For me, a truly good story not only has an amazing world, characters that I believe in and connect with, and a plot that hooks me by both head and heart and won’t let go, it also inspires me.

It may be through the overarching theme of the story, through the decisions characters make or the code they live by, or simply through the way they react to the choices thrust upon them, but something about the story encourages me, makes me want to be better, to be more. It leaves me with a desire to think through and wrestle with the issues or questions the story presents.

If I were to try to list all the stories that have inspired me in this way over the years, the list would be long and contain many stories beautiful, heartrending, and beautifully heartrending.

So, for the sake of all our time, I decided to limit this post to only the most recent stories that have inspired me in some way over the past two – three months.

Black Panther

This film was beautiful and breathtaking and so well done in so many ways. T’Challa and Shuri’s sibling relationship was one of my favorite parts. And I love that the women of Wakanda were all so unique in their strength and that their strength was assumed and accepted by other characters—so often in stories, the challenge of a strong woman is that she must prove and prove and prove herself again. The fact that the women of Wakanda were welcomed in their strengths allowed them to enter and move through the story as 3-dimensional characters.

I came away struck with the question that the characters struggled with throughout the movie: What is the responsibility of those who have much toward those who are oppressed and downtrodden?

I think it’s a question we should all ask ourselves in light of Biblical principles of justice for the oppressed, freedom for the captives, and aid for the downtrodden. The question itself is only a starting place. But without a starting place, nothing can be done.

The Last Unicorn
by Peter S. Beagle

This book. *sigh* I just started rereading it recently and found myself immediately pulled alongside the last unicorn on her journey through a world that has forgotten unicorns existed.

It’s been a few years since I last read it, and while I enjoyed it then, I didn’t love it. Now, I am struck by just how deep and beautiful and philosophical, and therefore marvelously fairy-tale, the story is.

It gives us marvelous gems like this beautiful quotes:

Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.”

And also this one …

I think love is stronger than habits or circumstances. I think it is possible to keep yourself for someone for a long time and still remember why you were waiting when she comes at last.”

I am always inspired by deep stories. Ones that are interwoven with meaning beneath the surface. Ones that inspire questions and make you think on your own. And The Last Unicorn is exactly such a tale.

Evaporation of Sofi Snow
by Mary Weber

I read this YA novel a few months ago, but the next book in the duology is releasing soon, and I’m really looking forward to reading it! It takes place in an imaginative sci-fi futuristic world where alien tech allows for virtual reality games that blur the lines between virtual and reality.

This book also touches on the issue of human trafficking – Mary Weber doesn’t shy away from tough topics. And I’m glad she doesn’t, because the reality of human trafficking is horrendous, shocking, and heartbreaking, and it needs to be stopped.

Sometimes a story helps the truth to sink in a little deeper. Recently, I’ve discovered more and more ministries and organizations combating human trafficking and working to help survivors find hope and restoration. If you haven’t looked into it, I encourage you to do just that, find out how you can be more aware and even help the cause.

And, as a part of her upcoming release for Reclaiming Shilo Snow (March 6^th!), Mary Weber has started a donation campaign for one such organization, A21. You can find out more about that campaign here. 

The Stormlight Archive
by Brandon Sanderson

You guys are probably so tired of hearing me talk about this series. *sheepish grin* After this, I promise not to mention it for at least … a week. Okay. Maybe more.

In the Stormlight Archives, the Knights Radiant are powered people formed around a set of ideals that vary depending on the order of knights, other than the first ideal, “Life before death; strength before weakness; journey before destination.” The gist of that ideal is that the way the knights live is important and their powers place a greater responsibility on them to strive toward a higher code of living.

Throughout the stories, characters wrestle with ideals of honor, integrity, justice, and truth. They stumble and fall. They make the wrong decisions for understandable reasons. They fail. They rise again.

As a concept, honor isn’t really talked about much in modern American society. But I grew up on tales of honor and nobility, so it’s a character quality that I have always hoped to imitate. And an epic fantasy story full of philosophical musings and questions to get you thinking, really, what could be better?

