Prose & Pixels #7: If You Enjoyed Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood…

Prose & Pixels is a feature that combines two of my loves: books and video games. Here I’ll discuss all sorts of things to do with the two, whether it’s recommendations, influences or just a good old chat.

Whoa, whoa, it’s one of these posts again! Yes, it’s been a while. But I feel it’s been that way with most of my features to be honest… Anyway, I recently FINALLY finished Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (the best so far, in my opinion), and thought it would be fun to share some book recommendations based on the game. Each book cover links to the Goodreads page.

If you want to read about… the Borgias.

If you want to read about… assassins.

If you want to read about… the Renaissance.

And of course, the Assassin’s Creed books set in Italy.

Have you played Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations to add?

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Fantasy Friday #15: Fantasy ‘Pick & Mix’

Fantasy Friday is my own feature, posted every other Friday. It’s pretty self-explanatory: I do a feature on something to do with the genre. Sometimes it will be a book recommendation, sometimes showcasing a book or series I’ve loved and other times it might be a discussion post. You’re more than welcome to join in with this feature, let me know if you make your own Fantasy Friday post!

Today I want to recommend fantasy novels, depending on what element you would like to read about.

I’ve chosen a selection of fantasy books, picked out some of the main themes or features of each, and then divided them accordingly. The idea is that you can pick one or more elements you’d like to read about, and pick a book from that category. Even better if a book crosses several different categories – which is where the ‘pick & mix’ comes in! When it comes to series I’ve generally only included the first book from each, unless the sequels contain elements that the previous books do not.

The categories are: Assassins, Dark, Dragons, Dwarves & Elves, Historical, Magic, Monsters, Political, Quest, Royalty and Thieves.

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Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas; Graceling (Graceling #1) by Kristin Cashore; The Way Of Shadows (Night Angel #1) by Brent Weeks; Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire #1) by Mark Lawrence; Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers; Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1) by Robin Hobb; The Last Wish (The Witcher Saga #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski; Pyramids (Discworld #7) by Terry Pratchett.

Fantasy Friday #11: Fantasy Final Exam!

Fantasy Friday is my own feature, posted every other Friday. It’s pretty self-explanatory: I do a feature on something to do with the genre. Sometimes it will be a book recommendation, sometimes showcasing a book or series I’ve loved and other times it might be a discussion post. You’re more than welcome to join in with this feature, let me know if you make your own Fantasy Friday post!

Today I want to mix things up a bit, and set a quiz for my readers!

I’ve come up with a bunch of questions from various fantasy books – you’ll find the answer for each one under the spoiler link, as well as the title of the book it’s about (if that’s not already the answer 😉 )! Let me know how you did in the comments. If you’re unsure about some of the answers, or unfamiliar with a series, it may be worth looking at previous Fantasy Fridays. All these books have been featured in the past…

1. Who is Adarlan’s Assassin?

[spoiler]Celaena Sardothien. (from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, books include Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight)[/spoiler]

2. Which form of magic does the Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series centre around?

[spoiler]Necromancy. (the books in the series include Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen by Garth Nix. Apparently there will be a fourth book, entitled Clariel!)[/spoiler]

3. What are the four colours of the Istari?

[spoiler]Blue, Brown, Grey and White. Saruman also becomes the ‘Many Coloured’. (from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien)[/spoiler]

4. What physical feature gives away a Graceling?

[spoiler]Different coloured eyes. (from the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore, books include Graceling, Fire and Bitterblue)[/spoiler]

5. Tywin Lannister is related to Joffrey Baratheon in what way?

[spoiler]Tywin is Joffrey’s grandfather. (from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin)[/spoiler]

No, of course I didn’t just want an excuse to use this GIF again…

6. What is the magic system in The Kingkiller Chronicles known as?

[spoiler]Sympathy. (books in the series include The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss)[/spoiler]

7. Death makes an appearance in many books of which well-renowned fantasy book series?

[spoiler]The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. AND DEATH TALKS LIKE THIS. WHICH MEANS I ALWAYS IMAGINE HIM AS SPEAKING VERY LOUDLY, NOT QUITE SHOUTING, LIKE HE’S A LITTLE BIT DEAF. WHICH IS FOR SOME REASON VERY FUNNY.[/spoiler]

8. Leigh Bardugo’s fantasy series, which opens with Shadow and Bone, features a world based on which country?

[spoiler]Russia. (from The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo, books include Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm)[/spoiler]

9. Who finished writing The Wheel of Time series, after the death of Robert Jordan?

[spoiler]Brandon Sanderson. (The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.)[/spoiler]

10. How old would Harry Potter be today?

[spoiler]He was born on 31st July 1980, meaning that he would be 33 as of 11th April 2014. (from The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)[/spoiler]

I’VE BEEN HERE!!

