I’ve written about the lead protagonist in a previous blog, Who is Yas, so I wanted to turn the spotlight this week to one of my other favourite characters; the mysterious Penn. Who is he really?
The aloof Penn
We meet Penn in the bookshop in The Battle for the Peacekeepers. He’s well-dressed, wearing a long, tailored, overcoat along with gloves. He is a little theatrical and also brandishes a cane. His manner and aloofness set a particular tone. It leaves you thinking that he’s displaying all the early signs of a bad guy.
Later, we learn that he’s the head of a media empire, he’s come from money and clearly wants to keep it that way. We start to think he’s the privileged antagonist who will make decisions based on protecting his interests. That is true, but there’s much more to him than meets the eye.
Penn out for himself?
Skipping ahead into The Twisting Tales, the start of the story sees Penn as ‘not quite himself’. I can’t say more otherwise it would plot spoil. How he’s portrayed though does provide a clue as to his big background reveal in The Shadow Readers, when we understand him more. In The Twisting Tales though, we see an uneasy marriage of convenience between The Word Guardians, trying to get off the back foot, and Penn. Rightfully so, the Guardians are suspicious. What are Penn’s real motives?
Penn’s honour and values
In The Shadow Readers, Penn and Sam are thrown together early on in a time of need and it makes for an entertaining dynamic. The guardedness and banter between the two characters was something I enjoyed writing immensely and is one of my favourite threads in the book.
Later in the book, we learn that Penn is really a mixture of several archetypes but acting under a banner of honour, even if that banner is considered by some to be a little tarnished. He’s guarded, but even if his actions seem to be more ‘out for himself’, there’s a surprising set of values that he’s loyal to. There are only a few trusted others that he shows his true self to, and lucky or not, Sam happens to be one.
I can’t say more, or it would spoil the adventure of reading the series. To delve more into the journey of Penn, you’re going to have to read the first three books of the series. His story continues in The Lost Beginnings also and I have plans that bring in his background more into Book 5, The Story Thief.
Buy the The Battle for the Peacekeepers today to start the adventure!
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