The drinks that must be included in epic fantasy books

One thing that really helped me to imagine the fantasy worlds created in epic fantasy books like The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (sorry, I tried reading the Lord of the Rings, I really tried, but it didn’t make any sense, was too slow going, and I couldn’t read the back to find out what was happening because…it didn’t make any sense) was the food and drinks that were described. And the Hobbit had a lot of food described there because Bilbo Baggins like to eat. This book was probably the first time I heard of that fascinating drink called cider (check out that recipe here). And while I can’t remember exactly, I’m sure there were plums, oh yes, plums that were eaten to abundance in the Shire, Bilbo Baggins hometown, and plums that flowed over tables when Bilbo and his dwarf companions were trapped in an elven forest party. Was plum juice involved? I wouldn’t be surprised since Bilbo liked delicious drinks and was very concerned that those dwarves that entered his pantry not take his special ‘sherry’. So maybe Bilbo Baggins made some plum juice, some plum cider, or some plum sherry. So take yourselves on a fantasy journey to the beautiful Shire by making yourselves some plum juice that Biblo Baggins would love to taste.

Ps. If you haven’t bought my book Dealing with Your Implicit Racism (For Black people and anti-racism activists), please go and buy it right away here to learn how to deal with your own racism.

Apple juice and fantasy worlds

I love fantasy books. I have always loved them. One thing I love about them is the otherworldly ambiance they create with their talking animals, the magical systems, the creatures that don’t exist on this earth, the different races of people like mermaids, dwarves, elves etc and the foods and drinks. One drink that particularly denoted fantasy world to me was the drink: Cider.
I would imagine what this drink tasted like as I read about characters drinking spicy cider from vats. Oh, I wanted to drink some cider. Then I found out that cider was actually apple juice!
So if you want to feel like you are in a fantasy world, then make some cider (apple juice) and drink some, picturing yourself talking to elves and dwarves in a magical forest.

The Emperor’s Edge

 

No more waiting for MANEROS!

 

I’m going to write two short stories (very short stories), and I want you to finish them as quickly as possible. Finish them how you think most people (movie script writers, authors, etc) would finish stories like these. Here they are:
Story 1
Doyin starting running even before she heard the beast roar. She had to get to the entrance where Anya, the Eagle, was waiting to carry her, Kaleb, and the other people to the Vale. Doyin was moving as fast as her legs could carry her, but she could hear the beast gaining on her. She tripped and fell, her heart also dropping as well as her body. The beast was upon her. Doyin let out a shriek as deafening as the beast’s roar……………………………………………………….. (please finish the story) .

Story 2

Tola walked hurriedly down the street. There was something ominous in the air; she could feel it. She shivered as she looked around. She hadn’t meant to stay this late, but Helen had come late again, and they had to finish their project tonight. So they had stayed at the library till 10 pm. It hadn’t bothered Tola so much because the streets were usually crowded at this time. However, tonight was different. The shops, cafes, and restaurants were closed, and only a few cars were on the road. She looked around again, this time behind her, and saw someone walking some meters back. Where had this person come from? It looked like a man. She quickened her pace and crossed the road. A few seconds later she looked back again; the man had also crossed the street and he was much closer now. Tola lost all pretense and started running, not caring where she was going. She heard pounding footsteps behind her before she felt hands grab her from behind………………………………………………………….(please finish the story).

A lot of books/films that have scenes like the ones I have just written would have finished these stories by having a man come to the rescue of these women.

Or, if these women were to save themselves, they would have been introduced as kick-butt, Nikta, or kung-fu type women, not the average Doyin or Tola.

 

 

The average Doyin needs a Manero (Man hero). Here is a good question: Why can’t these women save themselves?
The Emperor’s edge, the first book in the series by Lindsay Buroker, is different. Amaranthe Lokdon, our main character,  can’t kick a lot of butt. Early on in the book, Amaranthe gets herself in a very tight spot. In my opinion there was no way out, and a part of me was waiting for a Manero to come save her. Amaranthe shed a few tears herself. Then something happened that you don’t see in a lot stories: Amaranthe wiped her tears away, and she started to plan her escape! And escape she did, without any Manero to the rescue.
Why I like this book(series)– Fantastic and funny characters. The main character Amaranthe is an inspiration on how to lead, how to not feel sorry for yourself, and how to love.
What I don’t like–  Dialogue can be funny without sexual innuendo.

Book hunger

I’d like to order a fantasy book with some cheese and pepperoni toppings.

Have you ever had a craving for a particular kind of food? Some days I just want to eat meat: beef or fried chicken. The same thing happens to me with books and movies. I get book hungry, or I get a craving for a particular kind of story.
Sometimes, it’s for a fantasy story that isn’t trying to make a statement about life, but is just trying to tell a good story where everything ends well. Other times, it’s a craving for fantasy mixed with romance, or it’s for a good mystery, comedy, or thriller. There are also times when I’ll read or watch anything, ignoring the fact that I might regret it if the story turns out to be sad, bad, or soap opera-ish.

Jesus Christ, Harry Potter and the Hunger Games

I have a feeling that people are wondering at my title. What does Jesus, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games have to do with each other? The reason I put them together is because  all these stories deal with  one particular spiritual law.

There are physical laws like gravity, whatever goes up must come down. There are also spiritual laws like, whatever you sow, you will reap. For example,  you treat people badly, expect to be treated badly. You gossip about people, expect people to gossip about you. Another example is don’t repay good with evil. Spiritual laws are just laws that have to do with things that can’t be seen directly, but happen as a result of people’s actions. I want to talk about a spiritual law that was broken in the Hunger Games by the killing of Katniss Everdeen’s sister, Primrose Everdeen a.k.a Prim. If you’ve read the books and know something about spiritual laws, then I want you to guess what law I’m talking about.

