?

[Gordon]

I don't think there's anything childish about it, nor have I noticed a strong tendency for stories like that to be written for kids. The movies thing makes a certain kind of sense to me though; a modern character in a fantasy setting is ready-made to help a general audience relate more to what's happening.

[Alex C]

Nevermind the childish question, I forgot fantasy fans are sensitive about that subject and I was just thinking of all these movies made(most of them based off books) in the fantasy genre aimed at younger audiences.

I was more wondering if people like when modern characters enter magical settings because the concept just tends to annoy me. Especially when at the end they return to the real world as if the whole story didn't really matter. I just suppose I might be more willing to forgive the author when the story is written for children.

[Joe Informatico]

I think it's just a logical extension of the old travel epics of earlier times. Ancient peoples told fanciful tales about the legendary beasts and exotic peoples of faraway lands. A lot of them were exaggerated, if not outright fabrication. You can look at Herodotus' The Histories, or Pliny's Natural History, or the stories of Sinbad, or Marco Polo's accounts, El Dorado, Shangri-la, etc.

In the mid-19th century, early adventure fiction played with this, e.g. H. Rider Haggard's work, and by the late 19th century/early 20th century, this was expanded to other planets like Venus and Mars. By the end of the pulp era, as it seemed less likely life existed elsewhere in our solar system, fantasy fiction explored other worlds instead.

So basically, I just consider it an evolved literary tradition. Also, there's probably an element of wish-fulfillment at work, e.g., you're a nobody here in the real world, but in the fantasy world next door, you can be a king or great hero.

[Joe Informatico]

Alex wrote: "I was more wondering if people like when modern characters enter magical settings because the concept just tends to annoy me. Especially when at the end they return to the real world as if the whole story didn't really matter. I just suppose I might be more willing to forgive the author when the story is written for children. "

I'm not usually a big fan of it either, because outside of stories aimed at children, I rarely find it done well. I think it usually comes across as either not mattering like you said, or as a wish-fulfillment/Chosen One story, which I rarely find appealing in general. That said, in The Magicians, it was one of the few parts of the book I actually liked, probably because it was neither of those.

[P. Aaron]

This is the central bridge element of the medieval Romance form (see the Lais of Marie de France, et. al.). After an early establishing scene or two of the 'real' world, the protagonists enter the 'Other' space (enchanted forest, cursed castle, haunted cave) for a picaresque quest, then return to 'reality', changed and matured by their experiences. It's the structure adopted by Tolkien for both The Hobbit and its follow-up, which form the basis for all fantasy lit.

[Becky]

I have to agree with you guys Alex and Joe - the combination of modern day and fantasy doesn't really do it for me. It often comes off childish and cliched, and if I'm going to spend time reading, I want it to be something awesome. I absolutely agree that when they go all over the place to crazy new worlds and come back and aren't changed by it? Well that's a real letdown in my book! Er, so to speak.

There's sort of two different sub-genres (maybe?) at work in your discussion though. There are modern characters going back into fantasy settings (typically sort of in the past). I can't remember a specific phrase for this beyond just fantasy, but I do feel like everything with this element in it walks the line between trite and entertaining Very Carefully. The flip side of this is magic realism or urban fantasy, where fantasy elements and characters are brought forward into an urban setting. I often struggle with this just as much. I believe Piers Anthony had some good books in the former category years ago, though, and Charles de Lint writes some really interesting urban fantasy.

As a fan of fantasy and the middle ages, often works with these elements in them smack of anachronism; I just can't quite suspend disbelief, and that's something that's important for any kind of fantasy or sci-fi. You've got to believe! I think this varies from person to person, so people's preferences vary widely.

On the other hand, I can see why this would be fun from a writing perspective for sure! I love writing fantasy but it can after months and months start to get frustrating that I can't refer to things in everyday life like TVs, Abraham Lincoln, or the honey badger to name a few. Fantasy with modern elements in it can include these things, and as others have said that sometimes means it's easier to connect with the story. At least, you make a different kind of connection with the story, and that's a good thing, right? I think they get frequently made into movies for these reasons, and possibly that they might also be cheaper to produce than a period epic.

Just some thoughts on your various questions... I want to believe I can like this sub-genre but most of the time it's a no... One good urban fantasy that does spring to mind are some of the Harry Dresden novels by Jim Butcher. I was amazed when I enjoyed a wizard detective! ;)

[Richard]

It depends on how it's handled. If the fantasy world isn't too full of magic and wonder, than it can work. It has to be mature and done correctly, though.

[Joe Informatico]

Becky wrote: "The flip side of this is magic realism or urban fantasy, where fantasy elements and characters are brought forward into an urban setting. I often struggle with this just as much. I believe Piers Anthony had some good books in the former category years ago, though, and Charles de Lint writes some really interesting urban fantasy."

