The Importance of Fantasy and Why You Should Read It

Fantasy has been around since the human race has existed.

Whether fantasy be told in the form of fairy tales, or Greek gods and Hercules, men have always told stories to escape into worlds where men have powers and gods are as fickle and corrupt as the men who worship them.

Of every genre fantasy is the most fun and most exciting.

However, fantasy has a bad reputation, and for damn good reason. There are not a lot of great, even good, fantasy writers. With J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" the genre was brought to the forefront of literature. C.S. Lewis also did a lot to help with "The Chronicles of Narnia". These two series are some of the most beloved tales regardless of the genre.

The fantasy genre probably exploded in the 70s. Maybe a little earlier. This isn't really a history lesson so I'm guessing. An influx of fantasy writers were being published in this time period. The problem with so many writers being published is that not a lot of the writers were very good. That hasn't changed a whole lot over the last 30 or 40 years.

I'll list a few of the problems with the fantasy genre:

A) REHASHED STORIES: Fantasy writers are experts at beating a dead horse. There are more than a handful of fantasy tales where the average farm boy becomes a great and mighty king. Another aspect of fantasy that's been over done is the quirky wizard who takes the average farm boy under his wing, and mentors him to greatness. A final tale that has had its carcass beat to mush is the damsel in distress story. Personally, I hate this direction of plotting. I love a story with strong female characters who aren't afraid to stand by men in battle and are beautiful while chopping off heads and slaying dragons.

B) MAGIC WITH NO RULES: The first fantasy series I ever read was the first trilogy of "The Dragonlance Chronicles" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I was 16 and had never read anything like that before. If you're just getting introduced to fantasy "Dragonlance" is a great place to start. You're not going to read anything that is revolutionary or will push the limits of literature, but the stories are fun. One of the big appeals of "Dragonlance" for me was the magic. Since reading that series I've looked for fantasy stories with unique magic systems. I hate, with a burning passion, fantasy stories that have magic systems with no rules. When you have stories like this basically you have a bunch of demi-gods running around doing whatever the hell they want. When it happens that they get in a situation they don't know how to get out of they don't turn to their god-like powers, but instead act like a mere man. Stories like that just suck the reality out of what you're reading. Magic needs rules. That's what will make the powers unique and interesting.

C) BAD WRITERS: I'm going to step out on a limb here and point the finger at someone who I consider a horrid writer, Terry Goodkind. Everything I mentioned above he's built a career on. His series "The Sword of Truth" is a blatant rip off of a series that made me want to become a writer. I've mentioned it many times, "The Wheel of Time". Not only has Terry Goodkind built his career on recycled stories he pushes the limits of sex and bondage to the point that you're extremely uncomfortable reading the story. I know everyone has this image of fantasy writers as geeky guys who haven't shaved, cut their hair, or have taken a bath in many moons. The aforementioned sit in their basement beating off to the steamy scenes of whatever fantasy tome they're reading. First, there's not a lot of fantasy stories I've read with steamy or trashy sex scenes. Usually it's barely mentioned. Terry Goodkind has had graphic rape scenes in at least every book he's had published. Women are abused and beaten to a pulp. I can't really remember when his male protagonists have suffered tragedies of the same nature as his women. It takes all the fun and escape out of the stories. His protagonist Richard is also the only War Wizard to have lived for a thousand years, and has such grandeur powers that he might as well be considered a god. That's boring.

In anything you have to take the good with the bad, and there are a lot of bad fantasy writers out there. But there are many fantasy writers who really shine. If you're looking for fantasy writers who have created epic adventures and fantastic worlds look no further than this list of people:

Robert Jordan

I've said over and over that "The Wheel of Time" has changed my life. I'm not lying. It's one of the grandest stories that have ever been told. If you're looking to get into fantasy WoT is a great place to start.

Ursula K. Le Guin

Before Rowling ever wrote Harry Potter Ms. Le Guin wrote "A Wizard of Earthsea". Ursula's prose is unmatched in all of litreature. It's deep and intimate. Quite frankly, her writing is so beautiful I want to lick the words off the pages. She's one of my personal heroes. Read. Her. Today.

Brandon Sanderson

There is no writer out there, now, like Brandon Sanderson. He dominates the fantasy genre with little competition. His debut novel Elantris is so good that you would think Sanderson had been published many many times before. He's rescued WoT and is finishing the final books. I've not read them, yet, but hear only great things about them. His magic systems are unparalleled. I read his novels just to enjoy the complex systems of magic that he creates. Not only does he imagine great worlds and greats powers, but he's a fantastic writer and superb story teller. You can't miss the mark by reading any of Sanderson's books.

Patrick Rothfuss

Mr. Rothfuss is one of the only competitors that Brandon Sanderson has. Patrick's story telling ability is unmatched. I've been reading his debut novel "The Name of the Wind" and it is the most well told story I've ever read. I've never read a fantasy story in the way that this one has been told. Amazing! You must read his work. Unfortunately, Wind is the only novel that Rothfuss has published. The sequel "Wise Man's Fear" is scheduled for release in March of 2011. Until then you have the words of "The Name of the Wind" to salivate over.

