Jones, Diana Wynne - The Tough Guide to Fantasyland
I feel that every single person who so desires to write a fantasy novel should be forced to sit down and read this book from cover to cover before proceeding. Everyone else should also read this book, because it is freaking hilarious. I think I startled some people because I was giggling so loudly.
As indicated in the title, the book is a guide for tourists of Fantasyland, as compiled by the Management, and has all sorts of handy tips on how to survive Fantasyland, along what will be encountered on the Tour.
One of my favorite entires is:
Capital Letters at the beginnings of words are used liberally by the Management according to Rules that transcend human understanding and may under no circumstance be questioned (see TABOO).
Read "author" for "Management" and "book" for "Tour," and you get a pitch-perfect satire of what's wrong with the fantasy genre. Other hilarious (and particularly biting) entries are "ecology" and "economy," which made me extremely happy for poking giant holes in the shoddy world-building that goes into a lot of the faux medieval fantasy quest books. There's also a special entry for the PanCelt tour.
Later on, DWJ wrote Dark Lord of Derkhelm by pretending Tough Guide was a real guide and seeing the effects the constant tours would have on a country.
As indicated in the title, the book is a guide for tourists of Fantasyland, as compiled by the Management, and has all sorts of handy tips on how to survive Fantasyland, along what will be encountered on the Tour.
One of my favorite entires is:
Capital Letters at the beginnings of words are used liberally by the Management according to Rules that transcend human understanding and may under no circumstance be questioned (see TABOO).
Read "author" for "Management" and "book" for "Tour," and you get a pitch-perfect satire of what's wrong with the fantasy genre. Other hilarious (and particularly biting) entries are "ecology" and "economy," which made me extremely happy for poking giant holes in the shoddy world-building that goes into a lot of the faux medieval fantasy quest books. There's also a special entry for the PanCelt tour.
Later on, DWJ wrote Dark Lord of Derkhelm by pretending Tough Guide was a real guide and seeing the effects the constant tours would have on a country.