[Bonairian]

http://www.infinitem...says/noles.html

I've read this post and as a black man ( not african american since i'm neither african or american), i can totaly relate.
the article details the experiences of a young black fantasy/sci-fi reader who like me had trouble identifying with characters. It's a long read so be sure to take the time.
And why post it here? Well when I read Kellanved's description in NOK I nearly cried. No longer a marginal character, a loyal servant somewhere in the sideline destined never to get the girl, or at best, senteced to die in the last battle faithfully giving his/her life for his/her master/best friend.
Read the article it explains a lot.

All I can say is: Thank You, Thank you so much Mr Esslemond and Mr Erikson. From the bottom of this not so young black man's heart.

[Flawed]

Kalam

[Koryk of the Seti]

quick ben?

[Bonairian]

they where first, NOK confirmed to me that the character placement wasn't an accident. Or a clever marketing ploy to include pigment so to say.

[Koryk of the Seti]

no SE seems to put no distinction between the different races of characters. he has lots of black characters including and entire continant(sp?) a race of ancient supremly powerful beings(andii) and lots of others. in fact h is one of the fw authors who is like that. im white but i despare at the lack of black main characters in most fantasy books as authors tend to go for th generic tall blond blue eyed hero. i dont agre with this at all!

[Bonairian]

almost exactly what i'm saying. There seems to be a lack of black HUMAN beings in fantasy books, I'm thanking SE and IE for including us. The Tiste Andii aren't human so ( yes i'm speciest) they don't count.
Errrm so where do we disagree?

[Koryk of the Seti]

Bonairian;200783 said:

almost exactly what i'm saying. There seems to be a lack of black HUMAN beings in fantasy books, I'm thanking SE and IE for including us. The Tiste Andii aren't human so ( yes i'm speciest) they don't count.
Errrm so where do we disagree?

lol i see where u misinterperated me. i meant i dont agree with the stereotypical white hero. and yes now i think of it there does seem to be a lack of black charactrs at all in most fantasy books! as an aspiring writer i try to include all races in my books to add a element of reality(stupid in fantsy and sci-fi i know:p)

[heron]

I have to say, although it doesn't have much of a relationship to this particular topic, I suppose, that I can't honestly say I noticed any of the characters standing out as being black. It was actually only on reading them through a second time I picked up on it.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I suppose a good thing; if they stood out as being black I might have thought they were stereotypes. I dunno.

[Masonity]

It makes the point that Kalam and Quickben are black on page 55 of Gardens of the Moon, while first introducing the Bridgeburners...


But despite that, i actually imagined them more as arab during my first reading of the series... Not sure why, probably the desert ties, and the fact that fantasy deserts usually tend more towards the asian continent?

But from what i can see, skin colour's pretty irelevent in MBotF, it matters far more who's side you are on than what colour your skin happens to be.

[Mentalist]

Ok, i don't mean to be a hating racist, but...
the way I figured it, the Dal Honese (Kellanved, Dassem, Iskaral, a large number of marines-->black)

7C-->more of a Middle-Eastern type....

[Svaran]

Bonairian;200783 said:

almost exactly what i'm saying. There seems to be a lack of black HUMAN beings in fantasy books, I'm thanking SE and IE for including us. The Tiste Andii aren't human so ( yes i'm speciest) they don't count.
Errrm so where do we disagree?

Go read the earthsea trilogy by ursala le guin, Ged and the majority of the wizards are black. Considering that the bulk of fantasy writers are caucasian is it any surprise that the bulk of the heroes/ charcters in fantasy are the same?

sheesh!

Get over it bro, as a polynesian of Samoan extraction who lives in NZ I really don't give a toss what ethnicity the charcters are as long as the story rocks, which is the rule of thumb I apply to any fantasy book I read.

[Toblakai]

Bonairian;200783 said:

almost exactly what i'm saying. There seems to be a lack of black HUMAN beings in fantasy books, I'm thanking SE and IE for including us. The Tiste Andii aren't human so ( yes i'm speciest) they don't count.
Errrm so where do we disagree?

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time--'black people'
Ursula K LeGuin's Earthsea--black people
Clive Barker's Galilee, Imajica, Great and Secret Show, etc.--black people
Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Anansi Boys--black people
Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell--black people
Stephen King's Dark Tower cycle--black people
Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company--black people
R Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothingseries--black people

I'm quite certain this is an incomplete list, but fantasy isn't all I read.

[Dancer+]

This is a collection of prominent members in the Malazan Empire and their skin colour - in no means meant to be complete, just a random selection. It just shows there is a bit of mix skin colour wise.

Black

• Kellanved
  
• Dassem Ultor
  
• Duiker

Dusky Blue

• Surly
  
• Urko Crust
  
• Catheron Crust
  
• Korbolo Dom

Grey

• Topper

White

• Dancer
  
• Dujek
  
• Admiral Nok (I do need to check Nok's race)
  
• Tattersail

[Mentalist]

???
I though Nok was also Napan, thus blue?.

[Aptorian]

Duiker was black?

[Dancer+]

"Born on the plains of Dal Hon, Duiker's dark skin matched that of the local Debrahl" (DG UK Version p.68)

Nok may very well be Napan - I couldn't decide between the two - but I think you are right. Does anyone have a quote on hand? Nok is not listed as one of the famous Napans like Surly, Korbolo Dom and Flashwit.

[Aptorian]

It's strange but I actually don't atribute skin color to any of the characters. I think of them all as white, even the andii...

My imagination is a racist.

[Mentalist]

yeah... I believe they say he was from Dal Hon, which is why he fit in well in 7C and everyone thought he was a Dosii....

[Illuyankas]

Tayschrenn's black, too.

[Silencer]

Mahogany actually.