DOUBLY HEROIC: Duos in the Heroic Fantasy tradition
Posted by Jack Mackenzie on Jul 15, 2011 in News | 33 commentsThe Heroic Fantasy tradition has more than its fair share of heroes and many of them work alone, but there are a small number of heroes who work with a partner.
Duo heroes are not a new concept. Many heroes in literature are incomplete without their counterpart. The concept of the “buddy movie” is well known in cinema and examples of that abound: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Laurel and Hardy, Hope and Crosby, Harold and Kumar. In literature there is Holmes and Watson, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, George and Lenny from Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and Tess Gerritson’s Jane Rizoli and Maura Isles (and, of course, Batman and Robin) to name but a few.
In the heroic fantasy genre there are fewer examples, but the most famous is undoubtedly Fritz Leiber’s creations Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. Loosely based on himself and Leiber’s friend Harry Otto Fischer, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are an unlikely pair of heroes who live in and around the city of Lankhmar. Fafhrd is a giant barbarian from the north while the Mouser is a small and cunning thief. Together they spend a lot of time drinking and wenching and are not too particular about who hires their sword arms.
They first appeared in the pulp magazine Unknown in 1939 in the short story “Two Sought Adventure” and continued appearing in many stories until 1991′s “The Knight and Knave of Swords” brought the series to a satisfactory close. The stories have been collected in several volumes which are still available: Swords Against Deviltry, Swords Against Death, Swords in the Mist and many others.
Beyond Leiber’s duo there are very few dual heroes in heroic fantasy. There are many fellowships, and many lone heroes but very few examples of two heroes working in tandem. True, Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series has Richard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell, but they don’t really fit that mould quite so well.
Two heroic fantasy duos that are somewhat known are both creations of C. J. Burch. They are different in that they are female warriors. Kristine Hammerskjold and Tiana Dumond have appeared in several short stories published in Dark Worlds Magazine. “In the Service of the All-Father” was the lead story for Dark Worlds issue #1, and “Of Kings and Servants” was the feature story in Dark Worlds #5. Empire and Dissolution (available at Amazon.com) is a novel featuring the duo.
Burch’s other duo is Narvana Karim and Hannah Maleeva. These characters, also female protagonists, are two former gladiators in the mythical city of Solon who are now agents for a powerful senator. Burch has written two novels featuring these characters, The Star of Kaleel and Foolish Gods. Both are exciting adventures and fast-paced reads.
My own heroic fantasy duo, Ka Sirtago and Poet, came about because of a documentary I was watching about the Alpha Male. They had an example of an alpha male from a group of monkeys who was blind in one eye and had a big snaggle tooth. He had become alpha male on account of his mother who had been alpha female of the group. That sounded like an interesting concept to me so I created a human counterpart of that.
Ka Sirtago is prince of the southern kingdom of Trigassa. His father is emperor, but is absent. His mother is the ruler and the only one that the defiant Sirtago cannot stand up to.
What I found was that Sirtago did not work on his own. He needed somebody to buffer him for the reader. So I created Poet, his companion. Then the equation was complete. Poet and Sirtago are opposites but are also two sides of the same coin and the theme of duality is prevalent throughout the stories. Each character has something within that keeps them wandering far from home. With Sirtago it is avoiding his royal responsibilities. With Poet it is a broken heart.
You can read stories of Sirtago and Poet in the anthologies Swords of Fire and Sails and Sorcery.
About the best example of a heroic fantasy duo is a bit of a stretch and it’s not a novel. The Road to El Dorado was an animated film that featured the two main characters of Tulio and Miguel (the voices of Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Kline). It was a rollicking adventure film with a lot of genuine laughs and an historical setting (The explorer Cortez makes an appearance), as well as fantastic elements: a hidden civilization and an evil sorcerer who brings a demonic statue to life.
The Road to El Dorado is the perfect example of a buddy movie and historical fantasy. Tulio and Miguel are not typical heroic fantasy heroes, though. They are a couple of con-men who have stumbled into a hidden world and who are mistaken for gods. Determined to milk the situation for all its worth the avaricious duo plan to make themselves rich rather than be heroes. As these movies tend to go, however, their heroic natures come out in the end and they forego personal gain to save the day.
It was not a landmark film but it was fun and entertaining. Had it been done live action with CGI it would have knocked most folks socks off. It would have been a great pulp adventure and there likely would have been a sequel or two. As it is, if you can get over the animation (and the Elton John songs), it is a pleasant diversion and still one of my favourite films.
I have probably missed mentioning many heroic fantasy duo heroes, but honestly I can’t think of or find many examples. If you know of a good heroic fantasy duo, I (and my other personality) would appreciate hearing about it.
