My Favorite Story Genres
Introduction
Here’s another post about some of my favorite things: my favorite genres. I’m going to say right off the bat that I think that genre is loose, weird, and ultimately up to interpretation. You can usually discern if something is sci-fi, contemporary, or fantasy (though some stories even like to mix and mash these broader genres). However, once you get into subgenres, things get really messy and you end up with completely meaningless in-fighting among readers over whether or not something qualifies as a particular genre.
So, I acknowledge that I’m being a bit hypocritical by listing my favorite genres and story types when I don’t actually think subgenres have consistent or reliable definitions. I don’t want to argue about whether a particular book meets some particular website’s specific definition of a single subgenre, so take my list here with a grain of salt; it’s my subjective opinion.
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Okay, let's go ahead and dive into my favorite genres.
High Fantasy
First is the Fantasy category. I grew up reading a lot of Fantasy. I was introduced to it by my dad from a young age and I read fantasy more than any other genre. It was hard for me to find something else that intrigued me enough, once I really dove in. I started off with Shannara from Terry Brooks, as well as books by Raymond Feist and David Eddings. I also read plenty of YA fantasy, too, but I started with adult fantasy pretty early on.
It’s hard to list fantasy books as examples here because I’ve read and enjoyed so many. But I’ll drop Feist’s Magician: Apprentice and Master as well as Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive as top examples.
Absurdist
Absurdist is probably my most-read and most enjoyed subgenre at this time. I remember when I read my first Terry Pratchett book, Bromeliad, or Truckers, Diggers, and Wings. I picked up that enormous work from the library shelf and brought it home with me. I fell in love with Pratchett’s style right then and it set me down a course of enjoying absurdist fantasy for a long time. He became (and remains) my favorite author.
In truth, though, I appreciate absurdism in nearly any form. Good examples of content in this genre outside of Terry Pratchett's work would be A Series of Unfortunate Events, Monty Python, and Mr. Show with Bob and David. I love this weird, bizarre, outlandish style. I just love this approach to comedy and when you add a great story to boot, along with some genuine insight that makes me pause and think, I’m going to love what you’re putting in front of me.
Dark/Realistic
I enjoy dark, realistic, low-magic approaches to stories. This might seem to be a far cry from the absurdism of earlier, but there’s something that both of these subgenres have in common, and that’s a stark commentary on reality. Absurdism is absurdism because it’s far removed from our concept of reality and our expectations of how things work, thus being a commentary on it. A dark or realistic story is a more direct commentary on our world. It doesn’t shy away from the evil nature of mankind and the awful things we do.
An example would be a story like A Song of Ice and Fire. I haven't read it (yet!) but I've been told that Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is another great example of a dark, realistic novel. It's on my reading list! I’d actually file Luther under this genre, too. It’s a dark, realistic take that really looks into the humanity of people.
Apocalyptic/Survival
I want to start this off by saying I’m extremely picky with this sort of story. So many of them do it terribly because they don’t understand what it’s supposed to be about or how you make it compelling. Again, this genre shares something with the other two I listed: it’s generally a strong commentary on human nature. The apocalyptic, end of the world setting is best used as a tool for coaxing the worst or best out of the characters in the story. When you have an apocalyptic/survival story that focuses almost exclusively on horror or gore, the story is going to lose me and I'll be disinterested.
I have read or watched some real misses in this genre, but I’ve also experienced a couple of really amazing stories. So while I do greatly enjoy this genre when it’s done well, I find it isn’t done well very often. Examples of stories I love in this genre are The Last of Us and I Am Legend.
This is probably why I love Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland so much: they mix the horror of an apocalyptic story about survival with the absurdist genre, mashing them together into something great. Shaun of the Dead is better than Zombieland by a wide margin, in my opinion, though that’s because Shaun is an Edgar Wright movie. You just can’t beat an Edgar Wright film.
Thriller (Especially Psychological Thrillers)
This might surprise some people who know me, but I really like thrillers. I want to specify that I’m not a fan of horror, exactly, though it does have its place and I can appreciate it when it’s done well. I’m more interested in the tension, anxiety, and suspense that comes with a true thriller. I like to feel uneasy and curious. The darker themes of thrillers can be subtle or in-your-face, but I certainly prefer when they’re subtle. It's that long-last tension, mystery, and suspense that draws me in. I need those moments of anxiety to be stretched out for as long as possible, stretching to its limit before the tension is finally released. When you constantly just have jump scares, early tension breaks, and just a general focus on trying to get me to flinch as often as possible, I'm going to switch to something else.
Examples of stories I enjoy in this genre are Christopher Nolan’s Prestige or Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. As a third option, I'm actually going to put Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad is a thriller, though with less consistency than the two stories I listed, here. When it does lean on its thriller elements, though, it does so strikingly well.
Conclusion
There you have it, my top five genres (in no particular order). It was hard to choose not because I don’t know the sort of stories I like, but because the definition of any given genre is intangible and debated. Despite this, I hope that I was able to give you some insight into the sort of stories that I enjoy and seek. I’m truthfully open to any story as long as it’s a good one, but these are the five story genres that I tend to enjoy most. Now that you know mine, what are your favorite genres? Do you have a favorite story in any or all of the genres that I listed?
Thanks so much for taking the time to check this out! I appreciate your support in whatever form it comes in, especially right now as I’m working to grow myself and my community.
Until next time... Bye!