Tough Traveling is a fun meme that aims to tour all the tropes big and small, abhorred and loved that are littered across the fantasy landscape. It was conceived of and is hosted by Nathan at Fantasy Review Barn and here's how it's explained on the blog:
Each Thursday, our copy of ‘The Tough Guide to Fantasyland’ in hand, we shall tour the mystical countryside looking for adventure and fun (and tropes) from all over fantasy.
This weeks topic is To Blave or...
Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world. Except for a nice MLT, a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They’re so perky, I love that. But that’s not what he said! He distinctly said “to blave.” (Thanks to Wendy again. Let’s find those examples of True Love!)
No way could I not participate in this week's Tough Traveling - not with a Princess Bride reference on the table. I would say that a majority of fantasy books I read have some romance in them somewhere so I tried to pick out ones where I thought the couple made a particularly good pair. Where I thought they might actually be able to make each other happy - or at least, in one case - marginally less miserable.
Tristan and Yvaine in Stardust by Neil Gaiman
What could be more romantic than falling in love with a star? Is this about as sweet and sentimental as Gaiman gets? It still has some spice and bite but with names like Tristan and Yvaine true love was bound to take over.
Rap and Inos from A Man of His Word Series by Dave Duncan
The stable boy and the princess - wait that sounds a bit like... This stable boy becomes a powerful wizard instead of a dread pirate. It takes Rap and Inos 4 books to finally be together so true love it must be.
Marco and Celia in The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Rival magicians, trained since childhood to defeat each other in a deadly contest, instead fall in love. It's pretty awesome.
Curran and Kate in The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
These are two folks who are not prone to that warm fuzzy emotional crap so it's even more sweet when after four books they finally give in and admit they want to be together 4 ever. And who doesn't love a good were-lion - possibly-magical freelance bad ass romance?
Sand Dan Glokta and Ardee West in The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
I don't know what is wrong with me but Glokta is my favorite character in his series. I think calling what he and Ardee have at the end of The Last Argument of Kings true love is a stretch but with all their baggage it's as close as either of them is going to get.
Seraphina Dombegh and Lucian Kiggs in Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Here's the YA entry into this list. Spectacular book and I actually buy that these two kids are in love and will stay that way. Too bad one of them is a Prince who is already engaged and one is half dragon.
Snow White and Bigby Wolf from Fables by Bill Willingham et al.
The Graphic Novel entry into the list. Getting Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf together? Brilliant! And obviously true love.
Aang and Katara from Avatar The Last Airbender series by Gene Luen Yang, Brian Konietzko and Michael DiMartino.
The...umm... cartoon to comic crossover entry into the list. Aang and Katara get together when they are 12 and 14 years old and never part - I'd call that true love.
I'm done. Check out links to all the other great lists on The Fantasy Review Barn! The quality to be found is inconceivable!
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