> >Have you ever read any of the Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan? I'm not saying to copy his work;far from it, but his use of characterization is absolutely incredible. I guess my point is that the more "human" the characters are, the the more enjoyable it is to read it. It always helps to be able to identify with the people. Personally, I love a good fantasy novel, but the cheesy ones all have, you know, a nameless, faceless Totally Evil Guy who happens to be all powerful, and lives in the "Mountains of Doom" and dies in the end by the "All Powerful Weapon". If you were to stray from this, it could be for the best in my opinion. Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels are refreshing, in that all are united against the common foe. It might be cool to create your own denizens of evil, instead of using Tolkien's often imitated, never duplicated orcs, trolls, and goblins. I think everyone has a fantasy story kicking around somewhere inside their head, and good fantasy authors afe just the people that can write the story down. Good luck with your novel.