Addiction in Fantasy

[Hex]

The protagonist of Stacia Kane's urban fantasy Unholy Ghosts trilogy, Chess, is addicted to drugs. It's a central part of the story, including their effect on her performance and attention, and what happens when she can't get them. The drugs come as pills, and many of the people she interacts with are dealers.

In the way the drugs are regarded by society, the dark unside where they're sold and used as rewards, it's quite close to our societies' attitude towards illegal drugs.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Drothe, the protagonist of Douglas Hulick's "Among Thieves", uses a stimulant called ahrami which comes as seeds that you suck or chew. I'm not sure if it's physically addictive, though, or just a habit like caffeine - Drothe spends so much of the book sleep-deprived that it's hard to tell!