# Favourite fictional character



## Brian G Turner

Just thought I'd ask a general question: 

Are there any characters in fiction who stand out particularly for you? If so, why?

I'm going to have to think about this myself.


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## Archangel Scream

Gotta be Gandalf! The smoke rings and fireworks do it for me!


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## Kilroy

Gotta be Han Solo and/or James Bond.  nuff said.

Kilroy Was Here


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## PaenDragaan

I'll probably get shot for saying this here, but one of mine is Rand al'Thor.

The second is the heroine of the series I'm reading right now.  Anna of the Series The Spellsong Cycle.


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## SirRob

Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye. He's weird but he's cool ;D. 



> I'll probably get shot for saying this here, but one of mine is Rand al'Thor.



*BANG*


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## nemesis

Not a great character but an interesting one. Raistlin from Dragonlance.


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## Survivor

Cordelia Naismith always caught my fancy (I liked her son too, but not quite as much).  It's sad that Bujold decided not to write more stories from _her_ perspective.  I guess she sort of intimidates her own author, though.


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## Persephone

Xena! If only the coppers would let *me* carry a sword as well!   Tah-tah for now! (blows kisses)


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## mac1

I have a few favorites, Spike from Buffy is cool, mostly due to the screen presence of James Masters. Similarly Avery Brooks' Benjimin Sisko is also amazing. That guy can really act. Morbo, the news reader from Futurama is always hilarious as is Richard Nixons Head.

Choose a favorite you say?
No
But heres a few more favorites - Michael Corleone, Fox Mulder, Homer Simpson, Link, Wayne and Garth, Hannible Lector, Ash (from the Evil Dead), and Williams (from Enter The Dragon). That will do for now.


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## Brian G Turner

Sisko was much better in DS9 after - I think it was - the third series - when he came out with the shaved head. Somehow he came across as stronger when he was otherwise a little variable. Though I guess it helps when facing a Klingon attack and then the Dominion proper  .


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## Eldanuumea

Elric of Melnibone......disturbing, thinking person's hero/antihero?
Vivacia.....the young Liveship in _Ship of Magic_.
The woman protagonist in Harriet Arnow's _The Dollmaker_.......strongest woman in all of literature.
Demetrius in _The Robe_.......the loyal slave/friend of Marcellus.


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## Dimlien

It was the fourth series of DS9 I believe, certainly it was series four that started with the the big two-parter where the klingons attack the station and the dominion thing really stepped up a notch then. I'm pretty sure that was when he shaved his head anyway and I agree he was much better from that point.

However, my favourite characters are probably Waylander and Jon Shanow from the books of David Gemmell. Also Zakk Wylde (ok he's not exactly a fictional character but sometimes I could almost swear he is)


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## mac1

Rock On!!

Saw him play an epic guitar solo that must have been about 7 minutes long at last years Ozzfest. It was raining, it was dark, he was in a pale blue spotlight, his hair was blowing horizontally due to a fan at one side of the stage, and he was down in his usual uber-low playing stance, and he played one of the most amazing guitar solos I have ever seen. That guy rules.

Oh and while we are on the subject Slash is practically a fictional character too!!


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## Brian G Turner

I'm going to bring back this thread and nominate...

...Mr Spock!


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## Brian G Turner

Sorry - _Captain_ Spock for that photo-shoot.


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## mac1

Rocky Balboa!







YO ADRIAN!!


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## dwndrgn

I have too many to count...

I suppose the one character that I admire the most is Claire from Outlander.  She is brave, forward-thinking, selfless, and selfish enough to enjoy the moment as it comes.

The coolest though would have to be Panamon Creel - just because he was a 'take me or leave me' kind of guy and he had the best name ever.


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## Brian G Turner

Of course, if I were to say "best" fictional characters...

Certainly Darth Vader ranks among the highest:


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## dwndrgn

I'll have to name a few...

Johnny Goodboy Tyler from 'Battlefield Earth'  he is intelligent, clever, strong and thoughtful.

Claire Beauchamp and Jamie Fraser from "The Outlander" they both just take life as it comes, prepare for the worst and celebrate the best.  They fight and love with equal passion.

