Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Reality in Fantasy

I have mommy issues. I know. It's pretty transparent in the story of Tinna's Promise; and it really glares in Tinna's Might. That's the thing though... a lot of people dismiss Fantasy for being silly and escapist, and maybe that is the case on some levels. But I reread my stuff and I find so much in there that reflects my past, my present and my anxieties for the future. I see facets of the good and the bad in my life; and my experiences often just thinly veiled by a foreign world.

Tinna is not me; Tinna is a conglomeration of many people... of people I'd like to know, of people I wouldn't... But Tinna's mother issues are as real as mine. They're motivated and strong... and in the next book, it's taken up a level or nine. We see deeper into Tinna's mysterious past, and more behind her reasons for leaving Thran and seeking a simpler life. There's a lot more that explains why Tinna was so sensitive about Hanru's abuse, and keeping her promise to him and to anyone she loved was paramount.

Our books are products of our experiences, no matter how out there our Fantasy stories might be; behind the characters, there's us and our experiences. Of course, if it's worth reading it is; if it's just empty imagery, with unmotivated and inconsistent personalities, then that's just crap. But you have to look behind the imagination sometimes to appreciate the meat of a fantasy book; to see the depth of its characters and the complexity of the story--because yes, even fantasy books reflect real life... and they can have depth. They're not all unicorns and ogres.