Tough Traveling – Non Human Protagonists

Started by Fantasy Review Barn, now run by Fantasy Faction.  Tough Traveling is back my friends!  Yes, the best fantasy specific meme around is finally up and running again.  So join us every week as we tour the fantasy genre. From high to low, from classics to new releases, from epic to urban; each month, we will guide you in search of a different trope, theme or cliché.  For a history of what came before check the tag above.

This weeks topic is Non- Human Protagonists

The Tough Guide assures us that HEROES are ‘mythical beings, often selected at birth, who perform amazing deeds of courage, strength and magical mayhem, usually against all odds.’ Furthermore, ‘if you get to meet a so-called Hero, she/he always turns out to be just another human, with human failings, who has happened to be in the right place at the right time (or the wrong place at the wrong time, more likely)’.

HOWEVER. For good or for evil, some of fantasy’s most memorable Heroes are not human at all. Some look human, but aren’t. Others may look monstrous, but be ‘human’ on the inside. Others still never pretend to be anything other than what they are – and why should they? In nearly all cases, we are likely to Learn Something from them – usually that appearances can be deceiving, or that the concepts of both ‘Human’ and ‘Hero’ are entirely subjective.

This week’s list proved a bit tougher for me to fill. I had two examples leap immediately to mind (well three, but I have never read Redwall). Then I had a few that I went back and forth on a bit more; is a fantasy creature that acts human but looks slightly different really non-human? It caused me troubles as I looked at Hobbits, Dark Elfs, and even Angels. As you will see, eventually I decided to include a few of these else my list would be a bit short. So here it goes.

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Sci-Fi Review: ‘Thrawn’ by Timothy Zahn

The timeline for those not in the know.

There were Star Wars book published before Heir to the Empire but they were never allowed to continue the story that at the time ended with the rebels blowing up the second Death Star. So events between the movies and a few adventure stories with Han and Lando were out there, but fans finally had a new story to follow with Zahn’s release. And most fans agreed that Zahn did it just right. The introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn gave fans a new kind of villain; smart and cunning rather than powerful and Death Star obsessed.

I firmly believe that the Star Wars Expanded Universe would have been successful no matter what but with the original Thrawn Trilogy it was never in doubt. Fans like me ate up his moves, hated ourselves for rooting for a man trying to tear down everything the rebels had built, and always hoped for more once the story ended after three books.

Sci-Fi Review: ‘Pawn’ by Timothy Zahn

Three people are abducted by moth like aliens and drafted into a work crew on a mysterious alien space ship. One, a doctor, is recognized as a talent and moved to medical. Another is a small time thug who immediately starts looking for a way out. And the third is Nicole who learns she is something special, a ‘Sibyl’ who can talk to the ship. After settling in to their new scripted and completely mundane life the trio start breaking the rules a bit and exploring their new surroundings. What they find could put *movie preview voice* ‘all of humanity in danger.’

I have enjoyed a lot of Zahn’s books in the past. He may have been my favorite author in high school; starting with his Star Wars books and then on to most of his back catalog. He is at his best when writing characters who act as chess masters, plotting circles around everyone else in the books. It can get a bit trite and requires giving the characters a bit of plot armor (usually in the form of knowledge hidden from the reader) but I always found it to be entertaining as hell. This is not what we get in Pawn.

Novella Review: ‘River of Teeth’ by Sarah Gailey

Guys. Guys! GUYS!

This is totally true, there was actually a bill introduced to import Hippos and let them loose in the swampland of the United States. Because people were concerned with meat shortages… And hopefully to eat a invasive species of plant that had been regretfully introduced. This is completely real and awesome and if anyone wants to know how to get kids into history we need to talk more about shit like this.  HIPPOS running wild in the good old U.S. of A.

So why is it that it takes a novella from Sarah Gailey for me to know this story? Of course in her ‘what if’ history of River of Teeth the hippo proposal doesn’t go exactly to plan; a small population broke out and now feral hippos terrorize the southern water ways. I repeat. Feral… Hippos… You know you want to read this already. But in case you are on the fence there are also hippos wranglers riding hippos like the most awesome vaqueros ever, powerful businessmen who throw cheating customers off boats and to the hippos, and a great cast with a heist, nay,  operation to pull off.

Steampunk Review: ‘The Guns Above’ by Robyn Bennis

Even have a complete disaster work out in your favor? Josette Dupris wakes up after her airship crashes a hero. This is not a Flashman scenario; her quick thinking after the commanding officer bites it truly are worthy of some accolades as the tide of battle was turned by her controlled crash. But deserved accolades or not Dupris finds that the disaster she survived is only going to lead to more problems in the future. Specifically, press she doesn’t want and a promotion that no one wants to give her.

For you see the new coed army thing isn’t going over well among some in the Garnian command. Women are only supposed to be auxiliaries and not actually brought to combat. So taking over a airship, saving the day, and having the nation’s press fall in love with your exploits? Probably not going to go over well with the Brass. Dupris soon finds herself with her own airship, an experimental specimen called the Mistral. And the first Captain’s pins for a woman in the land. But with this comes the certain knowledge that taking the spotlight from her commanders is not going to bode well when it comes time for her new assignment.

Top Ten Tuesday – Reading Wishlist

This top 10 weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and can be found HERE.  Each week they focus on lists which cover various topics related to books and reading.

I have never participated in one of these but I guess there is a first for everything and I liked the topic for the week.  Plus, I can’t really post any of my reviews that are written because they are too far from release dates.  So…

A Book Haul Post

It is May now.  And in April I read several books from earlier book haul posts, but none from April’s book haul post.  This will be remedied in May because several June release dates are upcoming.  In the meantime, the old pile keeps growing.  But this is good because some very interesting stuff headed my way this month.

Physical Review Copies