CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="client-nojs" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"/> <title>Fantasy - RationalWiki</title> <script>document.documentElement.className="client-js";RLCONF={"wgBreakFrames":!1,"wgSeparatorTransformTable":["",""],"wgDigitTransformTable":["",""],"wgDefaultDateFormat":"dmy","wgMonthNames":["","January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"wgRequestId":"Z75wpBiwAZf38cMvYiJKFAAAABI","wgCSPNonce":!1,"wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":!1,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Fantasy","wgTitle":"Fantasy","wgCurRevisionId":2701379,"wgRevisionId":2701379,"wgArticleId":135196,"wgIsArticle":!0,"wgIsRedirect":!1,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Pages using DynamicPageList parser function","Pages using DynamicPageList parser tag","Books","Films","Literature"],"wgPageContentLanguage":"en","wgPageContentModel":"wikitext","wgRelevantPageName":"Fantasy","wgRelevantArticleId":135196,"wgIsProbablyEditable":!0,"wgRelevantPageIsProbablyEditable":!0,"wgRestrictionEdit" :[],"wgRestrictionMove":[],"wgMediaViewerOnClick":!0,"wgMediaViewerEnabledByDefault":!0};RLSTATE={"site.styles":"ready","noscript":"ready","user.styles":"ready","user":"ready","user.options":"loading","ext.cite.styles":"ready","skins.vector.styles.legacy":"ready","mediawiki.toc.styles":"ready"};RLPAGEMODULES=["ext.cite.ux-enhancements","site","mediawiki.page.startup","mediawiki.page.ready","mediawiki.toc","skins.vector.legacy.js","ext.gadget.ReferenceTooltips","mmv.head","mmv.bootstrap.autostart"];</script> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.loader.implement("user.options@1hzgi",function($,jQuery,require,module){/*@nomin*/mw.user.tokens.set({"patrolToken":"+\\","watchToken":"+\\","csrfToken":"+\\"}); });});</script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=ext.cite.styles%7Cmediawiki.toc.styles%7Cskins.vector.styles.legacy&only=styles&skin=vector"/> <script async="" src="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&raw=1&skin=vector"></script> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content=""/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=site.styles&only=styles&skin=vector"/> <meta name="generator" content="MediaWiki 1.35.6"/> <meta name="description" content="Fantasy is a genre of fiction often shelved with (and confused with) science fiction. Fantasy writing usually involves magic, or magical or supernatural creatures. Fantasy is generally distinct from science-fiction as it usually does not invoke scientific themes or future realities. However, several writers such as Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe blur the boundaries between science fiction and fantasy and may indeed look to the future as much as more typical science-fiction authors. The fantasy genre stereotypically features lighter style and themes, though there are notable and quality exceptions to that stereotype. Several noted science-fiction authors have also written fantasy, and several science-fiction awards, magazines and associations also deal with fantasy (and sometimes horror), and vice versa."/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/x-wiki" title="Edit" href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit"/> <link rel="edit" title="Edit" href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico"/> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/w/opensearch_desc.php" title="RationalWiki (en)"/> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/api.php?action=rsd"/> <link rel="license" href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Copyrights"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="RationalWiki Atom feed" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="RationalWiki"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Fantasy"/> <meta property="og:description" content="Fantasy is a genre of fiction often shelved with (and confused with) science fiction. Fantasy writing usually involves magic, or magical or supernatural creatures. Fantasy is generally distinct from science-fiction as it usually does not invoke scientific themes or future realities. However, several writers such as Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe blur the boundaries between science fiction and fantasy and may indeed look to the future as much as more typical science-fiction authors. The fantasy genre stereotypically features lighter style and themes, though there are notable and quality exceptions to that stereotype. Several noted science-fiction authors have also written fantasy, and several science-fiction awards, magazines and associations also deal with fantasy (and sometimes horror), and vice versa."