On why epic fantasy is epic...

I love my epic fantasies...um...I feel like I need to rephrase that but I'm too damn lazy. Anywho - I love the Belgariad, Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time* and, just recently, someone told me to hurry up and read A Game of Thrones. This seemed to coincide with HBO in the States bringing out a television version of said book - coincidence? Meh who knows.

So, after scouring our local bookstores and library and not finding any trace I threw my hands up in the air and had a mild temper tantrum right there on the floor. It was rather attractive if you like women beating their fists on the ground and utterly idle threats about the children's children and curses and...well I think you get the point.

Well, needless to say, I ordered the book online for a hell of a lot cheaper than buying it in NZ. (Nearly 2/3 cheaper...I'm just saying.) And now I am slowly devouring it as one must devour books. Devour is my word of the day - slightly more appropriate than genitalia I feel. (And all those of you with dirty minds would you kindly remove said minds from the gutter...thank you.)

Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying the book. More than I thought I would since I've been trying to limit the amount of epic fantasy books I read just because once I get into a series the world seems to disappear and I suddenly find myself running with wolves, learning how to sword fight and drinking tavern ale while singing bawdy songs about the pirate's mistress and such stuff. (Apparently I'm either Alanna from The Song of the Lioness or any number of tomboy females learning to wield a sword.)

All of this lead me to think on why I enjoy the epic fantasy. I mean, not to be nasty, but they all have the same plot, basically - there is normally a young boy/girl who slowly learns more about their past while becoming a great fighter/dancer/whatever. Also, there tends to be a wise mentor/wizard/Jedi knight who will sacrifice themselves for the hero and so on. But, regardless of this, I still love them. Maybe a little too much because, let's face it, there aren't too many chivalrous knights left in any kingdom I'm aware of - and maybe far too many lecherous ... well I'll leave that unsaid on the premise that I am a lady...when I need to be...

For me, it's the adventure, the story, the romance and the magic of it all. It is escapism in its best. My mother reads Mills and Boons** for the same reason that I read about knights, dragons, wizards and more. When I am reading these books I am part of the story. I am right there as Garion, Wolf, Polgara and Durnik flee the farm. I'm there when Bastion calls out his mother's name in the hopes of saving Fantasia. I'm there when Bran finds himself hearing and seeing something he shouldn't. And, through all of this, I'm not a silent witness. I will yell at the characters, telling them what to do (though they never seem to listen to me...).

Basically, what I am saying is that epic fantasy is epic because it encompasses me, giving flight to my imagination and so much more. It is my form of escapism. Plus, who doesn't like a little sword fight now and then...right?


*Though I have kind of stalled on the sixth book...I swear it seems like sometimes nothing happens and then I get a shiny new book and I'm all magpie like in that I get attracted by any little bit of shine...
**It is a sad fact in my life. I have been slowly weaning her off them but it is a hard process.

Top Five Fantasy Themed Films from my Childhood.

So, I heard the funniest thing...well I found it funny. I overheard someone referring to Easter Sunday as Happy Zombie Jesus Day and I had a quiet chuckle to myself because; A) It was funny and B) it was kinda true if you happen to believe in that. So, I was wondering, that makes Jesus the original Zombie? I can see the books now. And a feature film.

EDIT: I just did a search on the almighty google and found this website. Chuckles. 

Somehow this should lead me onto my top five of the day which happens to be films from my childhood that are fantasy themed. This, unfortunately, rules out any recent films so no LotR* or Pan's Labyrinth.

The NeverEnding Story
This film was one of my favourites when I was young. I watched it so many times and I even went and saw both sequels at the movies. (Yep, both of them, and they were both terrible.)** But the first one was brilliant. I had a huge crush on Atreyu and I am not ashamed to admit that I cried (and still do) when Artex died. I've known men to cry at that scene. Heck, I have the theme tune on my iPod. Oh memories are grand.

Labyrinth
Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo, Sarah, Toby, Jareth. This is one of the most magical films of all time. I remember being terrified of the Fiery things that yank their heads off; so much so that I would hide behind the sofa in the lounge. (This was something I normally reserved for episodes of Dr Who. Those daleks still have the power to terrify me...but not so much as the weeping angels.) Obviously, this is a staple film for those of us born in the eighties but it still has a hold on many now-a-days.

