#diversity in fantasy literature

[joncronshawauthor]

Seven Fantasy Writers of Colour to Add to Your Reading List

Fantasy literature has historically been a genre dominated by white authors and white characters. However, in recent years, there has been a push for more diversity in fantasy literature, including more representation of black authors and black characters. This blog post will highlight seven books by black fantasy authors you should add to your reading list. From epic fantasy to Afrofuturism,…

[mask131]

One of the things that D&D has to be praised AND blamed for is how it managed to unite together polar-opposite fantasy works.

I was planning on updating my old fantasy read list for "old school D&D" and so as I dug into the fantasy books the game took inspiration from (or in the case of the first edition, ripped off from Xp), I came to this realization.

It has already been established that one of the main reasons behind D&D's great success and lasting appeal is that it managed to bring together and unite elements taken from ALL the great, classical, foundational fantasy works of the time into one same universe that was the ultimate synthesis of what fantasy was at the time. You've got Tolkien and Leiber and Conan and Jack Vance and the Cthulhu mythos all together in one game...

... But not many people point out that this same thing is also what made the original brand of D&D fantasy age badly, what caused many of the first-generation D&D-inspired fantasy works to be plain bad , and what changed massively people's view of fantasy for the bad. Because, what EXACTLY did D&D do? It took polar opposite fantasy works, and blended them into one same thing. It took away all the nuances to have one monochrome set. It focused on uniting together the elements, the characters, the places and the archetypes, but at the cost of losing the themes, the motifs, the tone, the uniqueness of it all.

Mind you, again it was and still is one of D&D's strength. It built itself into an open-game allowing for all and any sort of stories and adventures - and many of today's web-series based on D&D show the game's current ability to do ANYTHING by having so many different tones and settings and inspirations... BUT it does not change the fact that, as a result, it erased massively the diversity of what fantasy used to be, to replace it with this artificial idea of "generic fantasy" that then became a reality.

For example, let us consider how D&D united together the pole of the two "classics" of first-generation fantasy, Conan the Barbarian and The Lord of the Rings, with the two most famous "anti-Tolkien" and "anti-Conan" fantasy works: Earthsea, and The Elric Saga. The character of Elric was designed to be the very opposite of what Conan was, and by extension the world of Elric was also designed to oppose all the settings Tolkien or Howard could have written. Earthsea was also designed to oppose and contradict Tolkien's work in every way in terms of setting, tone, inspiration, aesthetic, scope... As I said before, the world of Earthsea already offered in the 60s and 70s what so many modern fantasy novels of the 2000s and 2010s are claiming to be "the first ones to do", like... having a POC main character, having a female main character that isn't sexualized in a fantasy story, having a fantasy story not inspired by Europe, having a fantasy story that is not solved and is not about warriors, war or weapons, using fantasy to deal with internal problems and psychological topics... It was all there before, and yet everybody forgot it until quite recently, and why? I am very tempted to say that D&D and the format of fantasy is spread in American culture from the 80s onward had a part to play.

Because D&D took these elements from Earthsea... and placed them in a world inspired by the Lord of the Rings, and that smashed Conan with Fafhrd, and as a result it got dissolved into these other works, and Earthsea was often see as "Oh yes, just another sword and sorcery story, isn't it?".

Of course I am not claiming this is what actually happened, nor that Earthsea was the only work to suffer from it... But it cannot be denied that the massive spread, success and fame of D&D in America (and in Europe afterward) led to a certain idea, conception and vision of fantasy to be massively shared, copied and treated as the "real, typical, true fantasy"... When in fact it was a mash-in and blending of very varied and nuanced works offering a vast and complex extant of fantasy... A reduction and synthesis that gave a false idea of what fantasy was and ended up burying many strange, bizarre, alternate, groundbreaking or before-their-time fantasy works.

Of course, I am also NOT saying D&D is the only one to blame for that... The success of The Lord of the Ring movies in the early 2000s also had a part to play in this ; and then it was the success of Warcraft, etc etc... But I can't help to compare a bit what D&D did to the idea of fantasy, to what Coca-Cola did to the image of Santa Claus. Santa Claus/fantasy did exist long before Coca-Cola/D&D got hold of it... And afterward Santa Claus/fantasy regrew in its own thing... But in between Coca-Cola/D&D managed to reinvent fantasy/Santa Claus into a massively shared concept and widely accepted idea that became part of culture and marked deeply the history of fantasy/Santa Claus...

