Why Do Mormons and Fantasy Go Together?

And. . . the long-awaited answer to whether kids are reading Lord of the Rings: Some definitely are. I've heard of several who have in fact read the series in junior high or high school. And probably I overestimated those who read it when I was in school because it was almost certainly just my friends and not lots of other people. And, let's face it, I hung out with dorks.

One interesting thing is that opinion seems widespread that LOTR is more for adults than for youth. Even youth who have read them proclaimed to me how difficult they were. I don't recall anyone ever saying that or thinking that when I was a youth. This could be in part, as many have pointed out, because there are so many youth fantasy books these days and they are all really accessible.

On a related topic, the English faculty who play basketball with me were saying that about half of their MFA candidates these days want to write youth fantasy. It's huge.

So, the question: Why Do Mormons and Fantasy (especially youth fantasy) Go Together?

LDS writers have probably been more successful in the youth fantasy market than in any other market. And they've been very successful indeed, wildly successful, actually. Consider:

Brandon Sanderson: Alcatraz Series and many successful fantasy books for adults.

Stephanie Meyer: Yes this is Fantasy and Science Fiction. It counts. The English guys said so.

Brandon Mull: Fablehaven Series.

Shannon Hale: Bayern Series.

Jeffrey Scott Savage: Farworld Series.

Obert Skye: Leven Thumps Series.

James Dashner: Maze Runner Series.

It's an impressive list of people who are selling well and getting noticed well beyond LDS circles, especially the first four on the list.

I've read some of Sanderson, Meyer, Mull and Hale.

I think Sanderson is the real deal and could hit super-stardom. He has already hit pretty high levels and gets lots of love. He was asked to finish one of the premiere fantasy series of all times, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, which is a very high honor. I've really enjoyed his adult fantasy. His youth series, Alcatraz, is kind of fun and quite different.

Mull's Fablehaven Series is one of the few I've actually finished, in part because Nathan adored it, and in part because it got BETTER with each book. I've never seen that before. It was really excellent by the second book and pretty amazing from the third book until the end. (While I love fantasy, I especially love the part where people create new worlds, leading me to frequently drop a series before I've finished it in favor of the next enticing new world just around the bend.)

Hale is very gifted and enchanting, with memorable characters whose conflicts are more internal than external. But I thought Goose Girl better than the next one in the series, Enna Burning, and am not sure I will finish the trilogy. The books undoubtedly appeal more to girls than to boys, but it's fun to have a strong fantasy female lead for a change.

Meyer has a fine imagination and creates interesting worlds and characters. I made it through Twilight but felt very mixed about it and refused to read more. But I did enjoy her science fiction book, The Host. It's a very cool idea that she executes well, if too long-windedly. I suppose huge fame has the downside of editors not telling you when you need to cut 100 pages.

OK: So why do LDS writers and youth fantasy go together?

1-Orson Scott Card pioneered the way in scifi/fantasy and has been a big mentor, I'm guessing. He remains extremely active in the writing world and is very visible. His Ender's Game, by the way, is a must-read classic.

2-It's clean: no need for sex.

3-Its moral orientation fits with LDS culture (and Christian culture) in multiple ways:

a) There are larger forces of good and evil out there with powerful qualities that humans can draw on

b) Themes of the chosen one (and not just a messiah, but other kinds of chosen ones) are frequent

c) Life is a battle between good and evil, and the two are frequently clearly distinguishable

d) Evil forces have menacing power that threaten to overwhelm the smaller bands of faithful

e) Virtues such as love, patience, hope, sacrifice, wisdom, and loyalty are essential to winning the day and gaining the prize

f) Life is a perilous journey requiring constant vigilance and effort

g) Many have special gifts they share with others along the way to ease their path

I suppose there are others. Fantasy themes just seem a very good fit with Christian values and worldviews, to me, as CS Lewis obviously pointed out.

What other genres or sub-genres might we expect to take off with LDS authors?