(Yes, we fantasy readers like deep thoughts too! Surprised? I hope not. I certainly don’t recommend getting your theology from fantasy stories, but I do think the best stories inspire deep thought.)

So there you have it! Now, it’s your turn!

• What are some of the most recent stories that have inspired you?
• What makes a truly good story in your mind?
• What types of stories or aspects of stories inspire you most?

I recommend reading this post curled up in a comfy chair with a warm blanket, the lights on, the doors locked, and a weapon close to hand. Because we are venturing into creepy territory here, my friends, where there be monsters …

Really, this post is going to be so much fun! Fantasy, legend, and mythology alike are populated with all sorts of incredible creatures and terrifying monsters. I’m planning a list on favorite fantasy creatures (of the less monstrous sort) from some favorite novels, so be looking forward to reading that one eventually—whenever I happen to get around to it, of course.

But in the meantime, this list is dedicated to my favorite fantasy creatures of a more unsavory nature.

Narrowing this list down from the horde of monsters and evil creatures that populate the pages of fantasy novels was no easy task. It is by no means complete, so I hope you’ll join the conversation and weigh in with some of your favorites at the end!

1. The Nazgul

Of course, I simply had to start with a Lord of the Rings reference. (You all know where my loyalties lie.) The Nazgul—Fell Riders of the Air, Black Riders, the Nine, Ringwraiths, really they have so many names—were absolutely terrifying to me when I first read the Lord of the Rings. Terrifying and fascinating, so of course, I turned to the Silmarillion to learn more about them.

Before they fell, they were kings, mighty men, sorcerers, and warriors who became ensnared by the very thing that gave them power.

And they became forever invisible, save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgul were they, the Ringwraiths, the Enemy’s most terrible servants; darkness went with them and they cried with the voices of death.”

– Silmarillion

One of the aspects of the Nazgul that didn’t really make it into the movies was the “Black Breath.” Instead of swooping down to destroy trebuchets and snatch people from the walls, like in the movies, the Nazgul’s attack in the book was much more subtle and deadly.

The Nazgul came again, and as their Dark Lord now grew and put forth his strength, so their voices, which uttered only his will and his malice, were filled with evil and horror. Ever they circled above the City, like vultures that expect their fill of doomed men’s flesh … At length, even the stout-hearted would fling themselves to the ground as the hidden menace passed over them, or they would stand, letting their weapons fall from nerveless hands while into their minds a blackness came, and they thought no more of war, but only of hiding and crawling, and of death.”

– The Return of the King

And those who suffered under the shadow of the Nazgul for long came down with an illness that the people of Gondor called the “Black Shadow,” and it often proved fatal. Faramir, Merry, and Eowyn all fell under the Black Shadow, offering Aragorn the opportunity to step in as Healer … and King of Gondor. (One of my many favorite chapters in The Return of the King.)

2. Dementors

These things. *shudder* The dementors from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series are creepy, hooded and cloaked, gliding, wraith-like creatures that like to suck away happiness. Delightful, right?

Side note: I will never understand why the Ministry of Magic thought that it would be a good idea to employ dementors to guard Azkaban … or to send them to Hogwarts (a school for kids) to hunt for Sirius Black?

Um … dangerous much?

Yeah, I’ll take my chances with the “murderous” wizard who escaped from the inescapable prison over the soul-draining monsters, thank you very much.

Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can’t see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you.”

– Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Don’t know about you, but that’s the stuff of nightmares right there.

3. The Raven Steed

Yes, I’m doing it again, throwing creatures from my own books into these lists. *grins* Well, it is a list of my favorites, so it stands to reason, right?

If you haven’t read Songkeeper yet, minor SPOILER alert, but the Takhran rides through the Pit on a steed that is half horse and half raven.

Sounds cool, right?

Flanked by a dozen Khelari, the Takhran was mounted on a massive black steed with the head, beak, and wings of a raven, and the muscled body of a horse, on the far edge of the flickering circle of light.”

