No other genre of literature suggests boundless flights of imagination, unconstrained by the traditional limits of daily existence, than that of fantasy.
In reality, though, most fantasy novels for young adults are heavily influenced by Northern European symbols, legends and settings. Most of the protagonists have the mannerisms of middle-class young people from the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada (e.g., Harry Potter). This is certainly understandable, given that most of the readers come from these countries, and authors want to create characters with whom their audience can easily identify.
However, if you would like to explore some non-traditional fantasy characters and settings, either by yourself or with your children, here are some worthwhile suggestions.
Fantasy Reading Set in Modern India
The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Baerjee Divakaruni
The twelve year-old protagonist, Anand, lives in a struggling neighborhood in Bombay and works as an assistant to a grouchy tea-seller. He meets a mysterious old man who introduces him to a world of magic and sorcery. Along with Nisha, a street-sweeper girl, Anand and the old man set out a dangerous journey to restore a sacred conch shell to its rightful place, an enchanted valley deep in the Himalayas. The book not only provides insight into Hindu culture and spirituality, but it paints a realistic portrait of modern life in India from the perspective of a young person.
A Novel of Dragons in Ancient China
The Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson
Ping is an orphaned slave in one of the Emperor’s palaces in China during the Han Dynasty. One of her daily jobs is to feed a mysterious animal in the Emperor’s dungeon – a dragon. She discovers she is able to communicate with the dragon, and together they escape from the palace, pursued by an evil dragon-hunter, and journey cross-country. Not only is this a passionate adventure with plenty of innovative magic, it provides a unique glimpse into life in ancient China from the perspective of a girl of humble origin. This is the first book in a trilogy.
Reading Based on Myths and Legends of Ancient India
The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander
This novel is also set in India (or at least a land that closely resembles it), but unlike The Conch Bearer, it takes place in ancient times. Just as he carefully researched Welsh mythology for his famous Chronicles of Prydain, Alexander imbues this work with elements of ancient Hindu philosophy and mythology. It contains interesting characters, including a dilapidated eagle, a scholarly bear, an unscrupulous villain and a resourceful herder girl. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced read.
A Novel of the Stone Age
Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
Although Paver is a former lawyer, she does painstaking research worthy of any anthropologist in creating characters and settings in a Neolithic world. Although this book is set in Northern Europe, it occurs six thousand years ago, before the advent of agriculture. The characters survive through hunting and gathering and harbor a strong belief in spirits of nature. The action is intense from the beginning, as the book opens with the hero Torak receiving advice from his mortally wounded father about how to escape a demonized bear. During the rest of the novel, Torak learns about sorcery and develops a close connection with an orphaned wolf cub. The magic in the book is closely based on shamanism and animism, and the details about life and survival during this time period are quite vivid. This is also the first book in a series called The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.
The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Baerjee Divakaruni. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2003.
The Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson. Hyperion, 2003.
The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander. Puffin Books, 1997.
Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver. Harper Trophy, 2004.
Colin Forsyth - Colin Forsyth's interests range from butterfly gardening to studying disease prevention in Bolivia to writing fiction for young adults. He ...
