Science fiction and fantasy isn’t always the intrepid young hero on his first voyage to Mars. Or the naïve but strong and independent young woman falling for a magically attractive and dangerous fae lord. Although those protagonists are impressively popular, there are plenty of stories where the heroes aren’t young, fresh-faced, able-bodied, perpetually confused, and conventionally attractive. So please get to your feet and provide some thunderous applause for a look at protagonists with a brush of silver in their hair, joints that sometimes creak, and a fondness for quiet coziness in life: