Can you read too much of your favorite genre?

That’s the question that kicked off our latest Friday Conversation.

I’m joined this week by Jose from Fantasy Talks Live and author Alex French for a discussion about genre burnout, particularly when it comes to fantasy.

Fantasy might be uniquely equipped to burn readers out. The books are often huge. The series can stretch across ten or more installments. And after you’ve spent thousands of pages in one world, jumping immediately into another enormous series can start feeling less like entertainment and more like an assignment.

But does that mean we’re actually capable of walking away from fantasy?

Apparently not.

We talk about the books and genres we use as palate cleansers, why comics and shorter novels can be perfect after finishing an enormous series, and why we inevitably seem to find our way back to fantasy.

From there, things go in plenty of unexpected directions.

We discuss whether fantasy needs more standalone novels, why readers might hesitate to commit to unfinished series, whether authors spend too much time designing worlds and magic systems before actually writing their stories, and whether writers should chase whatever genre happens to be popular.

We also get into science fiction, Grimdark, Terry Pratchett, Joe Abercrombie, George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, House of Leaves, nonlinear storytelling and, somehow, a debate over whether rabbits are pets or food.

Eventually we arrive at another question:

What would we actually like to see fantasy do differently?

More horror. Older protagonists. Fewer farm boys discovering mysterious powers. Unhappy endings. Villains actually winning. Experimental storytelling.

Have you ever experienced genre burnout?

And when it happens, what brings you back?

Find the audio version here