/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Fantasy"/>  </head> <body class="mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject mw-editable page-Fantasy rootpage-Fantasy skin-vector action-view minerva--history-page-action-enabled skin-vector-legacy"> <div id="mw-page-base" class="noprint"></div> <div id="mw-head-base" class="noprint"></div> <div id="content" class="mw-body" role="main"> <a id="top"></a> <div id="siteNotice" class="mw-body-content"><div id="localNotice" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div id="2025_RationalWiki_.27Oregon_Plan.27_Fundraiser"> <table role="presentation" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; width: 100%;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="width: 60%; text-align: left;"><big><center><b><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser">2025 RationalWiki 'Oregon Plan' Fundraiser</a></b></center></big> <p><b>There is no RationalWiki without you.</b> We are a small non-profit with no staff—we are hundreds of volunteers who document pseudoscience and crankery around the world every day. We will never allow ads because we must remain independent. We cannot rely on big donors with corresponding big agendas. We are not the largest website around, but <a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser">we believe we play an important role in defending truth and objectivity</a>. </p> </td> <td style="width: 40%; text-align: center;"><big><b><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser">Fighting pseudoscience isn't free</a>.<br />We are 100% user-supported! Help and donate $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can today with <img alt="PayPal Logo.png" src="/w/images/thumb/f/fb/PayPal_Logo.png/61px-PayPal_Logo.png" decoding="async" width="61" height="17" srcset="/w/images/thumb/f/fb/PayPal_Logo.png/92px-PayPal_Logo.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/f/fb/PayPal_Logo.png/122px-PayPal_Logo.png 2x" data-file-width="883" data-file-height="244" />!</b></big><a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=67BJMQC85CUFW" title="Donate via PayPal" rel="nofollow"><img alt="" src="/w/images/thumb/1/10/DonateButton.png/100px-DonateButton.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="32" srcset="/w/images/thumb/1/10/DonateButton.png/150px-DonateButton.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/1/10/DonateButton.png/200px-DonateButton.png 2x" data-file-width="759" data-file-height="241" /></a> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div role="progressbar" style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid black; position: relative; padding: 2px; border-radius: 18px;"> <a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser"><span style="text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, -1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF; color: black; font-size: 125%; position: absolute; left: 0%; margin: 0 0 0 10px"><b>Donations so far: $2973.89</b></span></a><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser"><span style="text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, -1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF; color: black; font-size: 125%; position: absolute; right: 0%; margin: 0 10px 0 0"><b>Goal: $10000</b></span></a><div style="height: 28px; border-radius: 14px; background-color: hsl(23.79112,100%,45%); width: 29.7389%;"></div> </div></div></div></div> <div class="mw-indicators mw-body-content"> </div> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading" lang="en">Fantasy</h1> <div id="bodyContent" class="mw-body-content"> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From RationalWiki</div> <div id="contentSub"></div> <div id="contentSub2"></div> <div id="jump-to-nav"></div> <a class="mw-jump-link" href="#mw-head">Jump to navigation</a> <a class="mw-jump-link" href="#searchInput">Jump to search</a> <div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"><div class="mw-parser-output"><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:167px;"><a href="/wiki/File:GANDALF.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/GANDALF.jpg/165px-GANDALF.jpg" decoding="async" width="165" height="231" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/GANDALF.jpg/248px-GANDALF.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/GANDALF.jpg/330px-GANDALF.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1071" data-file-height="1500" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:GANDALF.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Psst! Wanna buy some magic beans?</div></div></div> <table class="infobox" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 0.5em 0.5em; text-align:left; border: 1px solid #4B0082; width:175px;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center; color:white; background-color:#4B0082"><b>Great and terrible</b><br /><a href="/wiki/Literature" title="Literature"><font size="5" color="white"><b>Books</b></font></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#E6E6FA;" align="center"><a href="/wiki/Category:Books" title="Category:Books"><img alt="Icon books.svg" src="/w/images/thumb/5/58/Icon_books.svg/100px-Icon_books.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="100" srcset="/w/images/thumb/5/58/Icon_books.svg/150px-Icon_books.svg.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/5/58/Icon_books.svg/200px-Icon_books.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="200" data-file-height="200" /></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; color:white; background-color:#4B0082; text-align:center;"><b>On our shelf:</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; background-color:#E6E6FA;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Combat_Liberalism" title="Combat Liberalism">Combat Liberalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Letter_to_a_Christian_Nation" title="Letter to a Christian Nation">Letter to a Christian Nation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voynich_manuscript" title="Voynich manuscript">Voynich manuscript</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Why_Are_You_Atheists_So_Angry%3F" title="Why Are You Atheists So Angry?">Why Are You Atheists So Angry?</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/God:_The_Evidence" title="God: The Evidence">God: The Evidence</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hay_House" title="Hay House">Hay House</a></li></ul> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; color:white; background-color:#4B0082; text-align:center;"><b>Writer's block</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; background-color:#E6E6FA;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chris_Stedman" title="Chris Stedman">Chris Stedman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Ott" title="John Ott">John Ott</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Peter_Kolosimo" title="Peter Kolosimo">Peter Kolosimo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mark_Fuhrman" title="Mark Fuhrman">Mark Fuhrman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ralph_Nader" title="Ralph Nader">Ralph Nader</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Doreen_Virtue" title="Doreen Virtue">Doreen Virtue</a></li></ul> <div class="vte plainlinks" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Template:Books" title="Template:Books">v</a> - <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Books" title="Template talk:Books">t</a> - <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Books&action=edit">e</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table class="infobox" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 0.5em 0.5em; text-align:left; border: 1px solid #1E429B; width:175px;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center; color:White; background-color:#1E429B"><b>Our Feature Presentation</b><br /><a href="/wiki/Films" class="mw-redirect" title="Films"><font size="4" color="White"><b>Films</b></font></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#E6E6FA;" align="center"><a href="/wiki/Category:Films" title="Category:Films"><img alt="Icon film.svg" src="/w/images/thumb/3/3f/Icon_film.svg/100px-Icon_film.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="100" srcset="/w/images/thumb/3/3f/Icon_film.svg/150px-Icon_film.svg.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/3/3f/Icon_film.svg/200px-Icon_film.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="200" data-file-height="200" /></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; color:White; background-color:#1E429B; text-align:center;"><b>Starring:</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; background-color:#E6E6FA;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/The_Great_Global_Warming_Swindle" title="The Great Global Warming Swindle">The Great Global Warming Swindle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Year_One" title="Year One">Year One</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Day_After_Tomorrow" title="The Day After Tomorrow">The Day After Tomorrow</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jurassic_Park" title="Jurassic Park">Jurassic Park</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bibleman" title="Bibleman">Bibleman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation" title="The Birth of a Nation">The Birth of a Nation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Top_Gear" title="Top Gear">Top Gear</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four" title="Nineteen Eighty-Four">Nineteen Eighty-Four</a></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/David_Attenborough" title="David Attenborough">David Attenborough</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ONE_Channel" title="ONE Channel">ONE Channel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Al_Jazeera" title="Al Jazeera">Al Jazeera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/TVJ" title="TVJ">TVJ</a></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Superbook" title="Superbook">Superbook</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jot" title="Jot">Jot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Atheist_Experience" title="The Atheist Experience">The Atheist Experience</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Faith_School_Menace%3F" title="Faith School Menace?">Faith School Menace?</a></li></ul> <div class="vte plainlinks" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Template:Film" title="Template:Film">v</a> - <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Film" title="Template talk:Film">t</a> - <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Film&action=edit">e</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Fantasy</b> is a genre of fiction often shelved with (and confused with) <a href="/wiki/Science_fiction" title="Science fiction">science fiction</a>. Fantasy writing usually involves <a href="/wiki/Magic" title="Magic">magic</a>, or magical or <a href="/wiki/Supernatural" title="Supernatural">supernatural</a> creatures. Fantasy is generally distinct from science-fiction as it usually does not invoke <a href="/wiki/Science" title="Science">scientific themes</a> or future realities. However, several writers such as Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe blur the boundaries between <a href="/wiki/Science_fiction" title="Science fiction">science fiction</a> and fantasy and may indeed look to the future as much as more typical science-fiction authors. The fantasy genre stereotypically features lighter style and themes, though there are notable and quality exceptions to that stereotype. Several noted science-fiction authors have also written fantasy, and several science-fiction awards, magazines and associations also deal with fantasy (and sometimes horror), and vice versa. </p><p>The fantasy genre often draws on <a href="/wiki/Mythology" title="Mythology">mythology</a>, giving it a familiar feel to readers. Rather than completely newly-<a href="/wiki/Creation" class="mw-redirect" title="Creation">created</a> space monsters or speculations on what robots might become, English fantasy-novels often feature magical creatures such as elves, <a href="/wiki/Dwarf" title="Dwarf">dwarves</a> (or dwarfs), fairies, <a href="/wiki/Dragon" title="Dragon">dragons</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Unicorn" title="Unicorn">unicorns</a>, some of them drawn from classic mythology and some of them completely made up. A feeling of the <a href="/wiki/Medieval" class="mw-redirect" title="Medieval">medieval</a> era - building on a Gothic genre tradition - often pervades fantasy writing, with knights, lords, wizards and <a href="/wiki/Religious_leaders" title="Religious leaders">clerics</a>, and a very <a href="/wiki/Feudalism" title="Feudalism"> feudal</a> feel. "Sword and Sorcery" and "High Fantasy" have become two of the most common sub-genres of fantasy, and are usually what casual readers think of when they think "fantasy". Urban fantasy dealing with fantastical themes in a contemporary setting is also gaining popularity. </p><p>The most famous and even archetypal work is <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings" class="extiw" title="wp:The Lord of the Rings" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: The Lord of the Rings">The Lord of the Rings</span></a>,<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup></i> a story about a cursed ring and the quest to destroy it, by J.R.R. Tolkien. </p> <div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="display:none" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr"><h2 id="mw-toc-heading">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox"></label></span></div> <ul> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#History"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="#Fantasy_literature_and_Christianity"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Fantasy literature and Christianity</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="#Notable_authors"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Notable authors</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="#Sub-genres"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Sub-genres</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="#Notes"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Notes</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="#References"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li> </ul> </div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>The precursor to the fantasy genre is the non-religious telling of myths. That is to say, reading myths outside of their religious contexts, as simple works of interesting fiction, by someone who is not part of that culture. Works like <i>The Epic of Gilgamesh</i>, the <i>Odyssey</i>, or even <a href="/wiki/Bible" title="Bible">Biblical stories</a> have this sense of fantasy, when the religious contexts are incidental. </p><p>A sort of "proto-fantasy" genre would include such works as <i>1001 Nights</i>, <i>Beowulf</i>, <a href="/wiki/Fairy_tales" title="Fairy tales">fairy tales</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/King_Arthur" title="King Arthur">Arthurian</a> legends. </p><p>What could be understood as modern fantasy probably began in the mid 1800s. The English fantasy genre includes classic stories such as <i>Peter Pan</i>, <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, and <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>. In the early 20th century with the development of pulps and adventure stories, several authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. RIder Haggard, Clark Ashton Smith, and H.P. Lovecraft gained popularity writing more fantastical works, and several magazines focused on science fiction and fantasy stories were formed. However despite the wealth of works using supernatural themes, fantasy was never considered its own separate genre until years later with works such as <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> and <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i>, which are considered to be the most influential works in the genre, although several authors such as Mervyn Peake, E.R. Eddison, and Lord Dunsany, arguably wrote modern fantasy before then. