Science fiction and fantasy is one of the most widely collected and celebrated genres of entertainment in the world with thousands of books, magazines, and Internet sites devoted solely to its wonderful world.

To name a few of the genre's great literary geniuses¹, you have Gene Roddenberry who is the creator of the Star Trek series and some of its spin-offs, Terry Pratchett who is the creator of Discworld and JRR Tolkien who penned the The Lord of the Rings. But, what is it that makes the genre so appealing?

The Appeal of Sci-Fi and Fantasy

There are a number of reasons for the popularity of fantasy; such as the thrill of the mind being allowed to wander to far distant lands or to other worlds or aboard a spaceship. The power of the human imagination is great, and when it is under the influence of these novels and films it is nearly unstoppable.

Then there is the beauty that lies in the descriptions of these fantastic places and people. What little girl has never imagined herself to be the beautiful golden-haired princess, and what little boy has not imagined being the captain of a starship and destroying some aliens, or fighting against the Empire right beside Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in their very own personal version of Star Wars?

The Business

It is that very fact that makes the business behind science fiction and fantasy such a lucrative one. Not only do the novelists and film producers make money out of the publications but so do all the companies that produce the collectables that people all over the world will pay any amount of money for. These collectables range from plastic toy figurines to movie memorabilia and full sculptures of fantasy and science fiction heroes. One example of this is the Enchantica figurine range that spawned from the Enchantica novels. These are clay figures of dragons, wizards, witches, in fact any type of mystical creature that can be thought of. What is the appeal of these figurines you may very well ask? It is the sheer beauty and power behind the scenes depicted that make the owner of the piece believe that they own their very own dragon or their very own piece of magic.

The Symbol of Fantasy

The dragon is the classic symbol of fantasy. Long regarded by all fantasy enthusiasts as the king of mystical beasts, the dragon with all its power and status is a force to be reckoned with in any novel. No matter how the dragon is depicted, either as a savage killer or the magnificent, powerful and docile peacekeeper, it is a respected and approved guardian of the realm of fantasy. Without this creature many a fantastic film would never have been made and the world of fantasy novel writing would be a much smaller place.

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¹ Of which there are thousands each with their own group of highly specialized fans.