StanleyWheeler

 

I want to talk about some fun characters, but first there's this review by youtube sensation Zach Johnson. A while back I provided him with copies of the first three books of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series. In this video, he only shows the first book, but he's talking about the first three.

Yes. Yes. We know this series is fantastic. I would like to discuss some of the characters from the series, and some characters from my other books as well.

Let me start with the first character of my first book. The protagonist from Justice in Season, a western set in  1860's Idaho Territory, was based on an actual person. In fact, many of the events in the book are fictionalized versions of some historical events. The historical figure wrote his own history in which we tend to see him in a positive light only, full of courage and determination. In crafting the fictional character, Victor McBride, I tried to preserve the courage and determination while furnishing him with a new background which also revealed fears and uncertainties. I think he may be all the braver for overcoming the fear and the trouble of his past. Most of the characters in Justice in Season and the sequel Justice Resurgent were fun to imagine and create. Some of them are based on historical persons while others are pure fiction. They were all fictionalized. A couple other favorite and prominent characters are Vaughn, the easy going poet and friend of McBride; and Harmony Rivers, the local singing sensation and object of the evil sheriff's infatuation.

In Threading the Rude Eye, (Book 1 of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series) we meet the protagonist Alex as a young man with a fiance and big plans. His plans are on hold until he can complete his indenture. He has a pronounced sense of justice and high hopes for his future. The revolution against empire unexpectedly slops over into his little world, completely altering his future and destroying all for which he had hoped. If not an opposite to McBride, Alex is certainly different. His fears and uncertainties threaten to control him. Unlike McBride who willingly rose to fight against evil, Alex has the fight thrust upon him. Alex's is not so much a story of vengeance as it is one of discovering the right course and committing to that course. His growth through the series isn't entirely linear. Initially, he has a lot to learn and a short time to learn it. At least he has a mentor in Jonathan to help him in the early stages of the adventure. 

Iago and Atu are a couple of interesting characters, and are the first ones we meet in Threading the Rude Eye. Atu is a Pacific islander. His attire consists of a loincloth and a knife, with a total body cover of tattoos. He can be a bit loquacious and speaks like a British lord. Atu is teamed with Iago, the little man from Portugal. Iago doesn't speak. He communicates via a unique sign language which only Atu understands because the language is based upon Atu's tattoos. Iago makes the decisions and Atu provides the muscle. However, they are far from a simple brains and brawn match up. Atu is intelligent, but he defers to the small man for a few reasons--some of which aren't revealed until Book 4 Promise of Carnage and Flame. Iago's limitations and Atu's strengths make them a compatible and sympathetic pair. They are both tenacious and resourceful.

Akira is from Japan, but has become a successful businessman in England. In Threading the Rude Eye, we find him with one party of dragon hunters sent by King George III to procure a dragon. He may be the smallest in stature in the group of dragon hunters, but his size, good business sense, and store of Japanese proverbs are crucial to the survival of the dragon hunters.

We don't encounter Lee until Book 3, Clamorous Harbingers. He is a backwoods guide but his abilities go beyond that of a simple pathfinder. In his possibles bag he carries a bible and Pope's translation of the Iliad, and he can quote from both of them. One reader told me that she thinks he might be a wizard--which is certainly a cool idea which I will neither confirm nor deny.

There are some other characters, like Frode and Njal from Book 4, Promise of Carnage and Flame, that I wanted to talk about. I'll wait and talk about them, as well as the other dragon hunters at a later time.

One of my favorite characters is from my favorite book Smoke. The protagonist in that noir detective novel is Noah Vale, AKA Duncan Kane. A veteran of WWII, he may suffer from what in our day could be diagnosed as PTSD. Perhaps he gives his heart too easily, and he may not be completely honest with himself about that aspect of his character and his relationships, but he is dedicated and diligent--except to keeping his own house. In difficult situations he can always find guidance in one of the paperback novels he carries. 

Are you familiar with any of these characters? What do you like about them? What characters from other books have intrigued you? Let me know in the comments.