Tough Traveling – Bugs

Nathan over at Fantasy Review Barn is the mastermind of Tough Traveling. What’s Tough Traveling? Pretty much, it’s a weekly feature on Thursdays where we dig around to come up with examples of common tropes in fantasy, using Diana Wynne Jones’ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland as our inspiration and guide. Nathan has invited one and all to join in the fun, so feel free to come up with your own lists and add the link on Nathan’s weekly post, which will also contain (unleash) the next weeks theme. So let the fun begin …

This weeks theme? BUGS

BUGS- Not in the Tough Guide but it should be. Let’s all find anything creepy or crawly, big or small, six legs, eight legs, or more. Bugs, bugs, bugs.

This was a fun one, but also frustrating because there are a couple of scenes I could picture, but not place. Hate when that happens. I also know there are way more than what I came up with, so I’m looking forward to checking out everyone else’s lists! I kept thinking I should be able to come up with some sort of nasty bug that causes hallucinations and crazy side effects. I know they’re out there, but I couldn’t come up with any!

Homicidal Mechanical Ladybugs in Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3) by Gail Carriger

Little side story, when I was in college, my dorm room was infested with ladybugs. When you have an entire wall crawling with any type of bug, they loose any “cuteness” appeal. I then had the same thing happen in our basement. So, ladybugs make me shudder, I’m not a fan. In Blameless, they have been taken even further. They are larger, mechanical, oh, and quite deadly.

Creatures of the Blackveil in Blackveil (Green Rider #4) by Kristen Britain

So, the Blackveil is a forest of all sorts of dark things and bizarre creatures. The one I remember clearly doesn’t have a name. But it spins gigantic webs that an unfortunate Karrigan found herself stuck in, unable to free herself. And the description of these creatures?Absolutely creepy. Pincers, poisonous stingers, etc. etc. It made for an exciting read, but also, absolutely nothing I would want to encounter in a normal size, much less a gigantor size that could catch me in a web.

Aragog in Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by J. K. Rowling

Ah, the spider that got Hagrid expelled. And then grew up to speak and have a disturbing number of creepy babies in the Forbidden Forest. But no worries, because the babies serve as minions and help lead the way for Harry in friends with their creep crawly trails.

Mechanical Bees in Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway

What could make a doomsday device more interesting? Have it spew mechanical bees whose release starts the end of end of the world. How? By forcing the truth out. Didn’t see that one coming.

Insect Aliens in Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

And finally, who says bugs need to be from earth? How about these aliens that are described essentially as gigantic sentient bugs that are out to destroy us.