{"id":30280,"date":"2015-10-16T06:30:20","date_gmt":"2015-10-15T17:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=30280"},"modified":"2015-10-15T23:45:56","modified_gmt":"2015-10-15T10:45:56","slug":"sf-signal-mind-meld-who-has-your-back-when-monsters-attack-i-field-an-all-heroines-dream-team-but-theres-moar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2015\/10\/16\/sf-signal-mind-meld-who-has-your-back-when-monsters-attack-i-field-an-all-heroines-dream-team-but-theres-moar\/","title":{"rendered":"SF Signal Mind Meld: &#8220;Who Has Your Back When Monsters Attack?&#8221; &#8212; I Field An All-Heroines Dream Team, But There&#8217;s MOAR!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2015\/03\/29\/whats-coming-up-plus-fun-links-from-the-week\/mindmeld-thumb-300x225\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-28624\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-28624\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MindMeld-thumb-300x225-150x112.jpg\" alt=\"MindMeld-thumb-300x225\" width=\"150\" height=\"112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MindMeld-thumb-300x225-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MindMeld-thumb-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>I had a lot of fun writing my contribution to the latest <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfsignal.com\/archives\/2015\/10\/mind-meld-back-monsters-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\">SF Signal Mind Meld<\/a>, addressing the very important question of\u00a0 &#8220;Who Has Your Back When Monsters Attack?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Because I am posting the regular <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfsignal.com\/archives\/2015\/10\/helen-lowe-fantasy-heroines-rock-world-eowyn-rohan-lord-rings\/\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Fantasy Heroines That Rock My World&#8221;<\/a> guest series on SF Signal right now, I <em>&#8220;felt consistency required that I put together an All-Heroines Dream Team.&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0 So I did just that&#8212;and am sure there&#8217;s no need to assure you that my team kicks butt and takes names in the best heroines style.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30281\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2015\/10\/16\/sf-signal-mind-meld-who-has-your-back-when-monsters-attack-i-field-an-all-heroines-dream-team-but-theres-moar\/agatha-heterodyne\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-30281\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30281\" class=\" wp-image-30281\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Agatha-Heterodyne-213x300.jpg\" alt=\"Agatha Heterodyne -- Girl Genius (\u00a9 Studio Foglio)\" width=\"190\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Agatha-Heterodyne-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Agatha-Heterodyne-106x150.jpg 106w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Agatha-Heterodyne.jpg 674w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-30281\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Agatha Heterodyne &#8212; Girl Genius (\u00a9 Studio Foglio)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>You can check out who (altho&#8217; the pic is a giveaway for one member of the team&#8230;), and how, as well as all the other Mind Meld contributions, by clicking on:<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfsignal.com\/archives\/2015\/10\/mind-meld-back-monsters-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\">Who Has Your Back When Monsters Attack?<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>But it doesn&#8217;t end there. I had so much fun putting together my All-Heroines team for SF Signal that I thought I should go the extra mile and field an All-Heroes team here today. So here goes:<\/p>\n<div class=\"mmQuestion\">\n<p><strong>The SF Signal premise: Who Has Your Back when Monsters Attack &#8212; <em>We all know the monsters are coming, whether they are zombies, vampires, orcs, dragons, or aliens. They are coming: it is known. So who would you want by your side when they arrive?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/06\/13\/award-watch-the-gemmell-awards\/legend_book_cover\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6166\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-6166\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Legend_Book_Cover-87x150.jpg\" alt=\"Legend_Book_Cover\" width=\"87\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Legend_Book_Cover-87x150.jpg 87w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Legend_Book_Cover-175x300.jpg 175w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Legend_Book_Cover.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 87px) 100vw, 87px\" \/><\/a>The very first name that sprang to mind for my All-Heroes team was instantaneous: it had to be <strong>Druss<\/strong>, the legendary axeman from David Gemmell&#8217;s <em><strong>Legend<\/strong><\/em>. Druss might be getting a bit long in the tooth, but he&#8217;s still a powerful fighter&#8212;and one who has fought almost every enemy going and prevailed. He also has considerable field experience, but more than this, he has Snaga, the axe of legend. Definitely a case of monsters beware!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2012\/12\/13\/my-favourite-epic-fantasy-series\/gardens_of_the_moon\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17623\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-17623\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Gardens_of_the_Moon-88x150.jpg\" alt=\"Gardens_of_the_Moon\" width=\"88\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Gardens_of_the_Moon-88x150.jpg 88w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Gardens_of_the_Moon-177x300.jpg 177w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Gardens_of_the_Moon.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 88px) 100vw, 88px\" \/><\/a>Druss is tough, but as with my All-Heroines team he&#8217;ll need a company to back him up. And given no one knows quite what monsters will manifest, or in what order, if not all at once, I think the team needs a battle mage&#8212;and I can&#8217;t think of anyone better than Ben Adaephon Delat, better known as <strong>Quick Ben<\/strong>, mage for the 9th Squad Bridgeburners in the Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson.) Powerful, clever, and devious, Quick Ben is definitely the mage for\u00a0 a tight corner, or when facing overwhelming odds. After all, this is the mage who took down an entire phalanx of K&#8217;chain Nha&#8217;ruk in <strong><em>The Bonehunters <\/em><\/strong>(Malazan 6.