[willmarstudios]

Bookworm Will Review 2024 (#9 + 10)

Title: 'The City We Became' and 'The World We Make'

Author: N.K. Jemisin

Rating: 4 / 5

Review: (MILD SPOILERS)

I read the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy last year and found it to be such a headscratcher, in a hard-to-follow way. However I've continued to hear great things about Jemisin, so I wanted to give this duology a shot and I was very happy that I did!

The way this world worked was much easier to follow and enjoyable to read while still including Jemisin's metaphorical and fantastical writing style.

The concept alone was a huge undertaking because we have multiple POVs from such a wide cast of characters, each representing an individual aspect of a whole, kind of reminded me of 'Inside Out' but far more realistic. Each individual interacts with the world and this embodiment of an impending multidimensional annihilation really created a well-crafted character-driven story.

I can't speak on how accurately Jemisin represented each borough of New York, but my father is a New Yorker, so I'm hoping he can share some input. Since the setting was an encapsulation of supposedly everyday life, but with metaphysical avatars inhabiting everyday people, there was an abundance of commentary that some may find to be try-hard or check box-y, but I quite enjoyed it. The socioeconomic and political commentary didn't overtake the fantastical aspects either, instead worked in a way that strengthened the takeaway messages. It was relevant. It was relatable. It felt real. It didn't feel like you were reading from a textbook either (which I appreciated lol).

The overarching subplots for each avatar's journey felt so individualized that, even when it came together, still felt unique.

I'm not saying the very real hardships that they faced like racism, homophobia, xenophobia, bigotry, and misogyny ( just to name a few) are fun to read. They were not there for shock value. They had a purpose.

I personally enjoyed book 1 more than book 2 because I felt like we had more time with the cast and the whimsy that was this unseen threat. Book 2 was enjoyable, but I felt like the last few chapters almost felt rushed and the ending became rather abrupt. At the same time, it still kind of fits Jemisin's writing style, not everything will have an obvious build-up until BAM. Then you're like 'Oh....!!!!!'

Overall, I liked this a lot and think this is the place to start if you want to start reading Jemisin's portfolio.

[ghostbustermelanieking]

new book ask meme

send me a book and if i've read it i'll tell you the last line (and whether or not i guessed the content/knew the line without looking)

[cupofteajones]

What I've Been Reading Lately: November 15

What I’ve Been Reading Lately: November 15

Welcome to What I’ve Been Reading Lately, a feature where I’ll be giving short reviews of what I’m currently reading: (more…)

[strucker]

Equal parts Romance, equal parts Fantasy, please

Equal parts Romance, equal parts Fantasy, please

We’ve all heard of those movies or stories in the fantasy and sci-fi genres where they add a romance plot for absolutely no reason. I’m looking at you The Giver. I actually read Lois Lowry’s book (as a child), which the movie is based off of, and I’ve never seen the movie, but I’ve read about how the producers included a romance plot despite Lowry’s wishes. No story should be encumbered by an…

[juniperandjustice]

Writers and those who are informed about language surrounding disabilities:

Hi there.  :)  I need some advice.  Please be gentle with me, I am earnestly trying to do this right and make sure I don’t use any potentially offensive language.  I am nearly finished editing a book I intend to publish asap.  I’m trying to make the characters diverse and inclusive, to give representation to those who often don’t see themselves in media and to promote awareness and acceptance.  I’m doing this in many ways in my book and illustrations, and feel confident about how I approached most of it.  This is an eco-fantasy book, by the way, set in a world sort of similar to Middle Earth or Discworld.  So I’m writing about an ancient centaur (probably about 300 years old) who is blind and “sees” with her psychic second-sight.  Is it bad to describe her eyes as “grey” and “pearly” at different points in the story to allude to this?  (The main character doesn’t realize that the elderly centaur is blind at first.)  Also, one of the centaur babies is born with a leg that ends at the knee.  The main character has been socialized and taught to react to this with worry and think it needs to be fixed.  The centaurs don’t see it that way, just that this is a child like any other who simply might need a prosthetic and some accommodations.  It teaches the main character a new perspective on disability.  Is there anything wrong with any of this that I’m not seeing?  Or a better way to approach/word anything?  Thank you!

[emeralddesignz]

Book Cover Commission Examples!!

