top of page

A girl standing on a stone balcony overlooking ancient Egypt.

While I love fantasy and Sci-fi books, there are many genres I like to read. One being historical fiction. One great book in the historical fiction genre is Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. What makes historical fiction so attractive as a storytelling genre? In my opinion, there are two elements that make historical fiction intriguing, one that is often unique to historical fiction and one that is utilized across many genres. These elements are real places and real problems. Both are prevalent in Mara, Daughter of the Nile, so I thought it would be a great example to discuss.


Before I get started, as usual, here is your spoiler alert! Despite the spoiler alert, I will focus mainly on the historical element of writing fiction rather than the plot of this book. However, I may mention some plot points, so if you don’t want spoilers, I advise saving this post and coming back after you read the book.


Real Places, Fictional Story

"For seven days the Silver Beetle beat her way southward, her sails fat with the breeze of the Great Green - the Mediterranean. On either side of her gently dipping prow the long land of Egypt slipped by like an unwinding scroll, revealing fields and marshes, mud-walled villages, fisherman straining at their nets."

- Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Mara, Daughter of the Nile


In historical fiction, there must be accuracies in the “historical” aspect of the story. This can be anything from how people dress to the words they say or even the location where the main characters live. In Mara Daughter of the Nile, one of the most compelling historical elements is the story’s location, Thebes, Egypt. Set in ancient Egypt during the reign of Hatshepsut, this story follows a servant girl who gets caught on both sides of a political plot to overthrow the throne. Even though this book is not historically accurate, the fact that people can look up some of the characters and find real-world history makes this book even more fascinating and fun to read! This reality within the fictional story is an element of world-building in and of itself, as the reader can find digital renderings of ancient Thebes and see what it looked like during the time period of this book.


The other significant real-world elements that the author uses in this book are the bodies of water in the geographic locations, the Mediterranean and the Nile. The main character, Mara, begins on land, and the transition to a boat on the Mediterranean and Nile marks her new life of freedom. Or so she thinks. The water travel offers some glimpses into what the story, and Mara's life, really holds. The water is more dangerous than it appears on the surface, and that quality is reflected in the story.


With her own take on what life in Egypt might have been like, Eloise Jarvis McGraw takes some liberty with the actual facts but primarily focuses on filling in the gaps where history leaves some room for imagination. But she grounds the story using the Thebes and the Nile as key elements in the environment that tells people where the characters are and what life was probably like. She also uses them to depict the reality of the different worlds the two main characters come from and how their privileges, and lack thereof, impact their individual stories and relationship with the surrounding areas.


Fictional Characters, Real Problems

"She could not see his expression, for his profile was black against the dazzling sky. But there was weariness in his pose, and he looked lonely, human―far different from the deadly menace who had lounged against that bale. Perhaps it was true, that he had no stomach for this day's work."

- Elois Jarvis McGraw, Mara, Daughter of the Nile


Mara, Daughter of the Nile, follows two main characters who are on completely opposite sides of the time period’s class system. Mara, a slave, and Sheftu, a scribe...or so he would like Mara to think. The main characters’ differing worlds collide, resulting in a unique and turbulent story of the power of love. The real problems the characters face are one key element that makes them relatable in their struggles and in their choices. The themes of opposing sides of the political system and class system are, sadly, ones that still ring true today. But, in my opinion, this dose of reality is what makes this story so compelling. This book portrays the conflict between the two very different lives of the servants and the high-class royals while bringing the two together in a unique take on the political turmoil that may have been happening at the time.


This book not only brings to light the more painful side of real-life problems, it also brings to light the power of love. This story includes both love of country and love of another person and how that love can overcome the most powerful of obstacles. These elements of real places and real problems are essential to storytelling, even outside of the historical fiction genre. Both are included in Mara, Daughter of the Nile. Though this book may not be perfect, nor is it about friendly people in an ideal society, its story of love that concurs all is inspirational.


Have you read Mara, Daughter of the Nile? What was your favorite part? Let me know in the comments!




Disclaimer: Please be aware that I am an Amazon affiliate and I earn from qualifying purchases through links in this blog post.


Teacup next to a typewriter that someone is typing on.

I love world-building. One of the reasons why is that I love to do research. While my books are fantasy novels, there are a few real-world elements I research, such as weapons of the time period I am emulating in my writing. Another element I research is words. Words change over time, and some words we use today were not used centuries ago. The Arlin trilogy has some settings that resemble the 16th and 17th centuries, and I wanted to maintain that image by using words and tools of the period. Recently I came across a word in my books that suddenly struck me as potentially out of place. I looped it up and discovered it was not in line with the period my books were inspired by, so I dove in to find out what I should use instead. What word did I change? Science.


