Guest Post by Rabia Gale – Beyond Farm Boys: Different Kinds of Fantasy Protagonists
Siri Paulson here. I’m excited to introduce you to Rabia Gale. As a fellow indie SF&F author, she’s good at thinking outside the box, and she’s here to discuss books that do exactly that… The good-hearted farm boy (or sheep farmer’s daughter or assistant pig keeper) destined to save the world is a fantasy staple. And as much as we love these wide-eyed youngsters and enjoy their journeys, it’s nice to see a different kind of fantasy protagonist from time to time. Someone, say, who is not as much of a blank slate or fantasy trope. Luckily for us, the genre has grown enough to include a more varied cast. Let’s dig in and see what other sorts of leading men and women fantasy has to offer us. The Older Protagonist Time was that the only role an older person could play in a fantasy was that of Wise Mentor. Now, people beyond the age of thirty can find themselves in starring roles. Such is the case with Master Li in Barry Hughart’s fantastic China-inspired Bridge of Birds and Sam Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.