: Re: Are major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story distracting or do they make a story more appealing? Is it too distracting to include a major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story? I mean a

@Angela458

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A number of works of Fantasy have been basically structured as classic mysteries. Randal Garret's "Lord Darcy" series, particularly the novel Too Many Magicians comes to mind. That is a murder mystery, in fact a Nero Wolfe parody, as well as a spy thriller, in a world where magic substitutes for significant aspects of technology, and a "Forensic Sorcerer" is an essential part of any police investigation. The novella "Penric's Fox" in Bujold's "Five Gods" series is another, more recent, mystery in a fantasy setting.

Other works, such as some of Lawrence Watt-Evans's "Ethshar" series, include significant mystery sub-plots, and they work well. sIn yet others, a mystery aspect would be merely distracting. For example, any attempt to add a mystery sub-plot to The Lord of the Rings or any similar fantasy would, in my view, be a serious mistake.

For a mystery sub-plot to add to, rather than distract from, a work of fantasy, it must be well-written in its own terms as a mystery. It must fit the fantasy setting. If the investigators sound like modern cops while the rest of the characters have a middle-ages mindset, there will be a jarring inconsistency. And the sub plot must fit reasonably well into the main plot, just as any sub-plot should.

In short, sometimes this is a good idea, if done well. Other times, not.

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