Good Fantasy Critiques

November 19, 2011 2:58 PM

Can anyone help me find good online critiques of fantasy? Tropes and cliches, characterizations, books, etc.

I really love Limyaael's fantasy rants. Where can I find more like this? I am familiar with various forums like ASOIAF forum or TOR, but you have to wade through a lot of overwrought fan defenses to get to good critiques. Forum recommendations are fine though, especially a good thread within a forum. The more in-depth the better! Critiques of specific books, re-occuring problems in the genre, this is what I love and if anyone can help me waste hours more time when I could be doing something productive I'd appreciate it.

posted by Danila to writing & language (6 answers total)

You've already read Michael Moorcock's "Epic Pooh," right?
posted by infinitywaltz at 3:15 PM on November 19, 2011

You do know about TVTropes, don't you?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:17 PM on November 19, 2011

.... I came in here all eager to suggest Limyaael. Dammit. That said, you might likeThe Tough Guide To Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones, which I WISH I'd had when writing Villains By Necessity...
posted by The otter lady at 5:23 PM on November 19, 2011

Seconding the Tough Guide to Fantasyland - it's very funny, and very sharp.

(Diana Wynne Jones also wrote "The Dark Lord of Derkholm", which is about a fantasy world being used as a tourist destination for people from a dimension-hopping elite who want to play at being fantasy heroes - hugely fun and again very sharp.)
posted by running order squabble fest at 6:27 PM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Asking the Wrong Questions does a fair amount of fantasy critique.
posted by Errant at 7:10 PM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Thanks for recommending the Tough Guide and The Dark Lord. Was looking for something more substantial than TV Tropes so marked the type of thing I was looking for that is available online.
posted by Danila at 5:17 PM on November 20, 2011