Uthecar Hornskin II:
The Seer:
A final thought: part of the reason I write fantasy is because I don't have to do all that research that other genres require.
Is that why many reading groups have a disdain for fantasy I wonder? I'll partly argue your point though Seer. You already know fantasy like the back of your hand, so you don't have to do the research. Like any genre, there are generally still parameters that need to be adhered to. I guess fantasy can stretch those parameters a little more than others. I think we have all been involved in fantasy for so long now a lot of what we read is a given. We've become subconsciously competent and don't have to worry about the subject matter as much as we need to think about what we are writing.
For me, I think all good reads are character driven. The Emyn Muil means nothing without Frodo, Samwise and Gollem finding the way through. So it doesn't really matter what genre I read if the characters are compelling. I like James Lee Burke for instance...but despite minor procedural or legal research needed to hold a scene together, it's still his lead character, Robicheaux, who drives the plot.
That's why it's a fine line, per my prior post - too easy to info dump on the reader. Frankly, when I read a book, I don't give a crap how much the author knows, but I do care how much the character knows.
Make sense?