I haven’t been writing much because I’ve been on the road for work, and it looks like several more weeks of that are on the way. All this travelling, however, has had me thinking about storylines that involve long, arduous journeys. The classic tale, at least for fantasy fiction, is Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Frodo and Samwise have to get from the Shire to Mount Doom, though it’s far from easy, and that long journey changes their lives.
Another grueling journey that jumps to mind is that of Roland Deschain in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. King was inspired to write this series by The Lord of the Rings, and, like Frodo’s, Roland’s journey is fraught with challenges up until its very unexpected ending. Tolkien undoubtedly inspired numerous journey tales over the past few decades of fantasy fiction, including The Belgariad by David Eddings and The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks.
So as I embark on my next journey, let me know if there’s a favorite fictional journey that sticks in your mind.
 |
| Roland had one long journey! |