Mon. Nov 4th, 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? ELVES!

The section in the Tough Guide for Elves looks to be about the longest one yet, but here’s the gist of it:

ELVES claims to have been the first people in Fantasyland. They are called the Elder Race. They did not evolve like humans, but sprang into being just as they are now.

 

8396337-2Elatians from Green Rider series by Kristen Britain (review of Book 5: Mirror Sight)– They are called Eletians, but basically they are elves. They have the near immortal (but not invincible) thing going on. Their race is older, wiser and more endangered than ours.

 

 

 

10199908Elves from Bearers of the Black Staff duology by Terry Brooks (I believe it appeared on other books by him as well, this is just the ones I have read) – The elves reside in Arborlon , a thriving city of elves complete with an Elf King.

 

 

 

 

crowntower-2-5Royce from Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan (reviews of Riyria Chronicles) – OK, technically Royce is mir, which is only half elf. But still, the elves exist in this world, and Royce is our largest exposure to them. He is small, unusually agile and stealthy. All traits he owes to his elven ancestry. And all traits that help him tremendously in his thieving ways.

 

 

7009Puck from Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare – I absolutely loved this one when I read it as a teenager, and still, love it today. And Puck is hands down my favorite character. A mischief sprite (or elf) who can’t help but stir the pot.

 

 

 

6699003Captain Holly Short from Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer – Elves in this world are one of the families of fairies. Elves are shorter, have tanned skin and pointy ears. They also possess magic. You know, standard elf qualities. Holly is the first and only captain in LEPrecon, and a bit feisty, so she’s my kind of girl.

19 thoughts on “Tough Traveling – Elves”
  1. Okay, the Royce thing was something that I totally forgot about. How I don’t know.? (Stupidity, I’m guessing.) But, anyway, it was a great call.

    Wish I could say I’d read all these books, but at least, they are now on the “to be read” list thanks to you. 🙂
    Wendell(@Bookwraiths) recently posted…TOUGH TRAVELING — ELVESMy Profile

    1. I honestly don’t know. Those two books in the duo logy are the only two books I’ve read by Brooks. I do know they are set in the same world as at least some of his other books, but I don’t know which. I picked these to read because my library had the ebook versions of them 🙂 I was also glad to see Puck on your list! 🙂
      Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Fortunately, the Milk by Neil GaimanMy Profile

  2. I love how we both have Riyria on our lists. Those books are viewed pretty universally as conventional fantasy, but I thought Sullivan’s vision of elves was pretty cool, actually. In fantasy they’re usually so hoity toity and holier than thou when it comes to their relationships with humans, and here we have it the other way around with elves being a conquered race and their half-blooded brethren enslaved or treated horribly.
    Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Tough Traveling: ElvesMy Profile

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