Strange the Dreamer

The high fantasy genre is characterized by completely fantastical settings and the presence of supernatural and magical elements. In high fantasy, events usually take place on a macro scale, with implications for the invented world at large. As such, themes of power, good versus evil, and saving the world are common to this genre, which may also include other elements such as a large cast of characters or an epic quest. Because Strange the Dreamer features an ensemble of primary characters who use magic as a mechanism to carry out a battle of good versus evil, with the entire city of Weep at stake, it is easily characterized as high fantasy.

A common trope in high fantasy is that of the “Chosen One,” in which the hero is destined by prophecy or fate as one specially ordained to solve the problems facing the characters. This trope has played out in many popular fantasy and science fiction series and is a hallmark of such popular titles as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Star Wars, and many more. The Chosen One usually follows the classical hero archetype and is characterized by traits such as strength, special abilities, a strong moral center, courage, and selflessness. Often, the Chosen One endures humble beginnings before finally discovering their true role; their humble beginnings serve to keep them from succumbing to arrogance and corruption as they rise in power throughout the story. Although the Chosen One trope does not explicitly appear in Strange the Dreamer, Laini Taylor uses the archetype to subvert its typical depiction in the fantasy genre, for although only Lazlo’s illustrious origins as godspawn empower him to save the city of Weep from destruction, it is only his grounding in the humble, human world that allows him to resolve the more nebulous social conflict between humans and gods.

While no explicit prophecy naming either Eril-Fane or Lazlo as a chosen hero exists in the novel, their “chosen” roles in the narrative (Eril-Fane’s especially) are implicit with it. Eril-Fane is the Godslayer, the savior of the people of Weep, and from the outside, he conforms to the expected archetype: He is strong, moral, unflinching in the face of danger, and dedicated to the welfare of his people even at great personal cost. Similarly, Lazlo conforms to some elements of the Chosen One trope in that he has humble beginnings as an orphan and appears to be uniquely positioned to resolve the primary conflict facing the characters. At the end of the novel, he is revealed to possess a magical power that surpasses the abilities of any other character. Lazlo is also the only one with extensive knowledge of Weep, which enables him to anticipate and understand ideas and events in ways that other characters cannot. In the final chapters, Lazlo’s special magical power allows him to take action in a situation where anyone else would have been powerless. His role there is implicit with Chosen One typology, in that he is uniquely suited for the task.

However, rather than depicting a hero’s triumphant quest, the novel explores the consequences of being such a hero. Through the character of Eril-Fane, the novel examines how sacrifices made for the sake of others leave permanent scars on the hero in question. Eril-Fane is depicted as a hero of Weep ( the “Godslayer” and liberator of his people), and his initial characterization from Lazlo’s point of view suggests him to be a classical hero. However, as Lazlo gradually learns Eril-Fane’s history, it becomes clear that Eril-Fane is not the golden, conquering hero that his reputation makes him out to be; in reality, he is a traumatized, broken man who shoulders the burden of making difficult decisions for the sake of his people. Thus, the very actions that earn Eril-Fane his heroic status—the slaughter of the gods—take a steep toll on him. Through Lazlo’s perspective, the novel subverts the trope of the chosen hero and questions the aftermath of having such burdens placed on an individual’s shoulders, particularly in a world where forces of good and evil are not so clearly delineated.

Strange the Dreamer subverts other common high fantasy tropes, such as a binary depiction of good and evil. Black-and-white morality is not uncommon in high fantasy and fairy tales; since fantasy is often a vehicle for real-life truths, unequivocally “good” sides and “bad” sides are commonly used as allegory to explore the nuances of real-world issues through implication alone. However, in the novel, Taylor instead leans more toward the abstract and chooses to explore the complex nature of good and evil by outlining trauma can exist on both sides of any given conflict. One of the novel’s major themes focuses on the interplay between memory and trauma and examines how labels of good and evil are primarily informed by perspective; as such, there is no clear villain in the novel. The third-person omniscient perspective in the novel also serves to reinforce the idea that even classically typed heroes like Eril-Fane can be the villain in someone else’s story. Thus, while Strange the Dreamer fits the description of a high fantasy novel, Taylor strategically subverts some of the traditional tropes to offer a nuanced, complex examination of war, violence, trauma, hate, and the many-layered consequences of conflict.