‘Say hello to my little friend’…
13 November 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Named Weapons, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we will be looking at NAMED WEAPONS as part of our Tough Travels through fantasy!! Definition:
Surprise! This is not from the Tough Guide but fits the spirit of it well. So let us say for this topic the weapon either needs to be A. Named, B. Famous, or C. Sentient. Thanks to Mogsy for the idea!
Godley Weapons
Zeus’s Thunderbolt and Thor’s Hammer – The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris
Swords
Michael’s Sword in the Dresden Files (think it’s called Fidelacchius), Jim Butcher
Fragarach – the sword that Atticus owns from the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
Sword of Gryffindor – Harry Potter
Sting – Bilbo’s and then Frodo’s sword from LotR by Tolkien
Shardblades – Oathbringer from Brandon Sanderson’s Words of Radiance
People/Assassins
Graceling by Kristen Cashore – Katsa – a deadly assassin and the King’s favourite ‘weapon of choice’.
Smith (ex assassin) from Kage Baker’s – The Anvil of the World
Spark by John twelve Hawks – Jacob – suffers from a condition which makes him believe he is dead – this makes him the ideal candidate to become an assassin – no fear!
Other
Harry’s blasting rod – The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Jean Tannen’s Sisters from The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
The One Ring – needs no other description!
Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi.
5 November 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Novices, Tough Travelling
Every Thursday I go a travelling with the Fantasy Review Barn and various other wanderlusting and most excellent bloggers around the tropes of fantasy as part of Tough Travelling. This week is all about novices:
‘Novice is a term in frequent use. There are not only Novice Priests and Priestesses and nuns: you will also encounter novice healers and bards, and sometimes also novice mages… Novices are always young, frequently skinny and undernourished, and clad in robes.’
Novices – more tricky than I thought – I’m not sure these are novices – but I’m having them. And, unfortunately the one book that actually has ‘novice’ in the title (by Trudi Canavan) I can’t actually have because I haven’t read – DOH!
The Magician by Raymond Feist – Pug – apprenticed to be a master magician at the beginning of the story (novice mage).
Blood Song by Anthony Ryan – Vaelin, in training to be a warrior of the Sixth Order.
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie – Jarvi – at the start of the story he is apprentice to the King’s Minister – which involves a lot of reading and a little bit of magic and is a role usually reserved for women.
The Book of the Crowman by Joseph D’Lacey – Megan – the keeper. Not sure about this one – although she is definitely young and skinny, clad in robes and under nourished.
Feast of Souls by Celia S Friedman – the witch Kamala – she’s ambitious, she wants more than to be a witch – she’s wants to be a magister and so she becomes a novice to a magister in order to do so.
And, honorary mentions – Harry Potter – he has to be a novice!
Can I also mention Locke and Jean – they both were sort of novices to Chains – and on top of that they both had to frequently spend time with other religious bodies as part of their training.
“I beheld the wretch — the miserable monster whom I had created.’
29 October 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Monsters, Tough Travelling
Every Thursday I go a travelling with the Fantasy Review Barn and various other wanderlusting and most excellent bloggers around the tropes of fantasy as part of Tough Travelling. This week is all about monsters – rather appropriately timed given Halloween!:
‘MONSTERS are likely to lie in waste areas, caves, and old ruined cities. You can usually detect their presence by smell.’
Firstly – honorary mentions. LoTR – so many to choose from Uruk Hai, Balrog, Cave Trolls, Shelob! And, Harry Potter – Basilisk, Aragog – not to mention Fluffy – the huge ass three headed dog!
Moving on:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – the Sleer. This is a very creepy monster, it lives under a grassy hill in the graveyard. It was abandoned there a very long time ago and awaits the return of it’s master. 
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer – the Crawler that lives in the Tower (which actually isn’t a tower at all but a staircase that winds down into the earth.
