It's good, but much of it was pretty much along the lines of what I'd seen on tvtropes already. Although, being specifically about fantasy, and fantasy in literature, it went a little more in depth. For example, theorizing about the ecology of Fantasyland. Taking into account the special properties of the horses there, such as being able to gallop all day without rest, sometimes without food or water, the conclusion is made that they must be a separate species from our horses--one that breeds through pollination, as the mares never seem to be in heat, and the stallions never show interest. Other observations include that no one wears socks in Fantasyland, and that the primary meal is stew, which is not good traveling food, as it takes so long to make. I don't believe tvtropes mentions that one, though I don't dare check unless I want to waste the rest of my evening, for precisely the reason expressed in this xkcd comic:
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Book Review: The Tough Guide to Fantasyland
This week I read "The Tough Guide to Fantasyland" by Dianna Wynne Jones. It purports that much of what we see in generic fantasy novels is stage dressing in a theme park, put on by management for the sake of the 'tourists.' It breaks down the cliches you'll be familiar with if you've read at least a few epic fantasies, and puts them into the form of a guidebook. Humorous if you're a fan of the genre, or a reference of what to watch out for if you're writing fantasy.
It's good, but much of it was pretty much along the lines of what I'd seen on tvtropes already. Although, being specifically about fantasy, and fantasy in literature, it went a little more in depth. For example, theorizing about the ecology of Fantasyland. Taking into account the special properties of the horses there, such as being able to gallop all day without rest, sometimes without food or water, the conclusion is made that they must be a separate species from our horses--one that breeds through pollination, as the mares never seem to be in heat, and the stallions never show interest. Other observations include that no one wears socks in Fantasyland, and that the primary meal is stew, which is not good traveling food, as it takes so long to make. I don't believe tvtropes mentions that one, though I don't dare check unless I want to waste the rest of my evening, for precisely the reason expressed in this xkcd comic:
It's good, but much of it was pretty much along the lines of what I'd seen on tvtropes already. Although, being specifically about fantasy, and fantasy in literature, it went a little more in depth. For example, theorizing about the ecology of Fantasyland. Taking into account the special properties of the horses there, such as being able to gallop all day without rest, sometimes without food or water, the conclusion is made that they must be a separate species from our horses--one that breeds through pollination, as the mares never seem to be in heat, and the stallions never show interest. Other observations include that no one wears socks in Fantasyland, and that the primary meal is stew, which is not good traveling food, as it takes so long to make. I don't believe tvtropes mentions that one, though I don't dare check unless I want to waste the rest of my evening, for precisely the reason expressed in this xkcd comic:
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