tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-810005092253463346.post4374073517541627900..comments2013-07-03T12:16:30.930-06:00Comments on Gilder's Getaway: Joe Abercrombie, and the gritty fantasy trendJordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255600465497523196noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-810005092253463346.post-44100536730694607542011-11-03T07:00:42.915-06:002011-11-03T07:00:42.915-06:00I agree with the "realistic" tag being m...I agree with the "realistic" tag being misleading. Even though I used that phrase, I am with you that darkness isn't the only reality. That is why the dark fantasy that doesn't have a good ending gets under my skin. <br /><br />If it doesn't end well, it isn't worth slogging through hell. (Just made that up, for anyone wanting to quote me).Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02255600465497523196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-810005092253463346.post-53327996539897970872011-10-27T11:28:57.164-06:002011-10-27T11:28:57.164-06:00Like you, I appreciate darkness in books more if t...Like you, I appreciate darkness in books more if there is light as well. I think adding grit adds depth to books, which is a good thing. (That said, I have a certain squeamishness threshold that bars me from some books that go too far. I can't actually define what "too far" is though; it's a personal gauge of how sick I feel reading it.)<br /><br />On the other hand, I think calling dark fantasy more "realistic" is a bit misleading. Yes, it more realistically portrays darkness. But that isn't all of reality. That's my issue with the dark trend--the belief that it is more realistic than other types of fantasy. Yes, there are some stories that are unrealistically light. But I do think stories can be realistically light as well. What I want in my fiction is complexity, which requires a blend of dark and light. Something that has nothing but dark and rot is just as flat as something that has nothing but sunshine and bunnies.Kristy Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04326229363389695119noreply@blogger.com