Saddle up and ride your pony (or dinosaur)
25 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Favourite steeds, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is once again taking us Tough Travellings. This week’s topic
BELOVED MOUNTS
A combination of suggestions from several people, as it seems many want to talk about the various animals that people in fantasyland ride. So be they horse, bear, or other let’s talk about favorite rides.
Dragons – The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist. Contained Dragon Lords who rode on the back of dragons. Also The Dragonflight by Ann McCaffrey – a strange mix of sci fi and fantasy.
Horses – not just any horses though! Sandseed horses from the Avibian plains that can travel at great speed. Brought to us by Maria Snyder’s study books. Kelpies from the Sithe world beyond the veil created by Gillian Philips in her Rebel Angels series. Dangerous beasts, carniverous and difficult to tame.
Dinosaurs – well, dinosaur really as I have only one – Sue, a zombiefied t-rex ridden by Harry Dresden in Jim Butcher’s Dead Beat.
Polar Bear – Iorek from Philip Pullman’s Dark Trilogy series. This may be a bit of a cheat as you wouldn’t really cal Lorek anybody’s ‘mount’ – not if you wanted to stay alive. However he does consent to Lyra being carried on his back so I’m having it!
Bats – a huge, talking bat called Rii who carries Eric, from Rebecca Levine’s Smiler’s Fair.
Hon Mentions:
Lotr – Shadowfax, Great Eagles, Fell Beasts (used as flying steeds by the Nazgul), huge crazy elephant looking beasties.
Harry Potter – Buckbeak, a Hippogriff
Ohh, and this – not sure what it’s called but I’d like to ride one:
Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally. Golly, what a day..
19 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Bards, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
This week over at The Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is once again taking us Tough Travelling through the tropes of fantasy and this week we’re in for a jolly old time of it looking at examples of MUSICIANS/BARDS
BARDS often join questing parties and provide entertainment around the campfire. Sometimes their music even holds a little bit of magic. Or a clue to an ancient mystery. Or…
Allan a Dale is a minstrel in Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men.
Hoid from the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. Bit of a court jester with a sharp tongue, a keen eye and he also has the ability to jump between Sanderson’s books.
Ann McCaffrey’s Pern books – now I’ve only read the first one – but, I’m pretty sure that I’ve got another one about a Dragon singer? That’s perhaps a bit of a cheat but….
The Painted Man by Peter Brett – Rojer – plays a mean fiddle – in spite of losing a couple of his fingers during an attack.
Kvothe, Name of the Wind and Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss – his parents belonged to a troupe themselves and Kvothe is a talented musician who earned his own set of pipes.
Mike Allen’s Black Fire Concerto – the two leading ladies (Erzelle and Olyssa) utilise their music to perform magic.
Honorary mention:
The Hobbits – I had to go there. But, come on, they’re always singing songs and telling poems. And actually the dwarves can wax a bit lyrical as well!
Shakespeare himself – something of a poet after all:
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind”
Lord what fools these mortals be!
11 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fae, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we are once again tough travelling with our trusty guide Nathan. This week our topic for discussion is FAE
Surprisingly not in the Tough Guide. How can this be? Fairies are a constant in the fantasy world and it is time they get their own week. Give us your Fae, be they sweet or nasty.
- The Rebel Angel series by Gillian Philip – sithe – some of these are nice (Seth) – some not so much (Kate McNiven)
- Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier – good old fashioned style fae, tricky, beautiful, ethereal – be careful what you agree to.
- Tithe/Valiant and Ironside by Holly Black – I loved this series and it’s the first I read that portrayed the fae as maybe not always so nice!
- The Tiffany Aching Series by Terry Pratchett – first the Wee Free Men, a type of fae (pictsies??) and then in the Wintersmith Tiffany gets embroiled with fae – if I remember correctly?? Maybe it wasn’t this book – doh – Nathan, chuck me a bone??
- Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – ‘methought I was enamoured of an ass!’ Full of Fairies – The King and Queen of the fae no less not to mention pesky Puck.
- Alex Bledsoe’s The Hum and the Shiver – appalachian fae – a unique read. Very good.
- The Blue Girl by Charles deLint – ghosts and fae in Newford Town – I’ve only read the one from Newford but I do intend to return.
- Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series – great books
Can I say the elves from LotR – and perhaps somebody can help me out here – are elves sort of related, in a far removed kind of way, to fae?? Or no????
‘My own brother, a goddamn shit-sucking vampire’
4 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling, Vampires
This week over as the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is taking us Tough Travelling looking at vampires:
VAMPIRES are increasingly rare on the TOUR. They have been attracted over to the Horror Tour by offers of better pay. Where they appear, you will find up to date Vampires wear expensive sunglasses and wish to drain you of energy rather than blood.
- Dracula from Bram Stoker – you have to have Dracula on this list he’s one of the originals
- Iuda from Jasper Kent’s Danilov Quintet – this is one nasty sucker (had to go there)!
- Fort from Generation V by M L Brennan – one of the younger vampires
- Joshua from Fevre Dream by GRRMartin – based on board a steamship that sails the Mississipi
- Eric from Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse series – a rather fine specimen of towering viking vampireness!
- Stefan from Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson – how can you resist a vampire who rides around in a Scooby Van!
- Barlow from Salem’s Lot by Stephen King – that’s one vampire that scared the bejeebers out of me!
- Lestat from Ann Rice’s Interview with a Vampire – ‘Claudia…You‘ve been a very, very, naughty little girl.’
- Constantine from Sunshine by Robin McKinley – a very good story, set in a world where vampires and humans went to war, Sunshine has a rare ability that she uses to help Constantine
- Quinn from Kathleen Tierney’s Blood Oranges – part vampire part werewolf
And I’m drawing a line under it as I could go on and on!!
“Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future..”
25 February 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Chessmasters, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
Today at the Fantasy Review Barn we are once again travelling through the tropes of fantasy. This week’s topic is Chessmasters:
A true master knows where all the pieces are at all times. Others may think they have taken control but alas, the master knew their last move before they played it.
Kelsier – from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson – he really did think ahead! And, I can’t say more because it will contain spoilers!
Locke Lamora – from the Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch – planning ahead is his forte really – it might not always (ahem) go accordingly but he certainly does try!
Jorg – from Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire. Now here is a guy who can forward plan – bloody hell! He has all sort of things just set up ‘in case’.
Voldermort – okay, things might not have gone brilliantly for our slippery friend but come on, he had the foresight to plant horcruxes – that’s your thinking ahead right there.
Folks – I’m afraid I struggled a little bit with this one. No doubt I’ll be kicking myself when I see all your wonderful examples but them’s the breaks.
See you all next week.
Ohh, honorary mention – Sauron – again, things didn’t go just as planned but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. He had wizards to corrupt, orc armies to raise, mercenaries to bring into the game, Gollum to torture and the ring to find – and let’s face it, he didn’t have a body!! Although you could argue that a gigantic eye comes in useful when you’re trying to keep abreast of everything.
Books and travelling with Lynn 