City of Stairs by Robert Bennett – the multi tentacled monster that goes on a killing spree round Bulikov. Also, American Elsewhere by Robert J Bennett – there are plenty of strange and monster like characters in this book. Particularly one that lives in a cave surrounded by tiny rabbit skulls – be afraid.
The Copper Promise by Jen Williams – Dragons! Well, this dragon/divinity escapes from the caverns beneath the Citadel and takes an army of strange lizard like females on a march of terror across the land.
The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore – I loved this book. The clue to the monster is in the title – a huge serpent in the canals of Venice!
That’s it for me this week. Tell me all about your little monsters!
“Master has presented Dobby with clothes! Dobby is free!
22 October 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Elves, Fantasy Review Barn, Legend of Zelda, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we’re travelling through the tropes of fantasy again and this time we’re delving into elves:
‘ELVES claims to have been the first people in Fantasyland. They are called the Elder Race. They did not evolve like humans, but sprang into being just as they are now.’
Well, I’m going to admit that I really thought this was going to be a doddle – then I got myself all tangled up in the difference between fae and elves and couldn’t decide if I could have certain examples that I’d chosen or whether they’d count of not! (Doh!!)
Anyways, the two obvious ones: LoTR – there are a LOT of elves in this book to say the least. Harry Potter – need I mention Dobby! Really??
My books this week:
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett – I can’t decide if this is cheating or not because I’m still not sure if I can count these as elves. I tend to think of them as brownies! Basically I just don’t know if they count but I love the book so it’s going on the list!
The Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs – Bone Crossed has a snow elf! Can’t remember much about the snow elf to be honest – but still, it’s an elf, right?
Puck from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream. He is definitely described an an elf so I’m feeling good about this one!
The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint – when I read this book I described the little critters as fey – however, they had very much a brownie feel, and the way that they had to be left gifts of clothing and the like was definitely similar to tales of elves – remember Dobby, not to mention the Elves and the Shoemaker! I think I rest my case…
My last isn’t a book but if I didn’t mention this, well, it would be unforgivable – Link – from The Legend of Zelda. He has pointy ears, his weapon of choice is a bow and arrow and he dresses like a woodland type person. Elf!
‘Where nomad has gone before’
16 October 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Nomads, Tough Travelling
Being Thursday, I’ve packed up my toothbrush and I’m going travelling through the tropes of fantasy with the Fantasy Review Barn. Hosted by Nathan, every week we dig out examples of whatever trope is the topic and try to expand each others horizons – otherwise known as the TBR. So, this week:
DESERT NOMADS occupy the hot parts to the south, which is either desert or rather parched grass. For some reason this is ideal terrain for breeding horses, of which nomad clans have in large numbers.
Three by Jay Posey – a strange apocalyptic world where terrible creatures called Weir stalk the night shrieking and causing terror. Three is the lone gunman of the piece who against his own better judgement turns hero and comes to the assistance of a lone woman and her son in their hour of need. Can’t say there is any horse breeding going on here but Three is definitely a nomad type character travelling alone through the deserted plains.
The Painted Man by Peter Brett. Arlen is something of a nomad. He leaves his home and family in a quest to discover more about the lost wards that prevent the demons that arise at dusk from taking over his world. I could probably also have the character Jardir from the second novel in the series by the same author – the Desert Spear!
Smilers Fair by Rebecca Levene – probably a slight cheat but Smiler’s Fair itself does have a nomadic lifestyle. The whole fair packs up and moves on on a regular basis – in order to avoid the ‘worm men’ who come from beneath the ground. In fact most of the communities of this book have to regularly up sticks and move for that very same reason.
Aragorn – he rides a horse occasionally, I’m sure that some of the weather must be hot every now and again and he’s a ranger which definitely lends him a lonesome style of life. And, this allows me to get LoTR into my list as usual!
Darn it though – I can’t think of an example from Harry Potter. Drat and bother.
That’s it for me this week – tell me about your nomads please as I’ve done shockingly badly this week!
Books and travelling with Lynn 