Search

The Protagonist Speaks

Interviews with the characters of your favourite books

Open Search
Tag

Novel

Cassius (of Roman Mask by Thomas M. D. Brooke)

Thomas Brooke - Roman MaskDear readers, tonight with me in a man who witnessed one of the Roman Empire’s most iconic events. He is here to tell us about some of the wonders to be found across the Empire, and of its leading men and women.

 

What is Germany really like? Are the people there really as tall as the legends say?

Germany is awful.  No, really it is.  The lands are mainly covered in dark, thick forests that are often shrouded in mist, so finding your way through the impenetrable maze of woodland is all but impossible.  You don’t ever want to get lost in the woods there, trust me.  What isn’t forested, tends to be covered in bogs, or stony fields unsuited for anything but the basest of crops.  Their winters are so cold, with a harsh wind that comes in from the East, that you’re likely to freeze to death unless you find shelter come nightfall.

But worst of all are the people.  The German tribes are made up of a variety of warlike people all full of giant muscle bound warriors, with blonde or red hair, and fierce cold pale eyes that bore through you with hatred and malice.  Their women are almost as bad, often following their men to the battlefield to hurl insults and spit anger at their enemies from behind the lines. Continue reading “Cassius (of Roman Mask by Thomas M. D. Brooke)” →

1

The Prancer (of The Unicorn Throne by Chrys Cymri)

Chrys Cymri - Unicorn ThroneDear readers, tonight with me (not quite on the couch), is The Prancer – the unicorn guardian off the pages of The Unicorn Throne. Let’s find out what this mystical being has to say to us humans.

 

Can you tell us a bit about the First Kingdom, and the origins of the animosity between the unicorns and dragons?

The People of the Trees are the first born children of the Land. We honour her and entrust our bodies to her from birth. And in turn she gives the Dancer the gift of Judgement and the Painter the gift of Healing. The Family, however, have never been accepted by the Land. They killed her original children the moment they emerged onto the Land. And, from time to time, a dragon will come and hunt from the herd. It was a dragon, the red one called the Traveller, who killed my milk-brother Storm. And I’ve promised on Storm’s grave to track down this dragon and demand from him the piece of horn he took away in his eye from their fight. Continue reading “The Prancer (of The Unicorn Throne by Chrys Cymri)” →

0

Tommy (of Counteract by Tracy Lawson)

003(48)

Dear readers, today we are interviewing Tommy, off the pages of Counteract and Resist. Tommy lives in a dystopian future, constantly under the guard of the Office of Civilian Safety and Defence (OCSD).

 

What was it like, for a growing child under the OCSD?

It’s funny you should ask what it was like to grow up under the thumb of the Office of Civilian Safety and Defense. The OCSD really took hold in 2019, when I was only three years old, so I’ve never known what it was like to live without the Restrictions–until now. I guess my life was pretty close to what you’d call normal. I understand now that my mom tried to shelter me from what was really going on. My dad was an attorney and activist who opposed the creation of the OCSD and spoke out against their policies, but my parents didn’t talk about it at home–at least in front of me. I grew up going to school and playing sports. We lived in an area that still had a few restaurants and shops, but it wasn’t like that for everyone. I guess our quadrant had a lot of rich people, lots of people who were high up in the government. Our community’s social status–and our compliance with the Restrictions–are what allowed us to have those luxuries. Continue reading “Tommy (of Counteract by Tracy Lawson)” →

2

Ziva Payvan (of Dakiti by EJ Fisch)

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Dear readers, tonight we have the rare opportunity to talk with a very special guest. You know her work but not her face. She is one of the Fringe’s deadliest assassins and commander of the Haphezian Special Police’s elite Alpha special operations team.

What can you tell us about the planet of Haphez? What was it like growing up there?

As you might imagine, I’m a little biased. There are some beautiful planets in this galaxy, but Haphez tops them all. We as a people take a tremendous amount of pride in our homeworld. Some of the views of the mountains and forests and the Tranyi River are absolutely breathtaking. Even so, physical appearance isn’t everything. I didn’t have what many would consider an…ideal upbringing; after spending most of my childhood on my own and most of my adult life working for HSP, I’ve gotten an inside look at the true nature of this place. Like any civilized world, there’s a seedy underbelly – that corruption and danger you don’t see at first glance. Some of that is because we get a lot of foreign traffic here. Our Noro Spaceport is one of the last major stops before you leave the Fringe and enter unsettled space. But there are plenty of Haphezian natives who make their fair share of contributions to the problems we have. It was something I saw first-hand during my time on my own, and something I continue to see almost every day thanks to my career.

I’m sorry, this probably wasn’t the answer you were looking for. I’m probably the worst person to ask about this. Obviously not everyone has had the same problems as I have, and after spending years focusing on and fighting the negative, it’s sometimes hard to see the positive. Continue reading “Ziva Payvan (of Dakiti by EJ Fisch)” →

0

Happy New Year – may all the novels you read this year be awesome!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All the protagonists from your favourite novels would like to wish you a happy new year. All the antagonists wish themselves a happier year – and promise this year they’ll rule!

