I love stories that take me to magical worlds. Portal fantasies are one of my favorite sub-genres in SFF fiction.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis were the first portal stories I fell in love with. Growing up, I wished I could walk through the back of my closet into a world where animals talked and children could be queens and kings.
The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay is another favorite that shaped my reading tastes and has influenced me as a writer.
Same with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander.
Portal Fantasies are Fun to Write (and Read).
No surprise, given my enjoyment of the genre, I’ve written several novels that include travels through portals of various types.
Some of the magic that sneaks into my stories includes:
- Traversing time and space through the branches of the World Tree.
- Opening doorways to other dimensions.
- Psychic teleportation.
My upcoming release, Falling Through the Weaving: Book One of Roots and Stars, is a portal fantasy where a time-traveling musician finds herself in alternate histories, traveling so far back in time that dragons still exist.
Falling is the first novel in The World Tree Chronicles, a universe that contains two series of books… so far.
What Would You Do?
What would you do if you found a wormhole to another place? Would you go through it?
I’m guessing the answer for most people is, “It depends.”
In some portal fantasies, the characters involved don’t get a choice to consider where they’re going, it just happens, and the rest of the book involves them dealing with the fallout.
Other times, they instigate their adventure, which usually goes sideways.
Time Travel.
I love time travel stories done well.
Did you see the show Timeless? I caught it on Netflix and thought it was a super fun story, especially the consequences and how things changed when they returned each time, knowing their actions created ripples that often directly impacted their lives.
The Flash did a lot of time travel and portals to other earths, which I thought was cool.
Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is filled with examples of time travel and other instances of portals like Thor, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, and on it goes.
As much as I loved Endgame and pretty much every other Marvel film, Ragnarok is my all-time favorite.
Gods and Legends.
I love stories that involve gods, especially flawed ones. I adore rewritten mythology and reinvented legends, and have had a lot of fun bringing those themes into my books.
In Falling Through the Weaving, the gods mostly watch from the stars, but as the ongoing saga of The World Tree Chronicles continues, they become more prevalent. Meddling. Scheming. And throwing wicked parties.
January Portal Fantasy Book Sale!
If you like portal fantasies, check out this selection of novels and anthologies on sale in January: Fantasy Book Sale!
There are some tempting reads included, some of which just made my wishlist. My most recent release is part of the sale, with the digital version only $1.99 USD.
Shelta’s Songbook: Poetry and Prose from the Vaults of the Keeper contains a collection of poems and short stories set in the universe of The World Tree Chronicles, complete with love notes from an immortal.
Shelta’s Songbook is a seductive standalone that gives an intimate peek into the mind of the main character in Falling Through the Weaving.
What’s your favorite portal fantasy?
What about you?
Do you have a favorite book, movie, or series that uses portals as part of their plot?
Thanks for reading!
Peace @LeiaTalon / @katrina-ariel
All gifs from giphy.com
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