Please DM me if you want any graphic design work done! My rates are super low :)

Add me on Discord: ємєяαℓ∂/єм/ємѕ/ємму#9837

[libraryleopard]

The other day one of my friends was like “Where on earth do you hear about all the books you read?” and I’m honestly trying to think about that because I don’t really pay attention to Booktube, Booktok, Book Twitter, or Bookstagram, only occasionally dip back into book blogging, and mostly use Goodreads as a place to track books I want to read or have read rather than searching for recommendations, so I’m trying to make a list of the places I hear about books from besides a few trusted social media mutuals.

Tor.com is one major place I hear about science fiction and fantasy books–they do deal announcements, cover reveals, lists of new releases, and reviews, as well as columns reviewing backlist work. I really like “The Book Queered Me,” for instance, which is people looking back on books that were important to their understand of identity. 

The Book Smugglers isn’t really that active anymore, but they reviewed science fiction and fantasy media, as well as publishing essays and short fiction and I read them religiously for a long time.

Book Riot I read occasionally and they publish bookish news and essays. I forgot I was subscribed to their LGBTQ+ book newsletter for a while and went through the emails I’d been sent earlier this week and that particular newsletter is nice because it highlights a couple books and does a round-up of recent news about queer books.

Austraddle’s book section, especially the Rainbow Reading column, does reviews, interviews, and news related to queer books, mostly queer women. It’s helpful for non-SFF stuff because I’m usually very up-to-date on news in the science fiction and fantasy world but they cover poetry, nonfiction, romance, etc.

We Need Diverse Books is a great resources, of course, and I really like the interviews they do with authors of recent releases.

LGBTQ Reads is an invaluable resource for queer literature–new release highlights, author interviews, lists of books by representation or age/genre if you’re looking for something specific.

Electric Literature is where I hear about more adult lit fic/nonfiction stuff, they also have a column called Novel Gazing in which people write about books that have impacted them and I find that really interesting. They also publish poetry and short fiction but I haven’t read much of that.

The Lesbrary does reviews of books about lesbian and bisexual women, as well as round-ups of new releases. Good resource for keeping up with sapphic books.

Rich in Color reads and reviews diverse YA books and is a good place to keep up with books by authors of color.

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 22 January 2018, legendary anarchist author Ursula K Le Guin died aged 88 in Portland, Oregon. Le Guin won numerous awards for her fantasy and sci-fi novels, and was an ardent feminist and advocate for diversity in literature and publishing: "when women speak truly they speak subversively — they can’t help it: if you’re underneath, if you’re kept down, you break out, you subvert. We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experience as our truth, as human truth, all the maps change. There are new mountains. That’s what I want – to hear you erupting. You young Mount St Helenses who don’t know the power in you – I want to hear you.” We have made available some of her lesser-known books here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/ursula-k-le-guin https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2192406040944534/?type=3

[chai-and-cherries]

5 Insanely Underrated (Dark) Queer Book Recs for Your TBR (No Spoiler Reviews!)

I ain’t gonna beat around the bush, folks--this post has been a long time coming. Over the past year, I have somehow stumbled into my new favorite genre, leaving the careful days of YA comforting fantasy reads behind (but not forgotten!). I used to never be one for the dark, grisly, and not so man-made horrors beyond comprehension. But with the help of time, mind devouring storytelling, and gut wrenching emotions the world loves to carve out of us all, tastes have changed! So without further ado, let me recommend 5 of my favorite (darker) queer reads of 2022. Titles are linked to official Goodreads summaries while I have included my no-spoiler reviews below.

Some of these are horror, some fantasy, some tragedy, and most a mix of the above. As the new year draws closer, if you’re feeling ready to branch out (or branch in!!) please consider giving these severely underrated titles a read. And support lesser known authors while you’re at it!

As the title of the post implies, these books tend to brew darker than your average cup ‘a joe. So please heed included trigger warnings and take care! 

1. You Will Love What You Have Killed by Kevin Lambert

(Original title: Tu aimeras ce que tu as tué. English Translation by Winkler Donald).

Genres: Adult Fiction, Horror, Canadian Literature, Queer AF

Review: If you’re not a fan of blood, gore, and every horror under the dying sun, scroll away now. Starting off incredibly strong and incredibly twisted with French-Canadian Lambert’s debut novel, You Will Love What You Have Killed, this novel is neither for the faint of heart nor some of the hard of heart. I went into this book knowing next to nothing about what was in store and left somehow feeling more empty than before. As arguably the darkest and most gory book on the list, this surrealist take on childhood rage and post-humous revenge on the town that discarded you before you had a chance to fight back is bound to haunt you long after you’ve finished it. Lambert’s own style of dark and nauseatingly twisted humor will either seal the deal for you, or leave you running for the hills. To be honest, I loathe this book as much I appreciate the queer, surrealist landscape of apocalyptic vengeance. Brownie points for being flat-out strange.

