Chapter 2 Fantasy worlds in different countries——On the novel "Dragon Race"

The world of sword and sorcery, which we commonly call "Fantasy" (Fantasy) works, is a field that has developed in Western literature for many years.From the "Lord of the Ring" series of designated extracurricular readings in American middle schools, to "Baldu's Gate" (Baldu's Gate), which is well-known in the computer game industry in recent years, with the game mechanism of "Dragon and Dungeon" as a blueprint ) series can be regarded as masterpieces of European and American fantasy genres. But with the increasing circulation of information, "fantasy" is no longer the privilege of European and American culture.

Many of today's younger generations in China are familiar with fantasy animation (such as "Rods Island War" or "Ophelia the Magician") or video games (such as "Space Warrior" and "Dragon Quest"). Produced in Japan.Japan's "fantasy" started much later than Europe and the United States, but its influence on us is no less than that of the West. Over the past decade or so, the fantasy style recognized by the vast majority of players in China often comes from these two main systems, which has also created the so-called "US-Japanese style" debate that has been suspended for many years.

But there is no permanent status quo in the world.The set of novels that readers hold in their hands represents the result of a new force catching up. Between the so-called "American style" emphasizing realism and the so-called "Japanese style" emphasizing storytelling, how should we position this work?I don't know the correct answer, but I can say with certainty that this work presents another "possibility". In terms of "realism", it is not difficult for readers to appreciate the author's intentions.Under the author's careful description, the village where the protagonist Xiu Qi lives presents many small details, leaving a vivid and vivid impression in the readers' minds.Whether it is the people in the village welcoming the savior sent by the capital along the road, the process of repairing the sword in the blacksmith shop, the scene of training in the training ground, etc., the author obviously spent a lot of effort to describe these scenes.However, while worrying about the realism, the author did not ignore the importance of "story".Through the inner thoughts and narration of the characters that appear from time to time and the use of dialogue between the characters, it is not difficult for readers to grasp the personalities of the characters in the story and their interaction with each other, so as to further grasp the flow of the story itself.In this work, we can see the influence of two different styles, and a "possibility" of these two styles after deployment: Xiu Qi, the protagonist of the story, can be regarded as a typical example of a hot-blooded boy. A common protagonist setting in Japanese-style works.However, the living environment of this typical protagonist is not so ideal. On the contrary, it is like the real world, highlighting the cruelty of injury and death.In other words, on the road of pursuing the two goals of "realism" and "storytelling" at the same time, the author has mastered a special balance in his works.Regardless of whether his attempt is successful or not, this work has already taken an important step beyond the fantasy styles of Europe, America and Japan.

Having said so much, what does this have to do with Chinese readers?The time for fantasy genres to enter the Chinese market is actually not too long.It is precisely because of seeing so many foreign works appearing on the market that some enthusiastic readers can’t help asking: whether the fantasy world in Chinese cannot catch up with these countries that have come into contact with fantasy literature earlier, and will always play the role of receiver? ? the answer is negative.Perhaps in terms of time, we started relatively late.But it is also because of this that we are fortunate to have immediate access to all kinds of fantasy-related works with a certain popularity.

European and American fantasy works, such as the "Dragon Gun" series and "Dark Elf", are available in Chinese versions; Japanese works in China are mainly TV games and animations.Now, Korean fantasy masterpieces are also spread out in your hands.It is unique to be able to see American, Japanese, and Korean fantasy works on the same shelf at the same time, which is unique in bookstores in other "advanced fantasy countries".Some people may think that this represents the disadvantage of Chinese fantasy, but if you look at it from another angle, this may also be the advantage of Chinese fantasy literature.After all, "stones from other mountains can be used to make jade", if the rising stars are willing to absorb more experience left by their predecessors, avoid repeating the failures of their predecessors, and want to catch up, it will not be an unattainable dream.

(Liao Bin, the pioneer who introduced TRPG to China, has been committed to promoting TRPG and fantasy literature since high school, and has dabbled in both American and Japanese works. Articles have been scattered in various BBS and books, and he is currently a member of the TDS fantasy monks.)