Help a writer - by using your awesome knowledge of fantasy

[denstorebog]

Long story short; after getting a YA fantasy trilogy published over the last couple of years to great reviews and modest commercial success, I'm looking to follow up with another series in the coming years. (Sorry, both series are in Danish, so fat chance you're ever going to read either of them.)

The series I'm planning will, at first glance, seem pretty standard; a bunch of teenagers discover a way to a strange and magical world which faces problems that they're destined to help solve. But apart from trying to turn some of the clichés upside down along the way, I'm employing a gimmick in that one of the main characters - let's call him Ty - is a fantasy literature aficionado who knows all great works of fantasy by heart. This enables him to make meta-commentary on the things that the group experiences and encounters along the way. (For example, upon the group's discovery of the pathway to the magical world, Ty is quick to make comparisons to the Pevensie children's discovery of the doorway to Narnia and make predictions about what he and his friends can expect to happen if they decide to journey into the unknown (predictions that ultimately turn out pretty inaccurate)).

Now, in order to use Ty to his full potential, I would ultimately need to have read as much fantasy as he has. I've obviously read a lot, but it can be difficult to come up with examples as quickly and readily as Ty. So - who's up for helping me out?

To begin with, I'm looking for examples of fantasy literature that meet each of the seven criteria below (not examples that meet ALL criteria, mind you!). The more mainstream, the better (Ty will work better as a character if he makes references to fantasy books that the reader will have at least heard of), but at the same time I'm willing to make obscure references when nothing else comes to mind.

Let the games begin!

EDIT: Thanks for the help so far. I'm now looking for help with one particular question.:

1. Example of works of fantasy in which a main character or a villain aspires to ascend to godhood but fails (Example: Raistlin Majere in Dragonlance).

#1: Example of fantasy literature that centers around a party/fellowship of exactly 5 members. (The party doesn't have to have exactly 5 members at all times, but should at least consist of 5 members to begin with.)

#2: Same as above, but with exactly 3 members. (I'm already referencing Harry Potter since he, Ron and Hermione form a central group despite having lots of groupies along for the ride.)

#3: Example of fantasy literature where an inn is central or catalyst to the plot. Bonus points if the inn has a name. (Example: The Inn Of The Last Home in Dragonlance: Chronicles.)

#4: Example of fantasy literature where angels play a central role

#5: Example of fantasy literature where a god is killed or has died

#6: Example of fantasy literature where the true evil / antagonist reveals him/her/itself late in the story, and the presumed ditto turns out to be of less importance than expected.

#7: Example of fantasy literature where, upon returning home near the end, the protagonist discovers that the home has undergone a change / something unexpected has happened there (Frodo and his friends realizing that Bag End will always be different to them is an example)

Remember, the more famous/popular the material, the better, but obscure is better than nothing.

[Ormond]

Don't know if they are famous enough for you, but in terms of #4

Sharon Shinn's Samaria series:

http://www.sharonshinn.net/HTML/samaria.html

R. A. MacAvoy's Trio for Lute trilogy:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/402058.A_Trio_for_Lute

Danielle Trussoni's Angelology:

http://www.amazon.com/Angelology-A-Novel-Series/dp/0143118463

[Larry of the Lawn]

Incomplete Angelology reading here:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/81455-larrys-angels-larry-reads-angelology/?fromsearch=1

[HexMachina]

The Authority and Metatron both die in His Dark Materials, which as a 15(?) year old your character would probably have read. Angels/religion are also pretty heavy, especially in the final book.

Ferro, Bayaz, Jezal, Logen, The Navigator in TFL.

I'm not aware how copyright works on these things. If you are going to be referencing such works throughout you should probably.check out what the Copyright laws are.

[Denvek]

Given that any examples of number 6 will by their very nature be spoilers, I'm going to tag this one as such

Mistborn: The Final Empire where the Lord Ruler turns out to not be the bad guy, and has in fact been fighting against the true evil

Discworld probably has examples of a number of those, although the examples of #5 I'm thinking of (Small Gods and Hogfather) are about preventing the relevant god/anthropomorphic personification from dying.

[SpaceChampion]

Fionavar Tapestry (trilogy) - Guy Gavriel Kay - 5 Canadians from the '70s are invited to Fionavar, the first of all the worlds.

The inn called the Black Boar is where several important scenes take place, and you can say the friendly setting is a catalyst for one of the five's leveling up; and later another character even shouts "For the honour of the Black Boar!" riding into battle, especially at the climax of his story.

[Eponine]

#5 Shardik

#6 The Dark Tower? I don't know that the antagonist is of less importance, but he turns out to be really impotent and easy to defeat.

[Kikajon]

#3: Example of fantasy literature where an inn is central or catalyst to the plot.

i think Treasure Island could count as it all starts at the Inn "Admiral Benbow"..

