by JuliaLundstrom

A lot of people ponder over the difference between High and Low fantasy. What makes them different from each other? Do they exist as genres simply to contrast each other? In short, yes they do contrast each other, but that doesn't mean they can't have things in common. Developed out of the old fairytales we all know of with talking animals, abnormally strong children, and love so powerful it may break curses low fantasy describes a world I dare say we'd all like to live in. What child doesn't wish to live in the reality of at least one of their fairytales they've listened to so many times?

Generally, Low Fantasy is defined as magic or similar elements occurring in a world where they're not expected to, such as an alternate version of our world where creatures like werewolves or the like exist. This can be known by the world's inhabitants, and people may have decided to accept or refuse the existence of such supernatural elements, but it could also be that very few know about it.

To put Low Fantasy as the main genre in a book may seem easy because a lot of books fall into it. Authors like George R.R Martin, Jim Butcher, and even J.K Rowling count as low fantasy but have very different types of books other than that single genre. From what I've read Butcher's books can also fit into the urban fantasy genre, Martin's books in dark fantasy aimed at a more mature audience while Rowling's books tend to be more light-hearted –with underlying deeper themes- that a younger audience can appreciate. They all classify as low fantasy, however, as they're all in a similar universe to our own, with a rational world only different because of certain fantasy elements. This indeed contrasts the high fantasy genre as the latter typically takes place in a completely different world than ours, possibly where magic is an everyday occurrence and humans may or may not even exist.

Low fantasy tends to have a more humble approach concerning magical creatures. There aren't magical elves around every corner, but beings such as werewolves, vampires, ghouls, or an occasional witch that may or may not lead a double life and blend into the crowd of humans may exist. Vampires can be the high society snob with glamorous parties that seem to abruptly end as the sun comes up. A werewolf might be the shunned crazy person in a village or a loner who lives in a secluded house at the edge of a town. In some instances, however, like in the books by Gail Carriger, the supernatural beings may live among humans in perfect harmony, with everyone knowing of their existence and even have laws concerning their well-being.

The protagonists in these stories are commonly a person who becomes aware of the magical elements in the world for some curious reason. They could be a curious teenager who loves exploring and just happens to stumble upon it. Destiny could slap a young, struggling bully victim in the face, telling them their life amounts to so much more, or perhaps they're the strange person who always sits in the corner of the classroom or workplace, already certain there's magic going on in the world but nobody listens to them. The possibilities are endless and that's what makes the low fantasy genre so great.

The genre also has a love for historical settings. Not to say there aren't lots of urban low fantasy stories out there, and while the magical world of Harry Potter tends to revert back a couple of decades in technology it does exist in what we define as our current time period. The 18th to early 20th centuries are incredibly popular in low fantasy aspects. Possibly taking place in a shady Victorian setting with dark creatures creeping around the narrow alleyways of London, or a pirate captain suddenly having her ship struck to the bottom of the sea by a giant sea monster. My previous point still stands: The possibilities are endless.

What I personally find so enticing about low fantasy is that to some extent I could imagine this world we currently live in to hide a genre like this. I'm not really able to hope my world would suddenly turn into Middle earth and I marry a handsome orc while someone travels across giant spider ridden territories to cash in some cursed jewelry, but I can imagine suddenly running into a werewolf in the middle of the night somewhere. I can let my imagination run wild if I want to, and hope that one day I find myself in a world like this. Like the child who wants to listen to a story about a magical tinderbox that can summon giant dogs to do your bidding. It doesn't make sense to think this would happen in our world, but wouldn't it be pretty amazing if it did? That's what I think makes low fantasy so great.
It's like living in your childhood fairytale, or exploring a reality that actually might exist without us knowing. I'll repeat it one final time:
The possibilities are endless.

Example of Low Fantasy on Wattpad:
The Meaning of Eternity by JuliaLundstrom

Synopsis:

Mutilated, dejected and out of options Lucius Cromwell is approached by a demon claiming to be his salvation, that is, if he agrees to make a deal with it. At first it seemed too good to be true. A simple trade of his soul in exchange for power, but the deal meant so much more than that.

Constantly tormented by his inner voice and manipulated to do the demon's bidding, Lucius finds his life thrown into a pandemonium of murder, loss and coping with his slowly fading sanity all while realizing  the insignificance of a lifetime of power compared to an eternity of suffering.

Excerpt:

Curiosity didn't nail him to the floor now, but fear did. He whispered Richard's name, as if questioning whether it was really him or not. Then there was a large roar and out of the shadows, quicker than Lucius could react, came something that was hardly a human. The boy didn't see more than a pair of large fangs and grey fur swooping toward him before his reflexes acted and he threw himself to the side.

More resources:

Blending Realism with Magical Systems | SLCC: Fantasy

https://youtu.be/ndo3r75-UhU

George R. R. Martin: The World of Ice and Fire

https://youtu.be/Vcy-EhkHXnE