ArticlesMy premise, part 1 (the polite part): Harry Potter is an excellent children’s fantasy series. It is great that it is introducing young readers to a love of reading.
My premise, part 2 (the rude part): Discerning adults should be almost as embarrassed about reading Harry Potter for fun, as they would be reading Little Golden Books for fun.
This is a somewhat controversial – or maybe just a rude opinion – and it is likely to be misread, so let me clarify some points.
I am not saying adults should never read the Harry Potter books. Sure, read them to your children, read them to understand what your children are reading or read them because your reading age is eleven. Just don’t read them for fun!
I am not saying this without ever experiencing the books. I read the first book of the series. It found it painfully childish – it was playing to all the stereotypical child fantasies (I don’t have to listen to my parents, I have secret powers that haven’t been discovered yet, I am adopted, I am a princess. I am a sport’s hero.) I even made a mistake I have repeated several times in my life: I assumed that, because my experience with a book was so far out of alignment with the popular view, that I must be mistaken or confused – and therefore, I should keep trying. I started, but did not finish the second book; I made it three-quarters of the way through, became busy, and realised I simply didn’t care how it ended.
I am not saying that adults should only read fine literature. I certainly don’t demonstrate that behaviour myself! I understand the need for escapism and for light reading. However, I expect a more sophisticated set of fantasy concepts and a need for a more substantial plot to maintain interest.
I understand some children’s books – and especially movies – work on two levels as they try to keep the parents amused as well as the kids. I appreciate that – but if I have a choice, I would rather see a movie that works on two levels that are both aimed at adults!
My premise, part 3 (the redeeming part): I suspect my perspective is merely more experience with reading fantasy novels. Perhaps, Harry Potter is an excellent introduction to fantasy for adults who wouldn’t normally think/dare to pick up a fantasy novel.
In this case, J. K. Rowling is doing a lot of good, and it is up to experienced fantasy readers to take it from here. My response shouldn’t be to poo-poo adult Harry Potter readers, but to suggest that if they like J.K. Rowling, they might like some other authors in the same genre.
So, my open question is: Who should I recommend? Which authors or which books provide a good entry for a novice fantasy readers?
Here are some suggestions that I, and a few friends, have brainstormed:
- Robert Silverberg’s Majipoor Series (not just because of the jugglers!)
- Ursula K. Leguin’s Earthsea Series (I read this when I was too young, and should probably take another look.)
- Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Series (My favourite, and proof that I am not demanding fine literature! Don’t start from the beginning – The Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic are fun books and I enjoy them, but are not consistent with the rest of Pratchett’s writing.)
- Raymond E. Feist’s Riftwar Saga (Too long and epic for my tastes, but so is Harry Potter.)
- Piers Anthony’s Xanth series (More proof that I am not talking literature here. Beware: Here be puns!)
- Neil Gaiman (I haven’t read nearly enough of him – something I need to fix. Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett) is highly recommended, but you can’t borrow it from me, because I have already lost too many copies that way.)
I have omitted some popular favourites (Tolkien, Jordan, Simmons, Herbert) as I suspect they aren’t good entry-level fantasy, but I am quite prepared to listen to counter-arguments.
Who do you think I should recommend? What other quality fantasy novels from the list have I outrageously omitted in my recommendations to an adult who enjoys Harry Potter?
Comment by Richard on July 29, 2007
I’d have second thoughts about recommending Ursula LeGuin’s work to those new to fantasy, as the Earthsea quartet (as it was when I finished reading it, anyway) is a study in Things Not Happening. Her style is focused much more on personal dynamics – her equivalent sci-fi works are all about how strangers react to each other. For Earthsea, this style leads to all the action sequences occuring between books. They’re still very good books, but not for those new to the f in sf&f.
By comparison, Feist’s Riftwar series is a great read for beginners. And here I’m focusing on Magician – and to a lesser extent Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon – since Magician is a highly focused book with some interesting concepts of how magic can work. If you think the sequence in Mac Mordain Cadal is familiar, I urge you to look past its inadequacies and continue, because the fight with the Balrog/Brak Nurr helps drive the protagonists to their respective fates – and there’s no resurrection allusions with this version.
Another series that’s good for those starting out with fantasy is one of the many David Eddings series (pick one, any one). I’d recommend the Belgariad (since that’s the one I started with) starting with Pawn of Prophecy, but they’re all roughly as good as each other. Their weakness is each of his series is much the same as the others, but that might be what you’re looking for in your fantasy anyway.
