4 Elements to Write a Dystopian Fantasy
The roots of dystopian fantasy can be traced back to classic literature. Take, for example, A Wrinkle in Time, which masterfully blends the totalitarian control of IT, a dark force seeking to dominate the universe, with the presence of mystical beings like mediums and winged centaurs.
(3 Rules for Writing a Better Dystopian Novel.)
Timeless works such as this laid the groundwork for a new era of fantasy. The last decade alone gave rise to novels such as Red Queen and An Ember in the Ashes. These stories combine brutal, oppressive regimes with fantastical worlds and magically gifted characters fighting to take back their freedom. The magic of this genre lies in its ability to meld the supernatural with relatable topics from our own world. So, how would someone go about writing one of their own?
Here are four elements to focus on as you build your dystopian fantasy.
The Odds
Picture yourself in this situation: Your enemies are closing in, but your powers are drained, your weapons are lost, and you have a wicked case of poison ivy. Now what?
The line from The Hunger Games springs to mind here: “May the odds be ever in your favor.” The irony comes in the fact that our main character faces impossible odds. The deck is stacked solidly against them, so the chances are slim to none that they’ll prevail. This is a quintessential component in dystopian novels, and it’s why they’re so compelling.
The audience roots for the protagonist to rise above these obstacles. What’s key here is getting clear on your characters’ motivations and abilities so you can create challenges tailored to them. What circumstances will take the character wildly out of their comfort zone and beyond their current capabilities? For a satisfying arc, you’ll want them to adapt and grow, encountering situations that will push them to the limit while balancing the reality of what they’re capable of.
Our Antagonists
Understanding your villain’s motivations and justifications is equally as important as knowing what compels your hero. The antagonist, albeit driven by a cruel and twisted version of righteousness, is fighting for their beliefs. If you don’t know what makes them tick, they can feel flat and unrealistic. Plus, you need to know where your villain stands in order to juxtapose them with your hero. This will help illustrate how they draw your protagonist into that morally gray area that dystopian fantasies tend to delve into.
Much like the Commandant in An Ember in the Ashes, villains in these narratives should evoke intense reactions from readers, eliciting feelings of injustice, dread, and anger. Their hold over the main character should feel iron-clad. They may challenge the character physically, psychologically, and ideologically, forcing them to examine and question their own beliefs.
In dystopian fantasies, the hero is often risking their life to challenge the status quo; it’s imperative that the audience be convinced that there is no other viable option than to defy the antagonist. There are typically layers of authority that the protagonist must face on their journey to freedom. These hierarchical systems can leave the hero feeling powerless and insignificant, highlighting the daunting task of challenging their rule.
Check out Christina Bacilieri’s The Last Refuge here:
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The World
Whether you set your world in a galaxy far, far away, or on planet Earth, the trick is blending the history of how society came to be this way with how that has impacted the landscape and living conditions of the world itself. Was it a gradual descent into chaos brought on by scarce resources or a swift power grab from a tyrannical regime? Once you know details like those, you can decide what specifics are necessary to reveal to your readers.
In many dystopian classics like Fahrenheit 451, advanced technology like surveillance equipment and government-controlled propaganda are a staple. While not essential to all dystopian fantasy, these elements are commonly used as plot devices to heighten fear and paranoia, allowing the ruling body to maintain power while fragmenting society. By exploiting their citizens and fostering mistrust among them, the government undermines any potential for unity or collective action, making resistance nearly impossible.
Oppressive societies not only expect conformity but demand it, which begs the question: What if magic were in the mix? Adding in the fantasy element can open up multiple routes for your story to take. The government could fear magic and isolate it for control, or they could see it as a valuable resource to exploit for their own gains, or a character could discover their hidden magic serving as a catalyst for hope and rebellion. In dystopian fantasy novels, the world serves as more than a backdrop. It drives the plot forward, informing and influencing the characters’ decisions.
Magic System
From elemental faeries to a gaggle of pirates who can control the sea, the plot possibilities in fantasy novels are endless. It’s up to you to decide what powers to imbue your merry band of misfits with, but above all, their gifts must be believable. You’ll need to establish a framework that the reader can ground themselves in.
The magic system can be intricately structured or mysterious as long as it is coherent and you maintain consistency. You’ll typically end up knowing more than your reader does when it comes to the minutia, but having that firm grasp on how your magic will affect the characters and world overall will ensure you’ll keep your reader’s trust. It can come down to minor details that shatter the illusion and pull readers out of the story.
For example, if you’ve established that those elemental faeries can only harness a single element each, but later in the story, one of them can wield fire and water out of nowhere, you’ll lose credibility with your audience. Consider the origin or source of your character’s mystical abilities. You can have their magic flow in from the universe, function like photosynthesis, or even be bestowed upon them by a goddess. What matters is your confidence in conveying it to the reader.
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