Speculative fiction has long been the perfect place to debate - via written word or screen - the dynamics of power and the appropriation of the same. One of the most commonly used metaphors is magic. And one of the most commonly used situations, especially in YA pec fic, is a radical overhaul of the status quo in which a group of 'others' are oppressed and then rise to challenge the system. The dragons love a good revolution as much as the next fantasy fans but there are times when you have to ask yourself what exactly is the story saying? Because magic equals power, and if the oppressed group have power then why are they oppressed? Could it be that unconsciously the love of a good resistance style plot occasionally means that authors punch down instead of up? SFF authors Jules and Madeleine take a look at where this works and where it clearly doesn't. Under the microscope this week - The Black Magician Series - Trudi Canavan, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Red Queen Series - Victoria Aveyard, Gilded Cage - Vic James and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 170: Maps, Footnotes and Dedications - When Authors go the Extra Mile
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 169: Sly, Cunning and Cuddly - Fantastic Foxes in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 168: Woke is My Brand - The Trouble with Toxic Twitter
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 167: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Anthropomorphic Animals in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 166: The Problem of Susan - Wayward Children in Fantasy Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 165: What We Really Want - The Tropes We Love in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 164: The Language of Flowers - Botanical Folklore in Myth and Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 163: Into the Woods - Mythical, Magical and Malicious Forests in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 162: Bring Out Your Dead - Sickness and Pandemics in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 161: That's not Historically Accurate - the Fallacy of Fantasy Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 160: The Kids are Alright - Why do we need a NA Genre as well as YA?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 159: I See Dead People - Psychics, Mediums and Communing with the Dead
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 158: Dominion, Mastery and Emancipation - Portrayals of Slavery in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 157: Chosen Ones and Fated Champions - the Phenomenon of the Special Snowflake in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 156: Childcatchers and Trunchbulls - Portrayals of Abuse in Children's Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 155: All in Your Head - Portrayals of Mental Illness in Modern YA Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 154: Death and Sex Appeal - Assassins in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 153: A Pirate's Life for Me - Myths, Stories and Crime on the High Seas
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 152: The Universe in Motion - Expanding Series & Reader Opinion in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 151: Reading Like a Writer - How Critical Reading Informs the Writing Process
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