Neolithic Names

Character names are a thorny issue for writers of fiction. If a name doesn’t remind you of your old Uncle Henry, it probably conjures up an image of a famous actor or politican. Perhaps a notorious serial killer. Give your hero a long name and you’ll be sick of writing it out by the time you hit chapter three. Short nicknames can sound too cute and contrived.

The above applies well enough to books set in the present day or the recent past. But what about fantasy and science fiction? Or – like...