Swords of Fire is about Madatar. It is his story. But he is not the Point of View Character (POVC). Neither is Ardora, the Yin to to his Yang. Instead, the POVC is a character who is young, strong, vulnerable and who has a lot to learn. Why?
Mostly, it felt right. But there are clear advantages in choosing Khirsha over Madatar. The most important being that the reader gets to discover Madatar over time - like all the other characters in Swords of Fire. Until Madatar is revealed (in Book II, if you're interested), we wonder about him. Who is he, really? Why hasn't he revealed himself - to anyone?
There are clues but, like so many clues, they don't appear to be clues until shortly before (or after) their revelation. There were more clues, but I'm being forced to cut some in order to shorten the length of Book I. Even after Madatar is revealed, we are left with things to ponder. Each book in the progression presents new clues, and our knowledge escalates with the conflict until the inevitable final battle. (I haven't written it - officially - but I know what it is.)
Actually, did I say the most important reason for choosing Khirsha instead of Madatar as POVC was to discover Madatar? I'm wrong. The most important reason is that I believe readers can better identify with Khirsha than with Madatar. Khirsha is more like us. He lives in a physical world, as opposed to the spirit realm of Madatar and the Children of Fire. Khirsha is a lot like us - even if he isn't.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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