History Literature / TheToughGuideToFantasyland

** Female Tourists captured by bandits or pirates will be sold as slaves in the Other Continent. The enslaved women will be treated well, however, free from beatings, rape and other hardship. While put to work, it will be at a useful skill, and they may even learn Magic. An enemy of their owner will soon raid the villa where the slave now is, and they can escape in the confusion.

* SlaveGalley: If a male character is enslaved, chances are he'll probably wind up chained to an oar in one of these. Jones notes that, since these galleys only ever seem to contain rows of chained-up slaves and nothing in the way of merchandise or soldiers, it's a bit difficult to understand why people keep building them.

* GladiatorGames: The other common fate of male characters who get enslaved.
* GladiatorRevolt: The inevitable consequence of a lead character being enslaved as a gladiator.

* ThievesGuild: They are the most organized body in Fantasyland, with every city having branches that easily communicate to each other, but having independent hierarchies. All kinds of thieves except muggers are in their ranks. They all claim to hate violence, though nonetheless they're proficient fighters. The group is also organized [[WeirdTradeUnion just like a normal guild]], with apprentices, journeymen, masters and a Guildmaster with a name like The Faceless Man or The Gentleman. Heroes will at some point meet with the Guildmaster after being led blindfolder to his lair. His face will be hidden, and he'll have them look after a young thief they've met in return for the Guild's aid. This thief will be a great member of the Tour, and suggested that he is the Guildmaster's son.

* {{Necromancer}}: Necromancy involves summoning a spirit or raising a corpse to ask them questions (more in keeping with the original concept). This is usually something that can only be once, plus dead people are very {{literal minded}}, so care is needed in asking questions.

* TheNecromancer: Necromancy involves summoning a spirit or raising a corpse to ask them questions (more in keeping with the original concept). This is usually something that can only be once, plus dead people are very {{literal minded}}, so care is needed in asking questions.

* FantasticRacism: Xenophobia is something most Peoples express. This is often experienced from the stranger Other Peoples toward humans, given their lack of extra limbs etc. It's mostly just acting patronizing though, rather than sacrificing them or something really bad, and Tourists will find their inferiority hard to argue with when their physical attributes do give them advantages. Ironically, those with the usual number of limbs express this racism by slavery rather than simply condescencion.

* CorruptChurch: The land of the Religious Feudalists is ruled by one of these.

* TheDungAges: Cities in Fantasyland will usually have heaps of refuse, along with being near hovels. Though a certain amount of this makes sense, Jones notes it ''never'' seems to break down. It gets to the point of her inferring that Fantasyland [[ArtisticLicenseBiology must lack insects]], which means it's severely messed up.

* AboutTheAuthor: In the UpdatedRerelease of 2006, there is a section about Diana Wynne Jones at the second last page of the book or so.

* HotWitch: Enchantress and bad Witches use magic to make themselves look more beautiful.

* FantasticRacism: Xenophobia is something most Peoples express. This is often experienced from the stranger Other Peoples toward humans, given their lack of extra limbs etc. It's mostly just acting patronizing though, rather than sacrificing them or something really bad, and Tourists will find their inferiority hard to argue with when their physical attributes do give them advantages. Ironically, those with the usual number of limbs express this racism by slavery rather than simply condescencion.

* VainSorceress: The Enchantress. The Guide outright says "Enchantress" is "another word for seductress, only with more punch".

* FantasticRacism: Xenophobia is something most Peoples express. This is often experienced from the stranger Other Peoples toward humans, given their lack of extra limbs etc. It's mostly just acting patronizing though, rather than sacrificing them or something really bad, and Tourists will find their inferiority hard to argue with when their physical attributes do give them advantages. Ironically, those with the usual number of limbs express this racism by slavery rather than simply condescencion.

* {{Glamour}}: Enchantress use magic which will make them seem more appealing to seduce men.

* DeadUnicornTrope: A sort of gender-based WackyWaysideTribe plot/setting is mentioned, in which while boys do one thing, girls get to bond with dragons. The thing is, that while there are books with female DragonRider characters (i.e. ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern''), there doesn't seem to be any series in which that was an exclusively female activity--it's closer to exclusively male in the Pern books,[[note]]Only the very few gold (queen) dragons exclusively bond with females, and at the start of the series even they don't actually ride (later, and in the past, greens would sometimes bond with women).[[/note]] and the ''Literature/PitDragonChronicles'' likewise features males making that bond, and all of these books were written before the Guide was published. It is worth noting, however, that Jones wrote it after reading umpteen Tolkien-esque, Tolkien-length novels as a judge in a contest. She was probably not referring to any published books when she wrote this.

* DragonRider: Dragons are usually willing to give heroes a lift, especially female ones, whom they appear closer with. Male heroes have to wait longer. In any case, it's risky since dragons still eat people sometimes.

* AmazonBrigade: The Warrior Women, naturally. In fact they're far more overtly masculine than most male soldiers, cursing, boasting and carousing outrageously. Some are [[BrawnHilda very big, hairy women]], but most are slim and beautiful. They're all quite strong and definitely not to be insulted. Even so, they're possible to befriend. Though the rumor is they're all lesbians, often the women end up having sex with Tourists, whether male or female (it's apparently quite good).

* MageTower: Nealy all towers are owned by Wizards. They are located in Waste Areas, standing alone, round, without doors, few windows and built from entirely smooth stones which make climbing them very difficult. A powerful spell, along with a guardian Demon, will protect it against intruders. Black towers are owned by evil Wizards, blue, white or red by Good and neutral ones. The evil ones cause a blight in the surrounding area for miles around, so their presence be detected long before they're seen. At least once on a Tour, one will need to be broken into. Often an Amulet or Talisman is used to open it. However, Tourists may have to force entry from the roof. They are {{bigger on the inside}}, with many spells harrying any intruders that have made it in. One central spell which controls all this can stop the rest, and in most cases be disabled simply through hacking it with swords. A final confrontation against the demon follows, and (if Evil) the Wizard too. If Good or netural, the Wizard will be in apparently enchanted sleep which takes days to wake up from.

* MagicalIncantation: Chanting and rhymes are often required to work spells, often lasting for hours on end.

* DeadpanSnarker: Jones' commentary and descriptions are full of dry, sarcastic digs at the "Management" being incompetent hacks who muck up characterization, plot, world building and can't even get basic real world facts that apply (e.g. about horses not being like bicycles, which she snarkily explains due to supposedly a result of Fantasyland ones breeding via pollination).