Literary Genres Explained-Fantasy

There are so many genres.  As I am getting more into reading I find I don't understand half of the genres out there and there are many.
I decided to start with the Fantasy Genre.  I have just read three books in this category and I wanted to know how they fit into that genre and if they were in a sub-genre or sub-category.

Here is the YouTube Version....

Literary Devices describes the fantasy genre like this:

"Fantasy is a form of literary genre in which a plot cannot occur in the real world. Its plot usually involves witchcraft or magic, taking place on an undiscovered planet of an unknown world. Its overall theme and setting involve a combination of technology, architecture, and language, which sometimes resemble European medieval ages. The most interesting thing about fantasies is that their plot involves witches, sorcerers, mythical, and animal creatures talking like humans, and other things that never happen in real life."

So, what is a Sub-Genre/Sub-Category? Here is the best definition I could find,

"A subcategory within a particular genre"

There are all types of subcategories in the Fantasy genre.

Fairytale and Folklore

Animal Fantasy

Toy Fantasy

Magical Fantasy

Alternative Worlds 

Dark Fantasy 

High/Epic Fantasy

Superhero Fantasy

also listed as subcategories in the fantasy genre are Low, Urban, Contemporary, Paranormal, Historical, Medieval, and Science Fantasy. There are probably more.

I went back through the books I have read recently that were under the Fantasy Genre.

I will look at good reads for the type of fantasy listed in people's bookshelves and then describe that subcategory. There are too many for me to describe them all.

Several weeks ago I read Nevermoor The Trials of Morrigan Crow. On GoodReads 1812 people put this in the Fantasy Genre. I found that 22 people put it in the High Fantasy. So just what is High Fantasy? I have no idea let us consult Google.

Here is the description I found on The Azrian Portal,
"The bread-and-butter of fantasy, high fantasy/epic fantasy is your massively scoped out world filled with its own history, mythology, races, ideas, cultures, and more. This is your Lord of the Rings, your Game of Thrones, your Wheel of Time, your Discworld. It has no placement in the real world at all. It exists completely beyond the world we know."

I would agree that Nevermoor does fit the description of High Fantasy. It is filled with a world with different cultures, history, mythology, and races that are nothing like real life.
This book fits under the Fantasy Genre because there is magic, unknown worlds, talking animals and the list goes on.
This was a fun book and I gave it a 4/5 on my reading scale. A review will be posted soon in a separate post.

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I just finished StepSister by Jennifer. I loved this book and I gave it a 5/5. I will be doing a review soon on this book.

It is listed as a Fantasy by 834 GoodReads readers. Seventy-three of those readers marked it as a Fantasy Fairy Tale.
Here is a description from Quora,

"Fairytale: is a type of short story that typically features European folkloric fantasy characters, such as dwarves, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, mermaids, trolls, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments."

I would agree that it is a Fantasy because many things that happened in this book would never happen in the real world. In this book, you will find a lot of magic and enchantments. It is a re-telling of Cinderella thus it is a fairytale for sure.

I did love this book. Among all the fantasy and magic there is a depth and a lesson to be learned for all of us.

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Six Hundred and Sixty Eight readers listed City of Ghosts as a Paranormal Fantasy.

Here is the definition I found on The Azrian Portal,

"As you might have guessed, this type of fantasy is all about your ghost stories, your demons and what have you. The concept of sixth senses and possession. As a subgenre, it is quite vague and rarely sits alone. You’ll often find paranormal fantasy mixed with other types of fantasy, most notably dark, urban and fairytale."

I really enjoyed this book and I think I will give it a 4.5 on my reading scale.
What makes it a Paranormal Fantasy is that it is filled with ghosts, and if I remember correctly, there are demons.

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So now I have a better understanding of the meaning of Fantasy Genre and a few of the Fantasy sub-categories.
Do you have a favorite book from the fantasy genre that you have read? Do you have a fantasy novel that you would recommend? I would love to know. Put it in the comment box below.

                                                                   Happy Reading!

KathieyV

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