  Fantasy
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"With the personifications of his destiny to guide and aid him, the hero goes forward in his adventure until he comes to the "threshold guardian" at the entrance to the zone of magnified power. Such custodians bound the world in four directions - also up and down - standing for the limits of the hero's present sphere, or life horizon. Beyond them is darkness, the unknown and danger; just as beyond the parental watch is danger to the infant and beyond the protection of his society danger to the members of the tribe. The usual person is more than content, he is even proud, to remain within the indicated bounds, and popular belief gives him every reason to fear so much as the first step into the unexplored."
-Joseph Campbell, Hero With a Thousand Faces |
| ASIN: 1945043032 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 13.94
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A Hero's Journey: Crossing the First Threshold
The hero has received the call, the Herald is pushing him forward, and preparations for the journey are complete. The hero is ready to begin—ready to cross the first threshold. “Crossing the first threshold” is the first adventure your hero will encounter. This is the point when the hero leaves the known for the known.
For example, in Star Wars, Luke's threshold occurs when he enters the bar at Mos Eisley with Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's a farm boy with big dreams; sure he's been to the city, but he's never encountered drunken aliens determined to dislike him, or scruffy nerfherderding space pirates charging big bucks for a simple trip to Alderann, or fully trained Jedi Knights willing to defend themselves when necessary.
Once the threshold is crossed, your hero is in a dangerous realm where the old familiar rules and limits are no longer applicable and a new set of rules will have to be learned in order for your hero to survive. Your hero should flounder a bit in this new environment. If things come too easy, then the point of crossing the first threshold is moot; they’re supposed to go beyond their comfort zone for the first time here. They’re supposed to feel disturbed
Joseph Campbell writes:
"The adventure is always and everywhere a passage beyond the veil of the known into the unknown; the powers that watch at the boundary are dangerous; to deal with them is risky; yet for anyone with competence and courage the danger fades."
Harry Potter's threshold in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone might be considered his entrance to the magical shopping area of Diagon Alley. At his point, all bets are off; brooms fly, books bite, dragon liver is on sale, and a wooden stick with a phoenix feather inside will perform wondrous magic. He feels awestruck and lost in this world; all the more so when meeting Draco Malfoy for the first time who makes him realize how ignorant he is of his parents and his own heritage.
This is the point in your story when you almost have to rein yourself in. If you're like me you tend to describe everything new so that the reader gets a good picture, but too much description can take away the immediacy of the moment. Then again, keeping the description interesting won't hurt either, as long as your readers are carried away with your hero into a strange new world; smelling, tasting, seeing, touching, and hearing all the unique experiences that it offers.
Questions to help frame this step:
 What world is being left; what world is being entered?
What or who is guarding the threshold?
What obstacles must the hero overcome to truly begin the journey? (limits of home or society, limits of personality, limits of perception, physical limits?)
What events cause the person to cross the threshold?
What is the threshold and how does the person cross it? |
Submitted items:
 Erin's Fantasy Book of the Month
| ASIN: 0375814663 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.76
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Aly, the precocious teenage daughter of the King's Champion, finds herself up to her eyebrows in trouble when she runs away from home and gets sold into slavery. Lucky for her a local god is looking out for her. Or is she lucky at all? The god's wager might just put her and those she cares about at risk.
This is a young adult fantasy novel that I picked up on a whim a few months ago. Fairly well written, though extremely wordy at times and way too many characters to keep track of. |
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| ASIN: 1542722411 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
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From: nomlet  
Oooh, I always get excited by the interviews! Thanks for the peek "beneath the bonnet," as I imagine they might say in eastern England.
I still find it interesting (it used to  me) that there are fantasy fans who don't care for Tolkien's writing. I suppose it depends on how you're introduced to the genre. |
| ASIN: 197380364X |
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Amazon's Price: $ 15.99
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Fantasy: January 24, 2007 Issue [#1502]
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