Tough Traveling: Law Enforcement
The Thursday feature “Tough Traveling” is the brainchild of Nathan of Review Barn, who has come up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynn Jones. Nathan has invited anyone who is interested to come play along, so be sure to check out the first link for more information.
This week’s tour topic is: Law Enforcement
Seems odd to think that in fantasy cities in which entire economies revolve around crime there is room for the men in blue (or crimson, or whatever). But the law does the best it can, even when faced with magic, mystical creatures, or rogue deities.
Wendy’s Picks
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
Shove over Judge Dredd, when Justice calls her Judges to order, they are unstoppable, bound wholly and unquestioningly to the will of a goddess who sees only black and white.
Mages are a danger to themselves and to the people, which is why the Chantry has placed them in the care of the Templars, though many of those abuse their power out of fear and hatred. Above the Templars stand the Seekers of Truth. But who seeks the Seekers?
Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner
To Goldie Roth and the other children of Jewel, the Blessed Guardians are anything but blessed, and Guardians Comfort and Hope offer anything but.
The Lord Ruler’s order is kept by the Steel Ministry, a priesthood that is less about the spiritual matters than it is about the policing. At the forefront of their enforcement are the fearsome Steel Inquisitors.
The BiblioSanctum 
Oh yes the first one is a good choice! I haven’t read the others I confess. Difficult topic to think about.
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Mostly when it comes to law in fantasy I hate them, but there are a few good guys out there
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The Steel Inquisitors. My goodness they are a scary bunch.
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The Steel Ministry! Of course. Argh. I knew there was an example there, but all I could think of was The Lord Ruler.
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I was a few minutes late to work the other day because I was busy flipping through the pages trying to remember what they were called. Thankfully there is a wiki to fill in the rest of the details once I found the name.
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Ha. Ya, if you want a Sanderson example in a post the research is easy. Fanboys take care of things for you.
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Fandom is good for so many important things.
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Ah, Museum of Thieves! A delightful book (even for someone who does not enjoy YA too much like me), made more delightful by the awesome reading (it was an audiobook) from Claudia Black. And yes, those two Guardians were indeed as far from offering comfort and hope as anyone can! 🙂
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You bet I listened to that audiobook. Claudia Black is incredible. She made me cry for a Brizzlehound!
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I also picked up this book in audio form just for the awesomeness of Claudia Black 😛
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She and Simon Vance can narrate all the things for all I care….. Oh and Kate Reading too. And…. yeah okay I’ll let a few other narrators in there.
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Ugh, those Steel Inquisitors were really, really creepy. Inquisition of any kind is scary enough, but Sanderson really made them intense.
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Thanks Wendy for covering for my slacker ass this week! 😀
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LOL you had a baby. That’s not called slackerness 😛
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I can’t believe I didn’t think of Mistborn!!
I like your inclusion of Gladstone – I’ve just bought a copy of that and seeing all these mentions is very encouraging!!
Lynn 😀
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Three Parts Dead was a a fantastic read!
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Oh, I didn’t think about Three Parts Dead! That is a great book, isn’t it?
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Loved it! It was so off the beaten path. I didn’t enjoy the second as much, which may be partially due to the audiobook narrator, but I still love the world and his writing enough to have picked up the third book.
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I hadn’t heard of the Max Gladstone series until it has shown up a few times peoples lists this week – it sounds pretty fascinating! Museum of thieves also looks fun.
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Nice! I want to read Gladstone sometime! And the Steel Ministry is a great pick.
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Inquistor Glotka from Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law series is a favorite of mine.
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