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Fantasy_literature_and_Christianity">Fantasy literature and Christianity</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Fantasy literature and Christianity">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Because fantasy has stereotypically worked on "Black and White", "Good vs. Evil" scenarios,<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[note 1]</a></sup> some <a href="/wiki/Christians" class="mw-redirect" title="Christians">Christians</a> have found themselves drawn to several authors. The fantasy author who weaved Christian themes most heavily into his work was <a href="/wiki/C.S._Lewis" class="mw-redirect" title="C.S. Lewis">C.S. Lewis</a> whose works were so obviously Christian in theme that even his friend and fellow fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, also a devout Christian (he had led Lewis to his conversion), criticized him for it. </p><p>However, since the genre is, almost by definition, filled with magic, other Christians, notably the <a href="/wiki/Fundamentalist" class="mw-redirect" title="Fundamentalist">fundamentalist</a> kind, find nothing good in fantasy, and frequently warn schools to avoid such works as <i><a href="/wiki/Harry_Potter" class="mw-redirect" title="Harry Potter">Harry Potter</a></i>, <i>Alice in Wonderland</i><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[note 2]</a></sup> and the ever so threatening <i>James and the Giant Peach</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[1]</a></sup> </p><p>Several fantasy works that argue against religion also exist, one of the most famous examples being Philip Pullman's <i><a href="/wiki/His_Dark_Materials" title="His Dark Materials">His Dark Materials</a></i> series. Other noted fantasy authors, such as <a href="/wiki/Terry_Pratchett" title="Terry Pratchett">Terry Pratchett</a>, China Miéville, comic book writer Garth Ennis, and fantasy/horror critic S.T. Joshi, are also open atheists. A few other notable atheists such as Stephen Fry and Terry Gilliam have also dabbled in the genre. Yet another Terry, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Goodkind" class="extiw" title="wp:Terry Goodkind" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Terry Goodkind">Terry Goodkind</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> was also scathingly critical of religion (and commies) though that has more to do with him being a <a href="/wiki/Randroid" class="mw-redirect" title="Randroid">Randroid</a>. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Notable_authors">Notable authors</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Notable authors">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="div-col columns column-count column-count-2" style="-moz-column-count: 2; -webkit-column-count: 2; column-count: 2;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Douglas_Adams" title="Douglas Adams">Douglas Adams</a></li> <li>Poul Anderson</li> <li>J. M. Barrie</li> <li>L. Frank Baum</li> <li>Terry Brooks</li> <li>Edger Rice Burroughs</li> <li>Jim Butcher</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lewis_Carroll" title="Lewis Carroll">Lewis Carroll</a></li> <li>Glen Cook</li> <li>Roald Dahl</li> <li>Lord Dunsany</li> <li>E. R. Eddison</li> <li>Steven Erikson</li> <li>Raymond Elias Feist</li> <li>Neil Gaiman</li> <li>Terry Goodkind (fantasy's <a href="/wiki/Ayn_Rand" title="Ayn Rand">Ayn Rand</a>)</li> <li>Kenneth Grahame</li> <li>Laurell K. Hamilton (fantasy's porn)</li> <li>Robert E. Howard</li> <li><a href="/wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard" title="L. Ron Hubbard">L. Ron Hubbard</a></li> <li>Diana Wynne Jones</li> <li>Robert Jordan (Pen name of James Oliver Rigney)</li> <li>Stephen King</li> <li>Rudyard Kipling</li> <li>Ursula K. Le Guin</li> <li>Fritz Leiber</li> <li><a href="/wiki/C._S._Lewis" title="C. S. Lewis">C. S. Lewis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft" title="H. P. Lovecraft">H. P. Lovecraft</a></li> <li>George MacDonald</li> <li>George R.R. Martin</li> <li>China Miéville</li> <li>Michael Moorcock</li> <li>Alan Moore</li> <li>E. Nesbit</li> <li>Mervyn Peake</li> <li>Tim Powers</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Terry_Pratchett" title="Terry Pratchett">Terry Pratchett</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philip_Pullman" class="mw-redirect" title="Philip Pullman">Philip Pullman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/J._K._Rowling" title="J. K. Rowling">J. K. Rowling</a></li> <li>J.R.R. Tolkien</li> <li><a href="/wiki/P._L._Travers" title="P. L. Travers">P. L. Travers</a></li> <li>Jack Vance</li> <li>Karl Edward Wagner</li> <li>T.H. White</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oscar_Wilde" title="Oscar Wilde">Oscar Wilde</a></li> <li>Gene Wolfe</li> <li>Roger Zelazny</li> <li>R.A. Salvatore</li> <li>Brandon Sanderson</li> <li>Andrzej Sapkowski</li> <li>Marion Zimmer Bradley</li> <li>Several "traditional" science fiction authors, such as <a href="/wiki/Isaac_Asimov" title="Isaac Asimov">Isaac Asimov</a>, <a href="/wiki/Orson_Scott_Card" title="Orson Scott Card">Orson Scott Card</a> and <a href="/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein" title="Robert A. Heinlein">Robert A. Heinlein</a>, have also written a few works of fantasy.