A Deeper Dive
What is Western Cultivation?
Hold on, you’ve got power in my fantasy! What gives?
Brutal training, impossible odds, insurmountable quests, realm shattering monsters, helpless underdogs, if you’re here, there’s a good chance that you already know what I’m talking about.
If you don’t yet do – well, you’re in the right place. Because we’re about to pull back the curtain on this brand new genre that is taking the reading world by force.
That is if we’re strong enough to do so.
If you read nothing else on this page, that’s the single takeaway you need to leave with. Western Cultivation is power. It is strength. It is starting on your knees as the weakest of the weak and clawing your way upwards using nothing but pure, relentless, dedication.
Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Let’s press on, starting first with how this genre came to be.
And That Means Looking To The East
While there are plenty of exceptions to this generalization with earlier works, it is impossible for us to talk about Western Cultivation (or in this case, Modern Power Fantasy) without at least acknowledging what inspired the current glut of books that we see on Amazon.
And that inspiration is Eastern Cultivation.
Far from a new idea, Eastern Cultivation (as described here in my Eastern Cultivation deep dive) arrived in the West (via translations) shortly before LitRPG did, both of them gaining popularity roughly side by side with somewhat overlapping readerships. In fact, I like to think that both genres were symbiotic in some sense and that is because one of the most popular early translated works was in fact a LitRPG, called Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. Thanks to its popularity it (along with many others) helped open up and encourage more and more translated works across all languages and all formats. This also came at a time when other formats – such as manga and anime were getting increasingly more popular than they already had been.
Combined all together this rush of new content provided all of us, prospective western authors especially, more and more to read and enjoy until there was finally enough inspiration to try our own hands at the genre.
Which Brings Us To The Series That Changed Everything
It is impossible (and wholly disingenuous) to talk about Western Cultivation without mentioning the one series that was responsible for its popularization and widespread adoption.
That series in particular being Cradle by Will Wight.
Yes, there are other novels and series that came slightly earlier that would fit the definition of the genre, but given the sheer popularity and cultural impact that Cradle has had on both readers and authors as the genre grew, there is simply no better comparison out there. Western Cultivation owes its origin and subsequent growth to Cradle series. It was the first series that gained true popular acclaim in the genre and essentially paved the way for other authors to follow by taking all of the elements traditionally found in Eastern Cultivation and putting a Western spin on them. All while of course retaining that special flavor that Eastern Cultivation novels had that made us fall in love with them.
But more than just that, Will introduced us to the core tenant that every successful Western Cultivation novel has followed since, and one that I expect will last for the lifetime of the genre. Read it for yourself below.
“There are a million Paths in this world, Lindon, but any sage will tell you they can all be reduced to one. Improve yourself.”
― Will Wight, Unsouled
Powerful words aren’t they? They certainly have been for many authors as through the years they have laid that foundation of what essentially drives all western cultivation novels. It does not matter if these novels are similar in spirit to Eastern Cultivation novels and borrow heavily upon Asian storytelling structures, locations, and naming conventions, or if they are wholly ‘Western’ in nature and emulate the adventures we commonly see in Dungeon and Dragons and or Epic Fantasy novels. They, by majority, have a common unifying theme, starting off weak and growing to be strong.
It’s The Journey, Not The Destination
In more traditional hero themed fantasy (or scifi/space operas) there is a more direct story structure where the destination was/is almost always in focus. Such as in Star Wars with Luke very clearly being set to defeat Vader from the beginning, or Rand battling against the Dark One in Wheel of Time, and Harry Potter rising up to counter Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. Each of these stories, while filled with a variety of challenges, is relatively clear cut in execution and expectation, following the traditional and single loop of a ‘Hero’s Journey.’
However in Western Cultivation (and to some extent the greater Progression Fantasy as a whole) this end destination isn’t always shown, or may change as the story progresses, or may be filled with so many obstacles before it that it is hard to make out clearly. Regardless of this particular detail and its execution, however, the genre structure of most novels in this genre largely remains the same:
- Our hero starts off as a true underdog, either the weakest of the weak or somehow hobbled by some sort of drawback, be it magical/physical/something else. (Such as when Lindon is born Unsouled at the start of Cradle)
- Something forces change upon the hero, giving him a chance or reason to change his circumstances, such as a powerful training opportunity with a mentor/school, a boon from a powerful entity, or their drawback being somehow turned into a source of strength. (When Suriel arrives upon Cradle)
- The hero then begins to work on increasing their power to meet whatever challenge is before them, often doing so by the skin of their teeth, all while suffering greatly through it. (When Lindon is shown what will happen to his home if he does not act.)
- The new power is then quickly consolidated, new abilities are learned, powers are gained, and riches are collected as the hero makes a few precious gains in achieving their goals/agency. (Lindon as he advances through the stages)
- Then a new challenge arrives, with the bar for success and the punishment for failure being pushed even higher than it was before, repeating the cycle.
From here, this structure continues onwards to suit the needs of the story in question, with its focus being the trials that our Hero needs to endure as they grow power in that moment instead of focusing on a distant goal ahead of them. This as a result ends up building a more intimately scoped story that often focuses on a single or tightly knit cast of characters as they pursue their goals.
And nor is any of this that I’ve described here a ‘new’ storytelling structure, in fact, there is a great chance that you might have already experienced stories that use this structure, because it is a very common one used in ‘Shonen’ Mangas and Animes. For any of you who might have followed Dragon Ball, Nauro, Bleach, One Piece and more, these are all perfect examples of stories that focus on the journey of their characters and the power that they achieve along the way to continue it.
A Plethora of Options
And here is the part where I get you all ready to start off your own journeys into this wonderful genre! I hope you all enjoyed the overview of what to expect as you dip your toes into it and can find something that suits your interests. Given the popularity of this genre I expect that you will have a wide variety of series to choose from with more and more coming every day! That said, if you’re interested in checking out some of the super stars of the genre, well look no further than this list:
