Many, many fantasy novels take place in a medieval-esque setting not dissimilar from England or the eastern United States in climate. We can probably thank Tolkien and Lewis for that, probably the two most renowned authors of fantasy.
Most fantasy writers draw on those men's works for inspiration, including me. Some draw on them too much, producing a story that's pretty much Narnia or Middle Earth by another name. Not to bash Eragon, but I know someone who could tell who the author had read by how he wrote the book.
But as fantasy has developed as a genre, writers have gotten more creative with it. The Tolkienesque aspects like the settings and usage of alcoholic beverages are still common, but it's not hard to find different environments, different races, different times, different themes… Fantasy has come to be quite diverse in its content, to the point that things that could be considered fantasy actually fall into other genres.
The blurred line falls on what some people define as fantasy: fiction depicting events that cannot occur in real life. Most people call that blanket speculative fiction (spec fic), and it applies to the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres.
Under the speculative fiction umbrella, the best ways to try to separate the genres comes by identifying certain elements.
- fantasy - defined by the presence of magic
- sci-fi - defined by the presence of science acting as if magic (in ways science can't or doesn't function in reality)
- horror - defined by the presence of paranormal elements used to induce terror and/or revulsion
Most things have two genres: a general category and a more specific genre. Most often, fantasy, sci-fi, and horror end up being primary genres, but it depends on the audience.
When the spec fic genre is arguable—Shanna Swendson's Enchanted, Inc. books come to mind as romance/chick lit/fantasy combos—don't sweat it. Pick one you like; the line's blurred, anyway.
And honestly, that's what genre's all about: categorizing your story.
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