The Dark Crystal
Jim Hensen was a genius - that is a pure and simple fact. This film was beautifully done and I believe that it is a work of art. The story alone is beautifully woven and then you have the puppets that are beautifully designed. Amazing. The only thing wrong is that it leaves you wanting to know more.

The Princess Bride
"Whatever you wish." Wesley and Buttercup are the ultimate fantasy couple in this great comedy drama. And we cannot forget Inigo Montoya. This film has a cult status for a reason and I remember watching it every time it came on TV and it was one of the first DVD's that I ever bought.

Willow
I remember watching this at a friends house when I was young and the trolls that turn into the moat monster were so terrifying to my young mind that I recall having strange nightmares for a week. More than I'd had with the fiery creatures from Labyrinth. Still, aside from the fact that it was filmed in NZ it is and will always be one of my favourite fantasy films.

Let me know what you think of these films. Enjoy!

*Lord of the Rings in case you were wondering.
**Random tidbit - Jack Black appears in the third film as one of the bad guys.

Writing...no fantasy at the moment...

I am currently working on a new novel...well, I have started working on a new novel while I edit my Wallwalkers novel and I am finding it odd to move from one world, where I am rather invested in my characters, into a new world. What is making this so odd is that my first novel is a fantasy/sci fi novel whereas the one I am writing on at the moment has no element of fantasy.

This isn't something that I normally do. I like fantasy. Fantasy is my safety blanket because I read more fantasy than any other genre. I read Rowling, Pierce, Nix, Eddings, Tolkien, Gaiman and so on, so I know my fantasy. But now I am entering a word with no magic, no elves or floating cities. Instead, I am writing a first person novel from the point of view of an atheist teenage girl.

This is interesting for me on many levels. First, it is testing my ability to write great dialogue. It's not that I can't write good dialogue but I have to make it somewhat modern and yet still intelligent. I do not want to dumb anything down for any readers. I don't like it when characters, especially child characters, speak like adults or speak in a voice that is not their own.

As for how quickly the writing is going, well it is going rather slowly at the moment and this is mainly due to the small five year old bundle of energy that seems intent on stalking me at every turn. This bundle of joyous energy is my niece. She is staying with me for a couple of weeks and it has definitely kept me on my toes. It makes me realise that I am definitely not ready to be a mother quite yet. There is something great about looking after a child and knowing that you can give them back to the parents after a matter of days.

Once again, this is a dreadfully short post due to said five year old so I will leave this now and hopefully things will even out.

Peace and pancakes

Word count: 3067
Song of the moment: Grenade - Bruno Mars

Good fantasy books...aka Neil Gaiman is my idol...

So, as I have been told by many, to be able to write you must read a lot. And, I do. I love urban fantasy, high fantasy, science fiction, crime and other general fiction and I am always on the look out for another good author.

As I want to write an urban fantasy novel I try to read up on a lot of different ideas and I have just started getting into steampunk fiction but am not really sure where to start with that. So, if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Yet, I have to admit I love reading anything by Neil Gaiman. Neverwhere was the first of his novels that I read and I can't get enough of it. It's such a work of brilliance. The whole idea of being able to disappear into a world that interacts with our own but is still really different. I used to have daydreams about stuff like that. I probably still do but that's a different story.

And then I read American Gods and too this day I really want to go on a road trip across the States just soaking in the plethora of unique culture that you cannot find anywhere else. The way that Gaiman writes his characters makes them so interesting. They are not your typical heroes and I love that. Shadow seems like a interesting character, he's not the smartest of people but he's not dumb. He knows what he's good at and he readily accepts his mistakes. Not many real people can claim that much.

And Gaiman's short stories give of the same ideas. They are so unique and I have all his books and I swear I have bought Neverwhere as a present at least eight times...

Anyway, if you can reccommend any other good books or authors please let me know.

Until next time...

Novel Word Count - still planning...and packing