The Sleepless Sands: Earlyworks Press High Fantasy Challenge - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0955342937 ISBN 13: 9780955342936

Publisher: Earlyworks Press, 2006

Synopsis

13 stories, 10 poems and 6 illustrations which between them
cover the broad area that is known as high fantasy. This book can be
enjoyed very simply as a compendium of magical worlds in which you can lose
yourself - but it is something more. It is a statement of intent. "I have
even been accused of literature," Terry Pratchett once said. Modern high
fantasy is beginning to be recognised as something more important than
escapist fiction. Earlyworks Press would like to offer "The Sleepless
Sands" as further evidence.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Any story which is woven with imaginary characters or settings
can be called fantasy. It saves the writer hours of research say the
cynics - no need to check facts - as long as the facts are true to each
other within the story you can break any rules you like. One of C R
Krishnan's apparently traditional Indian tales has a god whizzing around in
a helicopter! That's fantasy, but not high fantasy. If you like it, you
call it a festival of imagination. If you don't, you call it pointless
escapism. By contrast, high fantasy has rules. It must be true to myth,
to the nature of men, women, beasts and, well, nature. The dragon (and his
cousin, Dracula) will lust after virgin blood. Even if they join a cold
turkey club (see Terry Pratchett) the lust is still there. We all know it's
in their nature. Leprechauns will give wishes but their gold will not
outlast the dawn. Selling your soul to the devil will not have a happy
ending...
I give this definition because the loosening of the rules in recent years
has devalued the genre in many people's eyes. To my mind, high fantasy
must have what Tolkien called `applicability' i.e., you can use your own
instinctive knowledge of life and culture to test the story, and you can
use the story's weaving to test yourself. It must be applicable - but not
simple allegory. Animal Farm is both fantasy and allegory, but isn't high
fantasy. Magic realism is fantasy, but not high fantasy. The fantastic has
a guest appearance in magic realism, but doesn't drive the plot. Science
fiction is fantasy, but not high fantasy because it is made up of
predictions for the empirical world, not dippings into the mythic or
psychological one.
Many readers and critics think the range of high fantasy is limited and
it's dying out as a result. I believe this is only true to the extent that
the range of the human mind is limited. It depends on the imagination and
ambition of the individual, whether reader or writer. And that's why we
set the challenge as follows:
"Please, no more magic sword romps," they say. "Elves, dwarves and rustic
spirits have had their day. High fantasy has scraped the barrel clean,
there is no more."
To win this competition, prove them wrong! Send us a new fantasy story or
poem that feels as magical as one of the old favourites, but isn't just a
rehash.

This book celebrates the work of those who we feel answered the challenge
with heroic success.

The overall winner was R D Gardner for "The Binding of the Sleepless
Sands". We chose this story to start the collection for a number of
reasons: The elements of the story are traditional, and true to their
mythic form; the story is well-crafted and original; the plot is
excruciatingly applicable to the political, social and psychological
dilemmas we face today. When I first read it I loved it but felt uneasy
about the unresolved issues it left. When I passed it to Katy for
illustration she felt `traumatised by the fate of the butterfly boy'. A
quick look at the daily papers will explain both these reactions!
The poetry prize dangled for some time between R D Gardner and Steve Mann.
Gardner's "Wizardry and Second-Hand Romance" is a clear demonstration of
our problem - why some people think high fantasy has outstayed its welcome!
- But Steve Mann's "...and here he is, himself..." gives us the solution:
We see the modern seeker tentatively approaching our mythic hero, and
coming back with something new. And Mann's "Kismet" closes the collection
on a note all high fantasy should end with - doubt, paradox and
possibility. The range of poems, stories and artwork in between is
enormous. Traditional, modern, comic, romantic and deadly - but every one
adds something to the cauldron. Enjoy them and take heart - the sun is not
yet setting on high fantasy!

Kay Green, August 2006

From the Back Cover:

"Please, no more magic swrod romps," they said. "elves, dwarves
and rustic spirits have had their day. High fantasy has scraped the barrel
clean, there is no more."
"Prove them wrong!" we said, "send us a new fantasy story or poem that
feels as magical as one of the old favourites, but isn't just a rehash."
This book contains the works of thse who we feel answered the chanllenge
with heroic success. Traditional, modern, comic, romantic and deadly -
enjoy them and take heart - the sun is not yet setting on high fantasy!

About this edition

• Publisher: Earlyworks Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0955342937
• ISBN 13: 9780955342936
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 174
• Editor: Green Kay