By Aleeah Cross

I was recently sent this article by a friend. It was published in The Journal of Empire History late last year, and he thought it would amuse me. It does not.

When you think of the greatest threats our beloved Empire has had to deal with in the last a thousand years, what do you think of?

It happens every time. “Oh, you’re writing a fantasy book! Are there, like, elves and dwarves in it?”

“Well, I do have a bunch of fantasy races, but not the standard ones. My main character is an Avari.”

“What’s an Avari?”

And, to be fair, it is a valid question. Since I made Avari up, and all that.