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/07\/10\/six-great-heroes-of-epic-fantasy-part-2\/dragonbane\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6695\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-6695\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Dragonbane-88x150.jpg\" alt=\"Dragonbane\" width=\"88\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Dragonbane-88x150.jpg 88w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Dragonbane-177x300.jpg 177w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Dragonbane.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 88px) 100vw, 88px\" \/><\/a>Those monsters might include dragons, though, so even with Druss&#8217;s axe and Quick Ben&#8217;s magic, the team could still use a proven dragonslayer. In which case, they had better have <strong>John Aversin<\/strong>, the dragonsbane from Barbara Hambly&#8217;s book of the same name. John may be a knight, but he also has considerable intellectual curiosity and is a man who thinks outside the square, qualities that are important as courage and ability with weapons&#8212;both of which John has, too&#8212;when facing opponents with unknown capabilities and powers.\u00a0 Like several members of the All-Heroines team, John Aversin also has a strong moral compass, which can be as vital as magic and weaponry when facing overwhelming supernatural odds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30284\" style=\"width: 142px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2015\/10\/16\/sf-signal-mind-meld-who-has-your-back-when-monsters-attack-i-field-an-all-heroines-dream-team-but-theres-moar\/david-tennant-doctor-who-1\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-30284\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30284\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-30284\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/david-tennant-doctor-who-1-132x150.jpg\" alt=\"David Tennant as the 10th Dr Who\" width=\"132\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/david-tennant-doctor-who-1-132x150.jpg 132w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/david-tennant-doctor-who-1-265x300.jpg 265w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/david-tennant-doctor-who-1.jpg 271w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 132px) 100vw, 132px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-30284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Tennant; 10th Dr Who<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The possibility of aliens in the mix means the team needs additional diversity in its skill set&#8212;in fact, I&#8217;m pretty sure it needs the Doctor! <strong>Dr Who<\/strong>, that is, complete with time-travelling Tardis and sonic screwdriver.\u00a0 He may be a little whacky, but like John Aversin he can be relied upon to think outside the square\u00a0 and save the day when the aliens-and-monsters chips are down. He&#8217;s more than a dab hand at dealing with evile angels as well&#8230;Plus the Tardis would be invaluable for when the team needs to beat a hasty retreat&#8212;ahead of regrouping, of course!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2015\/09\/20\/sf-signal-giveaway-reminder\/gatheringoflost_new_small\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-30087\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-30087\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/GatheringofLost_new_small-94x150.jpg\" alt=\"GatheringofLost_new_small\" width=\"94\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/GatheringofLost_new_small-94x150.jpg 94w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/GatheringofLost_new_small.jpg 187w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 94px) 100vw, 94px\" \/><\/a>As with the All-Heroines Dream Team, I am going to include one of my own characters&#8212;not least because, like both Druss and the character in the SF Signal Mind Meld, he sprang instantly to mind. The fifth and final member of the All-Heroes Shining Company is <strong>Raven<\/strong>, the hedge knight from <em>The Gathering Of The Lost<\/em>. Harder-edged than John Aversin, he&#8217;s as adept with weapons as both the Dragonsbane and Druss, while bringing considerable tactical leadership to the team. And like his opposite number in the All-Heroines team he appears to be immune to magic&#8212;very useful when facing an assortment of monsters and supernatural nasties.<\/p>\n<p>Personally, though, looking at our All-Heroes lineup of <strong>Druss<\/strong> the Legend; mage-extraordinaire, <strong>Quick Ben<\/strong> of the Bridgeburners; <strong>John Aversin<\/strong> the Dragonsbane; <strong>Dr Who<\/strong>; and <strong>Raven<\/strong>&#8212;I dunno for sure, but somehow I doubt those monster hordes are goin&#8217; to dare show up at all, let alone stick around. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><br \/>\nBut don&#8217;t forget, to check out the awesome that is the All-Heroines Dream Team and the rest of the Mind Meld fun, click on:<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfsignal.com\/archives\/2015\/10\/mind-meld-back-monsters-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\">Who Has Your Back When Monsters Attack?<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I had a lot of fun writing my contribution to the latest SF Signal Mind Meld, addressing the very important question of\u00a0 &#8220;Who Has Your Back When Monsters Attack?&#8221; Because I am posting the regular &#8220;Fantasy Heroines That Rock My World&#8221; guest series on SF Signal right now, I &#8220;felt consistency required that I put [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-funstuff","category-sf-signal-guest-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30280"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30294,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30280\/revisions\/30294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}