Into the Forest discussion

Here is the place to discuss retellings, traditional tales, or books inspired by the mythology, folklore, or fairy tales with the theme Quests!

I do hope to see rec's for this. I generally do not like the theme! But I did like Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky which def. fits.

Cheryl wrote: "I do hope to see rec's for this. I generally do not like the theme! But I did like Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky which def. fits."

I am also looking forward to suggestions, not a fan of quests either...

I just realized that Tolkin's Lord of the Rings series works here, and The Hobbit! Tolkin based these books on anglo saxon/germanic myth and folklore.

Michele wrote: "I just realized that Tolkin's Lord of the Rings series works here, and The Hobbit! Tolkin based these books on anglo saxon/germanic myth and folklore."

Definitely!

I think Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit would fit here, and might be good for people who don't particularly like quests. Good characters!

(Ozsaur wrote: "I think Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit would fit here, and might be good for people who don't particularly like quests. Good characters!" It's also avl. on the OpenLibrary.org archive.)

Michele wrote: "I just realized that Tolkin's Lord of the Rings series works here, and The Hobbit! Tolkin based these books on anglo saxon/germanic myth and folklore."

Truly my favorite books in the world.
I need a new quest book! LOL

I am thinking of reading Nettle & Bone for quest. There is a mention of quest in the synopsis. Do you think it fits?

Yes, Nettle & Bone definitely fits Quest. It's also really good!

Yep, I concur with Ozsaur!

Here are some others that would work. Sorry, I and my entire family have RSV so I've fallen behind on giving recs for each category.

The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi, comes out next year, is very quest-driven, based on Nigerian folklore.

The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings, two kids on a quest to save New Orleans, African American folklore.

Spear by Nicola Griffith, queer Arthurian retelling, gorgeous writing

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, Pre-Colombian folklore, Crow God reborn, first book in a series (2 published so far)

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, YA Korean myth retelling.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, Chinese myth retelling, first book in a completed duology

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, YA retelling of Wild Swans mixed with Chinese folklore. First book in a series.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix, contemporary Arthurian legend retelling

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mayan myth, historical fantasy

The Darkest Part of the Forest, a stand alone YA contemporary fantasy, one of my favorites by Holly Black.

In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente, layers upon layers of quests and storytelling, continues to be my personal favorite of her novels.

I'm sure I'm missing a ton I've read and enjoyed! It's interesting some of you don't like this category. It seems like a pretty easy one? I do prefer books that subvert quest format, or give me something unexpected.

Thank you Ozsaur and Margaret!
I guess I had a restricted view of what a quest "is", so I was only considering books that fit with The Lord of the Rings type of quest story. I now realise you can find plenty of quest subplots in books I have actually read and enjoyed!
A few of those you mentioned are on my TBR Margaret, thank you! :)

Not sure what RSV is, but I 'm guessing you have been sick? Sorry if that's the case! Hope you are getting better!

Happy holidays everyone! (In a: "I hope you are getting some time off from work even if you don't have a religious holiday" kind of way! :) )

Margaret, so sorry you and your family are sick. Take care!

Happy Holidays to all, and warmest wishes especially to those who are ill!

I'm thinking of rereading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, a Newbery Honoree for Middle Grade/Young teen readers.

Margaret, best wishes for speedy recovery for you and your family.

And happy holidays to everyone 🙂.

Margaret, I hope you and your family recover ASAP!
Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!

Andy wrote: "Thank you Ozsaur and Margaret!
I guess I had a restricted view of what a quest "is", so I was only considering books that fit with The Lord of the Rings type of quest story. I now realise..."

Ha, I consider the quest theme to be the main plot line in all the books I listed!

Thanks for the well wishes everyone! I'm still pretty miserable, but everyone else is better, and I'm on the mend!

RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus. It's pretty common, tends to affect kids the worst, but my immune system is pretty terrible.

Happy holidays! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

Margaret wrote: "Andy wrote: "Thank you Ozsaur and Margaret!
I guess I had a restricted view of what a quest "is", so I was only considering books that fit with The Lord of the Rings type of quest story. ..."

