Written by Ryan Jones
You swipe your phone and unlock the screen. You click on a small cube detailed with a camera—Instagram. Your thumb swipes up against the smooth glass. While many people stop this momentum to double tap their thumbs, admiring a photo of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, others keep scrolling, ignorant to caring about fae and magic.
When I conducted an unscientific Instagram poll on my Bookstagram account, @biblio.virgo, to see if people like fantasy, the results did not surprise me. 90 per cent of people were in favour of the genre and 10 per cent were not. In total, 121 people voted.
The vast majority of content I scroll through on my feed deals with fantasy, whether it be a popular series such as the one written by Sarah J. Maas, merchandise from books and TV shows or even book subscription boxes such as FairyLoot.
With about 8,000,000 posts using the hashtag #fantasy on Instagram, it is safe to say this genre is all the rage as no other genre comes close to this number, hovering in the low millions.
Angelica Haggert is a Canadian journalist who says she reads everyday, whether is be news articles or books. A fantasy book that is a favourite of hers is Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind.
“I actually only got into fantasy in the last few years. I think fantasy writers can do something different with their product than other writers,” says Haggert. “You get to break all the rules.”
One must remember there are different types of fantasy, and the type a person reads can sway their views about the genre. Categories can include high fantasy, fairytale, science fantasy, urban fantasy and contemporary fantasy.
How many times can I say fantasy in this article? Let us count. (I am kidding. Do not actually count.)
She is a part-time student and part-time bookstagrammer who lives in the Philippines and enjoys reading before going to bed. Meet Aimee Pua (@aimeereads). While Haggert says she likes fantasy, it is Pua’s favourite. Pua says she agrees with my conclusion about the popularity of this genre.
“I can definitely see this, being a book blogger myself,” says Pua. “I think this is because there’s so much authors can do with fantasy – with all the rich cultures in the world, there are bound to be millions of magical creatures and myths to be explored and all the truly great authors can even come up with their own.”
As a Sarah J. Maas fan, bookstagrammer, dance teacher and model, Sidney Urban, @sidney.isabel, says fantasy has become a favourite because it is “badass and full of wonder.” It may be “badass” for Urban, but for the 10 per cent who voted no it may just be bad.
Olivia J. Bennet is an author, student and part-time art studio employee who likes to post on Instagram as bookstagrammer @olivia.j.the.wordshaker. Bennet explains reading as being a method of feeling rather than a mode of escape. She says fantasy lacks what she feels in reality.
“Truthfully, fantasy and I just do not get along. The things I am looking for and the things I enjoy while reading rarely appear in fantasy,” says Bennett. “Aside from the lack of humanity, I have a problem with fantasy’s long-winded nature. But I feel the simpler the plot, the more impactful the message and characters are.”
Despite the abundance of fantasy posts on social media and the results of the poll, it is up to you to decide if fantasy has a place in your heart…
…and on your bookshelf.
