INFLUENCES+ON+THE+FANTASY+GENRE

The enormous popularity of Tolkien's epic saga greatly expanded the demand for [|fantasy fiction]. Largely thanks to //The Lord of the Rings,// the genre flowered throughout the 1960s. Many other books in a broadly similar vein have subsequently been published, including the //[|Earthsea]// books of [|Ursula K. Le Guin], //[|The Riftwar Saga]// by [|Raymond Feist], //[|The Belgariad]// by [|David Eddings], //[|The Sword of Shannara]// by [|Terry Brooks], the //[|Thomas Covenant]// [|novels] of [|Stephen R. Donaldson]; the "[|Wheel of Time]" books of [|Robert Jordan], and, in the case of the //[|Gormenghast]// books by [|Mervyn Peake] and //[|The Worm Ouroboros]// by [|E. R. Eddison], rediscovered. With a significant overlapping of their respective followings, there has been and still is extensive cross-pollination of influence between the fantasy and science fiction genres. In this way, the work also had an influence upon such [|science fiction] authors as [|Frank Herbert] and [|Arthur C. Clarke][|[][|53][|]] and filmmakers such as [|George Lucas].[|[][|54][|]] It is often assumed [//[|clarification needed]//] to have strongly influenced the role-playing game (RPG) industry which achieved popularity in the 1970s with //[|Dungeons & Dragons]//, a game which features many races found in //The Lord of the Rings,// most notably [|halflings] (another term for hobbits), elves, dwarves, [|half-elves], [|orcs], and dragons. However, [|Gary Gygax], lead designer of the game, maintained that he was influenced very little by //The Lord of the Rings//, stating that he included these elements as a marketing move to draw on the popularity the work enjoyed at the time he was developing the game.[|[][|55][|]] Many also believe [//[|clarification needed]//] that some popular video games have been influenced by the legacy of //The Lord of the Rings//, with titles such as //[|Ultima]//, //[|EverQuest]//, and the //[|Warcraft]// series, but moreover the '[|Elder Scrolls]" series of games[|[][|56][|]] as well as, quite naturally, [|video games set in Middle-earth] itself. As in all artistic fields, a great many lesser derivatives of the more prominent works appeared. The term "Tolkienesque" is used in the genre to refer to the oft-used and abused storyline of //The Lord of the Rings//: a group of adventurers embarking on a quest to save a magical fantasy world from the armies of an evil [|dark lord], and is a testament to how much the popularity of these books has increased, since many critics initially decried it as being "[|Wagner] for children" (a reference to //[|Der Ring des Nibelungen]//) — an especially interesting commentary in light of a possible interpretation of the novel as a Christian response to Wagner.[|[][|57][|]] The book also helped popularize alternative spellings for the plurals of //elf// and //dwarf// (using -//ves// instead of -//fs//).
 * Influences on the fantasy genre**