Fall Special 2019 & High Fantasy

Hey, Friends! Sorry for the long delay. My job took precedence for most of the year and frankly, it became too much. It took some time, but I've since been able to get some balance back in my life and am super excited for Fall. First things first though...how's everybody been? I will spend the next few days visiting my blog and writer friends to say hello.

This week marks the start of Fall 2019 which for me is equal parts exciting and overwhelming. I mean who doesn't love Fall, right? But...it seems every time it's upon us, I blink and the year's already over. Anyway, I thought I start this post by mentioning some of the books I'm reading right now.

Since I write fiction of the dark and mystical nature, I've spent the last several years submerging myself deep into high fantasy. I spent a lot of time studying from the best crafters i.e. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin and more. The books I'm most obsessed about are Robin Hobb's Farseer series. I instantly fell in love with Fitz, his bonded wolf, and the Fool. I enjoyed her books so much they always bring a smile to my face when I think about them. I've since moved on to other series, Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations - Theft of Swords -- a great series! I' looking forward to finishing this one and handing it over to my son to read.  Moving into Fall starting, I have another series that has me captivated.  Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher books are another obsession of mine and with the launch of the Netflix series starring Henry Cavill, every reader, gamer and Superman enthusiast is salivating for this one.

For those who haven't read the books, check out the trailer below and let me know what you think.

Like the trailer? Are you into high fantasy? Have you read any of these books? Do you have a comparable book? Let us know.

That's it for now.

Mina B! 

A-Z Challenge: W is for Watcher in the Water

We are at the letter W today for the AtoZ Challenge. Whew! We're down to the final letters on for this challenge. Yes!  For the Under the Sea Myths & Legends, I thought about many different myths such as another type of Water Sprites and other types of whales but then decided to post about a fictional creature who embodies the idea of myth.

Watcher in the Water

 J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy series The Lord of the Ring took the concept of myth with it's fictional Middle-earth world of creatures, places, and beings and created an epic tale that felt mysterious, ancient and a tad real at times. This series is a masterpiece on how a fictional story can create the illusion of lore and legends. 

The sea monster, Watcher of the Water appears in The Fellowship of the Ring, where he's lives in a lake near the entrance to the dwarf-realm Moria. The description of the creature is a monstrous underwater beast with mass amounts of tentacles and a head that could be comparable to that of a spider. He has razor sharp teeth and his tentacles can slice it's prey dead. That's the general appearance of the monster, but usually, when it came to Tolkien, he could take a creature like an octopus and revamp it into something that could devour a Kraken.

I found this in-depth character review of the Watcher of the Water. It's incredibly entertaining and I highly recommend it if you're a fantasy-geek like me.

In this video, it references one of Gandolf's famous quotes about the unknown darkness that lurks deep within the Moria mountain and on Middle-Earth. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandolf says, "There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." When I think about the sea and the vast amounts of creatures burrowed deep--both known and unknown, I can't help but wonder the very same thing. I suspect Tolkien thought the same thing.

That's it for the letter W. If you missed yesterday, check out another Slavic lore creature called Vodyanoy.

See you tomorrow for the letter X!

Mina Burrows

IWSG: June is here!

Well, I missed the last two Insecure Writers Support Group because of A-Z but I'm going to do a quick one for today. Thank you Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating this monthly meme and also thanks to this month's co-hosts are C. Lee McKenzie, Tracy Jo, Melanie Schulz, and LG Keltner!

Well, I don't have much to relay this month.  I feel like my life is a series of days passing by and I can't seem to get enough accomplished.  Like most of us, work takes its toll and raising children does too.  On a great note, my nine year old son got straight A's for three quarters this year, which has me beaming with pride.  And my seven year old daughter is such a wonderful reader, I can't express how proud of her I am too.  That said, I do my best at balancing it all, but there are days when I'm completely exhausted.  I remember when I used to be able to write to the wee hours of the night.  Bah!  Not so much now. I'm lucky if I can keep my eye lids from closing at around 9:30 pm.  Eh, whatever.  I'm not complaining.  I love my life, I just wish I had more time. 

Anyway, I saw this and it made me smile.  I hope it does the same for you.

Do you have any insecurities you'd like to share with me today?  

Mina Burrows

A-Z: Classic Monsters: O is for Orcs

The A-Z Challenge letter today is O.  It wouldn't be a classic monster feature if I didn't mention at least one of J. R. R. Tolkien's monsters.  And boy are there plenty.  The first one that comes to mind is an Orc.

What is an Orc?

Orcs (orcneas) have been mentioned in classics like Beowolf and are as termed in Old English dialect, evil infernal deities from the Underworld.  I love that.  The word, Orc, has also been spelled as orke and even orge and  centuries ago orges were referenced as giant beasts and were usually written about in fairy tales.  Every one is quite familiar with orges, but orcs as Tolkien created, are essentially goblin monsters.

"Orc is not an English word. It occurs in one or two places [in The Hobbit] but is usually translated goblin (or hobgoblin for the larger kinds)."

