A Romance Reader’s Guide to High Fantasy

When J.R.R. Tolkein, often recognized as the Father of High Fantasy, writes “Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger,” in The Fellowship of the Ring, it seems like a piece of advice both Frodo and you yourself should probably follow. So, naturally, I’m going to show you how to do the exact opposite! 

The complex worlds and weirdness of fantasy can indeed be a complicated adventure that confuses and intimidates as much as it intrigues and fascinates, making many readers turn away after taking one look at the brick-like volumes that make up the fantasy section. As someone who frequently switches between romance and fantasy, I know how jarring it can be to jump into high fantasy after reading a cozy love story. Wars between different magical species are pretty far removed from your average small town romance after all. If this sounds like something you struggle with too, then come along.

Haruki Murakami and the Uncertain Walls of Our Reality

Haruki Murakami, household name of Japanese literature, has released yet another masterpiece: The City and Its Uncertain Walls. The City is a reworking of a short story of the same name from 1980, which Murakami makes relatable using his stunning finesse of the magical realism genre. Magical realism is a particularly popular genre that invites the idea that even in the regular places we frequent every day, in the tedium of everyday life, there may be something magical that could occur. At any moment we may be swept away to some unknown place or encounter some magical creatures. Murakami in particular thrives in this genre, taking us from the all to known landscape of modern Tokyo and the sprawling Japanese countryside to the dreary unnamed town where part of the story takes place, and  from the ordinary office workers of the Japanese capital to the magical unicorns of the unnamed city. 

The three-part story follows an unnamed narrator as he navigates through life.