Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Click on Cover Art or this sentence for Amazon Site!

This is a lot tougher than I expected.  I can think of several themes in this book and they tend to depend on which characters you’re looking at.  I’m going to see if I can pick the core ones, but feel free to mention a theme you found in the book that caught your interest.

Proving Yourself

A key ingredient to Legends of Windemere is Luke Callindor proving that he is worthy of his famous lineage.  This is what drives him forward throughout the series, but he isn’t the only one.  Many characters seem to be in this position.  Nimby seeks to prove he is a worthy member of the group and not just the annoying thief.  Aedyn Karwyn is always trying to prove that he is a capable priest, which is more for the eyes of his god than his friends.  Kira Grasdon attempts to prove she is worthy of Luke.  Now, I think heroes of all types have this mentality because it’s where doubt, defiance, courage, and several other emotions can stem from.  One could say this is an over-arching storyline too for many of these characters.

Never Backing Down

I write a lot about defiance and I admit to being slightly addicted to scenes where a character struggles to succeed.  Whether it be Luke taking a beating and winning with a surprise attack or Nimby making a climactic escape from the Rodillen thieves guild, the idea of a hero having to work for a win appeals to me.  This is why many scenes will show a character never backing down from a challenge.  Even the villains get a few moments like this throughout the series.  Why do I do this?  I think it draws more out of the characters and the readers get a sense of their limits.  Not just what the limits are, but that these are heroes and villains who will extend their limits through trials.

Making Friends

Kind of milder in the themes, but very important, is the concept of making friends.  Since this is an ensemble cast story, the bonds between heroes is very important.  They should grow over time, get strained, and develop naturally.  Sure, some will bond quicker than others, but seeing characters grow together is always fun for readers and writers.  I think this book really shows how strangers can unite for one goal and become friends even in a short period of time.

So, anybody read Beginning of a Hero and have a theme that they liked?