The Fool from the Farseer Trilogy, he's mysterious, knowledgable, flawed, loving.

There are more but I'll stop now. :-X ;D


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## Arch

R2D2 was much better. *smiles*


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## scifimoth

Hmmm...that is a good question.
I always really liked Sam in LOTR...
I think in a really good bookor movie there is always a character that somehow sticks with you and gets you involved in the story.
I really can't choose just one... Amelia Sachs, Hannibal Lector, Deo-Dread (a character that a friend of mine created during a long D & D session.....). And that is just for starters.


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## GnomeoftheWest

Valentine Michael Smith from "Stanger In A Strange Land"


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## Enferos

Anakin Skywalker
i guess that means Darth Vader as well..
why? well....he has an interesting life i guess.


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## Brian G Turner

The best part about all of these characters, though, is that you can simply walk away afterwards. I certainly wouldn't like to have to deal with some of the emotional aspects.


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## aftermath

Richard Rahl, Sword of Truth or Maud'Dib, Dune. 


Oh yeah...


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## littlemissattitude

I've been thinking about this for a long time and I've finally realized, I think, why I haven't been able to come to any conclusions.  My favorites change depending on my mood and what I'm reading.  So any list would be long, and would be different depending on what day it is.

I think one of the reasons that I'm so drawn to Kage Baker's series of Company novels is that Mendoza is such a great character.  She's got issues, to be sure, but what immortal cyborg wouldn't?

As far as television characters go, I always really liked Ensign Ro in "Start Trek: The Next Generation".  Again, she had such attitude.

From film, I've always liked Kevin Smith's "Silent Bob" character.  He's good when he's not saying anything, but he's even better when he opens his mouth and lets go with one of his monologues.  (Kevin Smith is also one of my favorite screenwriters - yeah, he uses a few too many F-bombs for my taste sometimes, but he really is a great writer, with some great insights - see "Dogma" and "Chasing Amy" if you don't believe me.)

Also from film, Indiana Jones - how can one not like him?  Smart, attractive, and not afraid of a challenge but also reluctantly not afraid to admit it when he's afraid - my kind of man.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones who come to mind immediately.


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## lastdimtwilight

Nicodemus from the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH....it's a kid's book, but still it has really stuck with me over the years.


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## jerchar

Well, my favorite fantasy character is Silk from the Belgariade saga by D. Eddings, although he's even with Cenedra (from the same book). In movies it's definitely Orlando Bloom acting as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In TV-series I really like Cole the demon in Charmed.


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## Brian G Turner

lastdimtwilight said:
			
		

> Nicodemus from the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH....it's a kid's book, but still it has really stuck with me over the years.


Hi there, *lastdimtwilight* - and welcome to the chronicles-network!

(You haven't said hello on the Introductions board so I'll say my welcome here! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 )


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## NarkyTheNarkster

TYRION LANNISTER
gotta love that crazy dwarf............


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## NarkyTheNarkster

oh ya one more thing how do i set a display picture??


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## Brian G Turner

No problem - I believe that this is the buttom your looking for:


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## AVON

Difficult one to answer, with just a *single* favourite character!

1) "AVON" - (Blake's 7.)
2) "THE DOCTOR" & his arch-enimies "THE DALEKS!" - (Dr. Who.)
3) "MR. SPOCK" - (Star Trek.) 
4) "G'KAR" - (Babylon 5.)
5) "SHERLOCK HOLMES".
6) "ROBIN HOOD".
007) "JAMES BOND".

Plus others *too* numerous to list!


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## okami

As a reader of science fiction and fantasy for the past few decades, i find it difficult to decide on only one favorite character; there are so many.  The best I can see is a four-way tossup between 

(1) Robert Heinlein's *Lazurus Long  * of the "Howard Families",

(2) Larry Niven's _*Louis Wu*_ of the Known Space Series, specifically
     the Ringworld novels,

(3) Jack Chalker's _*Nathan Brazil*_ of the Well World novels, and 

(4) Orson Scott Card's _*Andrew Wiggin*, aka *Ender the Xenocide*_, of the Enderverse series.

Unfortunately, television and movies haven't "discovered" them yet. . .uhoh, the wife's found me. . .