11. What is the name of the female elf featured in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but does NOT feature in the original book – and who plays her?

[spoiler]Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lilly. (film [mostly!] based on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien)[/spoiler]

12. In the book The Magicians, where is the gate that leads Quentin to Brakebills?

[spoiler]New York. (from The Magicians by Lev Grossman.)[/spoiler]

13. What is steel used for in allomancy?

[spoiler]Pushing. An Allomancer who can burn steel can use it to push off of things, or push it towards enemies. A Mistborn, who can also burn iron (which pulls), can combine the two to push and pull themselves around areas, allowing them to cover long distances in a short period of time. (from the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, books include The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages and The Alloy of Law.)[/spoiler]

14. Who wrote The Broken Empire series?

[spoiler]Mark Lawrence. (books include Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns and Emperor of Thorns)[/spoiler]

15. Percy Jackson is the son of which Olympian god?

[spoiler]Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes and horses. (from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.)[/spoiler]

How did you do? I’m excited to see the results! If you didn’t do well, I hope this dwarvicise GIF will placate you.

(image source)

Monthly Roundup: March 2014

Every first Wednesday of the month, I’ll be posting a roundup of the month just gone, and writing about what’s to come in the next few weeks.

Last month I read a total of thirteen books – an improvement on February! Bitterblue (Graceling #3) by Kristin Cashore, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick, In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang, The Cruel Path by David Normoyle, Doctor’s Notes by Dr. Rosemary Leonard, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt, The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien, Fantastic Four Vol. 1 by J. Michael Straczynski, Wards of Faerie (Dark Legacy of Shanarra #1) by Terry Brooks and X-Men Legacy: Aftermath by Mike Carey.

Standout books include Bitterblue, The Book Thief and Fangirl. I was happy to finally read the conclusion to Kristin Cashore’s Graceling series, and Bitterblue tied the threads of the first two books together nicely. I read The Book Thief as I’d like to go and see it in the cinema, but haven’t quite gotten round to that yet! And finally, I won Fangirl in Lianne’s giveaway, and it was an absolute delight. You can read more about how it surprised me in my review. I’ve now read thirty-six books towards my goal of fifty this year. I may think about raising it in June or July.

Challenge progress:

• I read eight books towards the Avengers vs. X-Men Challenge, which I’m very pleased with! I also managed to defeat this month’s villain, Juggernaut. April’s villain is Kingpin, who looks to be quite a challenge.
• One book ticked off of the Dragons & Jetpacks Ultimate Booklist, which also happened to be our science fiction Book of the Month.

Currently reading:

Reviews on the blog this month:

• Lockstep by Karl Schroeder
• The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Other posts:

• I shared some gateway fantasy books for those new to the genre.
• My regular feature Turning Off The TV covered Tron Legacy, Supernatural, True Blood and BBC’s Merlin.
• I spoke about how I often judge a book by its cover – and it seems many of you do too!
• I shared my experience on the Harry Potter Studio Tour: Part One and Part Two.
• I discussed some bookish habits, and many of you shared yours with me as well!
• I fangirled over the amazing Dragon Age series with my lovely friend Paola.
• And I was also featured at Pages Unbound for Tolkien Reading Week!

Upcoming:

• Quite a few reviews including Leviathan Wakes, Doctor’s Notes, In Real Life and The Cruel Path.
• Something to do with Marvel…
• And more Museum of Literary Wonders posts as I’ve been meaning to do for a while!

