Young Adult Fantasy: Where Did The Magic Go?
As the market becomes saturated with young adult fantasy books in the “Harry Potter” mold, how long will it be before the genre loses its magic?
“It seems a fair question to ask” said R. J. Nimmo, speaking as both an expert on entertainment for children, and as an author specializing in young adult fantasy himself. “It seems the spell being cast by the latest crop of young adult fantasy novels is becoming less potent”.
Despite the increasing number of similar, even suspiciously similar, books being made, he would not want to argue that they are becoming less popular.
Too many books are being written on the same theme, and the assorted vampires, witches, and wizards, are falling prey to the same trap every success has: becoming overexposed.
Nimmo says the genre’s rise in popularity was initially due to J.K. Rowling’s wildly successful “Harry Potter” series and was further compounded by the success of the “Dark Materials” trilogy by Philip Pullman.
“They are all fantastic books – genuinely fun and original,” Nimmo said. “The problem is the market is becoming saturated. One more insipid ‘Harry Potter’ clone may be one too many.”
So how can parents find worthwhile reading choices that their kids – whose appetites for fantasy fiction show no sign of abating – will want to open and read?
The way to do it, is to look for books where the fantasy comes from solid research – for instance, where the story involves characters from mythology, or uses a real historical background. These will generally be much more well written, as well as having a greater emotional – and educational – weight.
Look for books set in specific historical periods, or that reference unusual creatures or stories, rather then just picking up another book about wizards or vampires. There are plenty of websites that will help you do this, by suggesting similar books to the ones you already know are good, or letting you find books by their style of writing.
With all the books being published each year, you know there must be at least a few good ones out there! Just keep looking, and you’re sure to find something worth reading.
For a good book reccomendations, or if you want to find (for example) book like Twilight, try the authors website.