It’s the final week of November, and that means it’s time for the last episode of dark fantasy coverage. The genre has so much to offer, and we’ve had a blast chatting about the ins and outs, the tropes, and the best that this popular niche has to offer.
To close out November’s dark fantasy theme, we’ve opted to tackle the debate around whether fantasy authors are able to write standalone novels from time to time, or if they are forever doomed to only produce lengthy serials and sagas. This is a discussion we guarantee many fantasy readers have had before, as frustration can exist at times at the lack of one-off fantasy tales. It’s Meaghan’s frustration more than anything else.
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Dark Fantasy Tendencies
We’re by no means saying that dark fantasy is a bad genre. On the contrary, it’s Shirin’s most highly read one basically every year. A trilogy comprising at least three books feels like the bare minimum an author can get away with in the fantasy genre. Shirin occupies the opposite side of this argument, as she absolutely lives for fantasy stories told in a serialized format across numerous volumes, similar to becoming engrossed in a TV show with seven seasons worth of episodes to binge. To her, a standalone fantasy novel feels unsatisfying and over too quickly, like only seeing one episode of an intriguing show that gets abruptly canceled.
In an effort to prove that crafting a riveting and satisfying fantasy story in just one book is indeed possible, we would like to highlight acclaimed author Neil Gaiman as the undisputed master of standalone fantasy novels. Gaiman has consistently produced single novels in the dark fantasy genre containing a clear beginning, middle, and satisfying end that thoughtfully resolve the central conflict while still leaving readers pondering implications long afterward. Some examples of highly-regarded standalone fantasy stories by Neil Gaiman include Neverwhere, The Graveyard Book, Stardust, American Gods, and more from his impressive bibliography.
Master of Standalone Fantasy
We analyze how Gaiman often sets his fantasy premises against backdrops of the modern, real-world infused with touches of myth, folklore, fantasy elements, and injections of magic or supernatural beings. Rarely does he build entirely new worlds from scratch that would necessitate lengthy page counts to flesh out abundant lore and intricate histories. Though Neil Gaiman did manage to construct fully-realized fantasy realms over singular books in notable cases like Stardust and The Graveyard Book.
Pivoting back to lamenting broader trends in fantasy publishing, we highlight that dark fantasy seems positively overrun with doorstopper tomes inaugurating sprawling new series. Several female literary titans synonymous with dark fantasy like Holly Black, Sarah J. Maas, and Cassandra Clare have made their names crafting one heavily serialized saga after another. These series continue to dominate the ratings in bookish spaces as well as social media, proving that women have a strong voice in the dark fantasy genre.
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We discuss possible motivations for this publishing phenomenon, noting how fantasy inherently necessitates substantial worldbuilding that creators may feel warrants ample time to unfurl slowly over successive installments. Developing relationships between core characters also benefit from evolution over longer arcs. Moreover, the recent unprecedented popularity and mainstream accessibility of darker-tinged adult fantasy has made the genre catnip for TV and streaming platforms hungry for extensive source material to adapt. Which in turn motivates publishers to invest in fantasy series with built-in franchise potential.
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So, Can Dark Fantasy Actually Be Standalone Books?
In conclusion, while dark fantasy authors are theoretically capable of producing rewarding standalone stories in a single book, the realities of modern publishing clearly incentivize serialized sagas. For readers like Shirin craving more one-off dark fantasy novels, examples do float around… but you may have to dive deep into the stacks to uncover hidden gems. We invite listeners to call out any cherished standalone dark fantasy stories they discovered burrowed on bookshelves. A scant few titles already name-checked so far include Erin Morgenstern’s acclaimed The Night Circus and the collected standalone works of the uniquely talented Neil Gaiman.