Off the blog:

Not much has happened! I’m kind of scared and excited at how quickly this year has gone so far. Only four and a half months before I move to the Netherlands for university. I can’t wait! I’ve also started playing Smite with a friend, it’s an MOBA where you play as gods – perfect for a mythology geek like me, though I keep pointing out the flaws within the system… it’s really fun though! As for the coming month: my mum is running the London Marathon and I’m SO proud of her. She’s running for a charity called WellChild and has raised a fair amount of money so far. And at the end of the month, it’s back to London again for a cocktails & conversation event with Laini Taylor and Lauren Owen – are any of my fellow book bloggers going as well?

How was March for you?

Fantasy Friday #10: A Gateway Into The Fantasy Genre

Fantasy Friday is my own feature, posted every other Friday. It’s pretty self-explanatory: I do a feature on something to do with the genre. Sometimes it will be a book recommendation, sometimes showcasing a book or series I’ve loved and other times it might be a discussion post. You’re more than welcome to join in with this feature, let me know if you make your own Fantasy Friday post!

Today I want to talk about: gateway fantasy books.

I know that fantasy can sometimes receive a bit of a bad reputation – some people seem to think it’s either a really difficult genre to read, or really geeky, or they just have no idea where to start. So I want to share with you today a three stage process for people new to the fantasy genre. I’ve split them into three ‘stages’, with the idea that you tackle them in order, to build up confidence reading the genre. It was really hard to split these books into stages, and I hope my explanations of why and how I split them make sense and don’t offend anyone!

Stage One: for younger readers AND/OR fantasy set at least partly in our world

These books come under ‘Stage One’, as they are either aimed at younger readers so the fantasy world is not as complicated as say, The Lord of the Rings, or they are set either partly or entirely in our world. I think these are pretty good books to start with, particularly the ones set in our world: Sabriel by Garth Nix, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and The Magicians by Lev Grossman (this one is definitely an adult book!). This way you won’t be immediately thrown in at the deep end, and at least some elements of the story will be familiar. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett and Song Quest by Katherine Roberts are set in fantasy worlds, but are aimed at younger readers so you know you won’t need to worry about keeping up with a huge cast of characters, assortment of strange languages and entirely new and vast geography that you might find in books for older readers.

Stage Two: aimed at Young Adult audiences and older AND/OR set in a ‘less detailed’ fantasy world

I say ‘less detailed’ because I do not mean in ANY way that the author has only half-heartedly created their world, or that these books are seen as ‘lesser’ fantasy. I just mean that the scale of the world-building is as not big as some of the books in the next stage. ‘Stage Two’ includes these sorts of books, as well as Young Adult Fantasy, which often falls into the category anyway. Throne of Glass (my review) by Sarah J. Maas, Graceling (my review) by Kristin Cashore, The Wind Singer by William Nicholson, Finnikin of the Rock (my review) by Melina Marchetta and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo come under Young Adult fantasy fiction, and all are fantastic examples of the genre. Mort by Terry Pratchett, like the rest of the Discworld books, is primarily aimed at adults but Pratchett’s brilliant sense of humour makes it a lighter read.

Stage Three: ‘heavier’ fantasy

Feeling ready for ‘Stage Three’? By ‘heavier’, I mean that these books have more detailed world building than those in Stage Two – perhaps the author has created an entire history, a new language etc. If you’re prepared to take a dip into the world of heavier fantasy, then I’d recommended starting with The Magicians’ Guild by Trudi Canavan. And if you’re not too scared of reading some Tolkien, then give The Hobbit (or even The Lord of the Rings) a shot! So many people are unsure about reading his work, but I was recently interviewed by Pages Unbound for Tolkien Reading Week, where I shared my love for Middle-earth – hopefully that will convince some people! As you feel more confident with reading fantasy books, I would highly recommend the following: The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett, The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

Are you going to give any of these books a try? Have you read any of them already, or are there any others you’d recommend for new fantasy readers?

Monthly Roundup: February 2014

Every first Wednesday of the month, I’ll be posting a roundup of the month just gone, and writing about what’s to come in the next few weeks.

Last month I read a total of eight books – less than January, but no novellas or graphic novels this time. Cash: The Autobiography of Johnny Cash (with Patrick Carr), Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgewick, Lockstep by Karl Schroeder, Paper Towns by John Green, The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris.