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## Brian G Turner

Hi okami, and welcome to the chronicles-network!

Hm...not heard mention of Ringworld for some time now. 

Don't speak too soon about movies, though - *dwndrgn* has posted elsewhere news about "Ender's Game" being somewhere in the process.


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## okami

That would be great; I've already waited 30-40 years for certain comics (X-Men, Hulk, Flash) to come to the movies or TV.  The good news is that we have better special effects now, and the characters' abilities can be portrayed as in the comics; the downside is that the majority of stories often don't do the characters justice (refer Heinlein's Starship Troopers). To see Ender the Xenocide brought to the screen might give a few people thoughts about our problems with terrorism and foreign policy:  who knows, someone might stop and think about things.

However, I don't know how much would be lost in translation, which _does _ worry me. . .I worry about what might get changed or cut out.  the interactions between Ender, Valentine & Peter, and their genius-level mentalities, *COULD NOT * be exorcised from any conceivable script; otherwise it'd seem to me to be an SF "Home Alone".  And the child playing Ender would have to evoke a great sense of empathy.

I apologize, though. . .I ramble.  I don't have a computer of my own, so I use the one at work (now), or public access at the city or university libraries.  Family worries have kept me from keeping up with science fiction in the past decade or so, as well.  However, I still derive a very great enjoyment from what's left of my SF library, and I find that older stories--including those of previous generations--still affect me deeply.


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## Incognito

Yep - familes do have a habit of creating worry.  Hope everything settles better for you - and glad you're still able to indulge in the reading. Small mercies and simple comforts?


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## Sage Orion

I have many fictional characters.....I guess I'll have to narrow them down....

#1 Maximus (Gladiator)
#2 Lucilla (Gladiator)
#3 Legolas (LOTR)
#4 Arwen (LOTR)
#5 Captian Algren (The Last Samurai)
#6 Katsomoto (The Last Samurai)
#7 Jack Sparrow (Pirates of Caribbean)
#8 Will Turner (Pirates of Caribbean)
#9 Harry Potter (Harry Potter)
#10 Snape (Harry Potter)

And many more...........!


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## polymorphikos

The child from the short-story "It's A Good Day", possibly one of the greatest stories ever written. Frankenstein's monster, the raptors in Jurrassic Park, James Bond, the Phantom, Conan the Cimmerian, Lucinda Carlton (don't worry, you've never heard of her, and she only exists in three exercise books in my bedroom), Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Oenode in the Night's Dawn Trilogy, Al Capone in the same, The Bride, Tarzan, and that little black bird in the Warner Bros cartoons that just plods along and is always being chased, but wlks straight through mountains and up cliffs and under the ocean and is ever-ellusive. Finally, Flute in the Tamuli et al, and Polgara. Of all of them, though, probably the little black bird.


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## Michael

1. Rap from _A Man of His Word_
2. Good ol' Spidey!
3.  Thomas Covenant (as annoyed as I was with Donaldson's style, I still loved the story)


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## Michael

If _Ender's Game_ is really in the making, I can't wait!


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## Lacedaemonian

My favourite character is Edmund from the Chronicles of Narnia.  

*Fingolfin* - _Silmarillion_ (His battle with Morgorth dwarfs anything in the LOTR)
*Jaim Grymauch* - _Ravenheart_  by David Gemmell (His death is the most heart rending in any SF/Fantasy work - no argument.)
*Druss the Legend* - David Gemmell (Druss is iconic in the world of fantasy) 
*Talon of the Silver hawk* - Raymond E. Feist (An excellent example of a classic fantasy character transition)
*Raif Sevrance - *A Cavern of Black Ice/A Fortress of Grey Ice by JV Jones (He can heart kill...)
*Tyrion - *A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (Excellent baddie?)

Edmund was a joke.  I also did not feature any LOTR characters because they would pretty much all get a mention.  These of course are just fantasy characters, there are much better characters of fiction.


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## lord-draco

I don't know if you know who this is but it would have to be{drumroll}.................Richard  Cypher fom the Sword of Truth series.


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## Esioul

Damn, this is quite a nasty question. It changes all the time for me as well. 

