Genre: Historical fantasy

Two Druidic swords cross in a Gallic clearing, unleashing a dome of magic which lifts three cohorts of first century Roman soldiers and “one puir lone Celt” into a world not their own: a place of magic, fanatical religious beliefs and Byzantine politics. In this first book of a four-novel, fish-out-of-water series, the Romans attempt to cling to their own identity while surviving the political, social, religious and physical battlefields of their new home.

Protagonist: Much of the burden falls on Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, a junior tribune in Caesar's legions, who abruptly inherits total responsibility for his displaced men. To keep his men together, he must maintain their Roman culture and fighting skills, so that they can successfully capture a place in this strange world. He must also negotiate on their behalf in an empire wracked by bureaucracy, cutthroat politics and civil war.

Conflict: Scaurus doesn't have to look far for conflict. In addition to conventional battlefields, he weaves a tricky path through the politics, religious fanaticism and social unrest of the empire. If that were not challenge enough, he also attracts the personal enmity of the warrior-wizard Ashram, who makes Darth Vadar look like a nice guy.

Labyrinth (Movie) Jim Hensen, 1986.

Genre: Fairy tale

Sarah gets exactly what she wishes for and she's not sure she likes it. Stuck at home, babysitting her wailing baby brother, she wishes the Goblins would take him away. They comply. Conscience-struck, Sarah begs to have her brother back. The Goblin King gives her 13 hours to complete a quest through a torturous labyrinth to the Goblin castle. If she succeeds in mastering the maze, her brother will be returned. If not, her brother will become a goblin. The story follows her quest.

Protagonist: Sarah starts the action with her initial wish, which prompts the theft of her brother. In the adventure which follows, she attempts to undo that wish by resolving the puzzle of the labyrinth and reclaiming the baby. She is more the master of the labyrinth than even she realizes, until she is forced to confront the Goblin King.

Conflict: Sarah's antagonist is the sleekly sexy Goblin King, as alluring and dangerous a foe as any adolescent girl could desire. For Sarah, the obvious conflict is solving the puzzling labyrinth before time runs out. The misleading maze is filled with puzzles, trap doors, hints of doom, bits of betrayal and oddly ineffectual goblins. real conflict is internal — but that's not the subject of this exercise.

ery, dating back a decade earlier to the transformation of a rural small town into a money-laden tourist trap. The stakes rise as she gets closer to the truth until her life is in danger.

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