The Greatness of Fantasy Sagas - Why Fantasy Authors need to write them and Why Fantasy Writers are the Greatest Writers - And Agapéic a New Sub-Genre in Need of Nurturing
The Greatest Meme of 2025
The Greatest Meme of 2025
A Substacker I wasn’t previously familiar with who apparently supports other indie authors by the name of
recently posted a meme. Its one that I must admit I found quite amusing and it got me thinking. It was one that he posted out of sheer amusement and that people with good reason really took to, especially other Fantasy authors (it was really cool to see as many of them I wasn’t familiar with).
Hilarious stuff isn’t it?
But it is also very much the Truth about us authors of ‘Fantasy’ as it is something that is extremely important to us. The development of great multi-book spanning epics began it is said with Tolkien though the Truth of the matter is rather more complicated than that as Tolkien intended to write but one novel, but the publishers broke it in three on account there not being enough paper for the whole thing at first and from a business perspective it made a great deal of sense.
Arguably it was C.S. Lewis who took up the multi-book saga and made it a fixture of the Genre in some ways.
While I’ve agreed with
that too many authors just automatically start off on the multi-book saga bandwagon and leap into it without thinking things through. I must admit that I still love it. We need trilogies and sagas and what not, and there is a reason writers will continue to commit themselves to it no matter what.The trouble is that too many jump into making the sagas as said before they are properly prepared.
Now with that said I will say that I do understand. It is okay guys, if you must race before you can walk fine. But I will maintain that one must hone one’s craft beforehand and once you’ve properly done this much then jump on in and enjoy yourself a good long trilogy or saga.
The question therefore becomes ‘when will I know I’m ready?’ and I’ll answer; you’ll know. It is more about instinct but speaking personally I’m currently working on a dozen standalones and intend to finish about 3-4 anthologies alongside my trilogy and duology duo.
After that I intend to write some a whole host of short-stories and to only ever work on my current projects before moving on to writing only one trilogy or saga at a time. It is too time consuming and energy-consuming to do too many all at once.
So I’ll counsel that you’ll know after you’ve done 4 standalones, 2 anthologies of ten stories each or so. That’d be my safe bet. This is kind of what Tolkien did, with him having written a host of poems, one anthology with his Christmas letters stories, his Roverandum, Hobbit and a bunch of other translation projects/stories and his Silmarillion tales before tackling LOTR.
So if you must imitate him imitate this slow steady way of doing things.
Now that we have the how to approach it, I’ll now get into discussing article that came to my attention earlier this week and explain how it all ties in together.
Sub-Genres In Need of Rescue
Now Howard Days have recently passed us by, with the celebration having come and gone. There’s been much talk of Robert E. Howard lately as well as the Sub-Genre that
would re-dub Agapéic so that we don’t confuse ourselves with the stories of our foes.In terms of massive epic tales and sprawling universes the thing about the Agapéic is that it is the ‘odd woman’ out of all the sub-genres of the Genre. It is interesting that the most successful tale of this sort as Therese puts it is that of Tolkien’s Beren & Luthien.
That being said there is something to be said about a major problem facing this feminine sub-genre that others do not face. To be quite blunt, it is the matter that it doesn’t seem to lend itself as well as others towards the trilogy or multi-book saga.
Or at least it has never fully been attempted, outside of Manga/Anime where we see Anatolia Story and Sailor Moon which are massive epics that are both moving and massive adventure stories. While I prefer Anatolia Story/Red River over the other story (as Red River is more of a kind of fairy-tale story) I cannot deny the grandeur of the more popular Sailor Moon.
That said the novel is the sought after goal for all authors as only it, should it gain popularity enough can open the doorway to Movies, Radio-Dramas, and Comics/BDs/Manga adaptations among others.
And the thing is that Sword & Sorcery has the Pastiche stories of Conan that form a kind of Saga for the sub-genre right alongside David Gemmell. The Heroic Fantasy has too many epic sagas to count, with a good example being the Legend of Huma, right alongside the likes of Dragonbone Chair and the Chronicles of Narnia, alongside the likes of the Chronicles Trilogy among many others.