Standout books include The Final Empire, The Gospel of Loki and Cash: The Autobiography of Johnny Cash – one of my favourite musicians ever, his life was absolutely fascinating to read about. I’ve now read twenty-three books towards my goal of fifty this year, but I’m unsure about raising it just yet.

Challenge progress:

• I read four more books towards the Avengers vs. X-Men Challenge, and managed to beat this month’s boss – Crimson Dynamo! Gooooo X-Men! *waves mutant flag*
• Another one ticked off of the Dragons & Jetpacks Ultimate Booklist Challenge, which handily also happened to be February’s Fantasy Book of the Month!
• I’m slowly finishing off my TBR Pile 2013 Challenge – I achieved my goal for the year last year, but I had a list of thirty books, and aimed to read at least fifteen in 2013. Now I want to read the rest throughout 2014.
• And finally, the Review Copy Clean-up Challenge! I read three review copies this month, which isn’t quite as many as I’d hoped to – but my Netgalley ratio is now 55.5%, which is a bonus. I still have to review one of the books, although that one was from Goodreads.

Currently reading:

Reviews on the blog this month:

• The Book of Apex, Volume Four
• The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris
• Doctor Who: Into the Nowhere by Jenny Colgan
• Doctor Who: The Death Pit by A.L. Kennedy

Other posts:

• The end of February didn’t see too much action, as I’ve been ill for the past week with a throat infection, and now a cold. I missed two and a half days of work (which I hate doing), but I should be fine to go back on Monday, which is good!
• I took part in Insta-Love 101 hosted by Novel Idea Reviews. I discussed why insta-love just doesn’t work.
• I recommended some books for Doctor Who fans.
• In my last Fantasy Friday of the month, I discussed some fantasy holiday destinations.
• I took part in the blog tour for the Book of Apex Volume Four, and the posts for that included a guest post by Adam-Troy Castro, an interview with Rahul Kanakia and an interview with Adam-Troy Castro. Thanks to Andrea for hosting it!
• The Museum of Literary Wonders opened up for a second tour of the artefacts.
• I discussed just why I love video games.
• And finally, I joined the Review Copy Cleanup hosted by Vicky & Celine.

Upcoming:

• A couple of reviews, including She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgewick and The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.
• A post about my time at the Harry Potter Studio Tour, which I visited on 19th February!
• The usual discussions and features will return, minus Weekly Roundup which has become rather infrequent as I’m trying to not buy books. CRAZY, I know.

Off the blog:

Well as I mentioned, I was ill at the end of February… I had really bad tonsillitis in November (during Sci-Fi Month!) so I was really worried it would be another case of that – but luckily it was just a throat infection and cold. Earlier in the month I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour with one of my best friends which was amazing, but more on that in another post! I then had another best friend to stay for a few days, and it was so lovely to see her – we met up with another friend from uni and had a lovely day out at a National Trust place nearby, then went out for tapas in the evening. I’m really quite scared at how fast the year is going, see as I’ll be moving to the Netherlands in mid-August and I have a LOT to sort out before then. Better get on it!

And that was my February! I remember writing up the Review Copy Cleanup post quite clearly, so I think it’s gone a *little* too quickly for my liking. How was your month?

Top Ten Tuesday #4: Books Read In 2013

Yes, I’m joining in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! I was planning on doing a top ten of my books read this year on December 31st anyway, and since that’s the topic of this week’s TTT, why not join in?

This week’s theme is: Top Ten Books Read In 2013

I’d love to know what your top books of the year are too, or if you agree with any of my choices – so feel free to leave your list in the comments, or perhaps link to your own top ten. I’m looking forward to the selections! And now, in now particular order, my top ten books read in 2013…

1. & 2. Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #1 & #2) by Sarah J. Maas

You’ve probably seen these books everywhere on the blogosphere, and they deserve every ounce of praise. Sarah J. Maas has crafted a brilliant fantasy world and cast of characters, and I really hope that the series encourages people who might not normally try the fantasy genre to give it a try. Plus I met the author in October, and she was absolutely lovely – she shows a lot of dedication to her fans. I told her that Throne of Glass was my favourite book of the year, and she also remembered meeting Paola and Charlene a few months and a whole continent ago!

