February, 2026 - The Word Guardians

The beauty of innocence

An innocent in a story is someone who is pure, honest, kind and possibly naïve in the world. They have simple beliefs at heart, are likely optimistic and have a literal understanding of right and wrong. Think of Dorothy in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Forrest Gump. Both of these characters have an innocence at heart that helps steer them through their respective stories, make friends, have significant life changes thrust upon them and enables them to achieve their goals (in Dorothy’s case to return home, for Forrest Gump to live a simple and authentic life).

Introducing Eddie

Eddie, in the Word Guardians series, is very much an innocent. When we meet him, he’s in magical disguise as Wesley, having had this thrust upon him because of the misguided actions of his father, Detective Wheeler. Eddie’s under some form of control by Penn and, later, Orfeo, and the relationship seems to be very much that of villains controlling an innocent. I’ll leave it to you to decide though, after you’ve read Book 1. All I’ll say is that it’s not quite as it seems (see previous blog Who is the mysterious Penn for more insight).

Later in the story, Eddie becomes free of the magic and helps Yas, becoming friends. In Book 2, that friendship becomes a source of jealousy for Sam, who thinks that Yas is more interested in Eddie than him. The innocence that Eddie portrays doesn’t enable him to recognise or understand that dynamic, so he becomes wary of Sam for a time. At the end of Book 2, we see that Eddie has found an unorthodox friend in Akoni, Yas’s stepbrother who helped the Controllers at the expense of his adopted grandfather and himself. The relationship continues into Book 3 (again, I can’t say more without plot spoiling), but the two of them help each other. Akoni’s darkness and previous problems become lighter with Eddie around, and Akoni helps Eddie see the naivety in some of his world view.

So, is Eddie an innocent?

Yes, Eddie is a gentle character who certainly starts out with the beauty of innocence. He’s caught up in life circumstances that he didn’t ask for and his innocence helps him remain true to his authenticity, no matter the situation. He also learns a lot about himself and others along the way, arguably moving him away from the classic definition of that role.

So, who is he? Ultimately, I’ll leave it up to you to decide. To find out more, read the story of Eddie woven through the first three books of the series. Click the button below to view the books in your usual Amazon store (all the books in the series are available in paperback and kindle editions).

Continuing the theme of Who are your favourite characters in books? and What makes a hero?, it’s time to look at what makes a villain a villain.

What is it that sets a villain apart from an antagonist?

Who are the villains in the Word Guardians series?

Well, the villains of the series are the Controllers. They want to influence the minds of readers so that they can achieve their goal, control. To avoid plot spoilers, you’ll have to read the books to identify and understand all the villains in the series. There are some characters that act as antagonists but aren’t, and vice versa. And they seem to be this way because they are either protecting themselves while they figure out who they can trust or just acting out an agenda and haven’t yet revealed their cards. I can however share the name of one of the major villains of the series though, and that’s Orfeo, the vampire with a grand plan.

Who is Orfeo?

When you first meet Orfeo, he’s busy manipulating Detective Wheeler (who I’ve talked about in Waking up to core values in a time of crisis. Wheeler tells him what is going on within the police force, so that Orfeo can gain control of the Police Commissioner, as we see in Book 2.

Why does he want to do this? Like all good villains he wants control the story, in this case both inside and out of the magical realms. He uses a form of telepathic control, and uses some readers to incite all sorts of outcomes, none of which are pleasant. Orfeo claims all the trouble is from a small faction of insurgents called the Word Guardians. And he does this to justify a crackdown from the police. Ultimately, he wants the Word Guardians captured.

Villain or just antagonist?

So, knowing a little more about him, is Orfeo a villain or just an antagonist? To answer the question, we need to look at definitions of each.

A dictionary definition of an antagonist is that of someone opposing another. This doesn’t necessarily have to be evil or criminal in nature, but typically is someone opposing a protagonist within a story.

In contrast, the dictionary definition of a villain is that of someone blamed for evil or difficulty. It’s antagonistic in nature, but it indicates a deeper level. It’s likely criminal, wants to see the downfall or deposing of protagonists and is often dishonest and immoral in nature.

Based on these, Orfeo doesn’t sound like just an antagonist, does he? He’s wanting to expose the Word Guardians and while doing that he’s seeding and growing hatred of their cause, for his gain. It’s immoral and points to a wider evil, that of control of people’s imaginations so that they can do his bidding.

But who prevails?

Be honest, you want to know who wins, right? The Word Guardians or Orfeo?

And of course, I can’t tell you here. You’re going to have to read books 1 and 2 to find out. What I can tell you though is that you’ll also learn a little more about his background, his relationship with his number one, Raelinn, (who I’ve also talked about in The good and bad sides of loyalty), and some of his motivations for his dastardly deeds.

So, click the button below to view the books in your usual Amazon store (all the books in the series are available in paperback and kindle editions).

The Word Guardians book series

Month: February 2026

The beauty of innocence, introducing Eddie