Infographic: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Movies Related to The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books, and I was thinking about the movie version. It struck me that many of the actors in “The Lord of the Rings” also appear in other speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy & horror) movies. Hugo Weaving plays Elrond, but he’s also Agent Smith in “The Matrix”. Christopher Lee plays Saruman, but also appears in “Star Wars” and billions of other movies. You get the idea.

Then I recalled the Six Degrees of Separation theory. So, starting from the Tolkien fan epicenter that is “The Lord of the Rings”, I plotted out how tightly connected by their actors speculative fiction movie are. Below is an infographic that shows an initial answer. I intentionally limited the scope of my inquiry. One could easily expand the network to be more inclusive.

Instructions:
1. Click on the image below to expand the infographic. If it’s still too small, use the View-Zoom In feature of your web browser.
2. Start in the center at “The Lord of the Rings” & “The Hobbit”. Move either right or left to the actor of your choice. Then keep moving horizontally right (or left) to see how these actors link to other speculative fiction movies, and so on. For example, Karl Urban played Eomer in “The Lord of the Rings”. He was also in “Star Trek”, as was Zoe Saldana. She was in “Avatar”, as was Sam Worthington.  And Sam was in “Clash of the Titans”.

Caveats:
1. I don’t doubt that there are mistakes or omissions. There is no need to email me and remind me of my fallibility. There is no money-back guarantee. Well, since this is free, I guess I can offer a full refund if you’re not fully satisfied.
2. A single asterisk denotes that I couldn’t help myself, and included a few select TV shows. Whatcha gonna do?
3. A double asterisk denotes that I couldn’t help myself, and included a few non-speculative fiction movies. So sue me.
4. As in any network, there can be more than one path to get from one node (movie) to another. I’ve just shown single paths.
5. This infographic is in NO way represented as exhaustive, although creating it was exhausting.
6. If you enjoy it, kindly Retweet (@Nimpentoad) or otherwise share the link with friends you think would appreciate it (or send it to enemies who would not appreciate it, but who you wish to annoy).

Click on the image below to expand it.

Children’s, Fantasy and SciFi book titles with one letter missing

Periodically, certain hashtags surge in popularity. A recent hashtag that generated some clever responses was #bookswithaletter missing. Some notable tweets for children’s books, fantasy and science fiction were:

Liver Twist: a Dickensian Cookbook by @harpercollins

Harry Otter and the Chamber of Secrets: the story of a young otter who finds a secret swimming pool by @prof_minerva

Watership Don: The Mafia, bunny style by @ellenkushner

The Fellowship of the Rig: Smokey, the Bandit and Rubber Duck on a dramatic cross-country convoy to stop Sauron by @kurtbusiek

A Wrinkle in Tim: one man’s battle against sun damage by @mackidsbooks

Conan the Babarian: Thief. Reaver. Kindly elephant monarch by @kurtbusiek. Bonus points for mashing up two different books.

The Andromeda Stain: in which an extraterrestrial organism makes laundry unbearable by @starstew

Storm of Words: the epic fantasy novel in which Walder Frey gives the King in the North a stern talking to by @scotttbartlett

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fir: The story of a young boy’s love for trees by @prof_minerva

Charlie and the Chocolate Factor: poverty-stricken youth enters Cadbury-sponsored reality TV talent show by @willmchoebag

Where the Wild Thins Are: Sendak’s study of the behavioral habits of starved supermodels in New York City by @zeldawilliams

Harlotte’s Web: E.B. White’s tale of one illiterate prostitutes journey to secure herself a better clientele by @zeldawilliams

Harold and the Purple Rayon: A cherubic boy reckons with the reality of synthetic fabric by @danielpink

If that wasn’t fun enough, the guys at @darth used the power of PhotoShop to make the following hilarious book covers (also with one letter missing). Well done!

10 Famous Weapons from Children’s Books

When we think about children’s books, we think in terms of interesting characters and compelling stories. So while the focus of children’s books is not on weapons, some of the tales taking place in fantasy settings, have magical weapons that play an important part of the story. After all, T.H. White’s ‘The Sword in the Stone’ might have been a rather dull book if Arthur was never able to draw Excalibur from the stone. Compiled below are some famous weapons from children’s books.

Captain Hook’s Hook

The villain in J.M. Barrie’s book ‘Peter Pan’ is the demented Captain Hook. He is played by Dustin Hoffman in the movie version by Amblin Entertainment & TriStar Pictures ‘Hook’.

The Huntsman’s Axe

One of the heroes from Grimms’ Fairy Tales is the Huntsman. He is played by Chris Hemsworth in the movie version by Roth Films & Universal Pictures ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’. Disney’s 1937 version was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.

Betameche’s Pocket Knife

One of Arthur’s helpers in Luc Besson’s book ‘Arthur and the Minimoys’ is the diminutive but unquenchable Prince Betameche. He has an amazing multi-function pocket knife. Betameche is voiced by Jimmy Fallon in the movie version by EuropaCorp & Avalanche Productions ‘Arthur and the Invisibles’.

The Ice Queen’s Chariot

The villain in C.S. Lewis’ book ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ is the powerful Ice Queen. She has two swords, can turn opponents to stone, and rides in a war chariot pulled by polar bears. She is played by Tilda Swinton in the movie version by Walt Disney Pictures & Walden Media ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’.

