‘Feed me Seymour, feed me now!’
8 April 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling, Unique Flora
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is again taking us tough travelling. This week we’re looking at
UNIQUE FLORA
Self-explanatory. If you know of a plant that is either not on earth, or doesn’t act the same way in fantasyland as it does on earth, then you can consider it unique. Have fun.
Threads from the Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey. This was the first thing that came to mind (thankfully something came to mind). Threads are spores that rain down upon the planet – not all the time but in cycles (I think – somebody feel free to chuck me a clue here) and basically cause terrible destruction. Left to their own devices I think the planet would be in a pretty bad way but fortunately there are dragons and dragonriders to help with the gardening duties!
Talking flowers – not something you see every day – Alice – Through the Looking Glass by C S Lewis
Triffids from Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham – I should think this doesn’t need an explanation – but basically these plants are mobile, they can communicate with each other and they have poisonous stings.
The Forest of Fighting Trees from The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum. They’re trees. There’s enough to warrant calling them a forest – and they fight!! Well, they throw things at you anyway.
Yggdrasil – a tree from Norse mythology – encountered by me in the book Hammered by Kevin Hearne where the main character, Atticus, has to climb the tree on the back of a giant squirrel – he’s going on a quest.
Honorable mentions:
Harry Potter – Gillyweed – I would definitely try this – swimming underwater made easy!
Lord of the Rings – Fanghorn Forest – okay, this is maybe a cheat but this forest does seem to have a mind of it’s own so it’s having a mention.
Books and travelling with Lynn 
Heh, I picked Gillyweed, too, only you’d never get me to swallow that disgusting lump.
Alice also has that magic mushroom that makes her grow, right? I totally forgot about that. Great list! 🙂
It is a disgusting lump, but, I would do it – just to be able to swim underwater – it does look quite revolting though.
Yes, there was the magic mushroom too – nice one.
Lynn 😀
I’ve seen Triffids come up a few times this morning, but the talking flowers of Alice in Wonderland are a nice touch!
Thank you! I always seem to revert to my childhood books somehow.
Lynn 😀
Wonderful call on the Norse myth tree. That is the most epic flora ever.
Yeah – and imaging riding up it on the back of a huge squirrel – a bit crazy but that’s Atticus!
Lynn 😀
I love that you included the picture from Avatar. For the longest time after finding out the new topic that was the only thing I could think of. 😀
I’ve never read any Pern, but I like the idea of plants being able to cause destruction and dragons having to save everyone by gardening. 😀
Yeah – gardening dragons. I was also a bit stuck on Avatar – I kept picturing the huge mushroomy type plants that all pop out of sight if you touch them.
Lynn 😀
Love your Alice in Wonderland pick! 🙂 Great list!
Thanks 😀 😀
These are great choices. I love the trees from the Wizard of Oz. There really are a ton of examples once you get thinking about it!
Yeah, I suppose there are – especially now I’ve visited everyone else as well. Between us all we’ve got quite a good range of nasty and nice.
Lynn 😀
I am currently re-reading The Two Towers and just finished the section where the Ents and Fangorn wood go to war 🙂
Yay for a reread. I did reread LotR fairly recently but I could still pick it up again and enjoy it.
Lynn 😀
Forgot about the Threads, and also all the unusual flora in Alice. Nice!
The Threads and Avatar were the first things that popped into my head – and then I got a bit hung up on them for a while until I went down the childhood books route. I remembered Little Shop of Horrors at the last minute hence ‘feed me now’ in the title.
Lynn 😀
Great choices – and I *love* the image at the top your post!
I dont’ think mentioning Fangorn means cheating: on the contrary it’s right in the spirit of the challenge, IMHO 🙂
Oh good and thanks!
I got a bit stuck on Avatar at the start and it kind of made thoughts of everything else disappear.
Lynn 😀
I’m kicking myself for not remembering the World Tree. 🙂 Alice is a wonderful addition, too.
Yeah, I do like the idea of the World Tree – especially climbing it on the back of a giant squirrel.
Lynn 😀
Great picks here, especially the Gillyweed. I was so curious to see what plants most people would list from HP for some reason.
Actually I think HP rescued most of us this week! I so can’t believe I forgot the whomping willow.
Lynn 😀
“I’ll show you how to get apples” is one of the most repeated pop culture lines in our house.
That is a funny part of the book and film – although now I think about it I can’t remember if the book is exactly the same – damn my bad memory.
Lynn 😀
I feel like a failure for missing Day of the Triffids. I want a do-over as well! 😉
Haha, yeah, we need a recount – although Bibliosanctum was completely Kick Ass this week!
Lynn 😀
Now I see what the Gillyweed is. I called it Dianthus…
I knew there was something about Alice in Wonderland. Stupid me to not remember it, as well as the trees in “The Wizard of Oz” though I have to admit that I still haven’t read the book yet and only know the movie…
Ahh, you could have still included it but just with the movie – we’re all putting games and movies in – it all adds to the fun.
Lynn 😀
Okay, Yggdrasil wins this week! Awesome picks 😀
Thanks – thank goodness for Kevin Hearne!
Lynn 😀