Why do we need older protagonists in fantasy, sci-fi, and other forms of speculative fiction? I recently wrote an essay for All Lit Up about the value of north-of-25 protagonists in speculative fiction (and beyond).
An excerpt:
I do enjoy books where the protagonist saves the day at the age of 19, but it doesn’t take long before I start to wonder about the people propping up the rest of the world—the grumpy potion shop owner, the parent organizing the activities of an entire household, the chatty spymaster who knows everyone’s business. Why don’t we get to see them doing interesting things? Wouldn’t their unique perspective add some compelling tension to their world-saving?