Francesco Dimitri

So, Terry Pratchett was once asked what books aspiring fantasy novelists should read if they hope to write great fiction. His advice was telling. He encouraged authors to avoid reading much of what passes for contemporary fantasy (what he called “Extruded Fantasy Product,” derivative of Tolkien). “Do not write it,” he said, “and try not to read it. Read widely outside the genre. Read about the Old West (a fantasy in itself) or Georgian London or how Nelson’s navy was victualled or the history of alchemy or clock-making or the mail coach system. Read with the mindset of a carpenter looking at trees.” Any great fantasy series you can name, from Star Wars to Narnia to Discworld, was written by authors who read voraciously, who read old books and loved old myths, whose minds were so steeped in history and folklore and obscure pulp fiction that they couldn’t have written derivative works if they had tried. We’ll only have great fantasy in this century if we can recover the reading habits of the authors of a previous era.