The young adult fantasy genre, once vibrant and captivating, faces a growing challenge: saturation. With countless books echoing the themes and tropes of “Harry Potter,” many readers wonder if the magic is fading.
R.J. Nimmo, a young adult novelist and expert in children’s entertainment, observes this trend. While acknowledging the continued popularity of familiar sword-and-sorcery stories, Nimmo cautions that an overabundance of witches, djinn, and goblins risks diluting the genre’s appeal. He likens it to the overexposure that plagues successful celebrities.
Nimmo credits the rise of young adult fantasy to J.K. Rowling’s groundbreaking “Harry Potter” series and Philip Pullman’s compelling “Dark Materials” trilogy. However, he argues that the market is now flooded with imitations. One more uninspired “Harry Potter” clone, he suggests, may push readers away.
To navigate this landscape, Nimmo advises parents to seek books that blend fantasy elements with historical settings. This approach, he believes, sharpens the emotional, intellectual, and educational impact of the stories.
Nimmo’s own novel, “The Ancient Egyptian Ennead,” exemplifies this approach. Set in ancient Egypt, the book weaves mythology into a historical context. He aims to provide readers with a different kind of magic—the magic of learning about ancient civilizations, gods, myths, and monsters. For Nimmo, this is the key to revitalizing a struggling genre: returning the magic to the reader’s hands.