Books with any kind of fantasy or supernatural elements are my favorites. I just can’t get enough of them.
There are many reasons why I love fantasy novels. From being able to escape to a new world to experiencing meditation type bliss, I just love these books.
However, after reading through hundreds of fantasy, paranormal and horror novels, I have realized many of them have a few things in common that I cannot stand anymore.
Hence today, I want to share about the 5 things I hate about fantasy and paranormal novels. These aspects have started to kind of diminish the reading experience for me.
1) Overemphasizing the power of the villain only to defeat them quite easily in the end
The villain, antagonist, evil spirit or whatever you want to call them, are always depicted as someone extremely powerful. It is reinforced again and again during the various chapters how defeating these villains are almost next to impossible.
Their powers are constantly exaggerated . Their army supposedly unmatchable. Their evil intent has you petrified. Their intelligence far superior to others around them.
Yet, in the end, the way the “hero” defeats the villain seems so simple, stupid and completely unbelievable. I am amazed we are all lapping up these stories without pointing out how on earth was that ending possible with all the powers of the antagonist.
This is especially true for supernatural or horror novels. The evil spirit or demon is always so powerful but in the end, they get defeated because apparently the hero is not afraid anymore. So now that they have no fear, they can easily vanquish the spirit in the most trivial manner.
This would have been fine if the previous pages didn’t reinforce how scary the demon is and how everyone is terrified of it. It feels like the fear goes away almost abruptly and it’s all good from there.
Why do the villains stop using their intelligence in the end? How come suddenly the protagonist gets so much courage and is able to all of a sudden match or surpass the villain’s powers?
Authors, if that is how you want your novels to end, at least start the change in the heroes a bit earlier. It shouldn’t be so abrupt.
2) Chosen one prophecy
I admit there was a time I didn’t have a problem with the whole ‘chosen one’ thing. In fact, I quite liked those stories.
However, after reading umpteen number of books with the chosen one prophecy, I am just tired of it. We need to get past the chosen one factor now in new novels.
Even science fiction books that are completely focused on the ‘science’ have started to include the arbitrary chosen one.
In most books, the chosen one prophecy just does not make any sense. Also, it gets me back to my first point above, where the hero, in this case the chosen one, suddenly gets all courageous and powerful in the end and defeats a great, ancient and all mighty villain.
Also none of the books actually explain from where the prophecy comes from and why that particular child or person was chosen. You just get to know there is a prophecy and that’s the end. Now you know this stupid child will go on to do some unbelievable act in the end and save the day.
3) Forced romance
I don’t have too much of a problem with this. At least not as much as the two points above.
However, I have noticed how most authors try to insert a romance in their books that just seems forced.
I don’t mind romance in fantasy or supernatural books as long as it seems natural and there are genuine reasons why those two people get attracted to each other.
However, just for the sake of providing some romantic element, authors are inserting romance that is neither believable nor quite honestly, needed for the story.
The worst is when they show two people hate each other or can’t stand each other for better part of the story and then, again all of a sudden, decide they love each other.
4) Little kids acting like adults
Nothing against kids here but 8 or 9 year old children cannot go on epic quests on their own and constantly take mature decisions that no other adult nearby can seem to comprehend.
Kids will be kids and while I know we are talking about fantasy novels here, but still, over the top acts with incredible maturity seems to be overdone now.
Again, horror novels seem to be doing a worse job here. Kids on their own, faced with demonic threats, scared all along, seem to then choose a path and unexpectedly lose their fear in the end.
5) The coincidence factor
Every time the protagonist is in trouble and about to be captured or killed by the villain, there seems to something happening at that exact time that lets them off the hook.
It feels like all heroes are actually quite useless and need a number of coincidences and things happening at the same time for them to get saved or go ahead in their quest.
On the other hand, the antagonist, feels like an intelligent being that has achieved power through their intellect only to be defeated by some random acts happening at various places.
I really wish the heroes didn’t need that much coincidence to win. It would be nice to read a book where random elements did not help defeat the bad guy.
These coincidence factors actually make me want to root for the villain. May be that is just my own personal issues but it seems the antagonist is always the one with the best characteristics.
Final thoughts
Just in case you are wondering, fantasy and paranormal books are still my favorite and I usually do not feel like reading other genres.
These things are just something I thought I would share and hopefully authors reading will shape their stories to avoid things that are getting a bit too common and overdone in fantasy novels.
