Control: Evolution of the Fantasy Epic

I, Dalton Lewis, used to read pulp fantasy novels — save the world and marry the princess stories — in the late twentieth century. I remember some of the best ones showed warriors and mages fighting epic battles to save lives and safeguard all of reality from harm. In one fantasy epic by David Eddings a young man is prophecied to stop the evil bad guy and save the world. He starts out as a common farmhand and goes on adventures. His aunt and grandfather take him to safety from villainous attackers. They form a group of fighters who save him from enemies trying to kill him. He meets a princess who instantly hates him and is infatuated with him. They inevitably have a romantic connection as they learn to fight and save lives.

As the characters travel the adventure is often about watching the wonderful characters interact and deal with the most dire of circumstances. In another story a dark elf leaves the dark elf homeland and tries to make it as a ranger and a force of good in the Forgotten Realms. When I grew up I wanted very badly to be anywhere but in my home with my life, and fantasy realms offered me a release that I desperately needed.

I remember those years only vaguely — sitting in school, moody, hating myself, wanting to impress everyone with my intellect, hating the bullies, hating the popular kids with friendship bracelets and Nirvana and Beverly Hills 90210. They hated me. Occasionally my dad would come back from a work trip and take me out of school for half a day and we would eat lunch at Taco Bell and go to the bookstore and I would buy a fantasy epic, something fun and wondrous and different than my life.

Then I moved before freshman year of high school — which I considered the greatest idea ever because I hated most people at my middle school. Then I didn’t have any friends for a couple of years. I remember my parents struggling, telling me to find friends, to just ask people, to make some friends with anyone. I became friends with a number of wonderful geeks and nerds — another story — but until then I read and reread a number of fantasy epics. They got me through all that bullshit and troubled times. I really loved those books that helped me. I didn’t have many comic books back then, and Marvel certainly hadn’t started its cinematic universe yet.

I want to write one of those stories — something with an element of pulp and fun but also an intelligent novel about characters who care about each other. I also think that the traditional view of elves and dwaves as good and orcs as bad is too simplistic — I want an old orc who is a philosopher and teaches the characters to think for themselves.

Writing should be fun, and at this point I don’t expect to sell a million copies, and I have tried to write real art a lot. I can relax in this story and try to tell a good story that will entertain the audience. What do you think? Discuss, or not, as always.

Thanks, and take care, friends.