The late genius Sir Terry Pratchett said in many of his talks and texts that classifying fantasy literature as “mere escapism” was an oversimplification. It depends on what you’re escaping from, and what you’re escaping to, he explained.

People read fantasy for plenty of specific reasons, but I see two broad categories that covers them. First, let’s dispense with the two categories I often see on the Internet. I don’t use these labels; they are unhelpful.

The br...