It turns out the word “science” wasn’t used until the late 18th and early 19th centuries. That’s right, the word “science” is a relatively new term. Before the late 18th century, scientists were referred to as “natural philosophers.” As scientists do now, these philosophers studied the world around them and recorded what they learned. They did not follow the scientific method, as it had not been developed officially, though I would imagine natural philosophers performed a similar process when testing theories.


As a result of this discovery, I took the word “science” out of my books and replaced it with the term “natural philosopher” or “natural philosophy.” The concept comes up in reference to one particular character who I am excited to introduce you to very soon!


Curious about who might be a “natural philosopher” in my books? If you haven’t already signed up to my newsletter, click here to subscribe! You will get a free short story and all the essential updates on when books are being released.


I look forward to sharing my first novel The Story with you very soon!



Disclaimer: Please be aware that I am an Amazon affiliate and I earn from qualifying purchases through links in this blog post.


Book cover of Star Wars Thrawn: Treason, by Timothy Zhan, depicting Thrawn and Emperor Palpatine.

Star Wars! It is one of the best series ever created, both in movie format and in book format. There are many great Star Wars novels and characters that I could explore. Today, I decided to dive into a Star Wars character, specifically a villain. The character I will be discussing today started as a book character before going on to be the main character of multiple book series, the main villain in an animated TV show, Star Wars Rebels, and he will soon debut as a live-action character in the highly anticipated mini-series, Ahsoka! Who is this character? Some die-hard Star Wars fans may know him as, Mitth’raw’nuruodo. But he commonly goes by the name Thrawn.


Before I get started, as usual, here is your spoiler warning! Though I have tried to keep major spoilers out of this post, consider yourself warned! If you need to go read the books first, please save this post and come back to it once you have read the relevant series (Refer to the list at the end of this post).


Who is Thrawn?

"To defeat an enemy, you must know them. Not simply their battle tactics, but their history, philosophy, art."

- Thrawn, Star Wars Rebels


Thrawn is a Star Wars character created by Timothy Zahn, making his debut in 1991’s Heir to the Empire (reference 1). In Heir to the Empire, Thrawn is the main villain who goes up against Luke Skywalker, and friends, to try to gain control amidst the power vacuum created after the Emperor's death in Empire Strikes Back. Timothy Zahn went on to include Thrawn in three other series (listed at the end of this article), including an origin story trilogy. Thrawn continues to be a favorite villain both in books and on the screen. But before I get deeper into this character, for those who have not seen or read any Thrawn content, here are some things you should know about the character.


Species: Chiss

Home world: Rentor (in deep space)

Physical description: Blue skin, blue/black hair, red eyes, stands at about 5 foot 10 inches (resource 2), and broad-shouldered.

Memorable Trait: His voice. Thrawn is portrayed both in audiobooks and TV shows as having a relatively quiet, calm, civilized, and almost melodic voice.

Background: Having been initially trained on his home planet, Rentor, Thrawn served in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, a military branch of the Chiss Ascendancy. Eventually, he trained in the imperial army, becoming the first non-human species to achieve the rank of Grand Admiral in Emperor Palpatine’s Empire.

Skills: Though he has been trained in close combat and space combat, his primary skill is his intelligence, specifically military strategy, and both inductive and deductive reasoning. He has a natural skill in military strategy that was spotted by his peers very early in his career and helped him rise in ranks much faster than those around him. In addition to these skills, Thrawn possesses the ability to quickly determine, through the study of their cultural art, the military strategies that his opponents will likely use. Regarding close combat, based on the books I have read and Star War Rebels, his favored weapons seem to be a blaster and fighting sticks.

Weaknesses: Thrawn's greatest weakness is in politics. Thrawn is unable to understand the constantly changing political landscape both on an individual level and on a grander scale. This is most likely due to his innate connection to data and disconnection from easily swayed emotions. He seems to value data-driven assessment and logic more than power struggles and prestige.


Why He is Such a Compelling Villain…From My Point of View

The main reason Thrawn is so popular is simple. He is smart. We all know that when it comes to storytelling, deeply intelligent people are sometimes lacking, especially in the bad guy department. Thrawn is completely different, and, from my point of view, there are at least three reasons why.


Motivations

"I can beat them, Ziara. I can take all four, right now, without any serious damage to the Parala."..."I can see it all," he said, his voice strained. "Their tactics, their patterns, their weaknesses, I could tell you right here, right now, how to beat them."

- Thrawn, Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn


While I have yet to read all of the books that feature Thrawn, in the books I have read, Thrawn’s motivations seem a little unique for a "bad guy." Unlike most villains, Thrawn does not always seem motivated by a desire to gain personal glory and boost his ego. Instead, he seems more motivated by a combination of loyalty and attraction to success. In reference to loyalty, Thrawn displays loyalty to both his home world and to the Empire. In the prequel books that tell of Thrawn’s rise to military achievement among his own people, Thrawn could be seen as a good guy. He fights to protect his people and seems to dislike leaving other worlds defenseless when he can help. Although, his desire to help could simply be due to his ability to see a clear path to success that he does not want to ignore because he finds pleasure in solving problems. In other books, Thrawn fights outside his home world’s military, under Emperor Palpatine, to understand threats that may present themselves to his own people and to go after those who are part of the rebellion.


