This is a satirical 'dictionary' of the many cliches found in fantasy fiction, principally of the epic/quest variety.

I made the mistake of reading this right through - it probably comes across as much more humorous if dipped into occasionally. As I read it, like any overextended joke, it started to fall a bit flat.

I enjoyed the author's novel based on this idea of 'tours' in fantasyland - The Dark Lord of Derkholm - much more, to be honest. This I rate as a 3 star read; good in parts but a bit too repetitive if trying to read it in one, as I did. ( )

Such a fun, smart-alecky tone. ( )

This is a highly amusing "tour guide" to fantasyland. While it will best serve as a bit of writer's humor, it also is a good way to remember what the cliches are in fantasy novels, either so that one may avoid them, or make the most use out of them. Not a book to be read as a piece of fiction, but it is an amusing tool to have in my writer's toolkit. ( )

It featured a fine imagination and an appreciation for the ridiculous elements in the fantasy genre, but the author was straitjacketed by the format and could not really come up with something that one would call an enjoyable read. It combined the authoritativeness of a swords and sorcery tale with the wild abandon of an encyclopedia. ( )

Read fantasy? Do they all start to have a certain sameness? Read this, preferably aloud to another [b:fantasy lover|84136|Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter, #1)|Sherrilyn Kenyon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171050604s/84136.jpg|2384]. You will laugh. Treat it more like a website than a book, and jump around in it. Jones accurately skewers all the tired conventions in this travel guide to fantasy.

My favorite entry is "Unfriendly Stranger." This person will either be a spy or a embittered dispossessed king who will save the day. How do you tell the difference? The hair. Both will have dark hair, but the dispossessed king's hair will simply be graying, or messy; the spy's hair will be greasy. I guess they don't have as easy access to shampoo.

So silly, but it's true! The only problem is that you will not be able to read mediocre fantasies in the same way, ever again. ( )