Is the Shadow of Phaedrus diversity-inclusive?

We are all different. How can we relate to the same story?

Writers do not try to appeal to a generic audience. A story needs hooks that grab into the heart of the readers. Hooks are like hundreds of mirrors that can show reflections of ourselves. The Shadow of Phaedrus presents a variety of meaningful hooks.

Cultural diversity

The world of Phaedrus counts 9 main lands, each depicting its unique culture and customs. However, the unique world order dictates the need of similarities:

• As magicians from all origins train in the Earth lands, the language in the Earth lands is spoken all over the world. Nevertheless, some distant tribes and regions have their own dialects.
• The climate, geography, and local wild life differ greatly across the lands. Therefore, regions often have different cuisine, animals, vegetation, etc.
• Each type of magic is associated with unique properties, which are commonly accepted as representing the land. Yet, this understanding may not be an accurate portrayal of the many regions.
• Lands have unique political order, created by years of history.
• Misunderstandings between different regions are more than common!

Racial diversity

Race and ethnicity broadly draw similarities between groups of people who share common distinctive physical features and cultural. backgrounds. Yet, the world of Phaedrus uses magic as a way to identify specific groups: non-magicians, and the 8 types of magicians.

This is not to say that all characters share the same physical traits. Yet, these characteristics are typically overlooked by their peers. We feel that describing characters in terms of race would be missing the point of the story. However, we appreciate that some readers may be curious about the physical appearance of their favourite characters. So, we have included some hints in their descriptions for readers who wish to visualise their skin colour and ethnicity.

• When the Shadow first sees a portrait of Rhode, he doesn’t notice the bruises and the Nekros scar on her skin.
• Alexis has white hair and piercing blue eyes.
• Helena has also blue eyes. Her hair is dark with some grey strands.
• Pamphilos’s face is tanned. He has brown eyes and brown-grey hair. He typically lets his beard grow when he travels.

Gender diversity

Gender does not matter as much as social status. This is not to say that the world of Phaedrus does not recognise gender diversity. We get to meet both men and women in a variety of positions, which are not influenced by gender considerations.

So, we have included some clues as to what gender diversity might be like in this world.

• We get a glimpse of different magicians trusted by the shaman. This includes men and women.
• A magician’s ability and power is not determined by their physical strength or gender.
• We see women helping women, men helping women, men helping men, and women helping men equally throughout the story.
• The main characters are a mixture of genders, and they rarely stop to consider which one they belong to.

LGBTQA+ diversity

Are there LGBT characters? Yet, like in real life, there are individuals all across the love and sexual identity spectrum.

There are some clues and further revelations awaiting readers:

• In Olbia, we meet Agatha Feare, a female Nekros magician in love with another female magician called Elpis.
• The story behind Hilarion, a magician from the Philos Lands who fell in love with a male magician from an enemy clan, will be revealed in future books. But we already get to meet Hilarion in the Dead Shadow.
• There is no indication about Rhode for now, as she is currently driven by an overwhelming desire for revenge that consumes all her energy. But she is not your typical binary identity, and we will get to explore this further as she heals from her childhood’s trauma.
• We are also introduced to another character, Thais, who doesn’t fit in the traditional gender identity either. We will find out more about her in future books.

Age diversity

Typically, heroes in fantasy fiction are youthful. But, in real life, we all know that life doesn’t end after 21. Similarly, we didn’t want a story where only younger readers could identify with the characters. We believe that regardless of your age, you can still be the hero of your own exciting story.

So, our characters represent all ages:

• Rhode is a young teenage Earthling, aged around 13 at the start of the story.
• Helena is in her late 30s/ early 40s.
• Pamphilos is a few years older than Helena.
• Alexis is Helena’s father and still plays an active role as a mentor for Rhode and an active duty magician.
• Elpis, who we will get to know more in depth in the next book, is in her 20s.