Creating Memorable Fantasy Companions Ask fantasy readers what they remember most about their favourite book, and they’ll often surprise you. It usually isn’t the final battle. It isn’t the magic system. It isn’t even the villain. It’s the companions. The people who travelled together, argued together, laughed together, and somehow survived one another long enough to save the world. Great fantasy isn’t built around a single hero. It’s built around relationships. Perfect Heroes Are Forgettable Perfection is difficult to relate to. Characters who never make mistakes, never disagree, and always know exactly what to do can be admirable. They can also be rather dull. Readers connect with flaws. They remember the knight whose honour gets him into trouble. The mage whose curiosity occasionally outruns his common sense. The thief who insists every locked door is simply an invitation. Imperfections make characters feel human. Every Companion Needs a Disti...
The Origins of Barric the Barbarian When people hear the words barbarian and fantasy , they tend to imagine the same character. Towering muscles. A gigantic axe. Very little conversation. And, if we’re being honest, not an enormous amount of thinking. I wondered what would happen if I kept the muscles… …but changed almost everything else. The First Thing I Knew About Barric Before I knew what Barric looked like, I knew what he was doing. He wasn’t fighting. He was reading. The image made me laugh. A mountain of a man quietly absorbed in a book while everyone around him prepared for battle. The axe could wait. He hadn’t finished the chapter. From that moment, Barric’s personality almost wrote itself. Strength Doesn’t Have to Be Loud Fantasy often equates strength with aggression. I’ve never believed that. The strongest people I’ve known have usually been the calmest. They don’t need to prove themselves. Barric became an exploration of t...