What is this spiritual law? The ultimate example of it is found in Jesus Christ. If you’re not familiar with what happened over 2000 years ago, here is a short summary: Jesus Christ, who is God, was crucified by the Romans, under the directive of the religious leaders of that day. The thing is, according to the Bible, that was exactly what God wanted, He wanted Jesus, His Son, to die. You see all humanity has to go to Hell, to pay for any sin they have committed. Going hell is considered spiritual death. Yet because God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell (but He can’t interfere with people’s choices), He sent Jesus to die for humanity, every single human being.

A book in the Bible, John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

So instead of you and I dying, Jesus took our place. He died for us. If we accept this sacrifice, we won’t go to Hell when we die, we go instead to heaven.

In Harry Potter, this same spiritual law is applied. Voldemort, the main antagonist, went to Godric’s Hollow. He entered James and Lilly Potter’s house. First he killed James,  then  he went upstairs, saw Lily by Harry’s crib, and tells Lily to step aside cause he’s gonna kill Harry (yeah, like what mother is gonna step aside for her child to be murdered!). Lily refuses and says that Voldemort should kill her instead. Voldemort, instead of stupefying Lily (that is to make her unconscious with his wand), decides to kill her. Maybe he thought that if she had another child, he/she may come back and kill him in revenge. Then again, maybe not. I mean the guy just loved killing people.

Lily is now dead, and  Voldemort goes to complete the job he really came to do, the real threat to him. He looks at Harry who is also looking at him, he points his wand towards Harry, and he says the killing curse. Only something unexpected happens. The curse bounces off Harry and kills Voldemort instead. Nobody had ever survived the killing curse, and nobody had ever escaped when Voldemort decided to kill them. So why did Harry survive? He survived because his mother gave her life for him. She refused to step aside for Voldemort to kill Harry, and she told him to kill her instead. Her blood made Harry untouchable; he could not be killed.

Now in the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist, volunteers to take the place of her younger sister, Prim, in the Hunger Games. (The Hunger Games was a mandatory competition where people were chosen through a  ballot box to fight other people to the death until there was only one person remaining alive.) Prim’s name was picked, and Katniss volunteers to go and fight in the place of her sister. Let’s now fast forward to the third and final book where Primrose is killed.

Can you now guess what law was broken in the Hunger Games?

Prim could not be killed. Katniss had taken her place. Prim’s life was protected according to a spiritual law.

So why did she die? This is my opinion: I think that the author wanted a way to get rid of Gale, one of Katniss’ potential love interest. Prim was killed in an attack method that  was similar to one that had been designed by Gale. And Gale tells Katniss that she would always be wondering whether it was because of what he designed that her beloved sister was killed. Katniss doesn’t deny this.

I felt sorry for Gale, and I don’t think that the author should have gotten rid of him like that. (I also wonder whether my sympathy for him stems partially from the fact that he was tall and handsome). That aside, the thing is that the author didn’t need to get rid of Gale by killing Prim. Gale was a great guy, but I agree that he wasn’t the best guy for Katniss. Nevertheless, he didn’t deserve that sort of exit. Gale was smart, he knew Katniss, and he knew what she needed. He probably could have figured out that Katniss and him were too similar in personality to be compatible.

What could have happened was for Prim to almost get killed in the bomb blast, but be saved by Gale . In doing so, Gale could have come to the realization that he needed to deal with his anger, and that Katniss was not the woman that could help him in that area. That would have been a better ending. And the sad thing is that Gale was smart like that. He could have come to that realization. I also felt like that author was also giving some subtle unfair hints about Gale by saying that he went on to live in district 2, the district that had been buddy, buddy with the evil Capitol.

This is the reason why I do not like the Hunger Games.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted was read to my sixth grade class by our Language arts teacher, Mr. Boticelli. He added different voices to each character and so made the story more exciting. I was transported to this fantasy world through the eyes of Ella of Frell. If  you’ve watched the “movie” ….. all I can say is forget about it and just READ the book. The movie has no real connection with the book. And if you’ve read the book and just now found out that there is a movie about the book my advice is: Steer clear.

Ella is the daughter of a noble born woman and a rich merchant. When she is born, a certain fairy named Lucinda, who has a habit of appearing uninvited at births and weddings to give a “blessing”, appears. Her “blessing” to Ella is that Ella will always be obedient. Now, I can hear some parents saying “what’s wrong with that?”. Read the “blessing” again; did Lucinda specify who Ella would be obedient to and for how long?  No, all she said was that Ella would be obedient. So Ella has to obey ANYONE who gives her an order and if she refuses, she gets instantly sick. Do you realize how many orders we give every day? Sometimes we say things like, “forget I said anything”, or “stay clear away from the movie Ella Enchanted”, and guess what? Ella would have to do so.  For her own safety, Ella’s mother orders her to never tell anyone about this “blessing” of hers.

At the burial of her mother (yes, she dies), Ella meets the prince of the land who tells her that he knows a lot about her due to servant gossip and this is where their friendship starts. Ella is then sent to finishing school by her father and unfortunately meets someone who figures out that Ella has this peculiar ability to always obey orders. So this person takes devilish delight in making Ella her personal servant. This finally pushes Ella on the journey to break her “blessing” .

The characters in this book are easy to like and to hate. However , don’t expect all of them to be one-sided, especially not the prince. The protagonist Ella is not a spoiled rich brat, but a strong, funny, and caring character that I came to like. A minor criticism could be that the antagonists are portrayed as unattractive, but then again, if they were portrayed as beautiful, it would be annoying because writers also like to make beautiful people the bad guys. The story is funny and interesting, no boring or slow bits either.