Inigo Montoya’s Sword

One of Prince Westley’s allies in William Goldman’s book ‘The Princess Bride’ is the tragic Inigo Montoya, famous for telling the sword-stealing murderer of his father, “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” He is played by Mandy Patinkin in the movie version by Act III Communications & Buttercup Films Ltd.

Bilbo’s Sting

The hero of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ is the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who finds the elf dagger Sting in a troll hoard, and uses it to good effect in protecting his dwarf companions as they journey to the Lonely Mountain to face Smaug the dragon. He is played by Martin Freeman in the movie version by New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer & WingNut Films ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’.

The Wicked Witch of the West’s Broom

The villain in L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ is the Wicked Witch of the West. Her magical broom enables her to fly, and she also uses it to spread fire and smoke. She is played by Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 movie version by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer & Loew’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Katniss’ Bow

The hero of Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’ is Katniss Everdeen, who is a highly proficient archer. At the capitol, she acquires a high-tech bow and arrow set. She is played by Jennifer Lawrence in the movie version by Lion’s Gate & Color Force.

Master Lightning Bolt of Zeus

The hero Percy Jackson of Rick Riordan’s ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians’ is the son of the Greek God Zeus, and must recover the stolen lightning bolt of Zeus. He is played by Logan Lerman in the movie version by Fox 2000 Pictures, 1492 Pictures & Big Screen Productions ‘Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief’.

Harry Potter’s Magic Wand

The hero of J.K. Rowlings’ ‘Harry Potter’ series is the boy wizard Harry Potter. Harry’s magic wand enables him to cast spells. He is played by Daniel Radcliffe in the movie series by Warner Bros., Heyday Films & 1492 Pictures, the first of which is ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’.

Classic Quotes from The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride has a (deservedly) big following, in part from a great cast (see below), but also from some terrific quotes.

Cary Elwes … Westley
Mandy Patinkin … Inigo Montoya
Christopher Guest … Count Tyrone Rugen
Wallace Shawn … Vizzini
André the Giant … Fezzik (as Andre the Giant)
Fred Savage … The Grandson
Robin Wright … The Princess Bride
Peter Falk … The Grandfather / Narrator
Carol Kane … Valerie
Billy Crystal … Miracle Max

The Grandson: A book? 

Grandpa: That’s right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today I’m gonna read it to you.
The Grandson: Has it got any sports in it?
Grandpa: Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…
The Grandson: Doesn’t sound too bad. I’ll try to stay awake.
Grandpa: Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.

—–

Inigo Montoya: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Count Rugen: Stop saying that!

—–

Man in Black: [as he is unsuccessfully fighting Fezzik] Look, are you just fiddling around with me or what?
Fezzik: I just want you to feel you’re doing well.

—–

Westley: We are men of action, lies do not become us.

—–

Inigo Montoya: You are sure nobody’s follow’ us?
Vizzini: As I told you, it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable. No one in Guilder knows what we’ve done, and no one in Florin could have gotten here so fast. – Out of curiosity, why do you ask?
Inigo Montoya: No reason. It’s only… I just happened to look behind us and something is there.

—–

Vizzini: HE DIDN’T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

—–

Inigo Montoya: I donna suppose you could speed things up?
Man in Black: If you’re in such a hurry, you could lower a rope or a tree branch or find something useful to do.
Inigo Montoya: I could do that. I have some rope up here, but I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you.
Man in Black: That does put a damper on our relationship.

—–

Inigo Montoya: You are ready then?
Man in Black: Whether I am or not, you’ve been more than fair.
Inigo Montoya: [drawing his sword] You seem a decent fellow… I hate to kill you.
Man in Black: You seem a decent fellow… I hate to die.

—–

[fencing]
Inigo Montoya: You are wonderful.
Man in Black: Thank you; I’ve worked hard to become so.
Inigo Montoya: I admit it, you are better than I am.
Man in Black: Then why are you smiling?
Inigo Montoya: Because I know something you don’t know.
Man in Black: And what is that?
Inigo Montoya: I… am not left-handed.
[Moves his sword to his right hand and gains an advantage]
Man in Black: You are amazing.
Inigo Montoya: I ought to be, after 20 years.
Man in Black: Oh, there’s something I ought to tell you.
Inigo Montoya: Tell me.
Man in Black: I’m not left-handed either.
[Moves his sword to his right hand and regains his advantage]

—–

Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right… and who is dead.
Vizzini: But it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy’s? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’ve made your decision then?
Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.
Vizzini: Wait till I get going! Now, where was I?
Man in Black: Australia.
Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder’s origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’re just stalling now.
Vizzini: You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? You’ve beaten my giant, which means you’re exceptionally strong, so you could’ve put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you’ve also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

—–

Vizzini: I can’t compete with you physically, and you’re no match for my brains.
Man in Black: You’re that smart?
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons. (Henry’s personal favorite quote)

—–

Miracle Max: Have fun stormin’ da castle.
Valerie: Think it’ll work?
Miracle Max: It would take a miracle.

—–

Inigo Montoya: But, I promise I will not kill you until you reach the top.
Man in Black: That’s VERY comforting, but I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait.
Inigo Montoya: I hate waiting. I could give you my word as a Spaniard.
Man in Black: No good. I’ve known too many Spaniards.
Inigo Montoya: Isn’t there any way you trust me?
Man in Black: Nothing comes to mind.
Inigo Montoya: I swear on the soul of my father, Domingo Montoya, you will reach the top alive.
Man in Black: Throw me the rope.

—–

Grandpa: Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The End.