How to Write Low Fantasy
- Suzanne Bjornson
- Jun 3
- 5 min read
When magic walks the alleyways, not the throne room. Come, journey into the magical mundane.
Ever wonder what it’s like when magic feels less like a birthright and more like a burden? When spells don't shimmer but fizzle, and heroes are more likely to owe rent than ride dragons? Welcome to low fantasy—a subgenre that strips the shine off high fantasy’s polished armor and replaces it with grit, grime, and gray morality. Here, the stakes are intimate, the world is recognizable, and the lines between good and evil are as murky as a city sewer. Whether it’s petty mages scamming street markets or fallen knights guarding cursed taverns, low fantasy is where the fantastical meets the familiar—and things get messy.
There’s just something about the enigmatic magic system that draws me in. The charm of the unknown, the allure of the subtle, it’s like savoring a delicate flavor in a complicated dish. It’s not about flashy spells or blatant magical artifacts; it’s about the unexplained chill you feel when passing an ancient tree, or how an old woman in town always seems to know when it’s going to rain. Low fantasy isn't just about escapism; it's about exploring what's already here with an added sprinkle of magic. Its unique appeal lies in blending the ordinary with the extraordinary. It encourages readers to question their perception of reality and marvel at the potential magic lurking within the mundane. This genre lets us believe there’s more to our world than meets the eye—that just around the corner lies a secret alley where mythical creatures gather, or whispering to plants could make them grow faster.
#1: What is Low Fantasy?
#2: What are Common Tropes in Low Fantasy?
#3: Why YOU Should Write Low Fantasy
#4: Snoozine Book Recommendations for Low Fantasy
#1: What is Low Fantasy?
Low fantasy is a subgenre of speculative fiction where magical or supernatural elements exist, but are limited, subtle, or marginalized within the world. Unlike high fantasy, which often takes place in expansive secondary worlds full of elves, chosen ones, and grand destinies, low fantasy is rooted in grittier, more grounded settings—often resembling our own world or a close analogue. The magic isn’t world-breaking; it’s just one more dangerous, unpredictable tool in an already flawed society. Perhaps one of the strongest appeals of low fantasy is its relatability. When magic infiltrates a world we are already familiar with, readers naturally feel a deeper connection to the story.
#2: What are Common Tropes in Low Fantasy?
Low fantasy often relies on tropes that highlight the tension between the ordinary and the uncanny. Expect your heroes to be messy, your magic to be flawed, and your villains to make disturbingly good points.
Grimy, Lived-In Worlds
Low fantasy worlds often feel worn down and rusted out. Forget gleaming towers and enchanted forests—here, you’ll find crumbling cities, back-alley deals, and weather-beaten taverns where secrets are traded over cheap ale. These settings ground the story, making magic feel like a disruption rather than the norm.
Moral Ambiguity
Characters in low fantasy are rarely clean-cut heroes or villains. Instead, they make messy decisions based on survival, not ideology. Expect betrayals, shifting alliances, and the uncomfortable realization that sometimes the best you can hope for is “slightly less awful.”
Magic with a Price
Magic in low fantasy isn't flashy—it’s dangerous, rare, or tightly controlled. Maybe it’s outlawed, maybe it’s taboo, maybe it eats a little piece of your soul every time you use it. This limitation makes every magical act weighty and meaningful.
#3: Why YOU Should Write Low Fantasy
If you’re looking to explore fantasy without needing to build an entirely new planet, low fantasy might be your jam. It lets you mix modern or historical grit with just enough magic to shake things up—and the result is often intense, character-rich, and deeply human.
If you decide to try your hand at writing low fantasy fiction, consider the following options when crafting your story:
Focus on the “Small” Stakes
You don’t need to save the world—just your sister, your block, or your own sanity. Low fantasy thrives on personal stakes and the ripple effects of intimate decisions.
Build Magic with Consequences
If your magic system exists, make it bite. Every spell should cost something—blood, loyalty, memory. The more it hurts, the more real it feels.
Lean Into Flawed Characters
Let your protagonists be thieves, cowards, or burnt-out ex-heroes. The best low fantasy arcs aren’t about becoming perfect—they’re about surviving with your soul (mostly) intact.
#4: Snoozine Book Recommendations for Low Fantasy
Randall's Pick: Jade City by Fonda Lee
Generally, I choose to stick to epic/high fantasy when I’m reading within the genre, but there have been some fantastic exceptions over the years. Most recently, I’ve been drawn to Jade City by Fonda Lee. This story offered a fantastic take on urban fantasy, mixing in magical powers from exposure to magical jade mined from the island on which the story takes place. Who doesn’t like mixes between such widely varied material as The Sopranos and Naruto?
Jessi's Pick: The Mediator Series by Jenny Carroll/Meg Cabot
I used to think I wasn’t a big fantasy reader until I realized SO MANY of the books I read as a teenager can be considered low fantasy. Who here remembers Meg Cabot (of The Princess Diaries fame)? Did you know she tried her hand at low fantasy-leaning stories, too? She published the Mediator series, writing as Jenny Carroll for the first four books. I loved (and still do) that series as a teenager and return to it often as an adult. You’ve got a teenager who can see ghosts, one of which she falls in love with. Imagine all the fun she gets into! Sure, some may argue that supernatural stories aren’t necessarily low fantasy, but I’m going to make the argument that, in this case at least, this supernatural story is.
Suzanne's Pick: The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Low fantasy lovers, gather 'round! If you're craving a tale where magic lurks just beneath the hedgerow and faeries are more bite than sparkle, The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide NEEDS to be your next enchanted detour. Low fantasy thrives when the supernatural sneaks into the everyday. In The Field Guide, that’s literal—faeries hiding in walls, trolls under bridges, and something nasty in the garden shed. At just over 100 pages, it’s a bite-sized adventure with a big punch—and zero filler. Plus, the illustrations? Love.
Kirsten's Pick: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
Like Randall, I also read a lot of epic/high fantasy, but one of my all-time favorite series, and go-to comfort reads, happens to be low fantasy. The Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck is the first in a five-book series. If you like cursed princes, Indian mythology, quests, and love triangles, this series is for you! Most of the series is set in India, and it’s a beautiful backdrop for a wonderful story with well-written characters.
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