All previous posts related to Throne of Glass & Crown of Midnight

3. All Our Yesterdays (All Our Yesterdays #1) by Cristin Terrill

An incredibly fun whirlwind of a read, this Young Adult novel involves time-travel and a Doctor… but not the kind of Doctor you’d like to take a trip through time and space with. Yes there’s a love triangle, which I normally hate, but this one isn’t quite as simple – in fact nothing is. I pretty much devoured this book in one sitting and had such fun writing a review full of Doctor Who references (I just had to!).

All previous posts related to All Our Yesterdays

4. Endymion (Hyperion Cantos #3) by Dan Simmons

Knowing I am a big fan of science fiction, my dad kept trying to get me to read his favourite series, the Hyperion Cantos. I finally picked up the first book in the series, Hyperion last year, and I read book three this year. I’m so glad I decided to read it, because it has proven to be one of my favourite sci-fi series so far – it’s epic, brilliantly written and just amazing. Now I just have book four, which I hope to read in 2014! The first book in the series has been chosen as my bookgroup’s Sci-Fi Book of the Month for January 2014.

All previous posts relating to Endymion

5. The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles #1) by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind was the first book that my bookgroup chose to read together, and I don’t think we could have started on a better note. Rothfuss’ tale of Kvothe, the mysterious narrator, is gripping and exciting, enchanting and oh so unique. I recently discussed magic systems in fantasy novels, including that of The Name of the Wind, which is referred to as ‘sympathy’. I have book two waiting for me on my shelf and it’s definitely high priority – perhaps it will make my top reads of 2014?

All previous posts related to The Name of the Wind

6. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

If you’ve never read anything by Haruki Murakami, then you really should. If you have, then you know what I’m talking about: Murakami’s writing is weird, good weird, and incredibly imaginative. He has written many novels, and whilst some of them are perhaps more ‘normal’, this is not one of them. His writing really makes you think, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how to describe a typical Murakami book. Basically, give it a try.

All previous posts related to 1Q84

7. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I really can’t rave enough about this book! I’ve said this so many times, but I’ve never read anything quite as fun as Ready Player One. With its pop culture references and crazy online world known as the OASIS, it’s pretty much the perfect book for anyone nostalgic for the 80s, early 90s, or any avid games (particularly online gamers). Know someone who would rather play a video game than read a book? Give them a copy of this and they might change their mind…

All previous posts related to Ready Player One

8. Graceling (Graceling #1) by Kristin Cashore

Graceling wins ALL the awards for being ‘Most Surprisingly Amazing YA Book’. Being part of the book blogging community, you hear a lot of good stuff about a lot of good YA books – and although I’d heard that Graceling was worth the read, it wasn’t surrounded by all the fuss that Throne of Glass was, for example. I got it out of the library on a bit of a whim and then fell in love. It’s been a great year for fantasy books apparently!

Previous posts related to Graceling

9. Leviathan (Leviathan #1) by Scott Westerfeld

How close I was to returning this one to the library unread! Not because I didn’t like the look of it, but because I had so much to read and review – but luckily I caught up. Luckily, because wow. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read an alternate history before, and I’ve not read much steampunk, and Leviathan has most definitely peaked my interest in the genre. Not to mention the absolutely gorgeous illustrations that accompany the story.

Previous posts related to Leviathan

10. Serena by Ron Rash

Seriously underrated and under-read, Serena needs more recognition! A tale of determination, this book truly shocks. I can’t even remember how I heard about it, I just know that as soon as I did I wanted to read it – and ordered myself a brand new copy, which is a rare thing. It’s also being made into a film, featuring Jennifer Lawrence (yay!) as the eponymous Serena and Bradley Cooper as her husband, George Pemberton.

Previous posts related to Serena

And there we are, my top reads of 2013! What were yours? Share them in the comments below!

Review: Fire (Graceling #2) by Kristin Cashore

4 out of 5 stars | Goodreads

Whilst it’s listed as the second book in the Graceling series, Fire is in fact a prequel, drawing in a couple of characters from the first book, and set at least thirty or forty years before the events of Graceling. And whilst it is a fun read, it’s nowhere near the enthralling story that Graceling was.

The story is set in the Dells, separated from the other kingdoms featured in the series by a mountain range. The people of the Dells have not heard of Gracelings. Instead, their country is full of monsters – normal animals, distinguishable by their appearance and manner. Coming in a variety of colours and with a much more aggressive temperament as well as powers of mind reading and influence, the Dells are full of dangers. And once in a while, a human monster is born: that’s where Fire comes in.