I'm obsessed with Ant & Cleo at the moment. I used to quite like Caesar, but I'm off him a bit at the moment. I'm beginning to realise what makes Antony work more- I always used to hate him, but now I just feel sorry for his double bind.


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## Dead Riverdragon

I don't suppose they count for ths topic though?  

I'd go for: 
Erikson's Karsa Orlong,
Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer: one of the great anti-heroes,
Gemmell's Viruk, for the same reason. 
Gutz and Alucard from the mangas Berserk and Hellsing respectively.


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## Lacedaemonian

Viruk the mad killer (Who loved his horticulture).  Alan Tittmarch with a sword!  I vaguely remember Echoes of the Great Song, there was a character called Talaban and the king was called Ammon.  Not very original names.  Does Viruk redeem himself in the end??  I fail to remember, the Gemmell books tend to blur into one as time passes.  I love him though.


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## erickad71

> My favourite character is Edmund from the Chronicles of Narnia.


Really? Why him? I loved those books when I was growing up. But if I remember right his was not the nicest character. Not that you have to be nice to be a good character. I haven't read those in a really long time, so my memory is not the most reliable.


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## Lacedaemonian

Rest in peace Erickad, it was a joke.  Edmund was a vile little character from the Narnia series, I remember hating him from start to finish.


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## Dead Riverdragon

I wouldn't say Viruk was redeemed as such, but he was such a happy chap that I think he got away with being a villainous guy anyway. He was in the last charge of the Avatars and of course fell bravely in battle, but then that's to be expected of him, and while the act redeemed the Avatars in general I don's think it applied so much to him. Then the book finishes with a great little scene where one of the servile class finds Viruk wounded and is tempted to finish him off, when Viruk angrilly tells him either to kill him or help him up as his legs are broken, and the servant thinks to himself 'who could kill such a man' and Viruk lives on


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## erickad71

Lacedaemonian said:
			
		

> Rest in peace Erickad, it was a joke. Edmund was a vile little character from the Narnia series, I remember hating him from start to finish.


Whew! 
You know, when someone says "rest in peace" over here(in America), they are usually refering to someone who has died.


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## Lacedaemonian

Yeah same in England.  I play with words and phrases at will.  In this instant I was referring to letting the notion (of me liking Edmund) die.


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## Lacedaemonian

Thanks for the rejog Dead Riverdragon.  I may have to read that book again soon.


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## erickad71

Sorry I didn't catch that the first time.


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## Lacedaemonian

............

Yeah I lost myself.

Current favourite fictional character:  Osama Bin Laden.


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## Hypes

I find Dubya to be full of laughs, myself. Unfortunately, he isn't as fictional as we might have wished.


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## Lacedaemonian

He could become fiction.......

All the best assassins lived in the sixties.


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## Hypes

Lacedaemonian said:
			
		

> He could become fiction.......
> 
> All the best assassins lived in the sixties.



His foray into the real world has been regrettable thus far.


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## Lacedaemonian

Maybe somebody could serf back through the whispy clouds of time and bring back Lee Harvey Oswald.  Now there is a man with a good track record.


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## Hypes

I recall a forum post I read shortly after Dubya wrested control of the US government:



> Where's Oswald when you need him


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## Lacedaemonian

It is an obvious solution.  Shame we don't have a time machine....


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## Hypes

Simply need to get our grubby little hands on a FTL machine and we're set.


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## Hypes

On a slightly less off-topic note: T. E. Lawrence is not really a fictional character, but he is fascinating.


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## Michael

lord-draco said:
			
		

> I don't know if you know who this is but it would have to be{drumroll}.................Richard Cypher fom the Sword of Truth series.


I know who it is.  I still need to finish _Blood of the Fold_, though.  Good choice!


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## angrybuddhist

Slippery Jim DiGriz, The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison.

Kabuki, by David Mack.


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## Lacedaemonian

Jesus Christ Our Lord - I love the bit where he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, thus fulfilling the prophesy of the coming of the messiah.  An excellent multidimensional character who appeals to all walks of life!


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## Michael

I'm not touching that one, Peter--unless . . . say . . . you aren't the rock he built his church on, are you?


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## Lacedaemonian

The real 'Peter' was apparently a sexest, ultra conservative of sorts.  It is this version that I model myself on. 

