Opinion

Fantasy doesn’t need another 'Game of Thrones.' It needs what Tolkien understood

From 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' to 'Game of Thrones,' graphic content is replacing the wonder that built the genre

By Daniel Maritz Fox News

Published September 20, 2026 8:00am EDT

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Tales of dragons, noble kings, evil empires, heroic quests and the battle between light and darkness have captured imaginations across cultures for years. We’re drawn to the adventure of legends and lore because something deep inside us longs to be filled with wonder. Our hearts ache to know that courage still means something, that love is worth fighting for and that the world holds more mystery than the mundanity of our daily routines.

Tolkien and Lewis understood this and built Middle-earth and Narnia as entire worlds where wonder and danger were intertwined, and courage was meaningful because it came at a cost. Their books are still adored generations later because they never confused darkness with........

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