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The Protagonist Speaks

Interviews with the characters of your favourite books

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Eiric (of A Planet Called Imagine, by N. A. Walker)

Dear readers, tonight with us is an interplanetary settler, from a group of humans which escaped Earth. He’s here to tell us about exploration expeditions with centuries old technology, with survival of the species hanging in the balance.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was one of the first children born after we landed on the planet we named Imagine! Our ‘Generation Ship’ was taken apart to form our habitat, where I lived my first twenty years. My childhood was pretty happy and uneventful. Went to school every day and learned science. Ate meals in the dining hall with the whole community. Worked out in the recreation center in the evenings.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

I really liked the building toys we had in school for our “creativity breaks”. We really didn’t have many toys of our own, because we didn’t have much room in our quarters, especially because I had to share a room with my two younger brothers.

Memories – The only thing that stands out was the day my friend Pritz showed up with a baby Beast that he’d met out on the plains. That was pretty cool. When it grew up Pritz taught me how to ride it!

What was your job?

When I graduated from school I was assigned to Maintenance. It was pretty boring. Changing lightbulbs. Fixing broken toilets – pee-uw! I was glad to get away from that.

What are you doing now?

I’m proud to be part of the first expedition into the mountains since the one twenty years ago when my father died. The colony desperately needs resources, especially metals, so we are following the creek up into the mountains to see if we can find where the ore-bearing stones in the creek are coming from.

What did you first think when you found the remains of the helicopter?

The first thing I thought was that maybe we’d find my father’s corpse in it! I was scared to look. But when we got all the creepers off it, there were no remains there. Also, no clue as to what happened to him.

What was the scariest thing in your adventures?

The first night we were camping out, I started wondering if there were any large predators watching us. Pritz assured us that the Beasts would give us some warning if anything dangerous came close. But I kept glancing over my shoulder when we were sitting around the campfire. But so far, so good!

Continue reading “Eiric (of A Planet Called Imagine, by N. A. Walker)” →
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Caltro Basalt (of the Chasing Graves Trilogy, by Ben Galley)

Dear readers, tonight we have something different. We reprint an interrogation of a protagonist by a border guard. The guard is rightfully suspicious, as the protagonist is a master thief, a selfish drunkard, and as it happens, stone cold dead.

‘Name?’ asked the demanding crow behind the tower-like lectern. Her break of a nose was impressive enough without somebody playing the practical joke of dressing her in feathers.

‘What in the One-Eyed God’s arse-crack is this?’ I spluttered. ‘I’ve already given my name to the port-master—’

‘Name!’ she yelled. ‘No dawdling! By order of the Allmark, refuse to answer and it’ll be the cells for a rancorous ghost like you.’

‘My name is Caltro Basalt. And what a fine welcome home this is, I must say. I sail all this way from the city of Araxes only to be greeted like a leper? I am a free soul, I tell you.’

‘Home, you say?’ The crone sucked on the end of her quill. ‘Where did you grew up?’

‘Taymar, here in Krass, if you insist on knowing my history. Near the mountains of Kold Rift.’

‘Who’s your family?’

‘I have none.’

‘Your people, then! Or are you refusing to answer?’

In my peripheries, I saw stout Krass guards inching closer, looking eager to teach a ghost like me a lesson.  There were many in Krass who were not fond of my kind. Yet all kinds of locks and doors can be opened with a smile. I tried one on.

‘Not in the slightest, scribe. I have no people. I was born to a pair of healers who lived on the wild steppes. They had me late in life to cure their boredom and had the dream of me continuing the family trade. I preferred stealing things instead, you see. It started with my parents’ clothes and trinkets, then food from the village markets. Enjoyed the thrill of it so much I joined a few Taymar gangs to hone my skills and my nerve. Can’t tell you the number of times my father came to retrieve me from the local prisons, spending hard-earned coin on bribes or favours. I was too young to realise I was dragging my parents’ reputations through the mud and towards penury. When I turned twelve, I didn’t think twice about running away. I did it for me, but in a way, it was to give my parents the peace they deserved. My parents both died the winter after. Swelterflux, the letter said, but it was their time. Quick and painless, and their ghosts didn’t rise. They were buried by the Nyx under a lemon tree with a copper coin in each of their mouths, and through guilt I stayed in Taymar for almost a decade.” I was impressed I’d kept my smile. ‘Does that answer your question?’

Continue reading “Caltro Basalt (of the Chasing Graves Trilogy, by Ben Galley)” →
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Ornithez (of Three Shades, by J.D. Grubb)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a vulture, guiding an unwitting a warrior on a quest on the behest of the Wind Maker.