Content Warnings: if you can think of it, chances are its here. loads of death and murder, including that of children, suicide; ableism; homophobia, transphobia; pedophilia, rape, sexual abuse, explicit sexual descriptions, abortion, necrophilia; animal abuse, killing of animals; child abuse, emotional abuse and verbal abuse (by the narrator); cancer; 9/11 (comprehensive list via Ashton on GoodReads)

2. Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Genres: YA Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Dystopian, Queer AF

Blurb: In this world on the brink of man-made/god-induced apocalypse, trans-boy Benji has to fight not only to survive a hellscape determined to burn itself to the ground, but also his own role in bringing about the End. Hell Followed With Us is a queer rage manifesto, the gospel for those forced to become monsters by the same society that weaponized and then condemned them for being such. White’s novel not only brought healing to a large part of my own religious trauma, but it helped me embrace the very “monster” the so called righteous would have damned. Because when the world will villianize you anyway, revolution may very well be embracing the monster within--the monster the world forced into being. This one is definitely a keeper, and definitely a re-reader. The character diversity in this book is incredible, also for the simple fact that it isn’t forced or seemingly “trying to meet a quota”, and for canonically calling out [redacted].  

Content Warnings: For a comprehensive list courtesy of the author himself, please visit his website here. 

3. Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

Genres: Adult Fiction, Horror/Psychological Thriller, Short-Stories, Queer AF

Blurb: Shorter but no less impactful than the rest, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke is a twisted foray into the psychology of human obsession. After reading the blurb, I tried to prepare myself for the following unease and depravity I was promised. And god was that promise delivered on a silver poisoned platter. Set to the backdrop of chat forums and online messaging, LaRocca weaves a sadomasochistic love story between two women searching for deeper connection. But love isn’t exactly the right word, is it? After all, things can only get worse from the start. Suffice to say, wholesome does not live in these pages. And I need more. 

Content Warnings: animal cruelty/death, body horror, gore, mental/emotional abuse, exploration of kink, very toxic example of a dom/sub relationship.

4. Angels Before Man by Rafael Nicolás

Genres: Adult Fantasy, Mythology Retelling, Romance, Paranormal, Queer AF

Blurb: I try not to pick favorites on list recs, but as my most recent read of the year, Nicolás’ debut novel has quickly been shelved in my mind and heart’s hall of fame. Angels Before Man is a queer retelling of the fall of Lucifer from a paradise that may not be as, well, paradise as it seems. With narrative prose so poetic that epics of the ancient world come to mind, and themes of religious rebellion and queer rage reminiscent not only of other novels on this list but also the lives of countless individuals whose love warns at revolution, Angels Before Man tells the story of the greatest disobedience Heaven had to face: the creation of sin, born from the first love that turned a jealous god to rage. As ABM only released weeks ago, I sincerely hope it’s only the beginning for this book and author. Bible? Who needs her. The Word of God? I don’t even know her. I’ve got Angels Before Man. And so will my friends because I’m gifting them this heavenly-gem (heh, see what I did there?) for the holidays. 

Content Warnings: Courtesy of the author himself (list also included at start of book): Blasphemy, off-page sexual assault with related internal monologue post-incident, Self-harm, Atypical depiction of grooming, Animal death, Abuse (emotional, physical), Sexual content, Body horror, Graphic depictions of violence, Incestuous term use, Potential correlation to homosexuality being sinful, Depictions of mental instability

5. Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Magic Realism, Queer AF

Blurb: Of the 5 recs on the list, I have to be honest and say with full disclosure that this is my one cheat as I have not actually finished it yet. But as I can attest from the 60% progress I have made, along with two of my close friends who recommended her in the first place, Siren Queen is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is understandably stifling at times. Interweaving the monstrous industry of Hollywood with actual monsters, Siren Queen explores the sacrifices made and prices paid for the chance at stardom and just being seen, all while embracing the monster society demands of us. Largely character-driven, this book has been a slower read than the rest, but its commentary on workers’ rights and inequalities, among other social issues often at the forefront of WASPish-run Hollywood, has kept me engaged since the start. 

