“Tough Traveling” is a weekly Thursday feature created by Nathan at Review Barn where participants make a new list each week based on The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones. This hilarious little book cheerfully pokes fun at the most prevalent tropes in fantasy. All are welcome to take part, and there is a link up over at his site. Join in any time!
This week’s trope is MOMS:
Everyone has a mother. Including people in fantasyland. Just in time to be slightly early for Mother’s Day.
Moms. Can’t be born without them, amirite? But in all seriousness, there are a ton of badass mothers in SFF and personally I think that’s how it should be. Parenthood looks really hard, man! Here are some ladies who make being a mother look bad ass:
 Molly Weasley – The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
There’s so much to love about Molly Weasley. She’s just a classic mom, you know? Knitting horrible sweaters, making her children wear awful dress robes, etc. And between her seven children, she’s had to deal with a truly unbelievable amount of shenanigans. Plus there is her most famous line…say it with me now: “NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!” #badassmom alert! |
 Alanna – Saga series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona StaplesContinuing the #badassmom trend, we have Alanna. She was pregnant on the run, she gave birth on the run, and now she’s raising her daughter Hazel on the run. From intergalactic assassins. Pretty epic. Now those of you who’ve read Vol. 4 probably remember that Alanna has made some pretty major parenting mistakes; she is by no means perfect. But when you get down to it, she would do absolutely anything for Hazel – and that’s some seriously good motherhood juju. |
 Elena Michaels – The Otherworld series/universe by Kelley ArmstrongIt’s hard to talk about Elena’s #badassmom status without spoiling the books, so suffice it to say that she has some INSANE multitasking skills. She has at least three crucial jobs, and motherhood is one of them. Elena may get busy with her werewolf business, but she never loses sight of the most important thing: her family. Plus, Kate and Logan are the most adorable werewolf baby/children/beings ever. |
 Penryn’s mom – Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee
Sadly, not all moms are created equal – and Penryn’s mom leaves a lot to be desired. Interestingly enough, she’s also the only unnamed mom on this list (she is unnamed, right guys?!). She’s a complex character, ranging from almost villain to fierce protector. She definitely has her #badassmom moments…and some more generally “bad” moments. Of course, she is suffering from a debilitating mental illness so it’s hard to know how much blame to lay at her feet. I have a lot of compassion for her, but I understand Penryn’s frustration. |