Comments on: Blog for a Bete-Noire

By: NejikFans

NejikFans — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:01:05 +0000

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By: Fantasy Magazine » Blog For A Brass Button

Fantasy Magazine » Blog For A Brass Button — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:06:01 +0000

[...] people hated included chosen ones, dragons, elves, fur and fangs urban fantasy, humans with wings, poetry, princesses, prophetic [...]

By: Hel

Hel — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:05:08 +0000

All writers should refrain from verse,
too many don’t.

By: Tropefails « Rockblog

Tropefails « Rockblog — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:07:43 +0000

[...] | In Uncategorized | No Comments Tags: Slush, Tropes, Fail So over at Fantasy Magazine they have a blog post asking commentors what fantasy tropes they want to [...]

By: Jonathan Rock

Jonathan Rock — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:22:11 +0000

Stories that begin with a grim smoking swordsman pouting in the corner of a dim tavern. You know there will be little more than gore and if there is a romantic interest it will be disturbing.

I really dig prophecies as long as they are ambiguous enough to keep me wondering how they will be fulfilled. I ’bout barfed when Stephen King ended the Dark Tower series with Flagg saying: Yup, just lied. Other problem is when the first book has so many prophecies that they lose meaning and become a chore to recall a la Wheel Of Time.

And don’t bag on talking animals. A talking mouse can make a wonderful fiance. I wouldn’t listen to the talking snake though…

By: Rae Bryant

Rae Bryant — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:25:32 +0000

“In fact, can we just outlaw the word orb?” (Megan)

How about we just change the attribution to erb, and make them elliptical.

By: David Steffen

David Steffen — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:20:10 +0000

Rachel,
Good one on the all-powerful thingamajig. In the movie The Mummy 2, it really pissed me off when Edie (I think that was her name) got raised from the dead with no cost–nobody else died in return, the spellcaster suffered no detriment to health or fortune, she didn’t come back as a flesh-hungry zombie. She just got back up and was fine and dandy and they all went on with their lives as though nothing had happened. How convenient.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:16:13 +0000

Megan’s comment just came up, which made me think of another one: the all-powerful thingamajig. Please, enough is enough! I don’t care if it is a sword or an orb or a wand or cap or broomstick, put some limits on it! It’s lazy writing to have something that can fix any problems and do everything. Someone died? Use the magic thingamajig to bring them back to life. Need food in the desert? Thingamajig to the rescue! Limits make the item much more interesting.

Also, there needs to be a cost. Whether in energy or time or blood, there has to be a cost to using the magical thingamajig. Everything wonderful has a cost, a catch, and forgetting to put one in makes your item not only less believable, but less interesting.

For example, the sword Need in the Valdemar series. It can only be wielded by a woman and gives her either protection against magic (no offensive stuff) or fighting expertise, whichever one the woman lacked. However, there are catches. It can only be used in defense, and can’t be used against another women. Plus it will make you go help women in need, and if you don’t go help you get a debilitating headache. Doesn’t that sound so much more interesting that a magic sword that just makes you invincible?

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:34:44 +0000

I would like to add how sick I am of the fact that elves and dwarfs seem to be the ONLY non-human races used in fantasy. Why can’t we see some gnomes or brownies or nymphs or naiads? Or for bad guys, how about banshees, chimeras, goblins, or harpies? Authors don’t necessarily have to invent completely new races, but they can and should draw from a wider pool than elves, dwarfs and dragons. Even though I am a well-established lover of dragons, I would like to see other races get thrown into the mix.

Kathy, I completely agree with you on the vampire/werewolf issue. I now refuse to pick up any books with those type of characters b/c I am so tired of them and want the market to move on already.

The other thing I’m really sick of is the sexy female protagonist shown on covers. Really, I’ve seen more than enough of the women in a sexy dress or cropped shirt. Please, can we get something else on covers? I swear I can’t find anything but paranormal romance at the bookstore anymore, and I’m really tired of it.

By: Megan Arkenberg

Megan Arkenberg — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:51:02 +0000

Orbs. Dear God please, no orbs. No big glass orbs that channel magic. No little glass orbs that let evil wizards communicate with yet-more-evil wizards. No little gelatinous orbs controlled by extraocular muscles that glow violet when exposed to the possessor’s love interest (and yes, I am talking about eyeballs–er, eye-orbs).

In fact, can we just outlaw the word orb? How horrible must it be to go through life in fantasy-land, where you are unable to perceive anything faintly spherical without thinking ‘Orb!’? How do they shell peas? How do they eat plums? How do they watch the Harlem Globetrotters—er, Orb-trotters? Where will the madness end?

So long, cruel Orb,
Megan