Sun. Dec 22nd, 2024

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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? TO BLATHE

Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world. Except for a nice MLT, a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They’re so perky, I love that. But that’s not what he said! He distinctly said “to blave.” (Thanks to Wendy again. Let’s find those examples of True Love!)

OK, the “To Blathe” reference is new to me, so I’m going to go with True Love! (and hope I have it straight!)

MothandSparkbyAnneLeonardCorin and Tam from Moth and Spark by Ann Leonard

So, a prince goes undercover to enjoy the experience of a Carnival as just a normal young man. While out, he crosses paths with a commoner with an unusual abilities. They are drawn to each other as a moth to flame. Corin is the handsome prince every young lady is after, Tam is a bright and witty daughter of a doctor, new to town and unfamiliar with the ways of court. Quite an unlikely couple (in their world at least), but one that seems destined to happen.

16059529Dominick and Clarice from The House of Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

This is definitely a Disney style romance, it comes on hard and sudden, but is rather apt for the fairy tale style story that this is. A princess disguised as a boy on a ship, falls in love, yada yada.

 

 

AlchemistofSoulsCoverMal and Coby from The Night’s Masque Trilogy by Anne Lyle

Sometimes, the world is safer for boys, maybe it also presents addition opportunities for those of the male gender. Now, an enterprising young woman may notice this, and perhaps take advantage of a safer life. You can’t really blame her. So, what’s a girl to do when she falls in love, but the object of her affection thinks she is a boy? Ouch.

 

SagaVolbyBrianKVaughanAlana and Marko from Saga by Brian K. Vaughan

You know, so many romances in books stay in the courting phase, or just hint at a future. I have to love Saga for starting the story with the birth of their child.  It adds an interesting perspective, and another chance of adventure in the story (in addition to fleeing across the solar system). From warring worlds, this couple has the odds stacked against them, but who doesn’t love a forbidden love?

 

 

And from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, I’m hiding this one incase anyone somehow has managed to escape knowing this (if you’ve watched even one episode of the show, or read Game of Thrones, this is safe:

View Spoiler »
22 thoughts on “Tough Traveling – To Blathe (True Love)”
  1. Game of Thrones definitely delivered on the incestuous love affair, I agree. But let us not forget that Thomas Covenant beat Game to the punch by dealing with the passionate love of T.C. for his imaginary (He believes this, not me) daughter, Elena. A love that slowly turns from passion into a more fatherly one. God, I feel sick even typing that last sentence.
    Wendell(@Bookwraiths) recently posted…TOUGH TRAVELLING — TO BLATHEMy Profile

      1. I put Covenant and Elena on my own list…. but actually, the relationships works out weirdly healthy and understandable. [And from Covenant’s point of view, you can see why maybe the normal anti-incest instincts didn’t kick in: from his point of view, he had sex with a girl one day and then a couple of weeks later he turns around and there’s a fully-grown woman, older than her mother was at the time, telling him that no, honestly, she’s his daughter. Add in that he thinks he’s dreaming anyway…]

        Naturally as you read it you think ‘oh, this is going to end terribly’, but it doesn’t! Well, it does, it ends apocalyptically terribly, but I don’t think the incest actually makes anything any worse.

        And in covenant novels, ‘doesn’t actually make anything immediately worse’ is as close to positive as it ever gets…
        Wastrel recently posted…TOUGH TRAVELLING – True LoveMy Profile

        1. “Naturally as you read it you think ‘oh, this is going to end terribly’, but it doesn’t! Well, it does, it ends apocalyptically terribly, but I don’t think the incest actually makes anything any worse.

          And in covenant novels, ‘doesn’t actually make anything immediately worse’ is as close to positive as it ever gets…”

          OK, this makes me laugh, and also makes me think I need to push these books up my priority list!
          Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Thorn of Dentonhill by Marshall Ryan MarescaMy Profile

  2. I’m really fancying Moth and Spark, both you and Nathan seem to like it so that’s good enough for me!
    It’s ages since I read the Lyle book – did you finish the series?? I’ve only read the first one so far but do have the other two.
    Lynn 😀
    Lynn recently posted…Parting is such sweet sorrow!My Profile

  3. I contemplated Moth and Spark for my list, but as I recall they fell in love over a period of like 3 or 4 days. I decided to go for more of the slow burn romances for true love, lol. And Alchemist of Souls is about a girl disguising herself as a boy? I know it’s such a common trope but I love it! Okay, I need to bump the book up on my list.
    Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Tough Traveling: True LoveMy Profile

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