Tell us a little about where you grew up.

I was born upon the wind.

Gliding through the sky, my untrained strength carried by a warm, soft air current, a voice called to me: “Welcome to Rühílawé.”

I turned my unfocused eyes down to see another—one who has been carrying me on his back.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I am.” The voice is like a whisper of the air. “Power.” Thunder rumbled from dark clouds hovering over the span of Oceanus below. My heart shudders. “Presence.” The form of the speaker becomes clearer in my sight. “Unity.” His brown feathers shimmered with sunlight, their white tips translucent. “Breath.” He smiled, gliding playfully up beside me. “Könethel.”

The Wind Maker.

This was my beginning.

From there, he taught me to read the sky and navigate the present. I learned to cherish the shelter of the trees, their firm branches and rough bark the foundation of my rest. I do not hide in the shadows of the woodlands, however. My wilderness is the sky, my perspective keenest from above the cacophonous, cluttered lowlands with all their walkers’ comings and goings. My domain is freer, simpler, and at peace.

Until the dragon came.

The realms above and below collided with war. The sky became dangerous.

“You must leave Rühílawé,” the Wind Maker told me. “I need your eyes elsewhere.”

What do you do now?

I was sent across Oceanus to a land even more tarnished by war. In its northernmost reaches, beyond the Mountains of the Crescent Moon, a dry sandy desert stirred with factions of a warring race. The Wind Maker charged me to observe one particular tribe.

“They are called the Thraz,” the Wind Maker explained. “One day, a warrior will rise from their ranks and see the world clearer than the rest. Befriend and watch over him. You have my sight and an echo of my voice. He will need both.”

Continue reading “Ornithez (of Three Shades, by J.D. Grubb)” →
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Charon Antares (of Bloodstained Skies, by Dagmar Rokita)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a rebellion leader, a shrewd warrior struggling for years to liberate his planet. He’s here to tell us about disastrous missions and conflicting loyalties in the quest to save his people.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born on Zetherion. This planet isn’t a friendly place. The land is covered by dead deserts, and the seas are too salty for many aquatic animals. Basically, the only living organisms you can see here are insects, little reptiles and parched bushes. There are only two sources of potable: very deep wells and melting snow.

We live in caves, houses made of mud bricks or tents. I spent my childhood in a pretty big city. A city with over 70 000 inhabitants is pretty big for this planet. I had a room in a two-story brick house. It was poorly furnished, but also very cozy and warm at night.

My relationship with neighbours was just alright. The Zetherionian folks are stubborn and tough-minded but also helpful. The harsh environment forced us to be like this but I’m proud of this place and these people.

Any cherished childhood memories?

My childhood was completely dull. Wake up, do housework, read some textbooks (since schools weren’t very common) and go to sleep. My father used to live with me but he’s not worth mentioning here. He was nothing more than a flatmate. I was the only child and I’m not sure what happened to my mother. My father said she died during childbirth. There were no doctors in my neighbourhood.

The first memory I can call “cherished” was meeting my cellmates when I was 17. One of them, Khatesios, gave me his blanket and tried to talk with me. I regret fobbing him off. Khaty was the first person there who offered me help.

What do you do now?

I’m fighting for my world, Zetherion. Since I’m the leader of this rebellion unit, I cannot afford to make mistakes. I’m also the owner of the biggest spaceship ever built, so my missions usually focus on space battles and special land operations. I’m used to living in hard conditions too and sometimes I support special land operations. In my opinion, my most important duty is supporting my people, giving them hope and motivation.

Continue reading “Charon Antares (of Bloodstained Skies, by Dagmar Rokita)” →
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Camilla (of Heart of Fire, by Raina Nightingale)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a woman who never believed that humans can’t bond with dragon, and has thought this was just lies spread by elves. She is here to tell us about the unique opportunity presented to her when she found a dragon’s clutch ready to hatch.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

It was one of those Wood Elf communities in Ilesh on that other continent I have to go back to – I don’t remember or care if they had any names! They kept us humans as slaves for generations and generations, and I would rather not talk about it. It was really unfair, because we have such short lives compared to them already, stealing our lives so they can have even more luxury is just atrocious! They deserve what happened to them when the Northern Horror came, but I also sort of wish it hadn’t, because that makes rescuing Mom and freeing my people something that might not happen. If they are all dead.

But the seasons were a lot milder over in Ilesh. I don’t ever want to be in Ilesh again, but I like the seasons there a lot better, especially since the cold hurts Radiance’s wings.

Is there anything about your childhood you can enjoy talking about? Any special memories?