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew" title="Gospel of Matthew">Matthew</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_Mark" title="Gospel of Mark">Mark</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_Luke" title="Gospel of Luke">Luke</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_John" title="Gospel of John">John</a></li></ul></div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Sub-genres">Sub-genres</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Sub-genres">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Like everything else in the "Let's classify it" mindset, there are a host of sub-genres of fantasy, many of which fall equally into adventure, horror, science fiction, or romance. </p> <div class="div-col columns column-count column-count-2" style="-moz-column-count: 2; -webkit-column-count: 2; column-count: 2;"> <ul><li>Dark fantasy or horror</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fairy_tale" class="mw-redirect" title="Fairy tale">Fairy tale</a></li> <li>High fantasy</li> <li>Historical fantasy</li> <li>Magical realism</li> <li>Paranormal/supernatural fiction</li> <li>Science fantasy</li> <li>Steampunk (particularly the "gaslight" sub-genre)</li> <li>Sword and sorcery</li> <li>Superhero fiction</li> <li>Urban fantasy</li> <li>Weird fiction and "new weird"</li> <li>Wuxia</li></ul></div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Notes">Notes</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Notes">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="references-small" style="font-size:90%;"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-1">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">It has been argued, perhaps not effectively, that one of the primary differences between fantasy and science fiction was the willingness of sci-fi authors to explore the idea that no human is good or evil, and that life is usually about choices made when no good options are available. This argument plays on the stereotypes of the genres, more than the actual works themselves.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-2">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">The combined adventures of Alice are also notable as exercises in logic, as well as veiled criticisms of 19th century British politicians and religious figures.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="references-small" style="font-size:90%;"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-3">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_commonly_challenged_books_in_the_United_States" class="extiw" title="wp:List of most commonly challenged books in the United States" rel="nofollow">List of most commonly challenged books in the United States</a>.</span> </li> </ol></div></div>    </div></div><div class="printfooter">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&oldid=2701379">https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&oldid=2701379</a>"</div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Books" title="Category:Books">Books</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Films" title="Category:Films">Films</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Literature" title="Category:Literature">Literature</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Pages_using_DynamicPageList_parser_function" title="Category:Pages using DynamicPageList parser function">Pages using DynamicPageList parser function</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Pages_using_DynamicPageList_parser_tag" title="Category:Pages using DynamicPageList parser tag">Pages using DynamicPageList parser tag</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </div> <div id="mw-navigation"> <h2>Navigation menu</h2> <div id="mw-head">  <nav id="p-personal" class="vector-menu" aria-labelledby="p-personal-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-personal-label"> <span>Personal tools</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="pt-anonuserpage">Not logged in</li><li id="pt-anontalk"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyTalk" title="Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]" accesskey="n">Talk</a></li><li id="pt-anoncontribs"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyContributions" title="A list of edits made from this IP address [y]" accesskey="y">Contributions</a></li><li id="pt-createaccount"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Fantasy" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory">Create account</a></li><li