Great article, Jack! There are many “dynamic duos” — the late David Madison’s Marcus and Diana; Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin; Jon Sprunk’s wonderful Caim and Kit from his “Shadow’s Son” and Shadow’s Lure,” to name a few. Lieber was a huge influence on me, and I even created two very boyish characters in my formative years of writing. But then I discovered Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, and my Dorgo character was born. However, the thing I’ve always enjoyed most is the interplay, the comaraderie between characters. So, in four of the six adventures in my picaresque novel, “Mad Shadows,” I give Dorgo 3 different partners to play off of. Doing this added humor as well as drama to the stories. Having a lone wolf for a partner is great, but I like to mix it up. In 2 new stories, he has a partner in one, and pretty much goes it alone in another. I’ve even thought of borrowing the George and Lenny thing from “Of Mice and Men” for a sword and sorcery tale. Maybe even using “The Grapes of Wrath” as a springboard about two brothers and their family for a fantasy. The combinations and possibilities are endless. q:~)
Thanks Joe. I’ll have to seek out Madison’s and Sprunk’s work.
Great article, Jack. Dynamic duos have always fascinated me. One of my earliest influences, when I think back on it now, was a pair of characters who appeared in the back of the old Dell Tarzan comics. Remember Brothers of the Spear? Not unless you’re reallllly olld. But anyway, as created by Gaylord DuBois (who also wrote Tarzan comics) they were two desposed kings from different African kingdoms, and the most surprising thing, considering this was back in the 1950s, one was white and one was black. Dan-el the white guy was the former king of Aba-Zulu and Natongo was king of Tungelu. Their adventures involved conquering their enemies, getting their thrones back and marrying the women of their dreams. It was great stuff. I’m sure they must have been lurking in my subconscious when I created Tragon and Yusef, the two characters (one white and one black) who appear in a series of S&S tales I’ve written. Three have been published. Hopefully more of their stories and a nearly finished novel will someday be unleashed on an unsuspecting world.
Never came across that particular comic, John, but it sounds fascinating. I’ll have to seek out your Tragon and Yusef stories.
I read the “Brothers of the Spear” feature when I was a child back in the 1950s, John. I think the stories and the Russ Manning art planted the initial, subconscious seeds of what was eventually to become Imaro. The impressions were certainly deep and lasting, especially that of the black King Molithi and his war-elephant. Kudos to both the writer and the artist of that series.
Great to hear someone else remembers Brothers of the Spear and that it made such a lasting impression on you too. Manning’s art work was really good and DuBois’s scripts were great. He wrote more comic books probably than anyone in the business. As far as I know he was the first to present an interracial pair of heroes for a comic book. As a kid in Levittown, PA., I remember reading BOS on the afternoon the first black family moved into Levittown and an angry crowd of thousands showed up on the street in front of their house. Real life seemed so different from the world of Dan-el and Natongo.
There was an earlier female duo sword & sorcery pair in the series Silverglass. I’ve only read a couple of those.
Never heard of that one, Charles. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks for pointing it out!
Robert E Howard had Cormac Mac Art & Wulfhere.
And even earlier, there were Gilgamesh & Enkidu.
I enjoy the duo dynamic myself, thanks for the article.
I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t thought about Cormac and Wulfhere, or Kull and Brule for that matter. I had forgotten Gilgamesh and Enkidu as well. Yikes!
Like Paul said, Gilgamesh and Enkidu. More on them next week…
Also, Alexander the Great and Hephaestion. Though that may have been more of a bromance, really.
Jack
I liked Road to El Dorado, one of those for my kids that I can stand anyway.
Another duo I have greatly enjoyed is Titus Pullo and Vorenus from the series ROME.
I’ll have a duo of Wolfram Von Eschenbach (Parzival) and a mercenary Swede named Tyr in the upcoming Roar of the Crowd.
Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenas are two of my favorite characters from one of my favorite TV series.
I look forward to reading your story in that anthology.
Don’t forget Frostflower and Thorn, created by by Phyllis Ann Karr.
Just thought of a duo I enjoyed reading in my younger days (although they may be more hero/sidekick): Elric and Moonglum, from the works of Michael Moorcock.
Duos are great, really an excellent (and economical) way to infuse a story with characterization and dialogue, since they can ping off one another.
A modern sword and sorcery duo that I’ve been influenced by, and one that really lives up to the standards set by the classics (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser I’m looking at you) is Howard Andrew Jones’s Dabir and Asim. Set in the Eighth Century Arab Caliphate, they’ve been called Holmes and Watson with swords, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, either. Asim, like Watson (and Archie Goodwin) is the more down to earth of the two, and the narrator, whereas Dabir is the scholarly one given more to flashes of insight. Great stuff, and not your typical fantasy setting.