These four writers are some of the best fantasy authors to have ever been published. I think you would enjoy any of their books that you picked up and read. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that you would become a life long fan of any of these writers. Hopefully, I've persuaded you to give fantasy a try if you're not a reader of the genre. If you are I hope I've introduced you to some new faces.

Until next time,

Adios and via con dios.

***Click on the names of the writers so you can be transported to Amazon to preview or buy their work.

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Toy Story 3 Brought Out the Kid in Me

The great thing about being a kid is your always in awe of the world, there's always new adventure awaiting your imagination to explore, and every new day is full of fun.

Sadly, growing up you lose awe for the grandeur of the world outside. Your imagination is replaced by school, job, and "real life". Becoming an adult takes away the fun of being a kid.

Not to be religious but I always liked that Jesus said, "To be a part of my kingdom, you've got to be like a little kid."

When you see Toy Story 3 it'll take you back to the awesomeness of uncharted world outside and inside.

The movie is just plain fun. I laughed a bunch from beginning to end. I was never the Toy Story fanatic, but I've seen them all. This by far is my favorite of the trilogy. I say hands down it's the best movie Pixar has released. I never really believed they could top The Incredibles. I think Pixar did so with this tale of Woody and Buzz. The beauty of this movie is it reveals the pureness of fantasy. It's a look at the fun-ness of a fantasy world. It's everything I love about the fantasy genre: Imagination, fun, and happy endings.

Go see this movie.

I've deliberated a lot as to where this movie should place. It was that good.

So here's the top movies for 2010:

1. Toy Story 3

2. Robin Hood

3. How To Train Your Dragon

4. Shutter Island

5. Iron Man 2

6. Date Night

7. Killers

8. The Crazies

9. Kick-Ass

10. Alice In Wonderland

11. The Book of Eli

12. Remember Me

13. Valentine's Day

14. The Bounty Hunter

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Kalifornia: A Moral Conundrum

Brad Pitt is one of my favorite actors.

The first time I knew he was a genius was when I saw Twelve Monkeys.

Twelve Monkeys has a unique plot. It's intelligent. However, when I think of TM I think of Jeffrey Goines. Man, Brad Pitt was awesome in that movie. Talking about it makes me want to watch it again.

But that's not my topic. A friend told me if I enjoyed Brad Pitt in Twelve Monkeys then I needed to see Kalifornia.

My friend has a stellar taste in movies so I put Kalifornia at the top of my To-See list. A few days ago I saw that it would be showing on Encore Mysteries. I set it to DVR and just finished watching.

Earlier today I read a blog from a favorite writer of mine, Dan Wells.

(Check out his debut novel "I Am Not A Serial Killer".)

Today he posted a blog entitled "Emotional Contrast". Click on the title and go check out the post or I'll some it up in these few words: Dan talks about art that causes you to feel two contrasting emotions at the same time. For example: A scene from a movie that provokes you to be happy and sad at the same moment. That's not something that's easy to do.

Kalifornia was not a movie that had a handful of scenes where I felt conflicted. From the moment Early Grayce is introduced to the moment he's no longer a part of the movie I was conflicted. There was something about him that I liked. I'm sitting here trying to pinpoint the reason that I liked him and not a single thing comes to mind. Brad Pitt portrayed Grayce in such a way that I just thought, I like this guy.

You find out early on that Earl has a secret that his acquaintances don't find out until later. Early is a serial killer. You never find out why Earl enjoys killing people, but he does. As the four main characters trip across the United States Grayce leaves a slew of bodies in their wake.

Even thought Earl (very) brutally people throughout the movie I still liked him, but I began to dislike him. It was strange. Early seemed like a guy it'd be cool to sit back, smoke a cigar, and drink a beer with. You could shoot the bull until sunset and not run out of things to talk about. Earl would have story after story to tell. Most would be exaggerated or out right lies but you wouldn't care. When Earl gets a little intoxicated he likes to stretch the truth, but he keeps you laughing.

However, he murders people. For fun. He takes their money and other valuables when he's done.

You're not supposed to like this kind of person.

You should want to smoke a 'gar with this person.

You shouldn't want to share a six pack with a serial killer.

But . . . he's a cool guy.

But . . . he murders people.

But . . .

But . . .

. . . It was fantastic art. I can't say that I'll ever watch Kalifornia ever again. It was not that type of movie. As Kalifornia progresses and moves towards its ending the intensity rises until it's hard to watch, and becomes tragic.

When the credits rolled for Kalifornia I was left feeling sad but still liking Early Grayce. I can't say that any movie has ever made me feel that way about a character. As a writer it's my goal to create antagonists like Early.

If you want to watch one of the best performances Brad Pitt has ever given. Check out Kalifornia. If you're a writer and want to watch a character that creates contrasting emotions. Watch Kalifornia. You may not feel the same way. If you don't. It's still a damn good movie and should be required watching.

Until next time,

Adios and via con dios.

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Life Reflections: What I've Learned About Myself as a Man, a Christian, and a Writer

The last week and a half I've been walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel. It's not very close but I've enjoyed the reflection time.

