Tough Traveling – MOMS
Nathan over at Fantasy Review Barn is the mastermind of Tough Traveling. What’s Tough Traveling? Pretty much, it’s a weekly feature on Thursdays where we dig around to come up with examples of common tropes in fantasy, using Diana Wynne Jones’ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland as our inspiration and guide. Nathan has invited one and all to join in the fun, so feel free to come up with your own lists and add the link on Nathan’s weekly post, which will also contain (unleash) the next weeks theme. So let the fun begin …
This weeks theme? MOMS
Everyone has a mother. Including people in fantasyland. Just in time to be slightly early for Mother’s Day.
OK, I’m expanding “Fantasyland” to include “SciFiLand” as well. Because they are all awesome! And while I have a couple of ASoIaF entries, I’ll be good and not include Melisandre. I’m also not including Catelyn Stark, just because I have only have so much time, so I maybe picked my favorites 🙂
Alana from Saga by Brian K. Vaughan
Alana deserves some major Mother’s Day love. On the run, she manages to still be completely bad ass after having her daughter, and her daughter doesn’t disappear into the shadows! As you can clearly see Alana is always a mother, even when the going gets hard. And her lover for her daughter is always without question.
Daenerys from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
So, Daenerys is not a mother in the expected sense. But, she is the mother to three very fierce dragons! And no matter how misbehaved they may be at times, her love for them never waivers. And if dragons are not enough, the Yurkish love and adore her. They labeled her “mhysa” which means mother.
Cersei form A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
No one every said mothers had to be perfect. Or well loved. Cersei actually advises that to love causes weakness, and that you should love no one but your children. I don’t doubt she lives by that philosophy, but even Tyrion can’t question her love for her kids.
Lillia’s Mother form The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
Sometimes love means sacrifice. Lillia’s mother goes above and beyond to protect her daughter. I don’t want to say much here, because spoilers. But she still deserves a mention as she sets the stage for the book in the very beginning by showing everyone just how much she loves her daughter.
Jill from Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu
Jill is another do-it-all Mom that manages a crazy career of fighting Genjix and also manages to not just spend quality time with her son, but do some incredible physical training with him! Racing through the woods, hiding, tracking and catching each other, it sounded like a high adrenaline grown up version of hide and seek! Who wouldn’t want the ability to do that with their teenage son?
Great minds think alike – I knew I had to include the cheekbones quote with my list too 😉
Also great choice with The Rebirths of Tao. I was thinking of that one too, but in the end decided I’ll probably save that one for Father’s Day 😉
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Tough Traveling: Moms
The cheekbones quote was the first to come to mind for this theme! 😀
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
Great picks. I’m afraid I went with some of the worst examples, although I did manage one heroic mom. 🙂
Nothing wrong with showcasing the bad mom. They’re fun and they make the rest of us feel better, even if we’re not perfect, at least we’re not Carrie’s Mom! 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
I love your list! I just bought a copy of Saga and read a couple of pages, so I know that was a great choice. I can’t wait to finish it!
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Tough Traveling – Moms
I can’t wait to hear what you think of Saga!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
Those look fun. I think I’m going to go check out Saga now.
Loni Townsend recently posted…Who are you? #IWSG
It’s amazing! Hope you agree! 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
Hahaha, Happy Mother of Dragons Day indeed. Alanna is the best, love her. Great panel choice, by the way! She’s so quotable.
Danya @ Fine Print recently posted…Tough Traveling: Moms
She is! Sometimes I think maybe graphic novels are just boiled down to all the great quotable moments. But some are more so than others 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
Martin’s mothers are definitely the winners this week. He writes very interesting characters, no?
Alana sounds amazing, she popped up on a number of list this week – I’ll have to check that series out.
Kaja recently posted…Tough Travels: Moms
I love all of Martin’s characters and women, the mothers are no exception. They are all so different and unique, and not a one of them is perfect!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
I can’t believe I missed the Chu books – I’ve only just read them!!
I knew there’d be some Martin characters on here.
Lynn 😀
Lynn recently posted…Mother! I’ve turned the cooling unit back on. Mother!…… ’You bitch’
Yeah, I’m predictable with Martin. And really, there are so many great example of all sorts of Moms in his books! 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
Great choices. The only one I haven’t read is The Mirror Empire. I’m always so behind, though. I did pick Alana, too. Seems like she’s always holding the baby and pointing the gun. LOL.
Tiara recently posted…Tough Traveling: Moms
I really want to read the Saga series! That the main characters are married and have a child seems like an interesting twist in an adventure story – you don’t see it very often. Happy Mother of Dragon’s Day to you too:0)!
Stephanie recently posted…Tough Traveling – Dear Old Mums
It is fascinating reading a story where they integrate real world baby/family drama and demands in the midst of all the crazy fleeing through space stuff. 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
Great list! Love the ASoIaF quotes. I kind of regret being so sarcastic with my list now. 😀
Laura @ The Half-Strung Harp recently posted…Tough Travels: Mums
I *loved* your list! It was so much fun 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
I’m in love with George R. R. Martin in particular and his moms in general, how can they all be so fantastic? 🙂
Lily Lau recently posted…Breathtaking collection of landscape photos of Norway by Paul Edmundson
His characters are fantastic, and are some of my favorites to read, but as role models, most of these mothers are far from perfect. I’d want very few of them as a potential mother.
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Tough Traveling – MOMS
Alana does so rock. I need to read more Saga
Nathan (@reviewbarn) recently posted…U.S. Giveaway: Mother of Eden by Chris Beckett
I need to see when the next volume comes out! 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – May 9, 2015