In order to celebrate the coming Year of The Protagonist, we have an updated look to the website! Hope you like it as much the protagonists do.

We will be back on schedule tomorrow, interviewing a very dangerous interstellar assassin!

Don’t forget to check out the Authors page. It lists all the authors and characters that have been interviewed – and those that will be published in the coming weeks!

Please follow the site by email (bottom-right), via Twitter or like our Facebook page to be notified when the next interview is posted.

 

0

Happy whatever it is you’re celebrating!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All* the protagonists out of the pages of your favourite novels would like to wish you a happy-whatever-it-is-you’re-celebrating-this-time-of-year. Even if it’s just the public holiday.

* At least all the nice ones. The anti-heroes care less, and the antagonists really don’t.

We will resume our regular interviews next week, with a dangerous interstellar assassin! If you are looking for something to read in the meantime, why no go through our archives? We had some golden moments!

dante_alighieri_promo

Please follow the site by email (bottom-right), via Twitter or like our Facebook page to be notified when the next interview is posted.

0

Marcus Falerius Fronto (of Marius’ Mules by S. J. A. Turney)

mariusmulescollection

Dear readers, tonight we have with us Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth legion and long-time companion of Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius comes to us off the pages of Marius’ Mules series of novels.

How was it progressing through positions to command the Tenth under Caesar?

Trouble. Seriously, no one can work alongside Caesar for any length of time without questioning what they are doing. The thing is: I remember him in Hispania as a quaestor, when I was just a fresh faced tribune. He was only in Hispania for two years and then went back to Rome, but when he came back as the governor a few years later I was still there and still in the army. Since we’d last met I had gone from being an innocent lad on the first steps of the ladder to being a battle-hardened officer, putting down endless troubles with the vicious native tribes. I had served for years then with the Ninth, refusing to quit my post after a year like most tribunes and head back to Rome to count coins or some such. Instead, I found I had something of a talent for war. The legate at the time – I forget his name, but he had a big nose and really hairy ears – held on to me. Considered me his lucky charm, I think. Anyway, by the time Caesar came back I’d fought up and down and back and forth across most of the country, and when the old coot in command of the Ninth died, Caesar gave me temporary command as a legate. Wasn’t really official, as it wasn’t a senatorial appointment and I was still quite young, I suppose, but I proved myself enough during his governorship that when he returned to Rome, I went with him and he secured me command of the Tenth. I was still their legate more than a year later when the old man led us into Gaul. The rest, as they say, is history. Continue reading “Marcus Falerius Fronto (of Marius’ Mules by S. J. A. Turney)” →

1

Machidiel (of Aeon of Wonder by Carey Henderson)

Aeon of WonderGood evening, dear readers. Tonight we have a very special guest indeed. On the couch with me I have the angel out of the pages of The Aeon of Wonder by Carey Henderson.

Let us find out what creation was like, and what does its destruction entail for us.

 

 

What is your name?

My name is Machidiel.

How old are you?

I am not bound by your concept of time. I do not age. I exist outside what you might think of as the ‘bubble’ of Time. You might say that I am older than Time itself, for I was there at the creation of Time. Have you ever seen Time? Perhaps you will one day. It roams your Earth, devouring all in its path slowly. You simply cannot see it.

What’s the big guy like, on his days off?

You mean God, I must assume. Well, I will tell you this: He is ever the same. I believe I understand your phrase, “days off,” to mean that His watchful eye over His Creation is sometimes turned away. This is not the case. He is always watchful. And yet He is always full of joy and laughter. There seems to be a misunderstanding among you humans that He is angry. Would that you all knew Him as I do!

Continue reading “Machidiel (of Aeon of Wonder by Carey Henderson)” →

0

Felix the Fox (of Murder in-absentia by Assaph Mehr)

Web Cover-miniDear readers, tonight we will be interviewing Felix the Fox. Felix comes to us from the far off magical city of Egretia. Felix is an interesting character, with quite an extraordinary career. His specialist services have saved the lives and property of many of his clients.

 

How did you get your nickname?

My name, just like my father’s, is Spurius Vulpius – but nobody uses it these days. I got the nickname Felix [ed: “lucky”] as a child, but as I grow older I’m less sure it means I’m Fortuna’s favourite. More like her favourite butt for practical jokes.

Fox is, of course, a reference to what I do for a living. It’s much nicer that ‘ferret’, which is almost what I got stuck with.

What do you do for a living?

I studied to be an incantator, a wizard. I got booted out of college, however, and never completed my studies. I worked a while for the firm of Gordius et Falconius, where I learned the art of investigation.

Now I work for myself as a fox – a sniffer of troubles, and resolver of predicaments. The kind of messes where there’s often a corpse involved. Continue reading “Felix the Fox (of Murder in-absentia by Assaph Mehr)” →

2

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