Here we must part company, as I'm a longtime fan of urban fantasy. To be fair, most of my exposure is from 90s DC Vertigo comics and White Wolf roleplaying games, but I have also loved several books in the genre. So I guess I don't have a problem with modern-day characters interacting with supernatural and fantasy elements. I must dislike characters who travel to fantasy worlds for poor writing or story structure reasons.

Urban fantasy often has a very noir/hard-boiled feel that I like: a flawed, damaged protagonist, who has to slowly piece together the plot; a morally ambiguous world; a gritty atmosphere. The fantasy-travel stories seem to revolve entirely around the question, "Wouldn't it be cool if a normal person got to play Dungeons & Dragons for real?" and most never really shake the feeling it's just a gimmick.

[P. Aaron]

Joe wrote: "The fantasy-travel stories seem to revolve entirely around the question, 'Wouldn't it be cool if a normal person got to play Dungeons & Dragons for real?'"

But I think many of the better ones come up with the rational answer to that question: hell no. The attraction of D&D and other escapist fare is that the threat is not real. Once it penetrates that the consequences of a magically unoredictable adventure universe are that the risks are significantly increased, the smart cookie heads home.

That's the essential lesson of The Hobbit, after all: danger and excitement and really wild things can't compare to the comforts of home, security, and a nice warm fire.

If that's where Grossman had taken this book - and it's where I kept thinking he was going to take it - I'd have had a better reaction to it. Instead, Q never groks the lesson.

[Melissa]

I think the idea of discovering there's a parallel world you really belong in goes along with the idea of a coming- of -age story and that's partly why you don't see books about suburban housewives or middle-aged men suddenly finding themselves in a magical world.

[Jennifer]

I think a big draw with using modern/contemporary settings in novels is familiarity to the audience. You know what a toaster is, you know what a car is. But maybe you don't know all the words for a carriage or medieval cookware. Plus, I think a lot of people are put off by heavy world building some authors do. Some people just don't want to read THAT much about a fictional universe. They just want to get to the meat to the story.

I have just the opposite reaction. I really don't like most urban fantasy novels. I want everything to be different than my day to day life. I love the amount of depth and detail that goes into describing and creating a world from the ground up. But not having to lay all that ground work will free up an author to work on character development or tweaking other things and still keep a book at a digestible size for most audiences.

I think urban fantasy really works well for people in the same way that say, Stephen King is popular. He takes an existing frame work (the world) and tweaks it so it's slightly off. That's a fun ride for a lot of people.

I have to say that I like the Magician a lot more than I thought I would (mostly because it is urban fantasy and I'm usually put off by that). While the main character isn't the most lovable character, he does act like some early 20-somethings do. That combined with some urban settings and some magical world-building has made it an interesting ride so far.

[Phil]

So far, I have not had an issue with the urban fantasy setting. The first time I encountered it was in reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I had a lot of fun with the idea that underneath a large city was a completely different world. Being that I live in a large city, it is a little relatable.

I think also it speaks to the not quite dead part of me, that dreams of something bigger beyond being a cubicle drone. I am doing other things to work to that goal to get away from that existence, but that takes time. The hope to have a chance encounter that changes everything is a driving force sometimes.

[Margaret]

That's the essential lesson of The Hobbit, after all: danger and excitement and really wild things can't compare to the comforts of home, security, and a nice warm fire.

If that's where Grossman had taken this book - and it's where I kept thinking he was going to take it - I'd have had a better reaction to it. Instead, Q never groks the lesson.


This is a theme spoiler for the second book, but no plot spoilers. I'm putting it in tags, though, just in case you don't want to read it.

(view spoiler)[ That is exactly what the second book is about. Threats become real. But I think Quentin needed to become disenchanted by the idea that in a fantasy world everything is magically better, before he can tackle that second hurdle. Otherwise he never learns the first lesson, he just realizes that he's never going to lead an army heroically into battle. (hide spoiler)]

[P. Aaron]

I've read the second book, and I don't think it supports the reading you're offering for it here. I found Quentin even more cluelessly stumbling from One Damn Thing to Another in book two than in book one. And as in book one, he never faces up to the Big Badness. It's up to others, those who actually seem to have some idealism left in them, some idea that the universe is worth protecting, to do that.

[Steven]

I personally don't really have a problem with combination of modern/contemporary characters and settings such as The Dresden Files or Harry Potter. To me it is really no different then a normal fantasy novel or a sci-fi novel, it is a different world that is different then ours sometimes greatly, sometimes slightly. I also wouldn't say it is inherently childish, I wouldn't consider the Dresden Files childish so I guess it really depends on what you consider childish and how much you are reading into things.

The first books that I read that really dealt with contemporary characters entering a fantasy realm was The Fionavar Tapestry which was also the first fantasy book I read with characters from Toronto which is fairly close to where I live. I did however really enjoy the series and it is definitely not childish nor is it for children at all, but it does have references back to world mostly through older literature and myths. If you are looking for a serious and thought-provoking read I'd highly recommend it.