Rating: 
Summary: Useful But Flawed Inspiration For Powerful Storytelling
Review: "The Tough Guide To Fantasyland" has proven to be a good source when scripting a new and exciting fantasy television series for Talent Industries. The book contains plenty of fully defined plot ideas that can be incorporated straight into a teleplay episode. My only complaint is that some of Jones's ideas are a bit silly, so you have to be careful not to incorporate these into an epic fantasy of love and betrayal.
Rating: 
Summary: Much Fun!...
Review: ...Although too much STEW, GLADIATORS, and GALLEY SHIPS. (Although the first may be legit, I've never encountered a fantasy novel incorporating the other two.) A must read for any and all who are tired of all the old cliches. If nothing else, buy it for the map and introduction!
Rating: 
Summary: Great read; even greater if you want to write fantasy
Review: An amusing book that covers the many cliches of fantasy novels; especially the mediocre ones.A must if you want to write fantasy so that you can avoid the usual DUH HUH! parts of bad writing. Amusing if you are a reader of fantasy and even funny in certain parts. My favorite parts w/o giving spoilers: PATRONS OF INNS; CHILDREN; MISSING HEIRS; DARK LORD; SLAVES, FEMALE; CAVERNS; and CASTLES
Rating:
Summary: Great read; even greater if you want to write fantasy
Review: An amusing book that covers the many cliches of fantasy novels; especially the mediocre ones. A must if you want to write fantasy so that you can avoid the usual DUH HUH! parts of bad writing. Amusing if you are a reader of fantasy and even funny in certain parts. My favorite parts w/o giving spoilers: PATRONS OF INNS; CHILDREN; MISSING HEIRS; DARK LORD; SLAVES, FEMALE; CAVERNS; and CASTLES
Rating:
Summary: Lonely Planet: Fantasyland
Review: An amusing catalogue of fantasy cliches. Sample entries: APOSTROPHES. Few names in Fantasyland are considered complete unless they are interrupted by an apostrophe somewhere in the middle. ... No one knows the reason for this. Nor does anyone really know how an apostrophe should be pronounced... GAY MAGE may be one of your COMPANIONS on the Tour. He will be very beautiful and he will dress in gorgeous colors. He will have long hair which may be silver-blonde. He will "ache with sensitivity" [Official Management Term]. He will not like to fight or be angry with people. Despite all this, he will be strong, competent and determined, and he will be very good at MAGIC indeed. He will fall in love while on the Tour and suffer other disasters, but this will not impair his efficiency in the least. You will find him giving you a backrub and aromatherapy late in the Tour at some point when he ought to be dead. A valuable Companion. Quite amusing if you've read a lot of fantasy.. especially a lot of *bad* fantasy. :) Also don't miss the excellent entries on horsebreeding and ecology [which I would have given as examples, but they were a bit too long].
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Summary: -
Review: As someone who reads (and enjoys) sword and sorcery fantasy, I loved this book! I haven't come across some of her entries yet, and she doesn't include, for instance, Knights, when I've found them pretty common in much of the fantasy I've read, but for the most part, she's right on the mark. It's a great book for anyone who reads/writes fantasy--yes, quests are fun, but they don't make for War and Peace. She destroyed any illusions I had about the genre on the first page, with the hilarious directions for using the map, and it only got better. Entries such as Economy, Nunneries, and Food would have been worth it on their own.
Rating:
Summary: -
Review: As someone who reads (and enjoys) sword and sorcery fantasy, I loved this book! I haven't come across some of her entries yet, and she doesn't include, for instance, Knights, when I've found them pretty common in much of the fantasy I've read, but for the most part, she's right on the mark. It's a great book for anyone who reads/writes fantasy--yes, quests are fun, but they don't make for War and Peace. She destroyed any illusions I had about the genre on the first page, with the hilarious directions for using the map, and it only got better. Entries such as Economy, Nunneries, and Food would have been worth it on their own.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for fantasy readers (and writers)
Review: Diana Wynne-Jones is reknowned for her witty Chrestomanci books and the delightful "Dark Lord of Derkholm." But, perhaps one of her finest (and woefully little-known) books is the Tough Guide to Fantasyland. If you're tired out of the latest sword-and-sorcery-let's-rip-off-Tolkien-for-the-umpteenth-time fantasy, this is the spoof for you! Starting off with a mocking map (complete with Smoking Mountain, Dark Citadel, and various goofy names), this book offers various guide entries to things you'll encounter in fantasyland. This explains why travellers always speak the same language, why the only food is stew, why swords are always magical and how people in colder areas wear less clothing than Desert Nomads. The different types of Magic, Wizards, Warriors and Warrior Women (you know, the butch and bosomy types who are always whacking people with swords), the different kings of Virgin, Innkeepers (who have rotten tempers), Avians (usually leather-winged) and so forth. A few of the entries seem rather confined to Tolkien alone, such as the elves singing (I may be wrong) but overall it goes over the various aspects that you'll encounter in your Quest. (Quest for what, you may ask? You must SAVE THE WORLD, or find an OBJECT, or both) Some are decidedly unTolkienesque, focusing on the fantasies with the obligatory love scene (the entry is a hoot!) An excerpt: "MINIONS OF THE DARK LORD: 4. Undead or Demonic persons, most of them red-eyed, wearing black, and riding black steeds. These persons always have formidable MAGIC and usually operate by night. By day, they rely on brain-dead human soldiery (such as the bad KING'S MEN) to keep up the pursuit." (Hmmm, sound familiar?) And, if you are an aspiring fantasy writer, be sure to pick this up and read it cover to cover. I did, and thanks to Ms. Wynne Jones I have excised as many cliches as I was able to from my novel. To the people who rated this below four stars: Lighten up, okay? The book is SUPPOSED to be about cliches, it was SUPPOSED to include a huge number of aforementioned cliches, and you probably HAVEN'T read enough bad Tolkien imitations. If you've read fantasy (especially the unashamed ripoffs, and ripoffs of ripoffs) this book is a must-read. Follow it up with "Dark Lord of Derkholm" and the "Discworld" novels, for utter mocking fantasy fun!
Rating:
Summary: I laughed each time I turned the page
Review: Exhausted and sick of barbarian heroes in invincable loin clothes? Ever wondered WHY the hero and heroine have a thing with *baths*? Wonder no longer! Diana Wynne Jones exposes all those cobwebs, smirks at Conan, raises an eyebrow at all those red-haired,green-eyes, bad-tempered magic using females, and gives us a refreshing insight into what makes up *FantasyLand* This book is a must for all fantasy readers, you can love Robert Jordan's work but still find The Tuffguide funny! She goes through all the cliches found in Fantasyland alphabetically, exposing Stew, Tavern Brawls, the Loveable Rogue who is really a Prince and so on. Take an open mind and delve into it, if you're a fan of fractured fairytales, you'll love taking this PanCeltic tour, I did.
Rating: 
Summary: Was she in a hurry?
Review: Fantasies are full of cliches - even the best ones usually contain one or two elements that have been beaten to death in the genre. "The Tough Guide to Fantasyland" is the best book I've read making fun of these ubiquitous cliches. I laughed out loud at least once on every page. From the generic map on the first pages, to the explanations of why most fantasyland names have to contain apostrophes, to the *real* story of horse reproduction, nothing is safe from DWJ's clever wit. Prepare to venture into fantasyland with this guide - and don't forget to look out for the REEK OF WRONGNESS (Official Management Term)!
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