Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett paves a new way for female heroes

Lara Croft and video game writer Rhianna Pratchett share more than a few traits. The hero of the Tomb Raider series and the writer of video game stories are both strong women with “daddy issues,” Pratchett jokes. Her father was Terry Pratchett, the author of 41 Discworld fantasy novels and the writer of 70 books that sold more than 85 million copies. That’s a heavy legacy to compete with.

Rhianna also picked up the ability to write, starting her career in video game journalism. She then shifted into writing scripts for games, starting with Beyond Divinity, a fantasy role-playing game from 2002. Her career took off when she wrote the story for Heavenly Sword, which starred the female character Nariko. She later moved on to the Overlord series and Mirror’s Edge. She was the lead writer on the widely acclaimed Tomb Raider reboot in 2013 and on the 2015 sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider. Rhianna also writes comic books (notably Mirror’s Edge for DC Comics and Tomb Raider for Dark Horse), film, and TV.