The story of the underdog has always been one of the most enjoyable themes in storytelling. I like how a character becomes an unlikely hero and overcomes immense odds. That is essentially what my fantasy trilogy will be about. My protagonist will start out having a normal life of comfort until he loses everything in one fell swoop. Afterwards, the protagonist is on the run in the wilderness with only a sword in his hand and the clothes on his back. Over time, the protagonist will gradually gain followers after a series of insane chance encounters and overcoming impossible odds. In fantasy, one could call an underdog story “from rags to riches”.
GAME OF THRONES: “BURN THEM ALL”
I had an interesting theory about the Mad King. As we all know, his last words were “burn them all”. Most people believe this rant is a result of his Targaryen madness, but I think there is something else at play. The reason for this is because we got to see what Bran Stark was capable of after his training with the three-eyed raven. As Bran and Meera Reed flee from the White Walkers, Bran’s mind in the present became connected with Hodor’s in the past. As a result, Hodor had a seizure and kept saying, “Hold the door” until it slurred into “Hodor”. I think something similar happened to the Mad King. Maybe when the White Walkers invade Westeros, Bran’s mind became connected with the Mad King’s mind. As a result, the Mad King would likely say “burn the Wall” until it slurs into “burn them all”, which Jaime Lannister said he kept saying even after he stabbed him. We shall see as the White Walkers eventually invade the realms of men once again.
FILM REVIEW: WONDER WOMAN
Before seeing the new Wonder Woman film, I kind of expected it to be just as bad as Batman V Superman. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the film first hand. I would say that this is the best film DC has made since The Dark Knight Trilogy. I loved Gal Gadot’s performance as the Princess of the Amazons because she perfectly portrayed Diana’s initial innocence and idealism when first exposed to the outside world. Unlike Batman V Superman, which stuffed way too many comic book references and not enough original story, this film achieved a perfect balance between comic book references and original story. For example, the film referred to both Wonder Woman’s original origin story and her New 52 origin story. Also, the actor who plays Ares the god of war was brilliant and gave the character a kind of gentlemanly demeanor that I have not seen in the character before. Overall, I would recommend this film to anyone who is a Wonder Woman and general superhero fan. It is worth seeing and more than redeems DC’s mistakes with Batman V Superman.
THE MAKING OF A TYRANT
I came across an interesting discovery regarding Henry VIII. Before he let himself go, Henry was a prolific athlete and often participated in jousting tournaments. However, he had two notable jousting accidents that left him with several concussions and ulcerous wounds on his legs. The concussions gave him emotional and psychological instability while his leg injuries left him in a constant state of debilitating pain. These unpredictable mood swings combined with being in pain all the time may have contributed to him becoming a tyrant. For my fantasy book, I am thinking of incorporating similar injuries to the main villain. At first, he will start out as a competent ruler, but his wounds eventually turn him into a tyrant.
NEW SUPERHERO SERIES
I have watched a History Channel documentary called Superheroes Decoded and it has given me a whole new perspective on the superhero genre. From the 1930s to the present, superheroes have symbolized America’s core values. However, as America changed over the years so did superheroes. Superheroes emerged as propaganda tools during World War II to symbols of feminism or the civil rights movement. I am thinking of writing a new superhero series that will reflect the times and conditions we live in now. I have been monitoring the news and I have seen police brutality, racism, terrorism, political corruption, homophobia, xenophobia, and many other dark aspects that define the cruel reality we all live in. Like the superheroes in that documentary, my new superhero series will symbolize everything I have seen. It will be a dystopian world where all of the negative social aspects I mentioned before reign supreme. This will allow me to create darker and more morally ambiguous superheroes to the point of making them anti-heroes.
WRITING UPDATE: FANTASY BOOK (CHAPTERS 23 AND 24)
I have written the 23rd chapter of my fantasy book and started the 24th chapter. In these chapters, I will be writing the next stage of the siege battle and give my readers a look at some of the Imperial politics. So far, the siege battle has become increasingly chaotic with heavy losses on both sides. As for the Imperial politics, even though this story will be set in an empire I will somewhat model its politics on those of medieval politics. It has become a very interesting process and I look forward to finding out what direction this will take in the future.
WRITING UPDATE: FANTASY BOOK (FIRST 200 PAGES)
I have finished the first 200 pages of my fantasy book! At this point, I think I may be about halfway there. Only time will tell when the finish line will be in sight. Wish me luck!
NEW FACEBOOK PAGE
https://www.facebook.com/GPBFantasyBooks/
My fantasy books now have their Facebook Page. They are not yet published and they are still in the works, but this website will keep you updated on any new developments.
FANTASY BOOK: SALLY PORT
I thought of an interesting feature to add to the siege battle in my fantasy book. In my medieval research, I learned that some siege battles included a tactic that involved what is called a sally port. A sally port is a small, easily concealed and defensive hole in the side of a castle in which a small force of defenders can sneak out and sabotage or fend off invaders before retreating back into the hole to regroup. I am on the verge of writing a scene that involves to usage of a sally port and it will be chaotic and full of loss.
MISTRESSES AND BASTARDS
I had an interesting idea for my fantasy series and it concerns the idea of mistresses and illegitimate children. In my medieval research, I discovered that Vikings and Normans frequently had many mistresses in addition to their lawful wives. As a result, they would have a lot of illegitimate children. William the Conqueror was one such illegitimate child and look what became of him. This was before Christianity insisted that having mistresses and illegitimate children were shameful. To the Vikings and Normans, there was no discernible difference between “illegitimate” or “legitimate” children. They would often give their illegitimate children their own land, wealth, titles, and lands. Also, I discovered that the ancient Chinese emperors had concubines and since my fantasy series takes place in an empire, all of these concepts would fit well with the setting. I am thinking of incorporating these ideas in my fantasy book, but with my own unique twist to it.
Grady P Brown - Author 