I don't know if this topic has done but I'm going to answer just because this particular issue is a sore spot with me.
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Alright. Is it just me, or do most fantasy/sci-fi (emphasis on the fantasy though) books seem to copy Tolkien in some form or another?
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I think that we are forgetting that Tolkien himself copied most shamelessly. He built most of his own mythology upon already existing Norse mythology (such as Beowulf). The whole scene with Bilbo stealing the cup is based on a scene in Beowulf. Even his languages were built on already existing languages.
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I was just wondering what other people think about this; do books nowadays seem only to remake what's already been done by Tolkien? Or are they just doing what's been done for thousands of years? And also, what books have you read that are similar to Tolkien's work and what are entirely new or groundbreaking as far as the fantasy genre goes?
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There are only a few storylines in this world that we could number them on one hand. What makes a story, however, is the way you tell that story. That's what Tolkien did. He told a
common story line and he made it unique.
Sometimes, when I read these sort of threads (nothing against you Lumiel), it seems as if people view Tolkien as the king of all fantasy -- and that's simply not true. It's illogical to say that Tolkien is the accumulation of the fantasy genre and that anything written is a mere rehash and rip off. That would be denying the uniqueness and creativity of human nature.
Of course Tolkien was a major turning stone in the fantasy genre. So was Shakespeare. Shakespeare coined many words -- is it wrong to use them? Tolkien helped build the fantasy genre. He gave a new and better definition to elves. Why not use it? That would be like ignoring mechanical advances because they were built on someone else's shoulders.
Yes, there are some shameful copies. But there are only a few. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, The Chronicles of Narnia, George MacDonald (was he before or after Tolkien?) and many others are not rip offs -- yet they are fantasy.