– Songkeeper

The Takhran’s steed jerked its neck and snorted. Its beak clipped the air only inches from her head. Corded muscles stood out along its chest and deep-cut hindquarters, and an iron collar encircled its neck, visible through the feather-like strands of its mane.”

– Songkeeper

Also, slightly creepy …

Surrounded by the slain, the steed’s nature as a carrion beast revealed itself in its snuffling breath, rasping voice, and the taut lines in its outstretched neck. It took a little hop-skip toward the nearest corpse, but a harsh word from the Takhran bade it be still.”

– Songkeeper

Unfortunately, the raven steed only gets a little bit of page time, which makes me kind of sad. Because as creepy as it may be … I still think it is cool!

If there are any wonderfully artistic people out there who would like to try their hand at recreating an image of the raven steed, I love fan art. *hint hint* If I had any artistic ability at all, I would love to create a picture of this creature. Sadly, my only artistic ability lies with words. But I have the highest respect (and envy) for those with skills in the visual arts.

4. The Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree

No list of fantasy monsters would be complete without mention of these deadly beasts from Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga. They are, in fact, cows with gifted with a fearsome nature and hideous toothiness.

A crashing noise came from the forest, the sound of something large and moving fast. Leeli and Janner were too terrified to move. They saw through the knot of trees a dark creature the size of a horse—bounding directly toward Tink.”

– On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

That’s right. Toothy cows are highly ferocious beasts prone to chasing down prey, pouncing, and devouring them with excessive … toothiness.

He whipped his head around in time to see the fearsome cow bearing down on him, its long teeth bared, its girth trembling.”

– On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

But the best description comes from the footnotes—yes, the books have footnotes! How awesome is that?

In it, Bloge describes the cows as being ‘squarish in frame, with a moist snout and eyes that at first appear dull as a bowl of mud. But woe to that man who considers not the lethal potential in that bovinial thrump. In those yellowish sabers that protrude from its lippy mouth! How I wish my dear Molly had not spurned my warnings of the toothy cow’s cunning and thew, ere that thoothed brute devoured her!”

– On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

Yet another monster I will be endeavoring to avoid ….

Side note: There’s a fantastic short film based on the Wingfeather Saga that was just released! The artwork is beautiful, the music is simply gorgeous, and yes, they even included the footnotes. You can watch it FOR FREE here!

5. Ungoliant

In a ravine she lived, and took shape as a spider of monstrous form, weaving her black webs in a cleft of the mountains. There she sucked up all light she could find, and spun it forth again in dark nets of strangling gloom, until no light more could come to her abode; and she was famished.”

– Silmarillion

I’m guessing that Tolkien really wasn’t a fan of spiders, and honestly, who could blame him? I almost put Shelob on this list, but really, Ungoliant from the Silmarillion is about a hundred times worse! Even Melkor (about a hundred times worse than Sauron) was afraid of her, so you can bet she’s one monster that I wouldn’t want to tangle with.

Then the Unlight of Ungoliant rose up even to the roots of the Trees, and Melkor sprang upon the mound and with his black spear he smote each Tree to its core, wounded them deep, and their sap poured forth as it were their blood, and was spilled upon the ground. But Ungoliant sucked it up, and going then from Tree to Tree, she set her black beak to their wounds, till they were drained; and the poison of Death that was in her went into their tissues and withered them, root, branch, and leaf, and they dried.”

Consumed by a never ending desire for more, she devours all things beautiful and lovely and belches forth a hideous darkness. She destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor, enabling Melkor to break in and steal the Silmarils, and essentially launching the Noldor headfirst into all the horrors that followed: the Oath of Feanor and his sons, the Flight of the Noldor, the Kinslaying at Alqualonde.

Although no hero arises to defeat Ungoliant, the Silmarillion hints at her end. A fitting—if horrifying—end, really. It’s rumored that her unending hunger eventually led her to devour herself …

And the world heaved a sigh of relief. No tears shed for Ungoliant.

