Welcome! We’re so glad you could make it, it’s wonderful to see you again. Come on in, we’re just waiting on a couple more guests for our Literary Dinner Party!

Ok, we’re not really having a dinner party, more’s the pity, but it’s Wyrd and Wonder month and we thought it would be fun to join in Time For Tea And Tales‘ blogger tag, as suggested by Imyril.

We’ve had a think, and here’s who we’d like to see at our dinner party…

One character who can cook/likes to cook

Nils:

Mihali – he was a chef in the Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan, and his food held power!

Beth:

I have a sweet tooth, so I’d invite the selkie from Anna Smith Spark’s The Court of Broken Knives, just to make her curd cakes!

One character who has money to fund the party

Nils:

Locke from The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. He’s a thief, a pretty devious one at that, and so he hoarded a lot of money, more money than he could possibly spend! We’d have such a lavish party with him funding it!

T.O.:

The Warden from Daniel Polansky’s Low Town – I mean, he’s a drug dealer, he must have access to loads of money.

Beth:

I’d invite Prince Cuinn from Lisa Cassidy’s A Tale of Stars and Shadows – he’s a prince, so pretty wealthy, and used to throwing lavish parties!

One character who might cause a scene

Nils:

Glokta from The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. He seethes in bitterness and anger, and his quick witted quips at people would be sure to cause a scene!

T.O.:

Marith from Anna Smith Spark’s The Court of Broken Knives.  Fickle and charismatic there is never any knowing what he will do, just a certainty that someone will be very upset by it.

Julia:

Corin Hayes from Silent City by G. R. Mathews. He’s a broken, mostly drunk man who does try to do the right thing, but usually ends up in big trouble anyway. He much prefers to be left alone, so putting him in a situation like this would sooner or later end in chaos.

One character who is funny/amusing

Beth:

Moog, Nicholas Eames’ wizard from Kings of the Wyld, always made me laugh, but I’m not sure if he’d be a wise choice for a dinner party guest…

Nils:

Jochan Piety who is from Priest of Bones by Peter McLean. Jochan has no etiquette when it comes to formal dining, and he swears a ton – he’d be my ideal guest!

Julia:

Dandelion from the Witcher who can sing a song to keep everyone entertained and slightly annoyed.

One character who is super social/popular

T.O.:

Jalan Kendeth from The Red Queen’s War trilogy, by Mark Lawrence – though with a tendency to be selectively social, and not so popular with the husbands of the women he is sociable and popular with.

Beth:

I’d invite Mareth from D. P Woolliscroft’s Kingshold; he’s a charming bard, and pretty good at making friends wherever he goes.

One villain

T.O.:

Gorthaur (later to be known as Sauron) who – before he lost his body in the fall of Numenor – was a physically charming and entertaining character so he would keep everyone amused even if he ended up owning all our rings at the end of the party. (Nils: Ooh good choice, Theo!)

Nils:

Asroth from the Of Blood and Bone series by John Gwynne. He may be a dastardly villain, set on destroying and conquering all, but he liked cheese, and so do I!

One couple – doesn’t have to be romantic

T.O.:

Thomas and Marya Senlin from Josiah Bancroft’s Tower of Babel quadrology- because, after three books of them being separated and with the fourth eagerly (but patiently awaited) I am desperate for this couple to be reunited in their tragically postponed honeymoon.

Julia:

Crys and Ash from the Godblind trilogy by Anna Stephens. Because they are one of the few couples I actually rooted for instead being annoyed by whining and pining and because they sure would make for interesting dinner conversation…

One hero/heroine

T.O.:

Essun from N.K. Jemsin’s Fifth Season. Powerful, driven, she is as many layered a heroine as the sedimentary rocks she manipulated.

Nils:

January from The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. January has visited many fantastical worlds, she’d have some amazing stories to tell.

Julia:

Lady Trent from A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. She’s high class so she’d be fine with a formal dinner, but she doesn’t really care about what society thinks a lady should do. Her witty remarks would definitely make for entertaining discussion.

One underappreciated character

Nils:

Tormalin from The Winnowing Flame trilogy. He really does his best to help everyone, and sometimes makes things worse, or complains a lot, but he’s actually very sweet. He’d be very entertaining.

T.O.:

(any of the) Fabians from Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of time.  OK he/they is a spider, but spiders are underappreciated anyway.  As a male in the ferociously matriarchal arachnid social structure, he/they are consistently discriminated against and even physically threatened by their society – which makes for an illuminating gender flip with human history.

One character of your own choosing

T.O.:

Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings because she knows/experienced EVERYTHING. She’s Feanor’s niece, she saw the two trees in Valinor before Melkor destroyed them.  She lived through the wars of the Silmarillion and all the ages of Middle Earth. She should have a few after dinner stories to tell.

Nils:

Storm from The Faithful and the Fallen quartet by John Gwynne. Ok, technically Storm is a wolf, but I can always slip her food under the table if there is any I don’t like!

Beth:

I’d invite Wydrin from Jen Williams’ The Copper Cat trilogy. I bet she’d have some excellent stories, and I can rely on her to smuggle some rum in to the party.

We’re calling on some friends to host their own dinner parties!
Fantasy Faction, The Fantasy Inn and Weather-Drifter – who would you invite??