Most modern fantasy novels...

MadassAlex

Actually, I was thinking of writing something about opposing fencing schools in Vienna c.1485. Generally, conflicts between fencing schools were glorified gang wars, except they were generally fought by the wealthy or those who had become friends with the wealthy.

MadassAlex

Wait a tic.

> gang wars
> flyting
> wealth

This could go so horribly wrong or so horribly right.

Firebert

Sounds like West Side Story with swords, and in Vienna. Has potential.

All Nines

"Read some James Fenimore Cooper for badass noble savages."

But The Deerslayer was far and away the dullest thing I've ever read. :V

Aside from that suggestion, though, I think there's a lot of valuable advice in this thread.

Malkavian

^I'm not a fan of The Last of The Mohicans myself, I just grabbed the first non-fantasy writer who used the noble savage archetype prominently I could think of.

All Nines

Fair enough.

I mean, I might hate the series less if I tried again now, but at the time it was fall-asleep-in-class bad. So there are probably better examples out there. I couldn't say what, though.

I remember the Last of the Mohicans movie adaptation being pretty good, though, and I can't imagine that the original novel was better, with a writer as untalented as Cooper at the helm.

Malkavian

Have you seen Avatar? Because Last of The Mohicans is basically that with noble indians instead of cat people.

All Nines

I've seen Avatar, but if I'm remembering correctly (which I might not be, since it's been two years since I saw The Last of the Mohicans, and I think I only saw part of it then), Mohicans actually did a decent job of executing that plot, tried though that plot may be (which speaks more to the strengths of the movie's staff than the strengths of Cooper as a writer). Plus, Mohicans came first, so there's another point in its favor.

And anyway, I've heard Avatar compared to Dances with Wolves more often. I mean, I don't doubt that it cribbed off of both that and Mohicans, but that's the comparison I remember.

I didn't like Avatar all that much, needless to say. >_>

Firebert

Don't forget Pocahantas, Avatar borrowed richly from it, too.

Malkavian

Dances with Wolves also stole heavily from Mohicans. As did Last Samurai.

All Nines

Ah. That would do it.

So, all in all, Mohicans was at least one of the earlier stories to use that basic plot type? Unless that basic plot type was stolen blatantly from some other tale.

Malkavian

It's almost definitely the first to use native americans at the very least.