Epic Fantasy isn’t a sub-genre but a mode of story-telling. What this means is that it is a goal for many authors. It is something that we do eventually have to do. A multi-book saga, an expansive universe is the goal, but the trouble is that the sub-genre should be something that functions as a kind of technique.
That is to say that Sword & Sorcery is a sub-genre it is true but the differences between it and Heroic are somewhat thin, as Hour of the Dragon for example cannot by any stretch of the imagination be described as S&S as it is more of an Epic Saga novel. The culmination of a long series of short-stories.
LOTR is a single volume but when looked at as a trilogy is the culmination of a grand mythos stretching across countless epic tales (and one hilarious, and fascinating standalone novel).
This is why what is needed to infuse the Agapéic sub-genre with much needed Vitality is an epic. It needs a grand tale, a great saga of the likes we’ve not seen in many decades. We need a lead everyone can rally around, a great set of heroes and heroines that everyone can cheer on and what is needed isn’t simply supporting cast members who are there to cheer the lead on, but who have their own stories, their own tragedies and travesties.
We need a multi-book saga not just for this Sub-Genre, but also for the likes of Heroic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery and Dark Fantasy each. We need epic sagas that inspire, terrify and awe everyone.
We need new epics, because the world as I keep reiterating is as a chapel that has had its windows broken, its drapes burnt, and its altar thrown over and scarred by swords and torches. In short it is akin to a desecrated altar where the voices have stopped, the chorus has died and the clergy have long since disappeared from view and the nuns have all fled for fear of their lives.
The Agapéic has thus been smothered out before it has had a chance to truly ripen. It is as though Alcmene had attempted to kill Herakles in the crib rather than nurturing him alongside Amphytrion. It is a sub-genre that could well be slain by the degeneracy of stories like minotaur or lesbian orc romance stories. These sort of stories constrain and destroy literary femininity.
The thing is that what happens in literature happens in philosophy and from there echoes throughout the larger culture and society itself. It is the canary in the coal-mines. What is more is that it is a fact that what happens to women, will inevitably affect men also as we need each other to co-exist.
The problem is that if women continue down the present path they will only end up more miserable, and less well off.
This is why we need big sweeping epics, a Great Romance as
calls it, or a Grand Myth or a ‘Liturgical Tale’ or something like that as I believe has dubbed it.Therese’s proposal is a good one, but it will necessitate that one thing that all great movements and armies need; a great and resounding victory. It is also one that I must confess must come from one who is devoted to such stories and devoted to the Genre over-all.
It cannot come from me. It might not be something that Men can win exactly for women, though I’d argue at least one major victory for the Sub-Genre MUST come from Men. Why? To shatter the feminist pretentious that Men are useless and inferior.
That being said, just as there must be a grand victory against the forces of slop and darkness on behalf of Agapéic fiction so too there must be a great triumph of the Masculine. A great outpouring of male energy pouring forth into the world to reverse two centuries of humiliation and defeat.
There must come a great resounding epic for the first time since LOTR. Possibly in the S&S sphere, as this is the most male dominated part of Mythic Fiction. It is this Sub-Genre that must also have a great victory, and it must be struck in defence of masculine fiction and masculinity.
There must be a victory in the form of a new Hour of the Dragon. One that reshapes the whole of the Genre for the coming decades. It must be a victory that reminds the world of great heroes like Aragorn, Conan and others like them.
A Great Romance as I always say is in order.
The question remains though; in what shape and what time will it come? Because just as we need the Lovers Cycle such as that of the story of Helen and Paris, or of Sigurdr & Brynhildr, or of Yuri Ishtar and Mursili II from Anatolia Story, and also the likes of Beren & Luthien we also need the triumph of the Warrior-King’s Cycle that of the ‘Return of the King’ a story such as that of Conan in the Hour of the Dragon, or of Aragorn Elessar II in Lord of the Rings.