No I was just having some fun.

Peter was also said to be Jesus' bodyguard.  The 'rock' seems like macho flattery...

I love the bible stories....lol


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## Michael

At risk of being too serious: I have a deep appreciation for Bible stories myself.


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## Lacedaemonian

Hey, I went to Sunday school out of choice, my mother did not really want me to go, but respected my wishes.  The bible stories are told best when in childish form.  Great stories!  I think that I had too much freedom as a child - hence my questionable attitude.  Food for thought Pete.


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## Michael

Of course.  I like it in the children's form and the traditional. In fact, I like comparing different translations. Although, I have to admit, I really like the _Gospel of John_ in KJV.  In think it's beautifully composed.


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## Lacedaemonian

My favourite oddball, childrens fiction character is:  *Catweazle.*


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## Michael

Don't know *Catweazle*.  What's that?


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## polymorphikos

An inept sorcerer accidentally transported to modern times, if I'm not incorrect.


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## Hypes

Imagine Rincewind in the year 2004.

Actually.

Let's not.


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## polymorphikos

In the Colour of Magic he .... Oh, never mind.


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## Hypes

Oh, no, go on.

I (heart) Rincewind.


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## polymorphikos

I was going to say that in The Colour of magic he and the little tourist guy are sucked through a hole in space-time and become Swedish buisnessmen on a jet liner.


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## Hypes

He does?! I must reread that book!

... what?

_Swedish_?


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## Morning Star

For me, it's either Holden Caulfield from "The Catcher in the Rye" or Nemesis the Warlock from 2000AD.


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## Lacedaemonian

Jossarian from catch 22 is comedy at its best.


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## Sage Orion

I still happen to love Emperor Cusco!!  

Disney's The Emperor's New Groove Rocks!!   

He is so much funnier as a lama though!!  LOL!!  


(The kitchen scene is the BEST!!)


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## Inzilbêth

Are you screaming, Sage? Your extensive use of exclamation marks indicate so. 'Tis giving me quite a headache..


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## Esioul

No, she's sqeauling....

Yossarion is great, Peter... just so funny. And C J Cherryh's Tristen... far less famous, but so sweet.


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## Lacedaemonian

Did I spell Yossarion wrong?  I went all Dutch with my spelling....
How about Major Major Major??


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## Esioul

Isn't it Major (his position) Major (his first name) Major (his middlename) Major (his last name)? Not sure. He's hilarious, just hilarious. The ending though- don't you find that a bit, well, depressing? I mean, almost everyone dies. The thing about the soldier who saw everything twice, though... that just cracked me up.


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## Lacedaemonian

Major Major Major Major.

The end is very sad.  True.  The whole book is very sad but filled with dark humour.  What was the name of the character who kept crashing his plane on purpose, and who eventually rowed to Sweden?  He was great.


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## Esioul

Orr? He was. Nately's girlfriend was good too.


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## Lacedaemonian

The prostitute?


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## Esioul

Yes. She was funny.


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## Hypes

_:: pops in_

Sweden?


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## Dead Riverdragon

Karsa Orlong-He slays irrelevance. you knows it!


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## Wintersbreath

*RAND AL'THOR!!! NYNAEVE AL'MEARA!!! *


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## BlueSkelton

Peter Griffin


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## CrookedMouth

Cyrano De bergerac- he was completely Larger than life, but also flawed.anyone can relate with him, yet he can fight 30 warriors alone. even in the end he fought on with sword and razor sharp wit.


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## Darken Rahl

*Marvin the Martian -* from the old Warner Bros Cartoons, nuff said

*Belgarath the Sorceror -  *from _The Belgariad _(and others) proof that a truly great heroic character does not have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer 

*Gray Mouser - *Fritz Lieber's immortal rogue/wizard 

*Mrs. Weasley *- Ron Weasley's mother in the Harry Potter series, screw June Cleaver and Mrs. Brady. I want her for a mother.

