I read a lot of fantasy, you know, as you do, and there are two things that are generally what catch my eye first: title and cover. Yes, because I’m shallow. Hey, I didn’t say they were the only things. Given that, I’ve read a lot of titles, and it strikes me that there tend to be a lot of buzzwords that are used over and over in fantasy titles. I mean, obviously they work, right, because we buy them? This week, let’s delve into ten common words found in fantasy titles.
Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt was frequently used words in [genre/age group] titles.
Dragon
Might as well start this post off right. After all, who doesn’t love dragons? There’s a reason this seems to be a tried and true word to add in a title. Dragons are awesome, and I’m 10x more likely to buy a book about dragons than, I don’t know, dwarves? No offense to dwarf-lovers out there. They’re charming, but they don’t have wings and can’t breathe fire, so…
Bone
This one always makes me think necromancers, which are exciting, right? Unfortunately, it rarely ends up being necromancers. Still, can’t deny there’s some sort of appeal or fascination with the macabre that I’m pretty sure a title with the word “bone” in it invokes.
Blood
Let’s just continue the macabre, shall we? I suppose, what goes nicely with bone? Blood, of course. Though, they don’t always appear together in titles. I suppose, being everyone’s life force and such, it seems only natural that there would be so many books that include the word “blood” in their title. It makes me think of a good, stabby sort of fight, and who doesn’t want to read that?
Stone
I’m actually really not sure what makes this so popular, but I see it a lot lately. I’m not complaining. Actually, I’ve found that I enjoy a lot of books that have “stone” in the title, so maybe these authors are just on to something and the rest of the world hasn’t caught up yet? Maybe “stone” is code word for “what follow is brilliant.”
Witch
I feel like this is self-explanatory. The West has long had a sort of fascination for witches and magic, so it’s really not a surprise that so many people would choose to write about them. Besides, there’s no limit to the potential shenanigans when magic is involved, which usually makes for a pretty interesting plot.
Dark
Okay, I confess, this one gets me every time, because I LOVE dark fantasy. The darker, the better, for the most part. Sure, happy endings are all well and good, but I don’t always need a happily ever after. Heck, I don’t even need half the cast to survive, and that’s just fine by me. So I usually fall for the trap, thinking that anything that mentions “dark” is probably right up my alley, for one reason or another.
Tower
I honestly don’t get this one. I’m not sure why towers feature so prominently in fantasy titles or what people’s obsession with them is, but they’re there. I mean, my favorite tower is in Tangled, which isn’t a book so it doesn’t even count, but even then, the tower really barely featured at all.
Song
I suppose most people like music of some sort, so maybe people will like books that feature the word “song”? Actually, I think that only a very small portion of the books I’ve read with “song” in the title actually have music as a strong theme.
God
I’ve seen a lot of books recently with God in their title, which always begs the question, which God? Of course, you have to read the book to find out. I don’t read a lot of religious books, but I do love religion in high fantasy. It almost always promises to have a real complex, rich world, and I’m all for that.
Shadow
This hearkens back to the dark thing. Pretty much, if a book has “shadow” in the title, you can sign me up, because I’m expecting something dark. Perhaps that’s shallow and predictable of me, but I’ve never said I’m not, so nyah.
What are some common words you find in fantasy titles? Are there any that generally catch your attention or make you more likely to take a look at a book?
It’s so funny to me, when you lay it all out there it’s blatantly obvious that these are tropes that are used as titles, but for some reason I never see it until someone points it out. This is a very enlightening TTT week! Thanks for sharing!
I suppose they become tropes for a reason, right? Because obviously people like it (and I’ve confessed to totally falling for it myself). So clearly, someone’s onto something. 😛 I’ve enjoyed seeing how similar some of the genre lists are, too.
Great list, I love how you added in examples. I’m rushing through mine today unfortunately!
Ha, I think we’ve all been there at least one or two (dozen) times, so no worries. 😉 It’s also fun to come up with your own examples and to think over all the words, so no worries. 😀
Yaas! This is the very first list I’ve found with Terry Pratchett books in it. He follows the title tropes, it’s true, but I love his books.
I love his books, too! I mean, besides the fact that he’s written so many that he’s bound to have at least one or two that fit, right? Besides, tropes aren’t always bad. Like so many things, it’s how you use it that matters most. 😉
I chose fantasy for my list this week, too. I get fantasy titles confused all the time because a lot of them are similar. I wish authors/publishers would be more creative.
Nicely done. I think this one covers alot of great YA/Fantasy titles. A Discovery of Witches was a terrific read, as well as Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I have several of these on my want to read list!!
https://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2018/04/top-ten-tuesday-ten-frequently-used.html
I confess, a couple of these are from my to-read list, as well, like I haven’t read A Discovery of Witches yet. :3 I’ve been looking forward to it, since it’s been recommended by quite a few friends.