Literary Ames

Panellists: Robin Hobb, K.A. Laity, Marieke Nijkamp (We Need Diverse Books), Lynda Rucker, Gillian Polack

High fantasy is almost invariably set in invented worlds inspired by medieval Europe. Can we put this down to the legacy of Tolkien and to genre works being in close conversation with each other? Or is there something about the place that medieval Europe occupies in our imagination that makes it a perfect companion for tales of epic striving and larger-than-life Good versus Evil? Either way, does this help or hinder the genre?

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