I'm glad you are on the mend! Sorry to hear it is taking so long! (Children's diseases can be nasty!)

I read The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea for this section and loved it!
Thank you so much Margaret for recommending it!

Jalilah wrote: "I read The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea for this section and loved it!
Thank you so much Margaret for recommending it!"

I'm so happy you liked it Jalilah! I thought it was an adorable book! :)

Jalilah wrote: "I read The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea for this section and loved it!
Thank you so much Margaret for recommending it!"

You're welcome! So glad you enjoyed it!

For this category I finished another, yet completely unplanned, Slavic-inspired book "Chąśba" by Polish author Katarzyna Puzyńska, but it would fit the bill also for "Descent into underworld" or "Pact with Devil". It is one of the rare books in which both Slavic Spirits and Pagan Gods play an important part. The book's structure is also very experimental.

The story is about a ragtag group discovering secrets of their rural society. Strzebor wants to uncover the reason behind his wife's murder (despite of big age gap he really loved her, Boromira was bigger than life kind of person :) ) .Zamir, a mercenary, is tasked with the recovery of the stolen shield of Jarowit (The god of Spring Jarowit is, but his anger is terrifying and he doesn't forgive). And Dobrowoja, an adoptive mother, does everything to protect, to save her disabled son. Let's not forget about Mora (view spoiler)[ Marzanna, goddess of Winter and Death in the book (hide spoiler)]

Well, I wound up rereading The Hobbit for another group, and of course it qualifies. And is very much worthy of a reread!

Cheryl wrote: "Well, I wound up rereading The Hobbit for another group, and of course it qualifies. And is very much worthy of a reread!"

That one is always a delight!

I just read Moses Ose Utomi's debut novella The Lies of the Ajungo. It is not quite the typical quest story one might expect, but is a more reflective, fableistic fantasy and I really enjoyed it very much!

Erin wrote: "I just read Moses Ose Utomi's debut novella The Lies of the Ajungo. It is not quite the typical quest story one might expect, but is a more reflective, fableistic fantasy and I really enjoyed it ve..."

I used that one for this challenge too.

When I picked it up from the library, I was surprised it was so short. Somehow, I hadn't realized it was a novella but I think the length suited the story perfectly. It's a book I'll definitely remember for a long while to come.

Erin wrote: "When I picked it up from the library, I was surprised it was so short. Somehow, I hadn't realized it was a novella but I think the length suited the story perfectly. It's a book I'll definitely rem..."

I agree! It's just the right length.

What do you all think of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries? I am reading it now. While I would not have initially thought of it as having a quest theme, as I read on there are several quests in it

Jalilah wrote: "What do you all think of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries? I am reading it now. While I would not have initially thought of it as having a quest theme, as I read on there are ..."

There are definitely at least a couple of quests in there! :) Hope you like it!

I used it for one of the free choices as found family.

Jalilah wrote: "What do you all think of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries? I am reading it now. While I would not have initially thought of it as having a quest theme, as I read on there are ..."

It would definitely work for quests!

Andy wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "What do you all think of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries? I am reading it now. While I would not have initially thought of it as having a quest theme, as I re..."

That’s a good idea!

Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "What do you all think of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries? I am reading it now. While I would not have initially thought of it as having a quest theme, as I re..."

Great, I’ll count it was my second quest book! I loved it! I wish the sequel was out!

I read A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow and gave it 4.25 stars.

This was a very clever take on the sleeping beauty trope that successfully melded modernism and classic fairy tale themes and was just the right length.

I read The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, as part of my Percy Jackson re-read (in preparation for the release of The Chalice of the Gods!). This book plays with the story of the Odyssey, and involves a quest to rescue a lost friend. It's probably my least favorite of the series, but it has a lot of fun moments, and imo is still well crafted.

Hannah wrote: "I read The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, as part of my Percy Jackson re-read (in preparation for the release of The Chalice of the Gods!). This book plays with the s..."

A fun series!

I’d planned to read 2 books for this category but now I’ve read a third River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta. It just fits this prompt so well I had to include it!