cornerofmadness

Our Hero. No book is worth the reading without a protagonist of some kind. If the reader doesn’t like your hero/heroine then chances are your story is going to go nowhere. I got this critique recently on one of my fantasy novels. The hero has scored a minor victory, which apparently didn’t sit well with this first reader. A hero who we know can handle danger is less interesting than a hero who's in over his head.

The first thought in my head after whut?? Was I disagree. And I do. Strongly. Captain Kirk, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Buffy Summers, shall I go on? These are heroes who at least can handle danger on one level. I’m sure there are people out there what would argue they’re uninteresting. I think, though, an overwhelming majority would disagree.

Of course, there is a balance that needs to be maintained with a hero and it’s often a hard one to do. If a hero is too good, then we run the risk of Sueism (and I’m sure you could make a case that Kirk and Bond are Stus). On the other hand, at least for me, a hero who is blithering around way over his head can be just as unbelievable. As I type this, I have just finished the first seven episodes of an anime where much of the action could only happen if the hero is clueless. After a while that gets just as old and unbelievable as the Mary Sue.

No, for my part I want to read a hero who is at least able to handle some danger. S/he may not have all the answers. S/he may stumble and even fall, but I don’t feel a hero who has some clue what he or she is doing robs tension from a story. I’m curious as to your take on this.

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