The World Fantasy Convention is being held just up the road in Saratoga Springs, and Kate and I are commuting to it for the next few days. That means light blogging, which means it's Dorky Poll time.
Here's a literary Dorky Poll (a more conventionally Dorky version will follow shortly), suggested by Kate:
What items should appear on a Fantasy Novel Scavenger Hunt?
This came up at the Australian party last night, where it was noted that they had packed the room by offering free books. Somebody else said that you could probably clear the room by telling people there were free books on the roof, and that led Kate to suggest the idea of a fantasy book scavenger hunt: participants would be given a list of things to find, and sent to the Dealer's Room or free book bags to find them and bring them back.
Items on the list would include:
- One book featuring a telepathic bond between a human and an animal.
- Three books with dubious guilds (Theives Guild, Prostitute's Guild, etc.)
- Three characters with D'Read A'Postro'phes in their names
- A book with a map in the front, in which the characters visit every single country on the map.
- A book with a faintly insulting "Exotic" setting.
And so on. what else should be on the list?
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
A naive young boy/girl who is destined to save the world. Heck, make that 3 or 4, they're easy to find!
A book that uses Tolkein elves and dwarves.
A book that is a written out D&D game (but not marketed by D&D).
Posted by: Scott Spiegelberg | November 2, 2007 10:15 AM
Three or more cutesy euphemisms for "magic."
Posted by: Kail | November 2, 2007 10:16 AM
Two books in which the protagonist/hero has befriended/tamed a beast that is generally accepted to be extremely dangerous.
Posted by: Tom | November 2, 2007 10:56 AM
A fancy dancy magical sword.
Posted by: Amanda | November 2, 2007 10:58 AM
A wise old mentor type who inexplicably puts up with the teenage hero's pissing and moaning and immaturity.
Posted by: Alioth | November 2, 2007 11:52 AM
A book where a token member of each fantasy race join together on a quest. (Bonus points if they are all on the cover.)
A book where everyone knows "the common tongue".
Three different names for thinly-disguised hobbits.
Three different fantasy names for coffee.
A book where someone is commonly addressed by other characters as (a) "barbarian", (b) "wizard", (c) "elf"...
A book whose protagonist starts out as an apprentice.
...and ends up the most powerful wizard in the world.
A book whose cover features impractical clothing. (Too easy!)
A book with a desert-dwelling, camel-riding culture of devious merchants who use scimitars.
I think it would be more challenging to find books that break the cliches.
Non-D&D books that adhere to D&D conventions. (e.g. wizards cannot use swords)
An orphan who becomes the rightful king. (Too easy!)
Posted by: Clay B | November 2, 2007 12:04 PM
I think it would be more challenging to find books that break the cliches.
Such as
-a book where nobody, at any time, wears a robe. Especially one with a hood.
-a book where the villain is NOT an uber-powerful mage/wizard/sorcerer/warlock/whatever.
-a book where animals, despite all efforts, fail to communicate and instead act like, well, beasts.
-a book where the weather absolutely fails to be portentous or ominous.
-heck, a book where the word "ominous" or "omen" does not appear.
Posted by: Owen | November 2, 2007 1:32 PM
A book with a blurb that compares it to Lord of the Rings.
Posted by: Clay B | November 2, 2007 3:35 PM
-a book where the villain is NOT an uber-powerful mage/wizard/sorcerer/warlock/whatever.
I love both the villain Littlefinger from the GRRM series, "A Song of Ice and Fire," and the hero Crispin from GGK's "Sailing to Sarantium." Just clever, clever guys with no powers or swords.
Actually, both bring to mind the lead character Tom from "Miller's Crossing," too.
Posted by: Hohn | November 2, 2007 6:31 PM
A blurb that recommends it as a good think for young people to read while they're waiting for the next Harry Potter novel.
Posted by: Siamang | November 2, 2007 7:52 PM
I'd also recommend Sir Apropos of Nothing. It's basically about a character born in a stereotypical fantasy world, forced on a quest, but really doesn't want to be a hero. I thought it was brilliant, but the humor is kind of an acquired taste.
Posted by: Brandon | November 2, 2007 8:52 PM
A fantasy published before The Hobbit.
A fantasy originally not written in English.
A fantasy where the main characters move from our world to another world.
Posted by: Erp | November 2, 2007 9:12 PM