Troll Bridge Response

This week I read "Troll Bridge" by Terry Pratchett. I really enjoyed it! The world was very traditionally fantasy, just like Lord of the Rings or Dragon Quest. And the story itself subverted my expectations in a good way!

Speaking of subverting expectations, Cohen is not your typical hero. Considering that this story is a comedy similar to Monty Python, that makes sense. We know he's a hero because of the things he's done in the past, but throughout this story Cohen doesn't actually change at all. And typically, fantasy heroes fight some giant monster and save a princess, but Cohen doesn't do any of that. In fact, the troll he comes across, Mica, actually befriends Cohen. The entire story revolves around them talking about their everyday lives. One of the biggest changes a classic hero goes through is leaving the everyday life behind. Cohen just talks about his life and his past, he doesn't experience any new perspective on life.

It's a nice change of pace in my opinion. I love classic hero journeys, and I even write classic hero journeys too, but something about subverting that arc and making a parody out of it is funny to me. Although I am a sucker for comedies. I'd love to read The Colour of Magic sometime!

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