Genre? Or not? (was Re: Wasted Charms & other magical devices (Time Turner))

[grey_wolf_c]

No: HPFGUIDX 32773

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Elizabeth Dalton <Elizabeth.Dalton at E...> 
As someone who's read a *lot* of "genre" fiction, I think you (and Grey 
Wolf) are selling the category short. Yes, there are plenty of 
hackneyed "tall-elf-short-dwarf-wizard-with-beard" stories out there, 
but there's plenty of good, well-conceived, well-written fiction out 
there, too, written by authors who would be (I believe) just as popular 
and successful if there were no fantasy or science fiction genre 
marketing category. Orson Scott Card comes to mind. So does Ian Banks, 
or C.J. Cherryh.

> Elizabeth
---------------

I must admit I've never read them, or even heard about them, but then 
again I live in a backwater country in reading terms. Most of what we 
get here is Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance, and a few independent 
authors (most of which I have read, and which unfortunately fall into 
two categories: Tolkienish or bad). There are exceptions, of course 
(Eddings being the most obvious), but are far and far between.

I still doubt, nonetheless, that there are many 11 year-old wizards 
going to boarding schools in modern fantasy, or simply fantasy based 
directly in the real world (coexistant, not in distant past or future 
or alternate realities) and still is excelent quality.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf
(He who is starting to wonder if he's about to run out of it's weekly 
quota of "Hope that helps")