*Sherlock Holmes*

*Cara - *Mord Sith bodyguard to Lord Rahl in the Sword of Truth series

*The Fool / Lord Golden -* possibly the single most interesting character, so many unanswered questions and multiple personalities

*Seregil - *from Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series, another classsy rogue


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## Chimeco

crookedmouth - if you haven't yet, catch the French film entitled Cyrano De Bergerac (10-20ish years old now?).  I caught the English subtitled version (for extra credit in a second semester French class back in the day) and it was sheer poetry through the whole movie.  I've never seen a movie to match it (poetry-wise).  Beautifully done.


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## GOLLUM

*Tyrion Lannister* - From Geroge RR Martin's current classic A Song Of Ice and Fire

*Paran Ganoes and Sgt. Whiskeyjack* - From Erikson's Malazan series.

*Prince Sanglant* - From Kate Eliott's Crown Of Stars series.

*Gollum* - From LOTR by the master himself.

All I can think of roght now...


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## Damage1978

Anakin Solo - From the Star Wars Novels.


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## Quokka

John Yossarian. One of the funniest books I've ever read and oh so much truth to it.


Oops, looks like he's been brought up already, Charlie Gordon from _Flowers for Algernon_ is a great character as well.


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## Alia

dwndrgn said:
			
		

> I have too many to count...


 
Any Fictional character?  Movie or Book?  I have too many to count too.  But, I have one I loved in both.  The Silician, Vizzini in The Princess Bride by William Goldman & S. Morgenstern.


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## Stormflame

Mine must be Gandalf for an over all character, though I adhore Aragorn.  Gandalf has the wisdom of the ages and the skill to fight his way out of almost everything.  The perfect candidate, don't you think....


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## LadyFel

I can't believe I missed this thread...But I've spent a good 20 minutes laughing at some of the posts...

My favouites are Vimes and Vetinari...they share a special place in my heart, I can never decide whom I like more...
Tyrion Lannister is a close second.


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## Bladecutter

Book: Aragorn (hope im like him someday... )

Game: Illidan (From warcraft III the frozen throne[Also hope im like him someday, only not dead and blind])


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## Jof2004

Oh where does one start?

Drizzt Do'Urden of course. Nuff said.  

However, I could list loads. 
Druss the Legend, oh yeah baby. 
Londo Molari, tragic comedy genius. 
Belgarath, Gandalf only harder and funnier.  
Darth Maul, that lightsaber rocked. It still worked after Obi Wan broke it. 
Pikel Bouldershoulder, Oo-oi. 
Phaerun Mizzrym, gotta love the drow. 
James T Kirk, ultimate ladies man.


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## vervain_ashe

Ender is up at the top of the list.  Probably my favorite... but I also like Lyra from Pullman's "The Golden Compass".


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## manephelien

Oh, there are so many!

Gollum - I loved how flawed he was but ultimately did good, even if unintentionally.
Boromir - the most morally ambiguous character, the others were either goody good, or evil.
Damia in Anne McCaffrey's Talent series. She's fallible and human, but ultimately learns to live a balanced and happy life.
Rincewind - the ultimate inept magician. Funny as all heck.


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## paranoid marvin

The fictional  Emperor Claudius from the Graves novels - much nicer than his real life counterpart


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## ironvelvet

Nearly everyone I'd thought of has been mentioned already so I was going to leave it but...

Vimes (Terry Pratchett Discworld series) - for the best character development ever in a series.

[And Rincewind was way too futile (yes, I realise that's the point but please!) ]

Besides when you had the homicidal luggage how could anyone pay attention to a mere failed wizard?

Though personally, as wish fulfillment - not just admiration, I've always wished I could be Granny Weatherwax!!!


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## Mithridelle

Right now - Akkarin from _The Black Magician Trilogy_ by Trudi Canavan


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## gully_foyle

Dent Arthur Dent
& Sal Paradise.


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## Giovanna Clairval

Corwin, from part one of the Amber cycle by Roger Zelazny

The Fool, from the _Tawny Man _trilogy by Robin Hobb

Ellen Ripley from the film _Alien_

and Buffy Summers from the TV series _Buffy the Vampire Slayer._


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## paranoid marvin

How about non-humanoid characters?

I'd have loved Oy as a pet...


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## Giovanna Clairval

Humanoid? I'll say Data, then.


