A trope which regularly crops up in speculative fiction is that of the hero or protagonist being forced to confront the temptation to use power which has been designated as 'bad'. Whether the author likes to test their main character to destruction or whether it's the reader enjoying watching a protagonist examine their own morality and how flexible or rigid their sense of ethics is, the trope appears in everything from children's fiction to sci-fi to horror to epic fantasy. This week the dragons delve into why it's so appealing to have the good guy flirt with bad magic. How does this enrich a story? Where can it go wrong? And can power ever be described as truly good or bad?
On the slab this week - Star Wars, The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis, The Untamed, The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 372: Truth Fiction and Outright Absurdity - More Strange Author Mysteries
Episode 371: Breaking the Stained Glass Window - Language Storytelling Absolutism and Censorship
Episode 370: Running with th Wolves - Werewolves in Folklore and Speculative Fiction Part 2
Episode 369: Running with the Wolves - Werewolves in Folklore and Speculative Fiction Part 1
Episode 368: Help I’ve Written a Book - What to do next when you want to get published
Episode 367: To Like or Not to Like - Writing Likeable Characters in Speculative Fiction
Episode 366: The Deserving and the Undeserving - Avoiding Classism in Speculative Fiction
Episode 365: Amazing Pets and Fantasy Coffee - How to Incorporate Wish Fulfilment Fantasies in Speculative Fiction
Episode 364: There can be only one, no seven - Writing Ensemble Casts in Speculative Fiction
Episode 363: Easter Eggs Accidents or Clever Inclusions - Delving into Disney Fan Theories
Episode 362: The Maiden in the Tower - Tracing the Origins of Rapunzel
Episode 361: The Butler Did it - or Did He - How Who-dunnits Have Shaped Speculative Fiction
Episode 360: Fated Brides & Fatal Spies - the Romantasy Phenomenon
Episode 359: A Great and Mighty Destiny - Legacies and Magical Bloodlines in Speculative Fiction
Episode 358: Wonders and Irritations - 2022 in Review
Episode 357: Gunpowder Crackers and Cancelling Christmas - the Myths Surrounding Common Christmas Practices
Episode 356: Nutcrackers Little Wooden Boys and Bears of Very Little Bear - The Sentient Toy Trope in Speculative Fiction
Episode 355: He’s a Maneater - the Global Invasion of Ogres in Myth & Fiction, part two.
Episode 354: He’s a Maneater - the Global Invasion of Ogres in Myth & Fiction
Episode 353: High Fidelity and Historical Accuracy - Do Adaptations have a Duty to be Accurate
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