Sunday, June 18, 2017

Father's Day Roll Count SF/F Style

So, I happened to spy a tweet that got me thinking: How many fathers do you see in Sci-Fi/Fantasy?


I mean, seriously. Sure, they abound in TV shows - usually as the lovable, but mildly clueless/inept parent - but in many books, particularly the SF/F genres, and even some movies, dads are more of a plot device than an actual character. I mean, take Mufasa, for example. His main role was to serve as the climactic childhood trauma and angst for young Simba.


To that end, I want to sound off for all the fleshed-out, admirable fathers* of SF/F (Please, add more in the comments):

  • Tam al'Thor - Past BA swordmaster and supportive, adoptive father to the Dragon Reborn
  • Samwise Gamgee - Former ringbearer, mayor of the Shire.
  • Bruenor Battlehammer - How many dwarves stop adventuring to raise an orphan human girl?
  • ... That's as many as I can think of right now, racking through 16 years of SF/F books
*Father figures/mentors of orphans and runaways not included unless they adopted and raised the child

It's kinda pitiful that the list is this short. Sure, there may be a couple I'm forgetting or that I don't know well enough to add to the list, but, I mean, c'mon authors. Would it hurt to have some more great fathers instead of the deceased or deadbeat plot device/backstory fathers?

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