“Tough Traveling” is a weekly Thursday feature created by Nathan at Review Barn where participants make a new list each week based on The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones. This hilarious little book cheerfully pokes fun at the most prevalent tropes in fantasy. All are welcome to take part, and there is a link up over at his site. Join in any time!
This week’s trope is FAE:
Surprisingly not in the Tough Guide. How can this be? Fairies are a constant in the fantasy world and it is time they get their own week. Give us your Fae, be they sweet or nasty.
Sweet Fae? I think not. I’ve chosen the meanest and nastiest I could think of. LET THERE BE BLOOD!
Spoilers for Visions by Kelley Armstrong at the end of this post!
 Daughter of the Forest by Juliet MarillierThese Fae are all powerful, somewhat like gods in their manipulation of the hapless humans. Not necessarily malicious but they’re generally unwilling to lend a helping hand – except for the Lady of the Forest. If you’ve read anything by Marillier, then you know that she understands that compelling Fae characters are morally ambiguous. Count on her for the best fairy tales out there!
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 The Modern Faerie Tales series by Holly BlackThis one is a little different from my other picks: we get to explore Faerie and its culture in this series. And it is EPIC. Holly Black isn’t afraid to make her Fae dark, regardless of which court they belong to. A lot of people seem to have issues with some aspects of this YA series (swearing, references to sex, torture, etc.) but I thought they elevated it to truly gritty and creeptastic. |
 Mercy Thompson series by Patricia BriggsLook, I’m not gonna spoil it for people. But if you’ve read anything in the Mercy Thompson or Alpha & Omega series, then you know that the Fae aren’t exactly cuddly. Humans and Fae have been at loggerheads ever since the latter made themselves known – and the Fae won’t hesitate to use their powers to mess people the eff up. |
 The Cainsville series by Kelley ArmstrongThe only thing scarier than being outright evil is hinting that evil lurks beneath the surface of a seemingly normal “person.” And let’s just say that these “people” aren’t particularly concerned with moral quandaries…they’ll steal children, murder innocents, and start regional turf wars. Not much has been revealed about these Fae, but I know enough to be afraid. |