Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?
4 June 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Disguises, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
Clearly the one in the middle is not in disguise but the other two are!
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we once again go a travelling through the Tropes of Fantasy with Nathan. This week our topic is:
DISGUISES
Hiding in plain site? Put on a disguise. Often used to sneak into the evil lair. For best results brain a guard and steal his; no one is tracking these things.
I’m not really sure if I’m cheating or not because I haven’t just gone for putting on a disguise but chosen a few other examples:
Glamoured – For example the Fae or series such as Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments where glamours have been used to hide things in plain sight.
Tithe by Holly Black – in which the main protagonist is a changelling (she’s of course not aware of this) and has in place a human glamour or disguise.
Spelled – fairly obvious but, in which somebody’s appearance is changed through magic
Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones – in which a young girl called Sophie is changed into an elderly woman by the Witch of the Waste.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Ron, Hermione and Harry take polyjuice potion – unfortunately Hermione’s potion goes a little wrong:
Regular Disguise:
For me the masters of disguise are the Gentlemen Bastards, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch in which many disguises are donned! Enough said.
Invisibility
The Invisible Man! kidding…
Harry Potter has a cloak of invisibility – okay, maybe not a disguise but you could certainly sneak into an evil lair!
Superhero
Okay, this guy is in disguise:
This is what he really looks like
I confess that Spiderman’s disguise – now, that’s a real disguise
Gender swap
You know, cut off your hair, wear trousers and a hat and bingo – you’ve changed from a girl to boy, or put on a wig and a dress and similarly….
The Thousand Names by Django Wexler – in which, hoping to avoid notice, Winter Ihernglass dressed as a man and joined the army – her plan of staying in the background goes a little wrong.
I couldn’t resist…
Shapeshifting
Suzume – Generation V by ML Brennan – not a typical shapeshifter. Suzume is actually a fox – who changes into a human – okay, maybe it’s more an ability than a disguise but she can certainly hide if she needs to.
Smite me, O mighty smighter!
20 May 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Dead Deities, The Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
“I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is once again taking us Tough Travelling through the tropes of fantasy. This week – DEAD GODS
Fantasyland had gods, right? And now they are dead. Dead Gods are not forgotten though, often they are still just influential to the land as they were when living.
Beware of spoilers in the text below!
The Godless by Ben Peek – Set in a world where the Gods are dying following war with each other, their bodies now lie beneath the oceans, in the forests and under mountain ranges.
The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris – in which ‘Ragnarok’ is brought about by the Gods trying to avoid fate. Told by the trickster Loki. Few Gods will survive in this retelling of Norse mythology.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin – in which there was a war of the Gods. The victor, Itempas, killed one of the Gods and imprisoned the others in human form. These enslaved Gods were given to the Arameri people who revered Itempas the most and they now rule over all the other kingdoms, sat on high in the city named Sky. The enslaved Gods carry out their will and enforce their edicts.
Smiler’s Fair by Rebecca Levine – in which years ago there were two Gods. The Sun and the Moon. Sister and brother. Unfortunately their opinion differed regarding the creation of their servants and as a result they went to war. The Moon died and his servants were driven underground,
Almost dead??
The Max Gladstone books Three Parts Dead and Two Serpents Rise – nothing is ever quite as you imagine in these two books!
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis- Aslan *sob*
Tis all for me this week – I know there are lots of niggles at the back of my mind with other books just on the tip of my tongue. No doubt I’ll be kicking myself when I see everyone’s entries this week!
Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son.”
13 May 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: The Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling, Weasels
That’s right Darth Vader – turning on the Emperor – the power of the dark side heh!
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is taking us Tough Travelling once again through the tropes of fantasy. this week’s topic is:
THE WEASEL
Weasels are usually very useful, obtaining information from unlikely sources and the like. For that matter they may be fun to be around. But can they ever really be trusted? Usually about as far as they can be thrown, but one never knows.
And, I sort of struggled with this one to be honest but here goes:
Tolkien’s Grima Wormtongue – betrayed mankind giving away precious secrets to Saruman. I love this quote from Gandalf:
‘Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm’
Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter – all this time pretending to be a rat when in actual fact he’s a weasel who serves a slippery snake!
Paige from the Mime Order by Samantha Shannon – the main character of the story – okay, you can’t really call her a turncoat or a weasel I suppose but really if you consider her actions at the end, they’re sort of half good and then really not so much so. Can’t say more without being all spoilery.
Hoid or Wit from Brandon Sanderson’s Way of Kings – again, bear with me because I do like this character so I’m not necessarily calling him a slippery sucker – however, we don’t really know much about him yet, we certainly don’t know whose side he’s on – except he’s probably on his own side and so in a way this makes me think you can’t always completely trust him – although he does try to drop subtle hints here and there to help people out.
King Slayer – Jaimie Lannister from GRRM’s Game of Thrones. Incestuous so and so who thinks nothing of stabbing a king in the back!
The Biggest Betrayer of all: the One Ring. Betrayed:
Isildur, Gollum, Bilbo and even Frodo at the very end.
Mother! I’ve turned the cooling unit back on. Mother!…… ’You bitch’
6 May 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: 'mothers', Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is taking us travelling once again through the tropes of fantasy. The topic this week: MOMS:
Everyone has a mother. Including people in fantasyland.
The head of family, mummy Scott – immortal vampire, incredibly strong, rules the family with an iron fist but is gradually becoming weaker. Generation V by M L Brennan
Lady Trent – may not seem like a pillar of virtue after she first has her son but in Voyage of the Basilisk the two really started to bond well and he actually brought out a different side. Lady Trent’s Memoirs by Marie Brennan
Penelope – Nevada’s mother from Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews – one kick ass mom!
Coraline’s other mother – the evil mum who wants to stitch buttons on for eyes – ouch! Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
Mrs Weasley – needs no introduction – just ‘not my daughter – you bitch!’
‘The night’s as hot as hell. It’s a lousy room in a lousy part of a lousy town….’
30 April 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Big Cities, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
This week over at Tough Travelling Nathan from the Fantasy Review Barn is taking us once again through the tropes of fantasy. The topic this week is: THE BIG CITY
There has to be somewhere in Fantasyland where everyone comes together. All roads lead to Rome after all. A place where traders prosper, politicians scheme, and criminals thrive.
The Emerald City – all the yellow brick roads lead there after all and it has an all and powerful wizard in residence. The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
City of Stairs by Robert Bennett – I guess the clue is in the title but in this book we visit the City of Bulikov and it’s certainly impressive.
London Below – Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, a very interesting take on London City – what lies beneath and through the gaps, particularly of society.
The hundred thousand kingdoms by N K Jemisin – The City of Sky – this is an awesome book with great world building.
Gotham City – holy urban landscape! – Sorry, I couldn’t leave off Gotham City.
Hon mentions:
Minas Tirith – Lord of the Rings
Books and travelling with Lynn 