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Originally Posted by hildea
For "Noblebright", Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionawar Tapestry series is the first that springs to mind -- an epic tale of fight against a world-threatening evil, with likeable protagonists who overcome personal weaknesses and win through heroism and self-sacrifice, and with a hopeful ending.
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Yeah, but that is the vast majority of fantasy tales before Thomas Covenant (and most after). That is such a broad tag, what is the use of it, except to say 'this isn't grimdark'?
I shared the article not because I think the labels must be wiped from use. But mostly because I think they are stupid and having a million sub-sub-subgenres stops being informative and can become a hassle. As an example, Gullstruck Island (a book currently on sale) is #94 in
Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Siblings and is #258 in
Teen & Young Adult Siblings Fiction.
I know those are different, but they still illustrate my point.
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The author of the article also complains that people make and buy "steampunk'd objects" that "serve no functional purpose whatsoever beyond ticking all the aesthetic boxes of the setting". Has he met human beings? Decorating ourselves and our surroundings with non-functional stuff because we like how it looks and/or because we want a connection with other people is as human as telling stories.
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Yeah, that part of the article I didn't really care about.
I'm willing to admit that maybe this whole thing comes from the sub-sub-subgenres being new and me being old. I don't like them and they need to get off my lawn!