A beautiful young lady, with a head of flaming red hair, Fire is strong like Katsa (the Graceling protagonist). And like Katsa, she has an unusual power that a male relative wants to use to his advantage. Cansrel, Fire’s father, is a monster like her, and tries to train her in his ways. But again, like Katsa, Fire resists becoming the monster that she is portrayed as and sets out to prove herself.

I really think Kristin Cashore has a talent for character development. Even those that we do not see often have a clear and strong presence, with many a character withholding a secret ready to be revealed at the perfect moment. The connection between the characters also feels believable – the clear case of brotherly love between Nash and Brigan, the sweet, lifelong friendship between Fire and Archer.

What I like about Cashore’s books is her unabashed way of approaching sex and relationships in young adult fiction. Fire has a casual relationship with her lifelong friend Archer, who is turn is a bit of a womaniser. Sex is not used as a weapon. It is used as it should be: to make someone feel good, as a tool of pleasure, and as an act of expressing love. Neither sex nor relationships are ever portrayed in an unhealthy manner by Cashore, making these characters in a fantasy world feel a whole lot more realistic than many of their ‘real world’ counterparts from contemporary young adult fiction. And as I wrote in my review of Graceling, the relationships are believable because they grow over time, rather than being a result of insta-love. And that, my friends, is how romance should work.

However, the story just wasn’t as gripping as that of Graceling. There just wasn’t enough going on for me in comparison and the plot wasn’t as clear set – but I’ve awarded it a solid four-star rating as I very much enjoyed it, and to tell the truth my expectations were high in comparison to the first book. I can’t wait to move on to Bitterblue, which will reunited me with some more familiar characters.

Also, Cansrel was Fenris this time. Why do I keep linking Fenris (from Dragon Age II) to this series?!

Fantasy Friday #1: Common Themes in Fantasy Fiction

Fantasy Friday is my new feature, made to replace Why You Should Read This Book. It will be posted every other Friday. It’s pretty self-explanatory: I do a feature on something to do with the genre. Sometimes it will be a book recommendation, sometimes showcasing a book or series I’ve loved and other times it might be a discussion post. You’re more than welcome to join in with this feature, let me know if you make your own Fantasy Friday post!

Today I want to talk about: common themes in fantasy fiction.

1. Royalty

In many fantasy worlds, there is a monarchical system, or the story often involves bringing back the rightful heir to the throne (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). Or, as in the series A Song of Ice and Fire, there are many rival houses fighting for the throne, each with their own aims and ways of life. Or in books such as Prince of Thorns, the story is told from the point of view of a member of the royal family – but Jorg is perhaps not your typical monarch! Like King Joffrey Baratheon, many royals are not best suited to ruling the people – it often seems to me that in fantasy fiction, rulers go either way. They are either evil and hated, or wonderful and kind. And you know, sometimes they just deserve to be slapped.

e.g: The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Broken Empire, Graceling Realm

GO TYRION!!

2. A ‘Chosen One’

Often, our once normal seeming main character finds out that they are destined to do something. Just look at Harry Potter. It feels like a bit of an overused concept – the idea that this one person is the only one who can bring peace to the world – but it works. Peter V. Brett has a interesting spin on this with his Demon Cycle series, where the Deliverer could either be Arlen or Jardir. This sort of plotline often involves a prophecy of some kind, predicting the events that the hero(ine) has to undertake.

e.g: Harry Potter, Eleven, Percy Jackson and the Olympians

3. A ‘Dark Lord’

And with the Chosen One comes the Dark Lord! The evil foe that our Chosen One has to overcome, and many series actually just use the title ‘Dark Lord’ (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter). In many books the Dark Lord seems to do little himself, and frequently uses minions or messengers (Nazgul, Dementors, Death Eaters) to do his bidding.

e.g: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Echorium Sequence, Mistborn

4. An epic quest

Many times in fantasy novels, our heroes have to save the world – and they’re the only ones who can do it. Whether it’s destroying a magical object or an enemy force, it’s normally a long and arduous process with many trying events.

e.g: The Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time

5. Elves and dwarves

Although fantasy novels tend to cover many different races, elves and dwarves seem to be the most common. And, as in Tolkien’s work, rivalry between the two is common. Of course, the two mythological races have been part of folk tales for many centuries – but it was Tolkien that gave elves their taller form that is frequently seen in fantasy today. In The Lord of the Rings elves are a proud and majestic race, in stark comparison to their down-trodden counterparts in the Dragon Age series, where elves are enslaved.

e.g: Anything by Tolkien, Dark Legacy of Shannara, Dragon Age

You tell them, Gimli.

