Here be dragons.
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Each Thursday, our copy of ‘The Tough Guide to Fantasyland’ in hand, we shall tour the mystical countryside looking for adventure and fun (and tropes) from all over fantasy. Today’s tour topic is… City of Wizards City of Wizards is … Continue reading
I give up. It has all been done before. Every single good idea has been taken, even those that just warp old good ideas. 1990. This book came out in 1990 and gently mocks fairy tale as well as anything … Continue reading
The word that springs to mind while reading this is portentous. The opening chapters are stuffed with mysterious happenings, deeply meaningful but unexplained dreams and visions, characters who are compelled to do certain things and who are assisted at life-threatening … Continue reading
In only a couple of weeks The Silk Map by Chris Willrich comes out. This will be a must read for me because The Scroll of Years was such a great debut It featured just enough weird to stand out … Continue reading
Each Thursday, our copy of ‘The Tough Guide to Fantasyland’ in hand, we shall tour the mystical countryside looking for adventure and fun (and tropes) from all over fantasy. Today’s tour topic is… Guild of Assassins (and Assassins in general). … Continue reading
One could be forgiven completely for not knowing what to expect from Unwrapped Sky going in. The cover suggests that Minotaur are present, which is true but gives no clues as to the greater substance. The back cover hints at … Continue reading
Ending a series can be hard. All those pesky plotlines gotta come together, characters need resolutions, and no matter how the author crafts it there will no doubt be a corner of the internet telling them just how wrong they … Continue reading
Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could compose a song which would guarantee good weather or bountiful harvests or a cure for illness? That’s the premise here, and what an enchanting one it is. The creator god made the world … Continue reading
Want to know my next read? I will tell you. Starting tomorrow I am starting Unwrapped Sky by Rjurik Davidson, a book I have looked forward to for some time because just look at that cover. And it has minotaurs! … Continue reading
Each Thursday, our copy of ‘The Tough Guide to Fantasyland’ in hand, we shall tour the mystical countryside looking for adventure and fun (and tropes) from all over fantasy. Today’s tour topic is… Ancient Engineering Projects Ancient Engineering Projects tend … Continue reading
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because Ninavel is such an awesome city. Not just a city occupied by a strong wizard population, it is a city that is possible only because of the wizard population. Living in a magical anarchy where the wizards can practice their craft however they see fit, the only rule is they help with the maintenance that holds it together and keeps it watered. While not entirely inhabited by wizards (someone has to run the stalls and stuff, right?) it is still very much a wizard’s city. But it is certainly not one I would choose to live in, running into a bloodmage does not feel like a good start to a day.
Diagon Alley – Harry Potter– Ok, so maybe this is cheating because it is only a small part of the city. But honestly, who didn’t feel the magic when they first read this? I was in college for god’s sake; I can’t even blame it on youth. But a street where all the wizards of the land can get together, buy and sell items of their trade, and practice their craft right in the middle of a muggle city is to awesome. Also a place I really would love to visit. Home of a Goblin owned bank, shops of everything imaginable, and for some reason, candy that taste horrible. Why would anyone, even wizards, willingly buy candy that tastes horrible?
example? I am sure it is out there, but I had to count it. It is the city one goes to if one wants to see a wizard as far as I am concerned.
that just warp old good ideas. 1990. This book came out in 1990 and gently mocks fairy tale as well as anything I have read or watched that has been written since. Was Shrek really that original? Survey says…no. Every single Neil Gaiman short story is a little less fresh. Let’s face it, we shut it all down because nothing more needs to put into writing.
In only a couple of weeks The Silk Map by Chris Willrich comes out. This will be a must read for me because The Scroll of Years was such a great debut It featured just enough weird to stand out without ever moving into true weirdness, three separate duos of characters that could have carried a book on their own, and yet another unique take on dragons. I think a whole lot of you want to read it.
going in. The cover suggests that Minotaur are present, which is true but gives no clues as to the greater substance. The back cover hints at dissent within a city, perhaps violence in said city’s future. But what this book is really about is power, pure and simple. Who has it, who wants it, and what people are willing to do with it when they control it.
Ending a series can be hard. All those pesky plotlines gotta come together, characters need resolutions, and no matter how the author crafts it there will no doubt be a corner of the internet telling them just how wrong they got it. I think I would write two books in a trilogy and fake my death, it’s the only way I could avoid the pressure.
Caeli-Amur: an ancient city perched on white cliffs overlooking the sea; a city ruled by three Houses, fighting internecine wars; a city which harbours ancient technology and hidden mysteries. But things are changing in Caeli-Amur. Ancient minotaurs arrive for the traditional Festival of the Sun. The slightly built New-Men bring their technology from their homeland. Wastelanders stream into the city hideously changed by the chemical streams to the north. Strikes break out in the factory district.
1. Penglass –Pantomime by Laura Lam- The most recent example I have read of this phenomenon. No one knows what these indestructible and often very large objects are for, but they litter the landscape. Are they dwellings? Weopons? Decorations? One of the few examples on this stop that is starting to have its mystery unveiled, we may actually learn some secrets about this stuff by the end of the series. Micah, protagonist of the story, seems to have an affinity for the mysterious stuff; indeed his very touch seems to affect it. I wonder if this will prove to be important as the story moves on?
and many would argue that its true strength came from its infrastructure, specifically its roads. With a well-designed road system throughout its land the Romans were able to better facilitate trade, tax collection, and yes, the movement of their mighty army.
3. The House of The Maker – The First Law by Joe Abercrombie- Really The Maker has more than one impressive examples of architecture scattered throughout the land, but is The House of The Maker that really catches the eye. Sitting in the middle of the capital as it is, casting its shadow down. It has an obvious entrance but that is about it.
fantasy, wizard’s tower. This one just happens to be the entire reason for the story. You see, being a very large tower it casts a very large shadow. And a very large shadow would put a damper on the King’s Commencement. So this is one we shall keep an eye on, because who doesn’t want to see a very large tower one it is stripped of its shadow?
Ain’t that a shame?
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