McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

The Illusion of Danger

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Mickey Finn:
That the protagonist is in danger in fantasy noir (and most books, really) is an illusion...sometimes, in rare cases, they die, but usually you're really looking to see how they get out of the mess they're in.

Based on acknowledgement of this as a conceptual truth...how would you guys feel about a protagonist who cannot die? There's never any mortal danger (to the main character), and you know this up front, but there are plenty of other ways to mess with said main character.

How would you guys react to such a situation?

(And yes, this is more than just theoretical. It involves a project I'm working on.)

XavierDLH:
I believe it could work out quite well.  In fact, I've seen a similar concept work in the old PC game, Planescape: Torment.

pathele:
As a writer, I think that as long has the protagonist has something to lose (even if it isn't his life), then it could make for an good story.  But the key would be to make the reader care about the consequences and maybe the fact that he is immortal (ie, has to live with himself and his choices forever) could be used very effectively.

I think it would be harder to hook the reader, but could be worth the effort.

As a reader, I would be fine with it, as long as I felt that he was vulnerable in other ways. 

-paul

Mickey Finn:
All powerful characters suck ;) Yep, the point is to make them (more than one character will be 'cursed' with this) human.

I'll try to avoid alot of angst in the protagonists, though.

James:
The one thing that I don't like in any multiple book series is that even though the protagonist maybe in the worst danger imaginable by the author you know 99% unless it's the last book in the series that he or she will not die. Some how the protagonist will get out of the peril they are in.

I had the same feeling when Harry was going to Artis Tor thinking 'oh he is going to somehow manage to save Molly from Mab's winter strong hold' but was gladly surprised with the twist.

So a protagonist that cannot die is certainly interesting, but like the ubove post whatever interupts the equilibrium of his or her world we must feel for his situation. Case in point is my thread on worst book in Mac's. The book I said had no mortal danager for the protagonist but the situation the author had put him in didn't really make me connect with the story or the main charactor.

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