6. Dragons

Tough old beasts, dragons. Sometimes they’re not too bad. But other times… you don’t want to get on the wrong side of Smaug. I really see them as the ‘ultimate’ fantasy beast, there’s something about them that is both terrifying and fascinating at the same time. They often appear majestic, the fantasy equivalent of the lion. Often king of the mountain, rather than of the jungle though… 

e.g: The Hobbit, Dragonriders of Pern, A Wizard of Earthsea, Eragon, The Neverending Story, A Song of Ice and Fire

7. A question of loyalty

With our Chosen One and his epic quest, comes the trusty companions. But sometimes they’re not so trustworthy. Whilst it is not always the fault of the character – for example, Boromir turning against Frodo at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring/beginning of The Two Towers because of the influence of the Ring – there are many sudden betrayals and shocking twists when it comes to friendships.

e.g: The Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Demon Cycle

8. Knights

Brave knights in shining armour, swooping down to save the damsel in distress… yeah, not always a feature in fantasy. Often you’ll find that the knights aren’t quite as brave or honourable as they should be. A Song of Ice and Fire is full of Sers, and many of them are not at all deserving of such a title – but it’s the kind of place where you don’t rise up the food chain by being nice. Plus there are many fantasy novels based around Arthurian legend, which of course feature knights, and play upon the familiar figures in their own way.

e.g: A Song of Ice and Fire, The Mists of Avalon, The Pendragon Legacy

9. Assassins & thieves

I always find something fascinating with this particular type of person. In video games I tend to play the sneaky assassin type classes (my newest Skyrim character is a heartless assassin and a thief). There has to be someone for the knights to protect the common people from! But then there are stories like Graceling where the main character does not want to do these things, but has no other choice.

e.g: Throne of Glass, Graceling, The Lies of Locke Lamora, Assassin’s Apprentice, The Princess Bride

10. Magic

And of course – magic! A very, very common theme in fantasy, it works in so many different ways. In Harry Potter, it’s a case of waving your wand and saying the right words. In The Name of the Wind, magic, or ‘sympathy’, requires some sort of sacrifice. Magic in The Demon Cycle series is dark and involves demon remains – whereas the Abhorsen trilogy covers necromancy. And sometimes magic just doesn’t feel like the right word for the kinds of skills characters have; it feels too juvenile.

e.g: Harry Potter, The Name of the Wind, The Demon Cycle, The Black Magician trilogy, Abhorsen trilogy 

If you want to join in with this week’s Fantasy Friday, feel free to leave your link in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday #3: Books I’d Like To See As A Movie Or TV Show

I’m joining in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week’s theme is:

Top Ten Books I’d Like To See As A Movie Or TV Show

I first read this series when I was about ten or eleven, not too long after it had first been released in the UK, and absolutely fell in love with it. I was lucky enough to interview Marianne Curley a couple of months ago, and The Named was also my first ‘Five Reasons Why You Should Read This Book’ feature. As it’s set in Australia, there would be some beautiful scenery – not to mention all the time travel scenes. I even have an idea for cast members – I could see Douglas Booth as Arkarian because of his chiseled features, and Robert Sheehan as Ethan.

The Named | The Dark | The Key

One word: epic. This space opera series is just absolutely fantastic and would make SUCH a brilliant series of films. With a great variety of characters, there are plenty of actors and actresses who would fit in so well. Plus seeing the Shrike on the big screen would be amazing. There’s just the right mix of action and character development to make this a silver screen hit, in my opinion. Apparently Warner Bros. have had the rights to make a film for several years, and Matt Damon has expressed interest in working on the script, but they have yet to make any progress on it. It would certainly be an expensive project so I guess that’s the main issue at the moment. I also featured Hyperion as my second ‘Five Reasons Why You Should Read This Book’.

