Though I'm sure this has probably been said before in other posts, I just want to put in my two cents, so to speak. I've been interested in trying to write fantasy for quite awhile, but every idea I come up with seems to be based on Tolkien or some other person. To a large degree, I would have to agree that the fantasy genre is one of the most cliched out there. I mean, the setting is always medievel Europe-ish, the characters generally tend to be white, and the races of man, dwarf, elf, etc. have become almost standard from series to series. Of course you need some sort of conflict in a book and "Dark Lord/Force trying to rule the world" is a very convient one for fantasy. While I would be interested in trying to a find new direction for fantasy besides the "Dark Lord" convention, its been very difficult for e to think of anything else for characters in a fantasy book to do other than fight an omniprescent evil overlord. I think Tolkien's work is different than most fantasy because his actually reads like epic literature and legend rather than just a fictional tale. Thanks for my rant.
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Isil was first wrought and made ready, and first rose into the realms of the stars, and was the elder of the new lights, as was Telperion of the Trees. Then for a while the world had moonlight, and many things stirred and woke that had waited long in the sleep of Yavanna. The servants of Morgoth were filled with amazement, but the Elves of the Outer Lands looked up in delight; and even as the Moon rose above the darkness in the West, Fingolfin let blow his silver trumpets and began his march into Middle Earth, and the shadows of his host went long and black before them.
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