Assigned Reading (#3): The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

In an attempt to educate Mrs. NW, who is not exactly an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, Mr. NW each month assigns a classic novel. The previous instalments covered The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

That’s right, lovely readers. Another month has flown by. I should be telling you all about how much I loved/hated Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence, the actual book Mr NW assigned for this month but I never made it past page 20.

Top 5 Antiheroes in SF & F

Antiheroes in books are interesting, especially in Fantasy and Science Fiction. Characters can already be hard to relate to when they are shaped by a different environment/world yet alone when they are mentally screwed up or morally flawed as well. They will make decisions that seem stupid and do things you would never dream of, which can be frustrating or even offensive for a reader. Anti-heroes can be defined as “An antihero, or antiheroine, is a protagonist who lacks conventional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, or morality.” (Wikipedia).

People will outright hate antiheroes in some books, so much so that they will put the book down and never pick it up again.