Samwise Gamgee – from the animated film version

Sam is a perfect choice of the unsuspecting bystander reluctantly dragged into all sorts of adventure.  He starts the story as a gardener and ends up tackling a huge spider, briefly becoming the ring bearer and eventually carrying the ring bearer!

Every Thursday Nathan from the Fantasy Review Barn takes us tough travelling through the tropes of fantasy.  This week’s topic for discussion: LABORERS

Not everyone can be a Prince.  There is only room for one Queen.  A few spoiled nobles can sit around and play cards.  But fantasyland can’t build its own castles and roads, nor can it plow its own fields, nor cook its meals.  Someone has to do the hard work.  And often, as a reward of course, these laborers get pulled from their hard but simple life into a bigger plan.

Darrow from Pierce Brown’s Red Rising – Darrow starts off life as one of the Red’s, the miners who live harsh lives.  He then undergoes a transformation to become one of the elite Golds – he definitely gets pulled into a bigger plan.

Ceda from Twelve Kings by Bradley P Beaulieu – Ceda is a fantastic character.  An orphan, seeking revenge for her mother’s murder, Ceda has lived on the streets and fought in the pits – until she… (well, I can’t say because it would be a spoiler – she definitely becomes part of something else!)

Jax from The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis.  Jax is a mechanical slave who becomes involved, by chance, in smuggling secret knowledge half way across the country.  Jax is such a great character, he’s a machine but frankly that doesn’t stop you feeling for him.

Phedre from Kushiel’s Dart.  Bear with me with this one – Phedre is cursed with an ill luck name and a scarlet mote in one of her eyes which marks her out as an anguisette.  She is given into the House of Night by her parents when she’s only a young child but her fortunes change when her marque is bought by a nobleman named Delauney.  From here Phedre becomes familiar with the ways of a spy!  Taught languages and history she becomes deeply involved in a threat to overthrow the throne.

Finally:

Wart – or Arthur – a very lowly squire until he pulls that pesky sword out of the stone: