Fantasy Genre: Home

Fantasy Fiction uses magic as a plot device.

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end.

George R.R. Martin, fantasy author

Characteristics

• Setting: Fantasy Fiction can take place in a variety of settings including the present or past and real or imagined places.
• Plot: Fantasy uses magic as a plot device.
• Characters: Characters may include ordinary humans, animals, or mythical creatures such as fairies, elves, 
• Themes: Good versus evil is a common theme in fantasy fiction. The Hero's Journey is also often seen in fantasy stories.

Subgenres

• Contemporary Fantasy: Set in the contemporary real world, but with magic or other supernatural elements.
• Epic Fantasy: Epic fantasy usually includes a large-scale life or death struggle between good and evil, a large cast of characters, and multiple books. 
• Fairy Tale Fantasy: Draws heavily upon motifs found in traditional folklore or well-known fairy tales.
• Magical Realism: Integrates minor supernatural or magical elements into an otherwise realistic story.
• Mythic Fiction: Stories inspired by or modeled upon traditional mythology or legends.
• Portal Fantasy: Portal Fantasy stories include a magical doorway or portal from the real world to a secret, magical world.
• Sword & Sorcery (or Heroic Fantasy): These types of stories usually include sword-play, magic, and medieval-brand adventure (shares many qualities with Epic Fantasy).