The blockbuster world of fantasy fiction is getting more political in more ways than one.
We talk to four of its biggest rising stars about why.
It would be helpful to define what old fantasy was to me.
Credit: Macmillan Children’s; Macmillan; Sourcebooks Fire; Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Old fantasy wasHarry Potter.
It wasLord of the Rings.
But without anyone who looked like me.
Illustration by Kevin Hong for EW
Fantasy was this thing I loved dearly but never saw myself in.
Let me follow the rules."
That’s what old fantasy was.
HAFSAH FAIZAL:As a kid, I hated reading.
I disliked it completely.
I would rather do anything else.
But looking back, I realized at the time there was nothing for me to read.
There were stories about kids who were never like me.
We even had the audiobook, where they literally sang, and it put me right to sleep.
It all felt so serious and drab!
And it all felt deeply, dauntingly masculine.
The visuals were prioritized alongside story.
I was compelled, completely, by stories that featured powerful girls fighting back.
A new era begins
ADEYEMI:Sabaa Tahir was new fantasy for me.
You don’t have to parse out an adventure over seven books.
you could grab them in the first chapter and just go off on this epic adventure."
I was already getting my feet wet in what types of fantasy were being considered today.
When I readAn Ember in the Ashes, it was unlike anything.
I’d never seen a world like that.
I’d never seen characters who looked even a bit like me.
I’d never seen that culture, that richness, that heart.
I felt so seen.
It’s not even a direct representation of my culture.
I actually get to ride with her and fight with her.
The beauty of stories is you get so connected to these characters, even if they don’t exist.
It was about real people and real problems.
It was a beacon for me.
GRACE:This new wave of fantasy started to turn more political.
Fantasy has a unique ability to do certain things with it.
We have a lot more room to play with things and explore how different things work.
I was like, “Oh, I guess I wrote that!”
It’s so natural for us, just because we’re really in this political climate right now.
We’re not afraid to take that extra step and be a little bit more brave.
Writing what we really, really want to write.
So many more coming up.
It’s really great for readers to see themselves, finally.
I absolutely see this trend in publishing, too.
GRACE:It was really important to not really show clearly one right and one wrong.
I wanted to create worlds and situations that made young readers think.
I didn’t want it to be so black and white.
It took me awhile because of how I grew up.
I want to offer that more.
FAIZAL:The world of Arabia is so steeped in misconceptions, and so often demonized or exoticized.
you might still be who you are, practice your religion, and go for it.
I wanted to keep that clear as I was writing.
LA SALA:Queerness will never be a question in my work.
I know a lot of people frame escapism as the antithesis of political action, but I disagree.
I never discourage escapes.
People need breaks from the harshness of reality.
This discussion has been edited for length and clarity.
