Asking “Why do I love fantasy so much?” is like asking “Why do I enjoy breathing so much?”
At least, that’s how it is for me. It just comes naturally; I can’t imagine myself without that part of my personality.
But maybe it doesn’t seem so natural to you to be so enthralled with the supernatural. Maybe your parents forbade you to read stories of witches and wizards when you were a child for fear you would damn your immortal soul. Maybe your friends made fun of you for reading fairy tales instead of going to parties or playing sports. Or maybe the doubt comes from within—after all, loving fantasy stories can be as exhausting as it is exhilarating. Maybe you’re worried it says something bad about you, to want to spend so much time in imaginary worlds when there is so much you need to get done in this one.
Whatever the case, it makes you wonder—why do I love fantasy so much?
Why I Love Fantasy So Much
In my case, a love of fairy tales and all things fantastic is in my blood. It was passed down to me from my parents, both of whom had worn their own walking paths through lands like Middle-Earth and Prydain long before I was born. One of the first books I can remember reading, first with my parents and then on my own, was Jack Prelutsky’s poetry collection The Dragons Are Singing Tonight. It still holds a sacred place on my shelf. When I checked books out from the school library, it was usually a safe bet that I’d come home with something like Bruce Coville’s The Unicorn Chronicles or Elizabeth Winthrop’s The Castle in the Attic.
These books didn’t just bring us together as a family. They excited my imagination; they inspired me to become what I am today. But even more than that, they saved me. I spent so many days home from school sick in bed, most often with a migraine; fantasy stories, in particular, took me as far away as possible from that pain and isolation to places where anything was possible and any curse could be broken if you knew who to ask.
I think this is the root of most people’s love of fantasy—the hope that it offers, however illusory, and the escape it provides. Even if you haven’t spent a third of your life trying to ignore what feels like a giant iron vice clamping down on your skull, chances are you have suffered in some way, at some point. There is a lot of good in this world, but also a lot of pain, some of which can be difficult to manage and impossible to cure. When you disappear into a fantasy novel—even a grimdark one—you get to leave that pain behind, at least for a little while, by focusing on immersing yourself in a completely different existence.
But fantasy isn’t only about escaping this beautiful, terrible world we live in—it’s also about finding ways to process and better understand it. And we’ve been using fantasy stories that way for a long, long time.
Why Humans Have Always Loved Fantasy Stories
One could argue that mythology and folklore were our very first fantasy stories, ones we began telling long before the written word was even a thing. (Please note that when I call a story a “fantasy” story, I do not mean that it is necessarily untrue, only that it is fantastic in nature. Maybe the ancient gods did, or do, exist—who knows? I certainly don’t!)
These ancient tales we told one another about gods and goddesses, monsters and miracles, helped explain the inexplicable and make sense of a world filled with chaos. They provided motivation, gave us a sense of control, however small; these stories gave us hope that if we did this or didn’t do that, we could persuade even the lofty stars to shift in our favor. It didn’t matter whether these stories were true or not; what mattered was that we believed in them, and they made us believe in ourselves.
Now, one could also argue that these stories inspired cruelty as well as compassion. And it’s true, of course; many dark deeds have been committed in the name of religion. But keep in mind that the real driving force behind those deeds was hatred, not love. There is nothing inherently bad about fantasy, just as there is nothing inherently good about it; as with most things, it’s what we make of it that makes the difference.
It’s Okay to Be a Little Obsessed with Fantasy
While it’s important to understand why you love fantasy, even if for no better reason than to find some peace of mind, it’s far more important to recognize how you can use that passion in positive ways.
I owe much of my writing motivation to the fantasy authors and heroes who have inspired me over the years, but that’s not the only gift fairy tales have given me. I am braver because as a child, I wanted to be a shieldmaiden like Eowyn. I am kinder because Robin Hood taught me compassion. And I am open-minded because I cannot help but believe in the possibility of all things, even magic.
Your love of fantasy may give you other gifts. Perhaps it sparks your imagination, or has helped you connect with others who share a similar passion for the fantastic. It may drive you to make good art, or do good deeds, or to think outside the box when solving even the most mundane of problems.
In short, it’s okay to love fantasy so much that you begin to wonder where it comes from. It’s not always an easy thing to love—after all, who among us didn’t grieve when our Hogwarts letter never came, or sigh when yet another puddle proved to be only that, and not a portal to another world? But I think it’s worth it, in the end, if the joy that fantasy stories bring you (and perhaps even allows you to bring others) outweighs that sorrow and makes this world even a little bit easier to live in.
I love writing fantasy almost as much as I love reading it. If you’re looking for something new to read, try my dark interactive fantasy novel The Harbinger’s Head (you can read the first chapter for free right from the comfort of your browser!). Or, for something a little lighter, take a peek at the free demo for my current work in progress, The Dragon’s Last Flight.