—J.R.R. Tolkien in the Preface of The Hobbit - 

Tolkien's Orcs

The most common orc we think of today, it Tolkien's.  He has two that I'd like to point out.  One is a weaker, smaller one called the Orcs snaga--which means orc slave according to Wikipedia.  The other which I believe fits the classic monster realm is the Uruk-hai orcs.  These beasts that Tolkein created and that Peter Jackson brought to life are an amazing breed.  They are oversized, menacing goblins who eat man-flesh.  Yikes!  Remember that?  If I saw one of these creatures, I would run.  FAST!  These beasts were created or unearthed rather from Saruman, the White Wizard.  From there many fans and fantasy historians speculate about the Uruk-hai orcs origins.  I found some discussions on Saruman's cross-breeding with men, and then another mention of them cross-breeding elves.  Honestly, I couldn't find anything definitive.  The bottom line is their scary-cool.  I'm not sure if you think Orcs are a classic monsters, but I do.

Source

Did you have another idea for the letter O?  A different Ogre, Oscar the Grouch, perhaps? 

Mina B.

A-Z Challenge: Character's Samwise Gamgee vs, Gollum

It's A-Z Challenge time, baby! Today's letter is "G" and for my character feature, I'm highlighting Samwise Gamgee and Gollum. Both characters were pivotal in  J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy series.  To me, Sam was and is the epitome of a best friend. His unyielding support to Frodo was inspiring to say the least.  And Gollum...now he was practically a benchmark in this series.   Gollum is entertaining as hell and disgusting personified!  Which got me thinking...

Let's have a character smackdown.

In this corner, we have...Samewise Gamgee otherwise known as Samwise the Brave!

Sam best quote to Gollum:  

"You nasty treacherous creature. It's round your neck this rope ought to go, and a tight noose too."

In this corner, we have Gollum also known as Sméagol, creator of the infamous "My Precious."  

Gollum's best quote to Samwise Gamgee: 

"What’s it doing? Stupid, fat Hobbit! It ruins it!"

I seriously want to see these two go at it.  I mean for realz!  It's hard to say who would win.  Gollum is extremely agile and tenacious, comparable to a Timex watch (i.e. takes a licking and keeps on ticking.)  But...my money would be on Samwise Gamgee only because he's not as poisoned from the ring as Gollum.  And because he has nothing to lose, not to mention brave,   I believe he would be the inevitable winner.

What do you think?  Who do you think would prevail in this smackdown?  What aspects of Tolken's brilliance did you love when he wrote these two timeless characters?

Mina B.

A Creepy Classic Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit

This month’s Creepy Classic is The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien.  There’s been a ton of buzz about this classic recently; that I felt the topic was timely.  With the overwhelming success of Peter Jackson’s on screen depiction of Tolkien’s masterpiece, Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy, it's no stretch to hear he’s planning a repeat performance with Tolkien’s original classic, The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

The Hobbit thrusts open the door into the magical world Tolkien created. It brilliantly features some of the same trials and tribulations that young Frodo embarked. For Bilbo, his adventure starts when he sets off with a Gandalf and a band of dwarves. Between the wizard, dwarves and the hobbit, the story steadily builds from its unique cast of characters. On their thrilling expedition they face Trolls, Goblins, all-types of Elvish kind, Wargs, gigantic spiders, a dragon and, of course, Men too. To There and Back Again, masterfully depicts Bilbo, our clever Hobbit, blossoming from a hard-pressed survivor to a celebrated hero. I believe I have more of an appreciation for Bilbo Baggins after reading this. He was such a fascinating Hobbit, just like Frodo.  And really…it all began with Bilbo.

For me, the book lit on fire after Bilbo found the ring and, of course, when he met Gullom. Witnessing Bilbo’s several near-death escapes was riveting.  He was in every sense a survivor.  Despite being constantly half-starved, and wanting of his 2nd breakfast, he persevered.  And I loved him for it.  Many of his friends said it was luck – which is highly likely – but I think it was more than that.  He was a Hobbit and not just any Hobbit, but a Baggins. Having the ring and its invisibility magic certainly helped, but I doubt many others could wield it like Bilbo.

There were times in this book when I sympathized immensely for Bilbo, wondering how he’d manage to thwart Gollum, sting a spider or even speak in riddles to the dragon, Smaug. So many times, I was on the edge of my seat, feeling Bilbo’s fear, understanding his reasoning, or sensing his doom.  And (I have to mention this) I wanted to kill Gandalf, who seems to be forever jetting off on some secretive wizardry task, leaving his companions and friends – namely Bilbo and Frodo – behind.  Some friend, huh? 

The Hobbit was so phenomenal; it truly made me fall in love with the series all over again. I was easily reminded how I was reading the beginnings of something truly great, am obvious classic.  For me, Tolkien's The Hobbit was a 4.5.  If you haven't had a chance to read this, do so now - at least before the movie comes out.  

Until next time…looking for something to read, try a classic.

Mina B.