The side-kick in fantasy fiction

[tree_and_leaf]

China Meville has some interesting things to say about fantasy fiction in general, and the role of the sidekick in particular. Mind you, I'm neither convinced that Hufflepuff is just a bunch of sidekicks and the future butler class, or that, if you want to portray your new story as excitingly different because the sidekick becomes the hero, mentioning Frodo and Sam is really sensible.

http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,,2062056,00.html

It must also be added that his revolutionary new dystopia where the unwanted bits of London go sounds curiously reminiscent of Gaiman....

Comments

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I've always had a thing for sidekicks. I prefered Lewis to Morse, thought Sam was more of a hero than Frodo, and thought Captain Hastings was lovely. They tend to get things done without the weight of the world (or in Samwises case with the weight of the world, the ring, Frodo, practically no food, and no fuss).

I'm sure I could cite more favourite sidekicks if I put my mind to it...

[tree_and_leaf]

I always prefered Watson to Holmes!

Dangle your modifiers now!

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Born in 1972 in Norwich, Miéville's parents separated when he was young.

Re: Dangle your modifiers now!

[tree_and_leaf]

You surely wouldn't expect decent English in the Education section, would you?

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I couldn't make head or tail of that article.

I can see that the writer wants to seem frightfully clever in understanding this genius, but it was harder to get any sense of why I might actually want to read his books...

Still, anyone who writes about ninja dustbins and evil giraffes can't be all bad.

[tree_and_leaf]

It's terribly badly written (probably by someone who dislikes fantasy). But the book may well be worth it for the evil giraffes....

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

"I remember vividly what it's like to read as a 10-year-old - that passionate inhabiting of a book,"

What - he doesn't do it any more?

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, it's that that puts me off looking at his book.

Perhaps he's only interested in Big Long Words now?