Tag Archives: fantasy book

Deeper Meanings in Fantasy Stories

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Finding a deeper meaning in a sci-fi adventure or a magical fairy tale is often easy, or even obvious – and that’s not a bad thing. There’s much we can learn about real life from these tales of complete fiction. 

Fantasy classics like Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia teach us about friendship, loyalty, honorable sacrifice, and the power of love. Science fiction classics like Brave New World and The Difference Engine teach us the truth about human nature, for good or ill, and the dangers of a corrupt society. 

I want to highlight three of my favorite fantasy stories that also can teach us deeper wisdom beyond just their surface storyline. These books may not often be held up alongside Brave New World or the Narnia books as stories that we can truly learn from, but I think they fit that description. Here are my take-aways from three fantasy stories that are much more than they appear: 

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The Journey of a Book

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I wrote a post a few months ago about part of my growth and journey as a writer, and how part of that process was letting a book project sit for over a decade. Over ten years ago, I was inspired by the Finnish folktale epic The Kalevala, my favorite fantasy stories, and all things Scandinavian, and I began building an elaborate fantasy world. The result was a long, wandering epic fantasy tale that I completely pants (that is, I “wrote by the seat of my pants,” also known as “being a pantser.” Normally I am a plotter – I like my outlines.) 

The finished 200,000 word story needed some polishing, and I produced two highly-revised drafts. I also got inspired to make a trilogy, and started writing the second book. Then life happened, other ideas happened, and I started feeling a bit burnt out by my Finnish mythology-inspired fantasy world. 

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