Xanth is great, but if you can’t tell that even the place name is a pun (let alone almost every single book title), then I’m not sure you’re ready for the shear volume of puns to be set forth on those pages. Also, be careful not to stray into Piers’ more… exotic fiction, since that can be quite confronting.
Speaking of confronting exotic fantasy, Michael Moorcock (really! Look it up!) and his Elric saga are fantastic (in every sense). This is another aquired taste, but well worth the effort. Similarly Robert E. Howard’s Conan series (you might remember Arnie playing him shouting ‘Crom!’) is also cool for pulp fantasy.
Lastly, I can’t help mentioning the Amber series by Roger Zelazny, since that’s yet another well constructed multiverse that mostly makes sense – and is also somewhat rooted in our own world, much like Harry Potter is.
Lastly, I quite liked the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends series, even though they’re based on a ‘mere’ game world. I’ve also heard great things about the Drizzt series of books, but I’ve not read them myself so I can’t recommend any particular trilogy. Beware rambling to your friends and relatives about how wonderful Drizzt is though – you just might drive them away from reading fiction altogether!
Anne McAffrey is another easy read with a universe that’s got some depth to it. Dragonsinger and The White Dragon are stand out volumes, but you could read ’em all. Be warned that some volumes fall on the romance-novels-featuring-dragons side of the fence, but they’re still ok.
Oh, and does alternate history count as fantasy here?
Comment by Chris on July 29, 2007
I was thinking of Eddings’ Belgariad as a very close match to the early HP books. The more I think about them the more I think they fail to meet the quality requirement. They’re really a formula page-turner where parallel storylines are mechanically interwoven with a context switch every chapter. It’s also a fairly blatant cavalcade of sexual and racial stereotypes.
I’m a Vance fan, and I think the Lyonesse trilogy is his finest serious work. Like Le Guin, I wouldn’t force him on novice readers, but it’s a very fine piece of work. Beautiful, tragic, and moving.
Vance’s non-serious work is another story. The Dying Earth series is fantastic comedy. I’d recommend Eyes of the Overworld or Cugel’s Saga as an excellent introduction to Vance’s very dry and dark sense of humour.
Comment by Sunny Kalsi on July 30, 2007
I also have this morbid fascination with why people like what is quite clearly a children’s book. There are two reasons I’ve found so far — They see it as a Mills-and-Boon novel, where they read predictable drivel because… well it’s a happy fantasy.
Secondly, as you mention above, they’re just not that well-read into fantasy. If there was a “fantasy for dummies”, Harry Potter would be it. In a way, because it’s about children in schools, the readers are effectively being taught about concepts which you would find in other books, but in a nice, easy to understand, and concise manner. All the various creatures, materials, customs, etc.
I’d recommend more Mills and Boon. They probably don’t actually like the fantasy genre.
Comment by Alastair on July 30, 2007
I think you guys are being a bit harsh, maybe even snobbish. In fact it almost reminds me of the snobbery exhibited towards SF&F fiction by some in the Real Literary Establishment…
It seems pretty clear to me that the reason why adults read HP is that they are (at least partly) nostalgic for their own childhood. This is an appeal which is offered by the Potter books and not by the alternatives you mention. It’s not just the fact that it is light fantasy-themed reading. Instead the appeal is specific kind of escapism; escapism back to the world of the child. That’s my theory anyway.
Possibly Rowling was aware of the nostalgic allure of the Potterverse. In the first book there is a mirror that reflects the viewer’s deepest desires, and is dangerous because of this. The viewer risks spending their life yearning for the unattainable.
Moderation is of course the key. Taken as part of a balanced literary diet I see no harm in the occasional nostalgic treat. Adults can go to McDonalds too; they just shouldn’t eat every meal there.
I catch public transport regularly nowadays and in recent times it has become very unusual to board the train and not see someone reading HP ep 7. Before the release of that however the choice of reading matter was quite diverse, and not all of it was pulp either.
So I think you might have a complaint against the strawman adult that only reads Harry Potter, to the exclusion of all else. Find such an adult and I will agree with you.
If you’re going to criticise wildly-popular books, a better place to start would be The Da Vinci Code. At least Rowling writes well.
By the way, A S Bryant’s opinion is worth a read too.