Content Warnings: racism, racial slurs, fatphobia, violence, family violence, homophobia, sexism, drug abuse, addiction.

[cupofteajones]

Summer Vibes with Summer Reads

Summer Vibes with Summer Reads

[mask131]

The thing that I always found abominably fascinating and insanely mind-blowing with the Earthsea series is that it breaks all the worn-out, over-used, “seen everywhere” cliches of fantasy people complain about today and try to avoid. 

Tired of your typical Europe-setting? Here is a world of islands influenced by a lot of various non-European civilizations!

Tired of having a white-predominant cast? Here is a series where people of color are the dominant ethnicities and the white are the minority and bizarre barbarian foreigners from far away!

Tired of having the heroes go on grand and perilous monster-slaying quest to fight some dark overlord or fetch a magical item? Here are books where the villains are elusive, abstract and philosophical threats, where the quests to defeat them are very down-to-earth, solitary and rely more on self-search and the understanding of human nature rather than great exploits. 

Tired of seeing the same old-worn out fantasy races tropes? None of this here! 

This book series was created with the intention of subverting, avoiding or breaking the new tropes and stereotypes that were rising up with the success of Tolkien’s work. It was made to be different and ground-breaking and stereotype-crushing, and it worked extremely well, becoming a classic of fantasy literature and influencing the genre massively... And yet, people only rediscover it today, and know about it today somehow. (Well a “large” today including the dozen of last years of so).

This series is the perfect example of the “new” fantasy that rises up in the modern era, as an attempt to “break off” from the “traditional” or “cliche” fantasy... And the first book has been sitting there since the END OF THE 60s!!! 

There are more examples I could point out of books that present to us a completely out-there, trope reinventing, stereotype breaking form of fantasy - and that yet have been there since the 70s or the 80s, or even before! As I went back in time to see several of the “classics” of fantasy literature, I came to understand something - a lot of the “cliches” and “stereotypes” and “over-used tropes” of fantasy people complain about today were not at all dominant for a very long time. If you believe the words of many people out there, you imagine fantasy never had black characters or queer characters or non-European settings or non-Tolkienesque plotlines until the 2010s or something... Which is not true. Fantasy was such a varied, bizarre, diverse genre in its literary form all throughout the 20th century, and many “old” works of the first generations of the post-Tolkien fantasy are basically what people want to see today as “pattern-breaking and fresh new fantasy”. 

The Tolkienesque-fantasy and all of its cliches and stereotypes were not so much dominant as just present in a handful of massively popular and widespread works - the case of the Shannara series can be pointed out, as its first book was PRAISED at the time for being able to recreate a Tolkien story in the 70s, and it was because it was mostly a copy of the Lord of the Rings that it got so popular (and why it is not well-liked today). And then the 80s rolled and early D&D reignited the flame of the Tolkien-inspired fantasy. By the 90s, it seemed Tolkien had been used and over-used to death, and people didn’t trust it all anymore... Which is why David Eddings’ Belgariad series was created. Its key point was to take back all the elements of the traditional epic fantasy story, but reassemble them, freshen them up, twist them slightly, all of that to re-create a by-the-book BUT fresh, new and interesting series. It was an attempt at prooving that, with innovation and some twists and modernization, the Tolkienesque fantasy would not die - and it worked massively well. And then in the 2000s, the Lord of the Rings movie sealed the deal. 

All these works make it look like fantasy had always been copying or taking inspiration from Tolkien. But it is false. It is true that most of the classics are tied to Tolkien, but not always in imitation or re-creation - in the case of “Earthsea”, there was a willing attempt at getting away and inverting the Tolkienesque fantasy to create a fantasy that went the very opposite direction. Same thing with the Elric Saga, also designed to be the reverse or opposite of The Lord of the Rings, and which in turn became the classic of another new genre of fantasy: dark fantasy. And Conan in all that? People forget that the Conan the Barbarian series were just as influential for fantasy works as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings was. The Elric Saga, again, was created to completely reverse and avoid the Conan-like fantasy. A similar thing was done with Leiber for his “Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser” series, which was designed to break away from the Conan “heroic fantasy” style and reinvent the genre in a new direction. 