In reference to his attraction to success, Thrawn clearly enjoys outwitting others and gaining the upperhand. Despite having what seems to be a desire to protect and defend (mostly in his origin story) and remain loyal to those he works for, he seems to display a need for his enemies to know he was the one who defeated them. This desire could be grounded in an ever-growing desire for power. However, there is a tactical advantage in one's enemies knowing how dangerous one is, so there is a possibility he is more concerned about the tactical advantage that intimidation offers. To me, it seems more likely that he simply likes the challenge and enjoys the process of using his skills to the best of his abilities. To truly understand his motivations, though, you will have to read the books.


Logical and Detailed Mind

"It's just...it took me fifteen voyages, in four different ships, before I developed that kind of awareness. This Mitth'raw'nuru did it in one."

- Junior Captain Vorlip, Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn


The second thing that makes Thrawn such an interesting bad buy is his highly logical and detailed mind. Logic is what he filters all of his decisions through. Unlike villains such as Darth Vader, Thrawn is seldom in a rush and rarely acts out of emotion, instead following logic and tapping into his vast knowledge of his enemies to achieve his appointed tasks at precisely the right moment. He picks up on the smallest of details quite fast and studies his opponents, garnering information about them that others miss even when they are looking for it. He also regularly experiments in the field, gathering data that will help him solve problems both in the moment and down the line. In fact, he is so skilled in logic and spotting small but important details that many people who work with him do not see or understand why he makes certain decisions until after those desisions produce the desired results. These skills in logic and detail allow Thrawn to frequently outwit those he goes up against with an almost elegant style.


Treatment of Subordinates

"I wasn't joking, Commodore," Thrawn assured her. "The point is that you are an exceptionally competent commander, and the imperial fleet needs to recognize and reward all such people."

- Thrawn, Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn


Again, unlike Darth Vader, who regularly strangles his subordinates with the force (or something much worse) when he is displeased with their results, Thrawn's first reaction is not usually violent. Rather, respect is usually garnered through his record of success, strong sense of loyalty, and an almost nurturing leadership style. He values the ability to think creatively and adapt to new situations and even takes time to teach those who work under him to use logic and problem solve, sometimes even giving them logic puzzles to help hone their skills. This specific quality, in my opinion, is the biggest one that sets him apart from other "bad guys" and almost make Thrawn appear friendly in some cases, especially in the Ascendancy Trilogy. However, this does not mean that Thrawn is not a dangerous force to be reckoned with or is not a threat. He is willing to do what it takes to accomplish his missions, and he does seem to value success more than morality. For example, in Heir to the Empire, he has one of his crew killed when he fails to demonstrate adaptable thinking skills in a battle situation. However, in multiple books, his lethal actions seem to be reserved mainly for his enemies, not his crew. Even then, he displays a preference for keeping some people in play, if for no other reason than to gather data on how they and their comrades operate.


What Does He Add?

In books and all forms of stories, characters need to add value to the story. Thrawn adds more than just what is expected. His unique motivations, logic, attention to detail, loyalty, and well-balanced emotions create a character who not only poses a serious threat to those who fight him but also provides a beautiful contrast to the Darth-Vader-type bad guy. Thrawns calm, cool, and collected bad guy vibe is in direct contrast to Vader’s aggressive, easily triggered, and emotionally unstable bad guy vibe. In addition, Thrawn’s interest in art gives his writers an excellent avenue for telling the audience more about the other characters he encounters. Thus, Thrawn not only adds value as a refreshing take on villains and a formidable foe, but he also adds value as a device to expand the audience’s understanding of the world the story is set within. In short, Thrawn is the ultimate bad guy.


What to Read

If you want to learn more about Thrawn, check out the book list below or the references section for articles on Thrawn (spoilers for the books and TV shows may be included in the articles).


Hair to the Empire (1991)

Dark Force Rising (1992)

The Last Command (1993)


Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology:


Thrawn (2017)

Thrawn: Alliances (2018)

Thrawn: Treason (2019)


Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy:

(List found at resource 3)


You can also find Thrawn in TV shows such as Star Wars Rebels and the upcoming mini-series Ahsoka.


Have you read any of the Thrawn books? Comment and tell me which one is your favorite! If you want to find out what I think of the Thrawn books I have read, subscribe to my newsletter here!


References:


Disclaimer: Please be aware that I am an Amazon affiliate and I earn from qualifying purchases through links in this blog post.

bottom of page