Not really. Because everything reminds me either of those cursed Wood Elf slave masters, or of my Mom and the fact I might not be able to rescue her, and everything that’s lost! I don’t have a lot of really nice memories, but one thing that really helped me at times was I can do this thing only Wood Elves are supposed to be able to do: I can shadowblend, so you don’t really notice me. I wasn’t nearly as good a mage then as I am now, so I couldn’t do it well compared to them, but enough for a moment of quiet sometimes, and enough to make me laugh inside at all that stuff they said about humans being inferior and incapable ….

But a memory I like? Mom showing me Dad’s favorite constellation, the Dolphin. He died in an accident before my brother was even born, so Lavilor never knew him at all, and I don’t remember him very well. That’s about all I have of him. So it’s sad, but also special.

What are you doing right now?

Right now, Radiance is carrying a clutch of eggs, so we have to wait for her to lay those and for them to hatch before we go off and do anything. We can’t even fly off to find  the potential riders for her eggs! It’s really unnatural, by the way. Dragons shouldn’t  have to hatch until they want to, and the only reason these do is because those cursed Wood Elf life-mages changed them! But we want our hatchlings to be able to choose riders who are suited for them, unlike so many others, so other Dragonriders are helping to gather as many children and young people as we can for when the eggs are ready.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

That I wish it had never happened, though maybe it was a good thing and showed me that I’m not really ready, so I can become ready. But I do not know, and I do not want to talk about it.

What did you first think when you saw the Wizard-King?

Oh, so you know about  that somehow? Because that really is the thing I do not want to talk about! But, I guess I’ll give you an answer anyways, though who let that out? Or was that me? Seriously, how many people know about that? Did my scream reach everyone? Oh no!

He looks dead. Not just looks dead, but feels dead, too. Not he. It.

Continue reading “Camilla (of Heart of Fire, by Raina Nightingale)” →
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Aurelia Peri (of Of Starlight and Bone, by Emily Layne)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a young woman, dealing with the stigmas of being part machine and adopted by the galaxy’s most powerful man. Working as an agent of law enforcement and investigating a murder, she is here to talk about uncovering a secret of crimes and darkness hidden in the depths of the galaxy.

Tell us a little about growing up in the Ancora Federation, an entirely different galaxy from the one we know. What was it like there?

I grew up on planet that was beautiful and structured—but not all were like mine. As the daughter of the General-in-Chief—think of your president, just in a society run by the military—I traveled to many different planets on the “civilized” side of our solar system. Most of my childhood, from age six, was spent on Aurora, the governing planet.

Want to know what it was like? Close your eyes. Imagine the most beautiful landscape your mind can create. What did you see? Wildflowers? Towering pine trees topped with fresh snow? A pristine lake? Or maybe a far-off mountain peak? Or even a futuristic city with the latest technology? Aurora has them all. The natural and architectural wonders are limitless. But those wonders mask so much corruption and so many lies. Or so I came to learn…

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

My memories begin at six-years-old. Everything before that… darkness. The General-in-Chief saved me from a (supposed) wild animal attack that left me near death, paid for the best cyborg surgeons, and then adopted me. While he lavished me with every luxury, my favorite belonging was an earring that he he found with me that fateful day.

 And cherished memory? The day he adopted me, as tarnished as it might be after everything I learned. I know, I know. I’m a bleeding heart, or so my adoptive brother says. Ugh. Him. Forget I even mentioned Ty.

Do you have a job or are you still in school?

Everyone in my system is required to serve two years in the military. One year in basic. The next in the service. Most people stay enlisted and make the military a career. I chose the path of a DISC agent, which some people call bounty hunters—though not fondly. DISC agents and their assigned canine partners are sent after defected Ancorans that the typical police can’t capture. I’m in my second year of required service. After that? I don’t know.  So much has changed…

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

I screwed up. Badly. Made a charlie foxtrot out of everything. It was my first mission. But instead of catching, detaining, and transporting my target, he slipped through my fingers. Literally.

Not what you’re thinking though. He didn’t escape. Unless you consider hurling yourself off a skyscraper to a watery death ‘escaping.’ Everything since that moment has been one adventure after another.

Continue reading “Aurelia Peri (of Of Starlight and Bone, by Emily Layne)” →
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Solana Sina (of The Scarab Mission, by James Cambias)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a interplanetary scavenger, salvaging wrecked and abandoned space habitats. She is here to speak about space pirates and explosive secrets.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was created in a space habitat called Kumu, out in the Kuiper Belt. My early childhood was . . . well, anyone who didn’t grow up in Kumu would think it was bizarre and horrifying. You see, Kumu’s main industry is the creation of Qarinas — genetically-engineered sexual slaves. I thought that life was normal because I never knew anything else, but then a task force of Salibi soldiers invaded Kumu, took off all the Qarina slaves, and destroyed everything else. I spent the next few years in a Salibi habitat, learning how to be a person with free will.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

I don’t want to talk about the “toys” I was given as a child. My most cherished possession is the set of goggles I was given when I left the Salibi habitat: they filter my vision to thwart the hard-wired programming in my brain, which would otherwise make me willingly obey commands from any other human.