id="pt-login"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Fantasy" title="You are encouraged to log in; however, it is not mandatory [o]" accesskey="o">Log in</a></li></ul> </div> </nav> <div id="left-navigation">  <nav id="p-namespaces" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs vectorTabs" aria-labelledby="p-namespaces-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-namespaces-label"> <span>Namespaces</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected"><a href="/wiki/Fantasy" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c">Page</a></li><li id="ca-talk"><a href="/wiki/Talk:Fantasy" rel="discussion" title="Discussion about the content page [t]" accesskey="t">Talk</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-variants" class="vector-menu-empty emptyPortlet vector-menu vector-menu-dropdown vectorMenu" aria-labelledby="p-variants-label" role="navigation" > <input type="checkbox" class="vector-menu-checkbox vectorMenuCheckbox" aria-labelledby="p-variants-label" /> <h3 id="p-variants-label"> <span>Variants</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="menu vector-menu-content-list"></ul> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation">  <nav id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs vectorTabs" aria-labelledby="p-views-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-views-label"> <span>Views</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="ca-view" class="collapsible selected"><a href="/wiki/Fantasy">Read</a></li><li id="ca-edit" class="collapsible"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e">Edit</a></li><li id="ca-history" class="collapsible"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=history" title="Past revisions of this page [h]" accesskey="h">Fossil record</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-cactions" class="vector-menu-empty emptyPortlet vector-menu vector-menu-dropdown vectorMenu" aria-labelledby="p-cactions-label" role="navigation" > <input type="checkbox" class="vector-menu-checkbox vectorMenuCheckbox" aria-labelledby="p-cactions-label" /> <h3 id="p-cactions-label"> <span>More</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="menu vector-menu-content-list"></ul> </div> </nav> <div id="p-search" role="search"> <h3 > <label for="searchInput">Search</label> </h3> <form action="/w/index.php" id="searchform"> <div id="simpleSearch"> <input type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search RationalWiki" title="Search RationalWiki [f]" accesskey="f" id="searchInput"/> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> <input type="submit" name="fulltext" value="Search" title="Search the pages for this text" id="mw-searchButton" class="searchButton mw-fallbackSearchButton"/> <input type="submit" name="go" value="Go" title="Go to a page with this exact name if it exists" id="searchButton" class="searchButton"/> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div id="mw-panel"> <div id="p-logo" role="banner"> <a title="Visit the main page" class="mw-wiki-logo" href="/wiki/Main_Page"></a> </div>  <nav id="p-navigation" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal portal-first" aria-labelledby="p-navigation-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-navigation-label"> <span>Navigation</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-mainpage-description"><a href="/wiki/Main_Page" title="Visit the main page [z]" accesskey="z">Main page</a></li><li id="n-recentchanges"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChanges" title="A list of recent changes in the wiki [r]" accesskey="r">Recent changes</a></li><li id="n-randompage"><a href="/wiki/Special:Random" title="Load a random mainspace article [x]" accesskey="x">Random page</a></li><li id="n-New-pages"><a href="/wiki/Special:NewPages">New pages</a></li><li id="n-All-logs"><a href="/wiki/Special:Log">All logs</a></li><li id="n-help"><a href="/wiki/Help:Contents" title="RTFM">Help</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-support" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-support-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-support-label"> <span>Support</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-Donate"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Site_support">Donate</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-community" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-community-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-community-label"> <span>Community</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-Saloon-bar"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Saloon_bar">Saloon bar</a></li><li id="n-To-do-list"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:To_do_list">To do list</a></li><li id="n-What-is-going-on.3F"><a href="/wiki/WIGO">What is going on?