Hyperion | The Fall of Hyperion | Endymion | The Rise of Endymion

Oh, this would be a tough one. With the fanbase it has, the film version would need to be perfect and match Rothfuss’ writing precisely. It could be an absolutely stunning film, a sort of Harry Potter for the older generation (popularity, not strictly content wise). My book group actually discussed a fantasy casting for a film of this, and came up with some pretty interesting ideas. I haven’t yet read The Wise Man’s Fear, but several friends have said they did not enjoy it as much as the first book – I’ll have to wait and see.

The Name of the Wind | The Wise Man’s Fear | The Doors of Stone

This series. Read it now. Another one that I’ve featured in ‘Five Reasons Why You Should Read This Book’ – it would make a brilliant fantasy epic. Although I wasn’t as impressed with The Daylight War as I have been with the other two (I plan on putting a review up soon), I still love Brett’s writing. He’s pretty awesome and interacts with his fans a lot, including hosting fanart contests. I’d love to see how the different types of demons appear on the big screen, and the fight scenes would just be fantastic.

The Painted/Warded Man | The Desert Spear | The Daylight War

This would make such a fun movie, although it could be potentially problematic what with all the pop culture references. I also wonder how the OASIS would appear. Would they just film it normally so it looks real? Or would there be a subtle hint of illusion hidden beneath everything? I could also imagine the stark differences between reality and the game, and how well that would work on film.

Ready Player One

As with the Guardians of Time trilogy, this is another series I fell in love with when I was younger, and another of my favourite childhood authors that I recently interviewed! It would make a lovely film series for the middle grade audience, and would definitely be something different to the usual fantasy series. The only problem with making a film like this would be finding the right cast – for example, in my opinion the first few Harry Potter films suffered because of the acting skills of the cast when they were younger.

Song Quest | Crystal Mask | Dark Quetzal

I’m so amazed that this hasn’t been adapted yet. It’s been out for over fifteen years, has a massive fanbase and it just so, so brilliant. Perhaps when it was published the techniques hadn’t yet been developed to allow the film to be created to its full potential, but now they definitely have. The last news of a film based on the series was in 2008 – someone in the film industry is missing out on something big!

Sabriel | Lirael | Abhorsen

Yeah so I haven’t even read the second or third books. I’m STILL waiting for Fire to arrive at my local library (it’s been in transit for nearly three weeks?!), but I know that Graceling would make a fantastic film. I discussed in my review of Graceling that I somehow pictured Po as Fenris from Dragon Age II… so if he doesn’t look like that in the film I will be very confused, even though his description is completely different. Oh, and this one actually is heading to the big screen, it’s just not clear when.

Graceling | Fire | Bitterblue

My first non-fantasy or science fiction suggestion! I really loved this book and think it would make a beautiful film, as it’s set in Cambridge, as well as an excellent thriller. The casting for this one would have to be very well done though, as the portrayal of each character is very important.

The Bellwether Revivals

And my last choice… some historical/mythology-based fiction. I love Greek mythology, particularly the stories surrounding Troy, so I would definitely watch a film of this. I also think that it would be wonderful to see Miller’s take of the story on screen as it covers a homosexual relationship, a part of the story that many screen versions of Achilles leave out. Of course, it’s not completely certain what the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus really was (if the two ever actually existed), but it’s nice to see it addressed this way for once. Plus the story is beautifully written and highly emotional.

Tagged Abhorsen, Benjamin Wood, Bitterblue, Crystal Mask, Dan Simmons, Dark Quetzal, Endymion, Ernest Cline, Fire, Garth Nix, Graceling, Guardians of Time, Hyperion, Katherine Roberts, Kristin Cashore, Lirael, Madeline Miller, Marianne Curley, Patrick Rothfuss, Peter V. Brett, Ready Player One, Sabriel, Song Quest, The Bellwether Revivals, The Dark, The Daylight War, The Desert Spear, The Echorium Sequence, The Fall of Hyperion, The Hyperion Cantos, The Key, The Name of the Wind, The Named, The Painted Man, The Rise of Endymion, The Song of Achilles, Top Ten Tuesday10 Comments