What do you do now?

I’m a scarab — we salvage abandoned space habitats and get them ready for recycling. It can be dangerous, though I didn’t expect anything like what we encountered at Safdaghar.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

We went to an abandoned hab called Safdaghar, which nobody had visited for sixteen years after some disaster wiped out everyone there, including the main AI which controlled the place. We planned to loot as much valuable stuff as we could find, before boosting the wreck into a trajectory which would take it out to the Kuiper habitats, where metal is really valuable. My boss Yanai got paid for moving Safdaghar, but all our salvage would be pure profit.

Continue reading “Solana Sina (of The Scarab Mission, by James Cambias)” →
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Stacey Roberts (of The Green Girl and The Serum, by Sean Armstrong)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a young woman who was injected with a serum that transformed her into the Green Girl, to be used in warfare by the British Military. She is here to tell us about strife within the Mega Human community, and with society at large.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I grew up in inner city Manchester England where I lived with my mother and younger sister and older brother it was quite hard as we weren’t a rich family.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

As I mentioned earlier I lived with my family my father wasn’t always at home as he worked away from home as he was working on some top secret science project which I learnt about was call the Mega Human program.

What do you do now?

When I was in my late teens I volunteered to become injected with the first strain of the Mega Human serum this transformed me turning my once pale skin green I developed heightened senses and decided to escape from the lab I then moved to Florida USA where I became a model hiding under the name the Green Girl.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

In Florida I met my former boyfriend and lover Ben Fox who had also been injected with the serum and formed his own Mega Human group. Together we launched an attack on a military base and defeated both the US army as well as Doctor Sarah Young who had taken credit for my fathers work. Currently we are fighting the outcasts another Mega Human faction lead by Surge a vile and hatefully Mega Human who plans to use the serum to create an army of Mega Humans loyal to him.

How is it like, being a Mega Human?

As Mega Humans we are hated due to how the media and the worlds governments portray us as we were created only for the use of warfare nothing else.

Continue reading “Stacey Roberts (of The Green Girl and The Serum, by Sean Armstrong)” →
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Sarge (of Underground Planet, by Cindy Tomamichel)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a female mercenary taking on the odd, risky jobs across the galaxy. She is here to tell us about a planet wide labyrinth of mining tunnels, metal processing, acid waste levels, where abandoned cities are thriving with a genetically engineered ecosystem of predators, prey, and mutant humans.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Geez, I haven’t thought about that hellhole since I left. I grew up in an orphanage on a slum planet. There’s a lot of bad places to live in the universe, and I was lucky enough to born on one of the worst. Mind you, they are good recruiting grounds for the Academy. I was fast and homicidal as a young girl, and it was my ticket off planet before I ended up in a whorehouse. Woulda made more money there than the military, I reckon. But I’m kinda choosy.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

The cook at the orphanage – Ella – she taught me to cook and knocked off a few of the rough edges. Most kids there couldn’t read, so I got lucky with Ella. She was a bit tight lipped about her past, but I learned to read from old weapons manuals, so some sort of past she was probably hiding from. She gave me my first weapon  – a knife that I could hide in my sleeve. Saved me more times than I can count.

What do you do now?

I left the Academy to look after Johanna. She needed me, poor little thing. Abandoned on a planet and trying to feed other kids on scraps from bins and avoid the slaver gangs. She’s done me proud – we run a tight ship as a small mercenary team with Daisy and Jasmine and Jock. We’ve made some money and had some fun raiding the military. Can’t ask for more than that.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

Well, it was no picnic, that’s for sure. Our last job was for Chagar, a mutant human. He’s a good bloke, even if things on his planet tried to eat me! We helped him look for some old treasure, and lordy, we had the richest man in the universe – McAllister – and his team of thugs on our tails the whole way.

And the planet! A maze of critters that want to eat you, acid levels, shark filled lakes, and don’t get me started on rockfalls. Or mention ladders. Nice people, but seriously, I don’t know how they survive, or how Chagar expected us to survive and protect him. It was a hell of an adventure.

Continue reading “Sarge (of Underground Planet, by Cindy Tomamichel)” →
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