Magic me there?

I've been writing a lot of serious posts recently, so today I have decided to write you a short summary of my favourite fictional ways to travel, which I'll probably update as I think of more. Please leave me your suggestions to be added to this list in the comments!

1. FLOO POWDER

From: The Harry Potter Series

Advantages: Quick, Magical folk only, looks amazing

Disadvantages: Dirty, No muggles (awh!), may deposit you one grate too early, not very environmentally friendly.

Why? I like the idea of being able to step into your fireplace and go wherever you like. There's something wonderfully quaint and mystical about this aspect of floo powder. It's cute without being gimmicky, and as far as I can tell, it's pretty original. 

2. BABYLON CANDLE

From: Stardust 

Advantages: It's really valuable, it can travel long distances ridiculously fast, it can follow imprecise commands like 'take me home' 

Disadvantages: It gets confused and takes you to places you'd really rather not be, it's hard to get hold of, and each candle only has one or two journeys in it. 

Why? The candle is black and for something supposedly good, looks wonderfully evil. Also, the phrase 'travel by candlelight' has a wonderful ring to it. 

3. HEART OF GOLD

From: The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)

Advantages: Beautifully random and eccentric, doesn't have to go through hyperspace, flickers through every point in the Galaxy at once, looks pretty, is filled with wonderfully strange rooms/people/fish. 

Disadvantages: Often appears in very dangerous places, easy to loose when you've misplaced it, vulnerable to the attacks of cricket-robots, not as fast as the bistromath, can't fly and make tea at the same time

Why? This is without doubt the coolest space ship in the universe. It works on the principle of improbability. The whole series refuses to take itself seriously, and as such, is the most hilarious and yet beautiful science-fiction series of all time - and certainly it's only trilogy in five parts. 

4. ASLAN'S BREATH

From: The Silver Chair (6th book of the Narnia Series, C.S. Lewis)

Advantages: Fast, very good view, warm and comfortable, very safe

Disadvantages: Only Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole get to try it out, and even then only once. Also, involves falling off cliffs. 

Why? Although it sounds initially VERY WEIRD, in context, it makes a lot of sense. Aslan is a lion/God, he's sending them on a mission, they're all at the top of a cliff looking over the entire world, so he lets them float to their destination over Narnia on a sort of cloud made of his breath. C.S. Lewis' writing, as usual, is extraordinarily beautiful. Don't start the Narnia series with this book though - the best introduction is the 2nd chronologically, but principle book, the ever famous The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. 

5. DRAGON

From: Everywhere, but I'd like to pick the time Dr Faustus gets to write a dragon with Mephistopheles in Christopher Marlowe's play Dr Faustus.

Advantages: Seriously cool, quite fast, and if you tame them it wouldn't be a bad ride. 

Disadvantages: The scales might make it quite uncomfortably, people run away from you, the dragon may decide to eat you, and it's very hard to steer a dragon. Apparently. 

Why? Again, the cool factor triumphs. Also, Dr Faustus is enjoying the benefits of being seriously evil at this point, which is quite a welcome rescue from wizards in pointy hats jumping on their cute pet dragons etc. I saw a production of Dr Faustus at the Globe where the dragons were these wonderful blackened skeletons, terrifying looking things, the perfect complement to the Jacobean dress and all... It was beautiful, comic, and haunting. Also, the fire-breathing could be quite handy.  

6. NAZGUL

From: Lord of the Rings

Advantages: Fast, powerful shriek, quite hard to kill (a sword through the neck usually does the trick)

Disadvantages: Large size makes it hard to balance on buildings, ugly.

Why? Most of the characters travel by foot, horse or pony in LOTR, which emphasises the human aspect of the epic, but frankly, isn't very exciting. As ever, the baddies, who have no need for the valour of a slog across Middle Earth, get the coolest transport, although the goodies get the best costumes. The Nazgul are horrible, but with all the SFX, they are  also quite spectacular. 

7. T-65 X WING STARFIGHTER
From: Star Wars 

Advantages: Fast, cool navigation & targeting equipment, precise, fits one droid & one human/humanoid, good weapons if you like blowing things up

Disadvantages: Blows up ridiculously easily, no good if you land it in a swamp

Why? Luke Skywalker has one. Also, it's possible to blow up the Death Star with one of these, as they're very fast and can make quite precise moves. Also, it kind of means unlimited access to any planet in the galaxy. 

8. HAGRID'S MOTORBIKE & THE FORD ANGLIA, also THURSDAY NEXT'S SPORT'S CAR
From: Harry Potter Series & Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair 

Advantages: Technology at its utmost, augmented by magic! Fast, potent, and eccentric.

Disadvantages: Occasionally unreliable, all of them stand out, two of them are dependant on magic

Why? It's a bit retro and  and very effective, and a great way of announcing that you're a trustworthy character.

My inner geek is satisfied.