That’s probably not the answer you wanted. Here’s some more substantial info from the Carnival information page:
The Geography of Make-Believe = Speculative Fiction
The geography of make-believe encompasses those things that form the basis of the books where new worlds are created with magic and dragons and wizards, or stories where fantasy/folklore is used to build new worlds, where fairy tales are retold or fractured, where authors imagine outside the confines of what we understand as reality or riff off The Now to create an imagined future. For the purposes of this carnival, science fiction with fantasy elements, otherwise known as science fantasy, steampunk, alternate history with fantasy elements, folklore, and anything that, as the carnival theme states, has fantasy elements that lend themselves to the magical, mythical and mystical.There’s a particular type of magic at work when authors use these tools and tell these stories. This is the magic I want to capture!
Renay also provides some examples of books and authors that would fit the carnival theme:
- The Last Unicorn – Peter S. Beagle
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke
- Tam Lin – Pamela Dean
- The Book of Joby – Mark Ferrari
- Stardust – Neil Gaiman
- Dune – Frank Herbert
- Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
- A Wrinkle of Time – Madeleine L’Engle
- His Majesty’s Dragon – Naomi Novik
- Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space – Philip Reeve
Other/more authors that often have books that fall into this category:
- Neil Gaiman
- Terry Pratchett
- J.K. Rowling
- Piers Anthony
- Anne McCaffrey
- George R.R. Martin
- Ursula K. Le Guin
- Guy Gavriel Kay
- Jacqueline Carey
If you enjoy reading in this category – or want to try something new – consider participating the the February Carnival. The deadline for submissions is February 8th – send your post and a link via e-mail to thebookninja AT gmail DOT com. Here are some suggestions for suitable types of posts:
- Older posts and newer posts
- Positive and negative discussion/reviews of books
- Books from any reading level: kid lit, middle grade, YA, adult — it’s all good here.
- Discussions on theme, elements of the genre
- Author interviews, author analysis
- Debut news
- Why readers (you) enjoy this genre, including but not limited to: why books of this type, the first speculative fiction title that grabbed and wouldn’t let go, etc., etc.. Word count requirement to make this a littler harder so only the DIE HARDS get included: 500.
Not sure if you’re going to join in, but think the Bookworms Carnival sounds like a great idea anyway? The graphic above links to the main carnival page at The Hidden Side of a Leaf – go there to see other upcoming themes, and you might find one that’s a better fit for you.
Meanwhile, you can help spread the word, and maybe win a book too – just post about the Carnival, and link back to both to the main carnival page and the informational page for February. I’m still not sure what I’ll submit on this theme – I’m kicking a couple of ideas around – but it was an easy decision to help promote it (and get a chance at a free book!). Hope to see you at the Carnival!
