Noah writes…

Hay Michelle Paver

I hope you're doing well. I'm in S1 at High School and I'm working on an Imaginative Response based on your book "Oath Breaker." I'm thinking of adding another soul-eater or reincarnating one. If I were to reincarnate a soul-eater, which one do you think I should choose? Also, if I decide to add a soul-eater, what should I call them and what kind of mage should they be? I'd love to share my Imaginative Response with you, but it contains spoilers. Wishing you all the best, and may the guardian swim with you.

From Noah

Hello, Noah.  I like your idea of inventing or re-incarnating a Soul-Eater.  I’m not going to suggest which to choose, as that’s best left to you; but what I can do is suggest some questions you could ask yourself, which will help you create your character.  Was your Soul-Eater born bad, or did they become that way – and if so, what turned them evil?  What clan are they from?  Are they typical of that clan?  For instance, if they’re Red Deer, were they originally against fighting, and something turned them aggressive?  Or were they just different from the other members of the clan, so that they didn’t fit in? In what way are they evil?  For instance, Seshru is cunning and uses trickery, while Thiazzi relies on his brute strength, and Eostra scares everyone rigid. How would your Soul-Eater’s magecraft work?  If you spend a little time thinking about these things, it should help you create your character (it’s how I did it when I wrote the books).  I hope this helps, and that you have fun with what sounds like a really interesting project.  And by all means share the results with me (though I won’t post it if it contains spoilers).  May the guardian swim with you!  Michelle