6. Chimera

Chimeras are mythical beasts that can be found in many a legend or fantasy tale, but this specific one is another Songkeeper monster. (Apparently, I went crazy on the monsters included in the second book of the Songkeeper Chronicles.)

Amos McElhenny is known—by himself and others—as the great Amos McElhenny, so of course, he needed a monster to fight that was worthy of standing face to face with a legend.

Enter the chimera. If you google “chimera,” you’ll most likely see that it’s a creature from Greek mythology that typically has the head of a lion at the end of its neck, the head of a goat sprouting on a second neck from its back, and a tail that ends in the head of a snake. Occasionally, you’ll see it with wings, or with all three heads sprouting from its chest.

That’s the version I decided to go with.

Out of the tunnel came a beast of nightmare. To be sure, it had stalked his dreams since that fateful night when he first braved the horrors of the tunnels, but night terrors were nothing compared to seeing such a monster again in the flesh. Three heads joined at the shoulders above a massive muscled chest. In the middle, it had the head of a lion, flanked by the head of a long-horned goat on one side and a fanged serpent on the other. Hunched back with knobs of spine jutting like blades. Long, strong forelimbs. Short, squat hindlimbs. Body covered in patches of scales, hides, and tufts of fur.”

– Songkeeper

There’s a simply delicious fight scene that takes place after that … but I won’t give any more spoilers. Suffice it to say that scene was one of the most exciting, intense, (and fun) fight scenes I’ve written. I wrote it in one sitting, about three hours from start to finish, and that scene made it almost wholly unchanged into the finished product.

The goat head bleated. Amos would have died before admitting that the bleat of a goat could sound menacing, but the utter wrongness of the sound from such a beast made his hackles rise.”

– Songkeeper

Yeah. I’m with you Amos.

I actually have a funny (embarrassing?) story about being caught off-guard by an unexpected goat bleat once … if you’re dying to hear what it is, ask and I’ll share it in the comments. ;)

7. Koloss

Of course, this list simply had to include these monstrous creatures from The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Blue-skinned, red-eyed “humanoid” creatures that range from human sized with baggy skin, to massive monsters whose skin stretches and splits because of the size of their form.

One large creature—its skin revoltingly split and cracked by stretch marks—led a few medium-sized beasts, whose bleeding rips were only beginning to appear at the corners of their mouths and the edges of their eyes. A smattering of smaller creatures—their baggy skin loose and sagging beneath their eyes and arms—accompanied their betters.”

– The Well of Ascension

They were created by the Lord Ruler to help him conquer the world and can be “controlled” to a point by Allomancers. Of course, uncontrolled koloss—or ones controlled by an enemy—are destruction unleashed and prone to killing anything in their path.

She climbed it, retreating slightly as the creatures surrounded her again. They crawled over the corpses of their fallen brethren, rage frothing in their blood-drop eyes. Human soldiers would have given up, going to seek easier fights. The koloss, however, seemed to multiply as she fought the, others hearing the sounds of battle and coming to join them.”

– The Well of Ascension

As with most of Sanderson’s works, even what you “think” you know about the koloss is overturned and expanded as the series goes on, so I won’t say too much more, because SPOILERS. Suffice it to say, these are not the sort of creatures you’d like to casually run across, particularly not when they’re in a blood rage. Although they are pleasant conversationalists …

“We are not koloss,” the lead koloss suddenly said, turning to Elend as they walked.

Elend frowned. “Explain.”

“You think we are koloss,” it said through lips that stretched too tightly to work properly “We are humans. We will live in your city. We will kill you, and we will take all.”

– The Well of Ascension

Your Turn!

Of course, the list could continue on and on! Tolkien’s Uruk-Hai, particularly Ugluk, certainly belong in this list, also the Steel Inquisitors from the Final Empire Trilogy—yeah, talk about creepy!—and the Cauldron Born from The Prydain Chronicles, and about a dozen others, but in the interest of time, it’s probably best to stop there and turn the conversation over to y’all!

What are some of your favorite fantasy monsters?