I've been thinking about who I am as a man, a Christian, and an aspiring writer.

Directly off the top of my head, I hate calling myself an aspiring writer. From here on out I refuse to do so. That's effin' derogatory. It's like claiming I'm not a man. I get every morning at 7:30am, eat breakfast, and then from 8am-10am I write. A good deal of what I've written has gone to the trash. But, still, I write. 

I said in a few blogs past that one day you're going to walk into a book store, somewhere in the world, and you're going to see a book I've written on the shelf. That doesn't make me a writer. That just means I'm published. I put the time and the effort into writing everyday. I love it. I spend my time brainstorming and being creative telling tales - if to no one other than myself - that I've never heard told before. That makes me a frakkin' writer. 

My last few attempts at writing a manuscript have bombed. I recently tried to write a horror story. It was bleak. I got bored trying to do it. Not my cup of tea. 

I've learned that fantasy is where I want to concentrate my efforts. I have a special affinity for the genre, and thought I want to write other things, there will never be anything more special than epic heroic fantasy. 

Every time I read Brandon Sanderson my heart burns and in my head I scream, "I can do this." Robert Jordan took my on a vast adventure of such scope I still reel from it. I want to write novels of grandeur that will make people want to never leave the high seas of their imagination.

I really needed to get that off my chest. Thank you for allowing me.

Growing older I've learned this about myself: The older I get the less I care and the less I care the more I do to show people I don't care. I really don't care what anyone thinks and it really puts a skip in my step to prove people that I don't. Maybe it's a flaw I've developed but who cares. 

Making the decision not to go into the ministry has caused me to do serious soul searching for more than six months. It's something I think about a good deal of the time. Part of the reason is because Tulsa, Oklahoma is the mecca for Charismatic Christianity. The essence of my decision was this: I don't think I'd be happy spending the rest of my life as a minister. That's why I decided to jump ship and dedicate my life to writing. First of all, Christianity will fit into any mold you put it into. It is the mold. 

God is the greatest story teller. Ever. Read the Bible for goodness sakes. The tale of Gideon was the original tale of the 300. I'm sorry, but Zakk Snyder nor Frank Miller told a story of the 300 as grand as God did. Not even the 300 Spartans were as glorious as Gideon and his 300 soldiers. 

Read about Jesus. Read about the awesome things He did for people. Read about the miracles he worked and the lives He changed. You don't even have to believe in Him to be touched. 

People that can't read the Bible and be inspired have no imagination.

You grew up.

You left Neverland.

I want to spend the rest of my life telling stories like my Father. I want to tell stories of heroic men and women who work miracles by magic, by strength, or my intelligence. I want to tell stories that make people want to get up and fight each day's battle. I want to tell stories that make people want to be better. Can you really do that writing fantasy? Yeah. Robert Jordan changed my life by telling the story of The Wheel of Time. I want to be a hero. The tale of Jesus - which is the greatest tale told (because it's true) - makes me want to be the best.

When I write fantasy I want people to think, there's Magic out there. When people read my stories I want them to believe that Something greater is out there.

Don't think you ever have to fit someone else's mold. Don't think you have to do it someone else's way. Living in Tulsa sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by robots. Christians only think they can serve God by preaching from a pulpit, or some time of church ministry. I never want to live programmed to do it like the guy who went before me. Screw that. I'd rather be like Frank Sinatra and do it Mark's way.

Until next time,

Adios and via con dios

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Killers Didn't Kill Me but Was Still Pretty Funny

Killers was pretty good.

It was exactly what I expected.

I wouldn't go back for a second viewing. But the few laughs that I wanted to get out of it I got. That made it worth the five bucks I spent to see it. Early bird special, baby!

There were a two irksome moments for me:

1. During the fight scenes they used to shaky cam technique. I hate the shaky cam technique. You can't tell what the Sam hill is going on. Besides being totally lost to the action you're made dizzy.

2. Ashton Kutcher did not make realistic decisions as a spy.

*Spoilers Ahead*

When everyone you know is out to claim a $20 million bounty on your head. What spy is going to say let's stop by the house so we can get the go bag and the guns? Really? No. You would've never seen 007 make some kind of asinine decison. Ethan Hunt would've made do without the frickin' go bag. You're a spy for chrike's sake. Make MacGyver without the go bag. That's what you were trained for.

*End of Spoilers*

The best part of the movie were the parents. Tom Selleck's mustache is always impressive. He was funny, too, in case you were wondering. Catherine O'Hara made me recall all my childhood memories of Home Alone, and as she devoured glass after glass of alcoholic beverages I laughed my memories away.

Good movie. You can see it in theaters or just wait for it to be distributed your nearest Red Box container.

Killers doesn't make the top ten. It nearly missed it.

Top Movies of 2010:

1. Robin Hood

2. How To Train Your Dragon

3. Shutter Island

4. Iron Man 2

5. Date Night

6. Killers


7. The Crazies

8. Kick-Ass

9. Alice in Wonderland

10. Book of Eli

11. Remember Me

12. Valentine's Day

13. The Bounty Hunter

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