There are so many “old” and “classic” works of literary fantasy that actually do not feel like a “classic” at all because they have all the vibes, elements and expectations one has from a non-classic, non-traditional fantasy... BUT THEY ARE THE FOUNDATIONS, they are the basis and classics and inspirations of fantasy. And it all shows this huge gap between what people think fantasy is, and what fantasy really was - it is a fascinating case study of how one specific trend somehow got over the entire genre. Imagine a world where people think Gothic novels can only have a vampire or the ghost of a judge, and must be Bram Stokers-inspired, and that everybody points out they are tired to see Dracula-expies everywhere... Only to discover the stories of Edgar Allan Poe and be baffled by them and their “inventivity” and “breaking of patterns”. I’m sorry, that’s the fastest comparison I can make, but this feels just like that. There is this strangely specific idea of what fantasy is today forged on a few items... I think, beyond the massive success of Tolkien and imitators, D&D probably is also to “blame” for how people see fantasy today.

But even then, D&D took inspiration from so many non-conventional works of fantasy... Yes many became “classics” now, though often ignored by the masses - The Elric Saga, and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser were big influences. But take the Jack Vance series “The Dying Earth”, another big inspiration on early D&D. Take that. This series is from the 50s - FROM THE 50S - and yet it is a unique genre of sci-fi fantasy that I haven’t seen much being done around, and it creates such a weird, whimsical, bizarre, surrealistic fantasy world, it feels completely unique. And again, it is a classic of the 50s and 60s. 

I don’t really know where I try to go with this but the important thing is: when someone wants to read “non-traditional” or “non-Tolkienesque” fantasy, or “non-stereotyped” fantasy, it is possible, instead of searching for every new author nowadays (not a bad thing to do that though), it is possible to just go back in time, look back at the books of the 70s, 60s and 50s, and find there a novelty, a freshness and an inventivity that is lacking in a mass production of modern day fantasy. And that such a thing is possible is truly crazy for me. I don’t know if such a thing happened with other literary genres, but it is insane that sometimes in fantasy, to see “new” things you just have to look back into the past. 

[star-anise]

Since I'm on a fantasy worldbuilding kick, I've got something I'm genuinely interested in hearing lots of people's thoughts on. My experience is very shaped by being a cis woman, and this is something I think people with experience of living or being socialized as masculine are way more equipped to answer.

On my "maiden in a tower" post, I've always seen a small but steady trickle of responses saying, "I wish to fuck there was an equivalent fantasy trope for me as a disabled man. I just feel like there's no place for me in these stories if I'm sick, weak, or 'useless'."

Is there be space for disabled men or masc-adjacent people in fantasy literature? Are there stories out there that already resonate? Things you wish you saw but haven't found very often? What are your guys' experiences or thoughts?

Something I think is important to stress: Representation is not one-size-fits-all. Just because some people think something is or isn't good representation, doesn't mean that it's Objectively Evil and Should Never Be Written. Human experience is varied. The disability community is really diverse and some people want to yeet their disabilities into the sun, yes please Magic Cures, while others feel their disability is a vitally important part of them and hate even the suggestion that they should be "cured".

Make space for other people to have different feelings and opinions from you! At least on this post, don't go off on people because you think they have bad taste or whatever. Mmkay?

[kungfuwushuworld]

Wuxia (武俠), which literally means “martial heroes”, is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient #China. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of fantasy literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms such as Chinese opera, mànhuà, films, television series and video games. The word “wǔxiá” is a compound composed of the elements wǔ (武, literally “#martial”, “#military”, or “armed”) and xiá (俠, literally “chivalrous”, “#vigilante” or “#hero”). A martial artist who follows the code of xia is often referred to as a xiákè (俠客, literally “follower of xia”) or yóuxiá (遊俠, literally “wandering xia”). In some translations, the martial artist is referred to as a “#swordsman” or “#swordswoman” even though he or she may not necessarily wield a #sword. The eight common attributes of the xia(hero) are listed as benevolence, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth, and desire for glory. Apart from individualism, these characteristics are similar to #Confucian values such as ren (仁; “benevolence”, “kindness”), zhong (忠; “loyalty”), yong (勇; “courage”, “bravery”) and yi (義; “righteousness”). The code of xia also emphasises the importance of repaying benefactors after having received deeds of en (恩; “grace”, “favour”) from others, as well as seeking chou (仇; “vengeance”, “revenge”) to bring villains to justice. However, the importance of vengeance is controversial, as a number of wuxia works stress Buddhist ideals, which include forgiveness, compassion and a prohibition on killing.