This is the first Genre Crush of Parallel Quest. In this episode Zach and Cody discuss a little about the history of the fantasy genre and how they fell in love with it.
The Parallel Quest team has decided to use their tenth episode to have what they call a "Genre Crush." This is where the guys discuss a particular genre, a little bit about its history and influence, and finish up with their favorite components and stories within it.
—A quick discussion of the Tiger King and how it was taking the world by storm as the guys were recording this episode. As we have now come to find out, its influence only grew from here. There might be an episode in the future that discusses it more in depth...
—During the pandemic, Cody has taken listening to quite a lot of audiobooks. One of his favorites that he has listened to during this time is The Neverending Story. It is quite different than the movie, and would definitely be worth checking out.
—The Epic of Gilgamesh is where many of the roots of the fantasy genre lie, and this is a work that is nearly as old as any other document, dating back to early written history.
—The guys discuss the importance of mythology and its influence on western fantasy. One of the most influential figures on western fantasy epics has to be JRR Tolkien. So many fantasy stories follow a lot of the same methods of adventure and attempt similar types of world building.
—The many different stories discussed in this podcast: Lord of the Rings, Dragon Lance, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Dungeons and Dragons, The Sword of Truth, the Wheel of Time, and quite a few more.