[Tinalles]

Most of us like reading, right? So, here's a challenge: make up your own genre. Pick a name for the genre, describe it briefly and then list three books which best represent it. I'll start!

Dames and Darkness

This is a sub-genre of fantasy in which strong female protagonists encounter some pretty dark circumstances, more or less on their own. Examples:

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
In which a girl named Coraline enters a in a shadowy parallel dimension on her own. There she encounters her Other Mother and her Other Father. The Other Mother wants to keep her, and love her -- forever and always. And all Coraline has to do is let the Other Mother sew these two black buttons to her eyes ...

The Bone Doll's Twin, by Lynn Flewelling
In which a power-mad king has decreed that any female children of the royal blood must die at birth, lest they threaten his reign as per ancient prophecy. When the king's brother fathers a pair of twins -- one male, one female -- he arranges the murder of his own son and swaps the genders of the two babies through dark sorcery. The girl is raised as a boy in form and training, haunted always by the shade of her murdered twin ...

Sabriel, by Garth Nix
In which the heroine, Sabriel, is a necromancer. But a "white hat" necromancer, charged with laying to rest that as should never have been stirred up to begin with. And after two centuries of slow unwearying assault by Kerrigor, one of the Greater Dead, the Old Kingdom needs her talents sorely ...
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[Tinalles]

... well, that flew like a brick. XD
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[TheBritishInvasion]

I have an idea but I can only think of two examples, unless, does it count if it's a sequel to one already mentioned?
_________________
Britland as dubbed by AsA
Avatar courtesy of Footloose
Keeper of Tengu's electricity and Willow's 'what did you just say' eyes.

[Squeeself]

Squee doesn't get enough reading done anymore to participate It's sad

[Tinalles]

[Asa]

I don't think about it enough - I just enjoy reading Mercedes Lackey, and that's about it.

Or, I suppose I could come up with one...

YOUTHFUL INDISCRETION

Where a young protagonist messes up big time and spend the rest of the novel/series fixing what he/she wrought.

Examples...

Magicians of Caprona, by Dianna Wynn Jones
The kids want to figure out why their magic is failing, all the while their families are feuding. They do brash things, get in trouble, and stumble their way to a solution.

Actually, I think Harry Potter counts - his blunders are major plot points, and if he didn't make thick-headed mistakes, he wouldn't have gotten where he did.


Aaaand, I don't read enough to think of any more that can really be said to be in that category. Most of the books I read (cough Lackey cough cough) have protagonists being acted upon, not bringing trouble on himself.

Well, there's a story I'm currently editing called "Isle of Morpheus" which falls into this category: the main character makes a poorly-planned but well-meaning decision which whisks her away to the Ilse of Morpheus. That's in chapter three. The remaining twenty-two chapters are her adventures therein.
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[Magus Gar Kan]

Not sure if this counts, but I coll it:
The Glorified Training montage.

Something commonly seen in martial arts films of the 70's and 80's...and of course the entirety of the Dragonball and Dragonball Z series (actually most americanized anime fits into this).

The focus is always on the Idea of constant self improvement to overcome obstacles. Typically the obstacles are opponents, and are unbeatable at a glance.

These kinds of stories typically focus on the technical and spiritual aspects of fighting, or whatever the "skills" of the world happen to be. Although in its most basic form its all about the fight scenes.

Several tropes that appear state that the protagonist will either be below average with amazing potential or be unimaginably talented but lacks training.
_________________
Dubbed Marcus by Asa
Magus Gar Kan = Magus = Margus = Marcus

"Nothing is predictable in regards to humans, save for their infuriating ability to do the unexpected."

I'm not dead, just lurking and very very tired.

[Asa]

Have any specific book examples?
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[CBB]

The Life Sucks Genre

This genre teaches us just how much pain, despair, and hopelessness there is in life; as such, they are introduced mainly as high school curricula to dampen youthful enthusiasm. Examples:

The Grapes of Wrath
The tragic tale of a family of Okies as they are forced off their land and make their way to California, where injustice and starvation await amidst the green, fruitful valleys. Bit by bit, the family's spirit is broken as they are taken advantage of, underpaid, and ultimately starving through the long winter...

Crime and Punishment
A bright young Russian former student concocts a theory where the gifted, talented, and great among humanity should be free from society's constraints. He puts this theory into effect by murdering a malicious pawnbroker, reasoning he should feel no shame for this act because he will be sparing her victims. Unfortunately, her meek sister witnesses the murder and he kills her in a fit of panic. This all happens in the first chapter. For the next five, he agonizes over his actions as he meets various bereft and poverty-stricken denizens of Saint Petersburg, as the police close in...

Lord of the Flies
Several young boys are stranded on an island by an aircraft crash. They attempt to organize into a civil society, but rivalries soon grow. Fears of a monster living in the jungle interior allow the group to split, and the boys quickly regress to savage acts, eventually torturing and killing members of the "civilized" group. Soon they all hunt the last "civil" boy, intent to kill...

The lesson, children? We all die alone and afraid.
_________________
I love children...but I could never eat a whole one.

Psychosomatic! That boy needs therapy...
Ya que estamos en el baile, ¡bailemos!

Keeper of Earthsong's Wispy Wooshy Memory Ball
Keeper of the Dragon Planet

[thespaceinvader]

Aside: the bloke wot writ Lord of the Flies went to my secondary school, don'cha know...

I really should read it one of these days...
_________________
Keeper of Tristram's rings, and Felucca's very expressive ears.

[Magus Gar Kan]

@Asa

Sadly nothing is coming to mind. The more I think about it, outside of television and movies there are few examples. With most of those being in comic books and manga. Also any book that would follow this would probably be really, really bad.

I have no ability to recall titles at the moment, let alone any examples that I can site without just saying "I have seen it". So I rescind my earlier post, until I find a hard example to give you.
_________________
Dubbed Marcus by Asa
Magus Gar Kan = Magus = Margus = Marcus

"Nothing is predictable in regards to humans, save for their infuriating ability to do the unexpected."

I'm not dead, just lurking and very very tired.

[theBSDude]

[Outasync]

I only took English up to GSCE level, but everything we studied was gloomy and depressing. "Lord of the Flies", "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet", and "Brother in the Land" (which is about the aftermath of a nuclear war. Let's just say, the lucky ones got killed by the bomb).

On a totally unrelated note, my clinical depression was diagnosed around about the time of my GCSE's. Hmmm...
_________________
Outasync

Dubbed Caste by Asa
Outasync = Outcast = Outcaste = Caste

Combining the charming good looks of Neddy Seagoon, the courage of Bluebottle and the wisdom of the famous Eccles.

[Rechaana]

The Flaws of Man Genre

This is a genre where the main point of the story is essentially that man is flawed. The flaws of man are usually the cause of strife in the story.


The Great Tree of Avalon Series
In a world where many races live in harmony, mankind grows proud and attempts to gain dominance over all others. Sure they were helped along by the evil god of warfare, but the arrogance was there in the first place.

The Dragonlance Chronicles
The Gods drop a frickin mountain on the world because man essentially becomes a Knight Templar. That's pretty much all there is to say about that one.


That's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure there are others. I may edit this post when I have some more time to think.
_________________
"Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts."
-Aristotle

Dubbed Rachel by Asa
rechaana = Rech = Rach = Rachel

[Allicat]