--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a child I was really into fantasy…" description: "\"As a child I was really into fantasy books with elves and goblins and swords, and I went through a phase for a few years when I was reading endless ser..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/jonathan-stroud-3021_book_as-a-child-i-was-really-into-fantasy-boo_1010871.jpg" --- # As a child I was really into fantasy books with elves and… ![“As a child I was really into fantasy books with elves and goblins and swords, and I went through a phase for a few years when I was reading endless series. But in the end I became totally fed-up with all these sub-Tolkien rip-offs because they all end up doing the same old things and there's no…” quote by Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/jonathan-stroud-3021_book_as-a-child-i-was-really-into-fantasy-boo_1010871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/jonathan-stroud-3021_book_as-a-child-i-was-really-into-fantasy-boo_1010871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/jonathan-stroud-3021_book_as-a-child-i-was-really-into-fantasy-boo_1010871.jpg) > “As a child I was really into fantasy books with elves and goblins and swords, and I went through a phase for a few years when I was reading endless series. But in the end I became totally fed-up with all these sub-Tolkien rip-offs because they all end up doing the same old things and there's no rigour to it.” [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author grew tired of repetitive, low-quality fantasy that mimics Tolkien without depth. **In simple terms:** Repetitive fantasy lacks originality. Key Takeaway Seek fresh, rigorous storytelling. Themes originality literary standards genre fatigue creativity critical thinking Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type analytical literary When to use this quote - book selection - writing workshops - critical reading - genre analysis Key Concepts fantasy literature genre evolution authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - What makes a fantasy story feel fresh? - How can writers balance homage and originality? A Different Perspective Some readers enjoy familiar tropes, limiting demand for innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Fantasy books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy-books/) [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Goblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goblin/) [Old things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-things/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Rigour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rigour/) [Same old thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same-old-thing/) ## Related quotes > [“As an opener, I'd like to state that elves are certainly NOT cliché. 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There, almost coyly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/the-bristling-eyebrows-shot-up-in-mock-surprise-mesmerized-the-boy/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [“John Mandrake was an attractive young man, and the scent of power hung about him, sweet and intoxicating, like honeysuckle in the evening air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/john-mandrake-was-an-attractive-young-man-and-the-scent-of-power-hung/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [“George,' I croaked, 'are you okay?' 'No. Someone's buttocks are flattening my foot.' I shifted my position irritably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/george-i-croaked-are-you-okay-no-someone-s-buttocks-are-flattening-my/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [We grow up being told about great figures in our society, and as you get older you have to question the stories you've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/we-grow-up-being-told-about-great-figures-in-our-society-and-as-you/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [Jabor finally appeared at the top of the stairs, sparks of flame radiating from his body and igniting the fabric of the house around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/jabor-finally-appeared-at-the-top-of-the-stairs-sparks-of-flame/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [“But certainly the two best-known tales in the neighborhood - the key hauntings, if you will - concern the Red Room and the Screaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/but-certainly-the-two-best-known-tales-in-the-neighborhood-the-key/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [“Lockwood stepped aside, his boots crunching across the salt, to stand and study the paper beneath the light. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. 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