Dan Birk Author
@danbirkauthor.bsky.social
YA Fantasy Author 📚
Medieval Dark Academia 🏰
Magic, Monsters & Forbidden Romance in 13th Century Paris 🔮 Fantasy Writing Updates & Tips 📝
https://www.danbirkauthor.com
Medieval Dark Academia 🏰
Magic, Monsters & Forbidden Romance in 13th Century Paris 🔮 Fantasy Writing Updates & Tips 📝
https://www.danbirkauthor.com
We've now covered setting, tone, and scope. I'll talk about the fourth and final factor, magical integration, tomorrow.
April 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
We've now covered setting, tone, and scope. I'll talk about the fourth and final factor, magical integration, tomorrow.
As with setting and tone, scope is a spectrum. A story can take place almost entirely within a single house, or even in one person's mind. Or the story can span eons.
April 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
As with setting and tone, scope is a spectrum. A story can take place almost entirely within a single house, or even in one person's mind. Or the story can span eons.
By contrast, in low fantasy, the stakes and conflict are more personal and local. In Ninth House, for example, the story never really leaves Yale, and the stakes are personal to Alex, her friends, and the victims of injustice on campus.
April 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
By contrast, in low fantasy, the stakes and conflict are more personal and local. In Ninth House, for example, the story never really leaves Yale, and the stakes are personal to Alex, her friends, and the victims of injustice on campus.
But high fantasy usually involves epic clashes of good vs. evil on vast scales. In The Stormlight Archive, the characters fight to prevent the return of ancient enemies that would destroy global civilization. In The Poppy War, Rin's quest has consequences for the entire empire.
April 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
But high fantasy usually involves epic clashes of good vs. evil on vast scales. In The Stormlight Archive, the characters fight to prevent the return of ancient enemies that would destroy global civilization. In The Poppy War, Rin's quest has consequences for the entire empire.
Scope refers to the stakes of the story and the nature of the conflict. High fantasy is about separation from the reader's ordinary reality. For most readers, everyday reality is personal and local. Most of our decisions don't have globe-spanning or earth-shaking consequences.
April 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Scope refers to the stakes of the story and the nature of the conflict. High fantasy is about separation from the reader's ordinary reality. For most readers, everyday reality is personal and local. Most of our decisions don't have globe-spanning or earth-shaking consequences.
But setting and tone don't cover the waterfront. There's also scope and magical integration. I'll talk about scope tomorrow.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
But setting and tone don't cover the waterfront. There's also scope and magical integration. I'll talk about scope tomorrow.
The point of the graph I posted at the start is that one can measure how "high" or "low" a work of fantasy is along multiple axes, since multiple factors affect how much separation a reader will feel from their ordinary reality. Here's a blank chart for your own use.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
The point of the graph I posted at the start is that one can measure how "high" or "low" a work of fantasy is along multiple axes, since multiple factors affect how much separation a reader will feel from their ordinary reality. Here's a blank chart for your own use.
Tone also can change over the course of a series. Think Harry Potter, which can be almost whimsical at the outset but gradually becomes more serious in later novels.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Tone also can change over the course of a series. Think Harry Potter, which can be almost whimsical at the outset but gradually becomes more serious in later novels.
Or think about the use of genre conventions, such as romance in A Court of Thorns and Roses, or police procedural in Rivers of London. This can change the feel significantly. A noir-style story about an orc detective at Barad-Dur, for instance, would have a very different feel than The Two Towers.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Or think about the use of genre conventions, such as romance in A Court of Thorns and Roses, or police procedural in Rivers of London. This can change the feel significantly. A noir-style story about an orc detective at Barad-Dur, for instance, would have a very different feel than The Two Towers.
But tone is more than style. Think of the grit and subversion of fantasy expectations in A Song of Ice and Fire or (even more so) Joe Abercrombie's terrific First Law series. Or think of Mat Cauthon's irreverence in Wheel of Time.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
But tone is more than style. Think of the grit and subversion of fantasy expectations in A Song of Ice and Fire or (even more so) Joe Abercrombie's terrific First Law series. Or think of Mat Cauthon's irreverence in Wheel of Time.
High fantasy style can be lyrical, literary, philosophical, mythic, archaic. Low fantasy style can be satirical, vulgar, vernacular, contemporary.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
High fantasy style can be lyrical, literary, philosophical, mythic, archaic. Low fantasy style can be satirical, vulgar, vernacular, contemporary.
By contrast, a more casual, conversational, or even humorous tone can lessen separation and make a work feel more like "low" fantasy, even if it's set in a secondary world. Think of the Discworld novels, which take place in an even more secondary world than Middle Earth.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
By contrast, a more casual, conversational, or even humorous tone can lessen separation and make a work feel more like "low" fantasy, even if it's set in a secondary world. Think of the Discworld novels, which take place in an even more secondary world than Middle Earth.
A formal, elevated tone provides more separation from the reader's ordinary reality and thus takes a work more in the "high" fantasy direction. Think of the almost Shakespearean grandeur of some of the language in Lord of the Rings.
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
A formal, elevated tone provides more separation from the reader's ordinary reality and thus takes a work more in the "high" fantasy direction. Think of the almost Shakespearean grandeur of some of the language in Lord of the Rings.
Totally, but it's essentially a secondary world. Tolkien said LotR was set on the Earth of an earlier age, but it's also essentially a secondary world. As I note below, the fictional link to earth lessens the feeling of separation. WoT and LotR would be "9s" on a 10-point setting scale.
April 21, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Totally, but it's essentially a secondary world. Tolkien said LotR was set on the Earth of an earlier age, but it's also essentially a secondary world. As I note below, the fictional link to earth lessens the feeling of separation. WoT and LotR would be "9s" on a 10-point setting scale.
But again, setting is only one of the dimensions by which we can measure separation. I'll talk about the rest in another post.
April 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
But again, setting is only one of the dimensions by which we can measure separation. I'll talk about the rest in another post.
By contrast, claims that the story world, while apparently secondary, is actually a primogenitor (LOTR) or future version of our world (Shannara) lessen separation.
April 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
By contrast, claims that the story world, while apparently secondary, is actually a primogenitor (LOTR) or future version of our world (Shannara) lessen separation.
The presence of non-human races (LOTR) or magical creatures (Harry Potter) also create separation. Portal fantasies (The Magicians) fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, depending on how much of the story takes place on earth and how much in the other realm.
April 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
The presence of non-human races (LOTR) or magical creatures (Harry Potter) also create separation. Portal fantasies (The Magicians) fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, depending on how much of the story takes place on earth and how much in the other realm.
But there are gradations. Historical settings (Jonathan Strange) are more removed from the reader's everyday experience than present-day ones. Mythical settings on Earth (say, Arthurian Britain) are more removed than verifiable historical milieus (Han China).
April 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
But there are gradations. Historical settings (Jonathan Strange) are more removed from the reader's everyday experience than present-day ones. Mythical settings on Earth (say, Arthurian Britain) are more removed than verifiable historical milieus (Han China).
Let's start with setting. How similar is the story world to the reader's ordinary world? The Dresden Files (present-day Chicago) are on one end of the spectrum, while The Wheel of Time (completely secondary world) is on the other.
April 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Let's start with setting. How similar is the story world to the reader's ordinary world? The Dresden Files (present-day Chicago) are on one end of the spectrum, while The Wheel of Time (completely secondary world) is on the other.
High vs. low fantasy comes down to the degree of separation between the fantasy work and the reader's ordinary experience. There are four central dimensions on which that separation takes place: Setting, Tone, Scope, and Magical Integration.
April 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
High vs. low fantasy comes down to the degree of separation between the fantasy work and the reader's ordinary experience. There are four central dimensions on which that separation takes place: Setting, Tone, Scope, and Magical Integration.
Thanks! Notre Dame’s been put through enough lately…
April 19, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Thanks! Notre Dame’s been put through enough lately…