We need in short a pair of epics as the world has always previously cherished a certain balance between the male and the female. But that being said, if we get only one it’d still be a good enough thing in my view though in that case I’d say it is more likely to be in the masculine spirit of an Hour of the Dragon and LOTR (not to set up a battle of the sexes, there’s just a greater proportion of male fantasy readers and writers).
That said my hope is to challenge those who join Therese in her noble guild and journey to convert this sub-genre to aim first for smaller tales and then for a grander epic of sorts. Begin with short-stories or standalone novels, novelletes and Novellas and stuff before you try to tackle the Great Romance.
Once you do approach it with wisdom, patience and insightfulness into the human condition as Great Romances tend to tell a great deal about the human condition and try to remember that you’ll be swimming against a grand tide. It must also be ground in the reality of your local landscape, and that of Europe.
It must be entrenched in the literary traditions you love best, and linguistics and also art and it must be written with a great deal of care.
Just as I’d challenge Agapéic authors to spill their love, their passion and their dreams into their fiction so too would I encourage men to delve deep into their souls, into the darkness within them, up into the light of their souls and extract what vitality they necessitate for their darker Sword & Sorcery fiction.
Both sub-genres could learn from one another, especially Agapéic fiction which is still in its infancy so that it must yield a great tale of romance yes, but also tragedy, music, adventure and most of all…. adventure.
It must also eschew the ‘boss babe’ and the ‘girl boss’ as the aggressive female lead has for the most part run her course so that what is needed is someone active yes, but only reactive in the feminine sense and who embodies feminine virtues and honour in that sense with truly masculine, and heroic male characters who can be permitted to shine brightly.
Also a reminder to writers of both sub-genres; a good man… is a dangerous one. Conan is good. Aragorn is good. Neither of them are safe. Bear this in mind. Write them or Prince Charming if you must, but remember Agapéic authors to also read the likes of Conan, or Crown of Blood or LOTR to remember that good men are dangerous things, they are like Lions that might well snap at anyone who tries to chain them. This is how you must approach writing them.
Because heaven knows the world could use more inspiring stories of proper femininity and masculinity and of heroics, tragedies and grand adventure. And what is more is that even if you’re writing a great Sword & Sorcery story it doesn’t preclude somewhere within your universe a Agapéic tale or if you’re writing a grand epic Agapéic, you should maybe consider a barbaric and savage Sword & Sorcery story.
A good Secondary World has a balance of ALL the sub-genres of Fantasy fiction. Howard wrote romances, action tales, mysteries, tragedies, coming of age stories and so on. Tolkien wrote Children of Hurin which is Dark Fantasy, wrote Beren and Luthien, wrote LOTR, wrote the Downfall of Numenor and more.
You should fill your universe with every kind of story, every kind of subgenre why? To hone your skills for your Grand Trilogy/Saga. It’ll also help you refine your writing of characters of the opposite sex, or writing for them so that you can better appeal to a larger basket of readers so to speak.
It’ll also help establish your name as a writer, help strengthen your portfolio as an artist and expand the popularity of your name. So I might challenge the likes of
to try also down the road writing a Sword & Sorcery story or Heroic Fantasy story once she’s finished with her present projects just as I’ll challenge the likes to write an Agapéic story (I think he already has in a sci-fi story lmao).But most of all don’t forget if you do so to write in your ‘lane’ so to speak as each author has their own strengths and weaknesses it cannot be denied.
Also if your first effort fails… remember the Meme. Because it is truly apt!
Now I’m off to write both a Sword & Sorcery short story (Conan the Knight) and also an Agapéic epic (my Fealandvil & Feavonoe legend).
And if you enjoyed this essay do remember to consider contributing to either the Crowdfund or to Bros Krynn a mere 6$ will guarantee you a year’s subscription (and we promise not to raise back the price don’t worry as we have no need to do so).
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Also Crown of Blood has a new edition, with maps, character bios and more!
As a fellow writer of fantasy, I approve this post. 😀
Excellent post brothers. I'll admit you have reminded me of my childhood desire to write an epic for Gen Z. Not sure what that would look like but I want to write it. It could be the Arthurian stories but I think I have another epic in me somewhere on top of that.