[Buckwheat]

Could AGOT count for number 3? Cat takes Tyrion captive in the inn at the crossroads.

[lady narcissa]

For #1, the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. There are five children over the course of five books. Three siblings are in the first and third books, a lone boy is in the second, the lone boy and another lone boy are in the fourth and all five come together in the final book.

Also E. Nesbit's Five Children series - Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, and The Story of the Amulet.

For #2, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.

For spoiler purposes I won't say exactly which categories it covers but for sure you should read Lev Grossman's Magicians series as it covers a few of them and has some similarities with what you want to do with your series.

[Rorshach]

There's The Name of the Wind, where Kvothe the innkeeper tells the story. Central inn, I'd say.

Oh, and denstorebog, I'd be interested in knowing what your books are called. Norwegians can read danish, you know ;)

[The Marquis de Leech]

#1: Example of fantasy literature that centers around a party/fellowship of exactly 5 members. (The party doesn't have to have exactly 5 members at all times, but should at least consist of 5 members to begin with.)

#2: Same as above, but with exactly 3 members. (I'm already referencing Harry Potter since he, Ron and Hermione form a central group despite having lots of groupies along for the ride.)

#3: Example of fantasy literature where an inn is central or catalyst to the plot. Bonus points if the inn has a name. (Example: The Inn Of The Last Home in Dragonlance: Chronicles.)

#4: Example of fantasy literature where angels play a central role

#5: Example of fantasy literature where a god is killed or has died

#6: Example of fantasy literature where the true evil / antagonist reveals him/her/itself late in the story, and the presumed ditto turns out to be of less importance than expected.

#7: Example of fantasy literature where, upon returning home near the end, the protagonist discovers that the home has undergone a change / something unexpected has happened there (Frodo and his friends realizing that Bag End will always be different to them is an example)

Remember, the more famous/popular the material, the better, but obscure is better than nothing.

1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (has five Gentlemen Bastards in the book's present).

2. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (party of three witches)

3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Prancing Pony is certainly a catalyst for the plot, since it is where they meet Aragorn).

4. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

6. Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock

7. Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. The reverse of LOTR though, since the protagonist has his adventure at home, then leaves.

[The Marquis de Leech]

#3: Example of fantasy literature where an inn is central or catalyst to the plot.

i think Treasure Island could count as it all starts at the Inn "Admiral Benbow"..

Treasure Island isn't fantasy. Otherwise Canterbury Tales counts.

[Larry of the Lawn]

#3 ASOIAF the Inn where Cat finds Tyrion, Sandor and Arya encounter the Tickler, etc.

[The Marquis de Leech]

Another god dying one is The Second Apocalypse by R. Scott Bakker.

[OnionAhaiReborn]

#5 American Gods

[rondo has three heads]

I just want to say this is a very cool idea, however I find it odd that you are seeking the most famous examples possible? I feel like this would appeal (obviously) to fantasy connoisseurs, who would likely roll their eyes at repetitive LOTR/Narnia references, while lesser known works would earn bonus points and make the character a more impressive nerd.

[The Marquis de Leech]

It's occurred to me that with the possible exception of the inn one, Doctor Who would provide examples of all of them. A shame it's science fiction and TV, since it is suitably nerdy.

[SpaceChampion]

Goodreads has a list.

ETA: Ok, I misunderstood and assumed you wanted to focus on portal fantasies in which people from our world go through to a secondary world.

[denstorebog]

So much good stuff in one thread, can't breathe ...

There's The Name of the Wind, where Kvothe the innkeeper tells the story. Central inn, I'd say.

Oh, and denstorebog, I'd be interested in knowing what your books are called. Norwegians can read danish, you know ;)

Sent you a PM.

I just want to say this is a very cool idea, however I find it odd that you are seeking the most famous examples possible? I feel like this would appeal (obviously) to fantasy connoisseurs, who would likely roll their eyes at repetitive LOTR/Narnia references, while lesser known works would earn bonus points and make the character a more impressive nerd.

This is a very conscious decision; Danish young adults (and even adult readers) are not as likely to have heard of upcoming or obscure UK/US writers even if they are nerds. That said, I'm making sure there are references at different levels so there's something for everyone; in particular I'm going to start out with pretty mainstream references to establish the gimmick, then widen the field as the story progresses and the reader catches on.

For spoiler purposes I won't say exactly which categories it covers but for sure you should read Lev Grossman's Magicians series as it covers a few of them and has some similarities with what you want to do with your series.

I became aware of LG's series after I started writing mine, but I'm fine with it given that the books are in different languages. Actually, the inspiration for the gimmick came from "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao", which isn't fantasy and doesn't use fantasy references in any constructive way, but where the main character becomes enamored with the genre as a form of escapism, and where there's the occasional reference to Dragonlance and Magic cards.

Thanks for the help so far, and feel free to keep 'em coming. I'll be back with more requests.