![]() In a world where every culture’s mythology is real, Medusa’s sisters want revenge on Poseidon, Troy is under siege again, and the Yakuza want their homunculi (mythological artificial humans) back. Homunculus and the Cat – Just a typical kitten saves the afterlife story, disguised as a book about death. In his new novel, Homunculus and the Cat, Nathan Croft takes the kitchen sink approach to fantasy. The list goes on and on, from Marvel’s Avenger lineup to any Discworld tale. ![]() Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden, Chicago’s first (and only) wizard P.I., faces down vampires, werewolves, gods, Valkyrie, fey, sidhe, and angels. Rowling’s Harry Potter gets his Hogwarts admission letter (I’m still waiting for mine) and suddenly his world includes witches, trolls, and a huge cast of magical beings. But actually, as I say about most tropes, in the right hands it’s a good thing. The fantasy kitchen sink approach has gotten a bad rep. If someone, somewhere thought up a god, mythological creature, or patently unscientific explanation, into the fantasy kitchen sink it goes. ![]() One criticism often leveled against fantasy world builders (aka writers) is that they take this too far. Other philosophers developed that as an existence proof for a god, cogito igitur esse potuit, (If I can think it, the universe can build it. In 1637, René Descartes postulated cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am) as the first step toward demonstrating that certain knowledge was attainable. ![]()
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