Desert of Souls is the first Dabir and Asim novel, but there are also numerous shorts in Black Gate (and I think the old Flashing Swords, but I don’t imagine those are available anymore).
Great catch, Bill! Howard’s first Dabir & Asim novel, THE DESERT OF SOULS, was the best novel I’d read in years — no qualifiers needed. It’s certainly ones of the best modern S&S novels I’ve seen.
One of the great things about it for me was that it was sort of an origin story… their first case together. They didn’t become the clockwork team we’ve come to expect from Howard’s short stories until the end of the book, and watching them get there — a tale filled with magic, ancient secrets, far-ranging conspiracies, and long-lost artifacts — made for a great read.
Has anyone else mentioned Steven Erikson’s Bauchelain and Korbal Broach?
Why Mr. O’Neill, how delightful of you to bring up, not only Mr. Erikson’s writings, but the thoroughly enjoyable deadly duo of Bauchelain & Korbal Broach! Far be it from me to ask (though I shall), but whatever do you mean by setting those two at our heroic duo table?!
As for me, the most enjoyable duo I’ve read OF LATE is that rascally twosome of Scott Lynch’s: Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen. Not only is RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES an awesome tale, I think it one of the best ever I’ve read heroic duos. Between the two of them, Scott delivers such a complete hero it’s actually inspirational.
Yes! I recently read Scott Lynch’s first book, THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA, and can’t wait to carve out some time to take in the second book of the series. Lynch is a true master at work.
Also, I just grabbed BAUCHELAIN AND KORBAL BROACH. Having not read any of the other Malazan books, will I still be able to follow this, you think?
Oh yes! While in the same world, the novellas have nothing to do with the novels. Bauchelain & Korbal Broach only make a brief appearance in the series, and you’ll only appreciate it even more if you know them better by reading of them first.
Also worth mentioning are Chris Willrich’s Gaunt and Bone, who’ve appeared in F&SF, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and elsewhere.
Just picked up BAUCHELAIN AND KORBAL BROACH today. Will I be able to get into it if I haven’t read any of Erikson’s other Malazan stuff (I’m about 100 pages into GARDENS OF THE MOON).
The novellas are a separate storyline from the novels, so you can read either series without pre-reading the other. Just make sure you read every single one of them! And that’s a prerequisite for association with RBE!
You got it. I have the Tor edition in my lap as I type this!
As of now, I’m slated to edit the CHALLENGE! STEALTH title, so looking forward to seeing your submission, Chris!
Titus and Lucius are the ultimate TV duo. They made Rome worth watching. I’ll have to check out Brothers of the Spear. Sounds intriguing.
Just did that to see if you were paying attention, Mr. Waltz.
After you mentioned the book to me at Dragon*con, I bought the excellent Tor reprint of the first three novellas. Haven’t read as much of it as I want to, but I admit being impressed.
But just for the record, I don’t think either Bauchelain or Korbal Broach qualify as “heroic”… they’re both much too twisted for that!
They most certainly are! Though as you read further, Bauchelain displays both a coldly analytic mind, a keenly cutting sensibility, and a tendency to somehow fall on the side of the heroic…despite the company he keeps.
And of course I pay attention! How else would I know how many readers BLACK GATE and RBE share
Another vote here for Brothers of the Spear, though I don’t recall that the series ever crossed over into outright fantasy.
There’s a new heroic fantasy duo in the Fafhrd & Gray Mouser mode forthcoming from Angry Robot Books:
http://angryrobotbooks.com/2011/07/meet-our-newest-signing-paul-s-kemp/
Gary Gygax also created a pair of heroic-fantasy thieves/adventurers in the F&GM mode, in his novel INFERNAL SORCERESS, recently published by Paizo/Planet Stories:
http://www.amazon.com/Infernal-Sorceress-Planet-Stories-Library/dp/1601251173
The rogues in question are the swordsman Raker and the daggerman Ferret.
Now that you point it out, it’s striking how few duos there are in heroic fantasy. Elric and Moonglum were a cool pair and I think Martin’s Dunk and Egg are on their way, but it’s weird how few companions are really out there.
I have a heroic fantasy duo in the newly released anthology Tales from the Den:
http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Den-R-Jackson/dp/1590212223/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319671112&sr=1-1
This is not a sword & sorcery anthology; it’s actually a gay erotica antho. My story is not erotic, but the rest of the contributions surely will be. So if that doesn’t float your boat, you may want to move along. On the other hand, maybe it does:)