Hi all, I have what is probably a silly question for you. I am struggling to feel sure that my novel should be classified as "fantasy," as I've never read any fantasy novels like it (thankfully). It's about a young woman named Laidy that falls into a medically-induced coma and discovers an alternate reality for the comatose called Elsewhere. Much of the story takes place in this fantastical alternate reality, but she is able to keep tabs on her body/real life through something Elsewhere has called Reality TV. What happens back in real life does have a bearing on what happens with the character in Elsewhere at times, but really most of the story is taking place in Elsewhere. My understanding of what constitutes "fantasy" is basically an alternative world or universe, and because Elsewhere is not within the real world, I feel like it fits in the fantasy genre. Would you agree or do you think this story would be better described by another genre? Thank you in advance for your help! C.F. Boehlke
It's certainly not a silly question! There are lots of sub-genres within fantasy, so it's not all about the classic dragons and magic spells. Like @samcifica I think it would probably be urban fantasy. But whichever exact sub-genre it would fall into: yes, it's fantasy.
Thank you, @samcifica and @Seren! Your posts inspired me to delve a bit more into information on fantasy sub-genres and I think I might have found the one that makes the most sense. I'm talking about Crossover/Crossworlds fantasy. If I understand what I've read correctly, in crossover fantasy, a character from the real world winds up in an alternate reality or realm, whereas in urban fantasy, fantasy elements, possibly from other realms, end up in the real world, where the story takes place. Since 95% of my story takes place in Elsewhere, and the MC indeed crosses over into Elsewhere at the beginning, I think crossover makes the most sense. Thank you so much! I wouldn't have discovered this sub-genre if you hadn't gotten me thinking about urban fantasy.
