Fantasy with Friends is a weekly meme hosted by the good people over at Pages Unbound. Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works.
This week’s prompt is:
What do you think of the current trend for cozy fantasy? Why do you think it is currently so popular? What makes a good cozy fantasy?
What do I think about them? I love ‘em! Even the ones that haven’t really wowed me, I relish spending time in them. Why? It’s in the name. Cozy. They’re comfortable, they’re warm, it’s perfect escapism—a cool world (largely generic fantasy that readers can plug into instantly), characters that are largely loveable doing relatable things, with an almost sure guarantee of a comforting ending.
Why do I think they’re so popular right now? Read the description I just sketched out and then spend 5 minutes (at the most) on your favorite social media platform. I think that explains it.
I pretty much already addressed the last question—but there’s a little more that makes a good cozy fantasy. There’s some good friendships, there’s some personal growth—at least for the protagonist, maybe for some friends, too. That’ll focus on a career change for the protagonist, finding their place in a new community, and so on. There might be (but it’s not necessary) a hint of romance. You’ll have a lot of fantasy tropes, species, and features—but the focus will almost certainly not be on a typical fantasy story. Instead, it’ll be something mundane—e.g., opening a coffee shop, a cocktail bar, inventing nachos and karaoke while working on a treasure map. Some gentle humor, too—a laugh-out-loud moment or two, but mostly just warm humor.
Writing this up reminded me of a couple of cozy fantasy novels I’ve been meaning to buy and read. I think I’ll go do that now.
I’m sure some of the other posts in response to this prompt will be more thoughtful. I’m looking forward to reading them. Do you have responses to this? (either for the comment section below or from your own post)
Briana | Pages Unbound
I like the idea of personal growth being a key element! I think you really need that if there’s no big plot because otherwise it’s really just not much momentum for a book.
KWHR
Not sure if I’ve read a proper “Cozy Fantasy” before. I feel cozy in The Hobbit or LoTR whenever the characters are resting in a safe haven like the Shire or Rivendale. The intense drama and action of the Chinese classic “Outlaws of the Marsh” are broken up with feasts and campfires, but the work itself is not cozy hehe. Perhaps I should try a cozy fantasy book.
HCNewton
Yes, yes, you should. I can think of a couple that would appeal to you.
Krysta
I do like a cozy fantasy, as long as there is some character growth and some personal stakes. I want the peace of knowing that nothing horrible will happen, but I do want SOMETHING to happen. I think it can be a balancing act, but, when done right, you can get a very good book!
HCNewton
Oh, yes. Something has to happen, someone has to grow. It can’t be all warm fuzzies around a warm-drink for 200 pages. Maybe for 50, if you know the characters already.