Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
I know there IS a distinction, and it's a significant one, but "Who Fears Death" by Nnedi Okorafor and "Throne of the Crescent Moon" by Saladin Ahmed - just to name two I've really enjoyed recently - are about as far from Tolkien as you can get and still have magic and battles without firearms...
Yes, this. There is such a broad area that is covered by "sword and sorcery" fantasy fiction that it gets difficult to include them all under the same umbrella. Don't get me wrong, I love Tolkien, but I don't care for a lot of those who have tried to copy him.