</a></li><li id="n-Best-of-RationalWiki"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Contents">Best of RationalWiki</a></li><li id="n-About-RationalWiki"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki">About RationalWiki</a></li><li id="n-Technical-support"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Technical_support">Technical support</a></li><li id="n-Mod-noticeboard"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki_talk:All_things_in_moderation">Mod noticeboard</a></li><li id="n-RMF-noticeboard"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki_talk:RationalMedia_Foundation">RMF noticeboard</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-Social media" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-Social media-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-Social media-label"> <span>Social media</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-Twitter"><a href="https://twitter.com/RationalWiki" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></li><li id="n-Mastodon"><a href="https://mstdn.social/@rationalwiki" rel="nofollow">Mastodon</a></li><li id="n-Facebook"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rationalwiki/226614404019306" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></li><li id="n-Discord"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Discord">Discord</a></li><li id="n-Reddit"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Reddit">Reddit</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-tb" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-tb-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-tb-label"> <span>Tools</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="t-whatlinkshere"><a href="/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Fantasy" title="A list of all wiki pages that link here [j]" accesskey="j">What links here</a></li><li id="t-recentchangeslinked"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Fantasy" rel="nofollow" title="Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]" accesskey="k">Related changes</a></li><li id="t-specialpages"><a href="/wiki/Special:SpecialPages" title="A list of all special pages [q]" accesskey="q">Special pages</a></li><li id="t-print"><a href="javascript:print();" rel="alternate" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p">Printable version</a></li><li id="t-permalink"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&oldid=2701379" title="Permanent link to this revision of the page">Permanent link</a></li><li id="t-info"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Fantasy&action=info" title="More information about this page">Page information</a></li></ul> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" role="contentinfo" > <ul id="footer-info" > <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 19 December 2024, at 02:22.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Unless explicitly noted otherwise, all content licensed as indicated by <a name="Copyright" href="//rationalwiki.org/wiki/RationalWiki:Copyrights">RationalWiki:Copyrights</a>. <br> For concerns on copyright infringement please see: <a name="Copyright infringement" href="//rationalwiki.org/wiki/RationalWiki:Copyright_violations">RationalWiki:Copyright violations</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-places" > <li id="footer-places-privacy"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Privacy_policy" title="RationalWiki:Privacy policy">Privacy policy</a></li> <li id="footer-places-about"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:About" class="mw-redirect" title="RationalWiki:About">About RationalWiki</a></li> <li id="footer-places-disclaimer"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:General_disclaimer" title="RationalWiki:General disclaimer">Disclaimers</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-icons" class="noprint"> <li id="footer-copyrightico"><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"><img src="/w/88x31.png" alt="CC-BY-SA 3.0, or any later version" width="88" height="31" loading="lazy"/></a></li> <li id="footer-poweredbyico"><a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/"><img src="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki_88x31.png" alt="Powered by MediaWiki" srcset="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x" width="88" height="31" loading="lazy"/></a></li> </ul> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </footer> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.config.set({"wgPageParseReport":{"limitreport":{"cputime":"0.227","walltime":"0.527","ppvisitednodes":{"value":557,"limit":1000000},"postexpandincludesize":{"value":13431,"limit":2097152},"templateargumentsize":{"value":6112,"limit":2097152},"expansiondepth":{"value":10,"limit":40},"expensivefunctioncount":{"value":0,"limit":100},"unstrip-depth":{"value":0,"limit":20},"unstrip-size":{"value":1694,"limit":5000000},"timingprofile":["100.00% 87.542 1 -total"," 73.84% 64.637 2 Template:Navsidebar"," 45.38% 39.728 1 Template:Books"," 34.98% 30.622 2 Template:Randomarticles"," 33.92% 29.691 1 Template:Film"," 18.76% 16.421 1 Template:Navsidebar2"," 7.72% 6.761 2 Template:Reflist"," 7.45% 6.523 2 Template:Columns-list"," 4.95% 4.329 2 Template:Div_col"," 3.14% 2.749 2 Template:Vte"]},"cachereport":{"origin":"apache5","timestamp":"20250226002344","ttl":86400,"transientcontent":false}}});mw.config.set({"wgBackendResponseTime":566,"wgHostname":"apache5"});});</script></body></html>