Justin Call
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[The inspiration for The Silent Gods arose from a single question: "What if you were destined to be a villain?" This led to a series of other questions, all of which excited me, and I knew I had a keen idea for a fantasy series. I especially liked the concept of writing a coming-of-age story from the villain’s perspective, of seeing the character grow from a naive adolescent and then evolve into a full-blown baddie.
But to do that story justice, I also needed to acknowledge that real people rarely see themselves as villains. Real people believe they are the heroes of their own stories, regardless of whether the rest of us would agree with them.
Rephrasing that first question then: "What happens when a protagonist is given two conflicting moral narratives?" Further, "Does he embrace one and reject the other?" Probably. In fact, I’d say it’s inevitable. The twist, though, comes when the protagonist discovers he once served the opposing narrative and he is now on the opposite side of that narrative. In such a story, the hero would probably develop empathy toward his previous incarnation . . . but would that change his heroic path?
Answering that question is the inspiration for my novel. My goal then is to write a coming-of-age story that follows the tropes of the epic fantasy genre but to also subvert those tropes by presenting a protagonist who could be either a hero or a villain. I'll let my readers decide which one the protagonist actually is . . . though I've got my own opinion. (hide spoiler)]
But to do that story justice, I also needed to acknowledge that real people rarely see themselves as villains. Real people believe they are the heroes of their own stories, regardless of whether the rest of us would agree with them.
Rephrasing that first question then: "What happens when a protagonist is given two conflicting moral narratives?" Further, "Does he embrace one and reject the other?" Probably. In fact, I’d say it’s inevitable. The twist, though, comes when the protagonist discovers he once served the opposing narrative and he is now on the opposite side of that narrative. In such a story, the hero would probably develop empathy toward his previous incarnation . . . but would that change his heroic path?
Answering that question is the inspiration for my novel. My goal then is to write a coming-of-age story that follows the tropes of the epic fantasy genre but to also subvert those tropes by presenting a protagonist who could be either a hero or a villain. I'll let my readers decide which one the protagonist actually is . . . though I've got my own opinion. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Mara
asked
Justin Call:
I'm so excited to hear that there will be a novella that dives into the background of the witwomen! That is the exact side story I really wanted to know more about after reading Book 1. I can't wait to get my hands on that novella! I don't see it currently listed on your website or Goodreads, though. Is there a projected date for its release?
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