For as long as I can remember, fantasy novels have always provided me with an escape from my reality. That’s not to say my reality was bad, but it could be dull and mundane at times. As is the case with any child, I had a vivid, exciting imagination and viewed fantasy novels as a form of escape – and I was most likely not alone in this.
I can still remember receiving my first major fantasy novel as a gift from my aunt at eight years old. It was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the debut novel of an imaginative, incredible novel series that still retains much of its popularity today among many different age groups. I still remember my first time reading and it being mystified by the story and its characters. From that point on, I was hooked and devoured novel after novel. Before I knew it, I was finished the series! As I grew older, I continued to reread the Harry Potter Series while also exploring different series like Holly Black’s Spiderwick Chronicles as well as Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson.
So how were these novels an escape for me? Well, these novels had such well-developed, colourful worlds and characters that were easy for me to latch onto. The authors of these series did a wonderful job at creating worlds that couldn’t possibly be true and characters that seemed too amazing to be the real deal, yet at the same time, they added a sense of realism to these characters allowing me (and potentially many other young readers) to relate to them. Despite my school days being long and boring, these books enhanced my imagination and excitement to read and I returned to them, time after time when life became boring or I was just going through a rough patch.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who experienced this kind of “escape” through reading. Many of these series like Harry Potter are still insanely popular today and have expanded into movie franchises and theme parks. What’s more, is that they continue to remain relevant today, with exciting, dynamic characters who are appealing to diverse audiences. Personally, I think it’s a wonderful thing that countless generations will go on to explore these novels and have their own kind of escape. It certainly shaped me as a person and paved the way for my definitive love for reading.