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## Overread

Well this question is certainly one of the hardest to answer, but I think I came up with an answer that I won't be changing any time soonish - - 
Nighteyes - from Robin Hobb; gets some of the best lines in the book, and also stands out as slightly better than the main character


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## Giovanna Clairval

Nighteyes is wonderful.  And Fitz is not that sympathetic character one would expect. Did She like him? Have you seen the ordeals and rebukes he got all the time. She identified with the Fool, I bet.


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## Sephiroth

You mentioned Ripley, Gio...that's so cool!  I totally agree!

Sephiroth, from Final Fantasy VII (obviously).  
Aeris Gainsborough, from the same game.  

Glorfindel, Túrin, Beren and especially Lúthien, from _The Silmarillion_
Samwise Gamgee, Gollum and Faramir from _LoTR_

Druss (and Sieben) and Waylander, from Gemmell's novels.  And his fictional Parmenion in _Lion of Macedon _& _Dark Prince_.  


Perhaps most of all, though, Raskolnikov in _Crime and Punishment_.  That book is a tour de force of insight into the human soul.


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## JDP

I like Spot's Mum out of the Spot the dog books. I forget the author.


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## Harpo

Panurge, from Rabelais' "Gargantua and Pantagruel"
Monkey, from Wu Cheng En's "Journey To The West" (if you get the more commonly available "Monkey" you are missing two-thirds of the stories)
Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter, obviously
and Father Dougal MacGuire


----------



## Talysia

This is a very tough question. I'd have to say...(in no particular order)

Spike Spiegel, from the anime series Cowboy Bebop. From Manga, I'd have to say most of the cast of Saiyuki, too, (flawed though they are).  From games, it would be Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII and Clive Winslett from Wild Arms 3.

The King of All Night's Dreaming, from The Dream Hunters (Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano)

Ruth, from Anne McCaffrey's The White Dragon.

Piemur, from many of the Dragonriders of Pern series (also Anne McCaffrey)

Kazuyuki Asakawa, from Koji Suzuki's Ring trilogy. Kaoru, too, from the same series.

Although the favourite characters I have change constantly.


----------



## manephelien

paranoid marvin said:


> The fictional  Emperor Claudius from the Graves novels - much nicer than his real life counterpart



I haven't read the novels, but I do have the BBC series. It's awesome, and Derek Jakobi is fabulous as Claudius.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Seph mentioned this thread earlier, so I have been coaxed to add mine 

Possibly my favourite character ever - *Iago* from Othello. I absolutely love the dude. He's so devious! 
*
Rincewind* - possibly my favourite Discworld character. 

From the Dark Tower, I'm torn. *Roland* is the typically enigmatic one, wise, ancient, mysterious, fantastic abilities, a dark past etc. But*Eddie* is so complex and..._human_, he's full of conflict about pretty much everything in the story. A great character.
*
Locke Lamora* - witty, handsome, a crafty conman, outspoken, daring...What more could you ask for? 

Can I add *Rimmer* here, too? I love that dude, too. 

Oh! And of course *The Doctor*.


----------



## Wyvern

Nice choices HoopyFrood. I'm going to nominate Kari Ragnarsson, because I loved him when I was younger. But my all time favourites are FitzChivalry Farseer, Beloved and the utterly amazing Brashen Trell!


----------



## Nesacat

There's *Macbeth* to start with. I love this man and the way his mind works and then how it all fall apart.

There's there's *Captain Ahab*. There's never going to be another quite like him with his destructive obsession with the white whale and that leg made of a whale's jaw. He's almost larger than life.

And *Captain Nemo*. He's someone I've always been fascinated by though I'm often also ambivalent about how exactly I feel about him. Imagine having just totally turned your back on all of humanity.

*Atticus Finch* is one reason I have a great deal of respect for what the law can do if wielded by the right hands. They don't make too many men like him anymore. This is one book I re-read often.

*Krishna* from the Mahabharatha for all that he did to bring that age to an end and give us an epic to remember it by. I sometimes suspect he'd be a lawyer if here today.

*Savitri* from Hindu mythology for having courage and faith enough to best even Death.

And finally, *Death *in the many books in which he/she has played a role from the Discworld to Sandman to The Book Thief.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Oooh , talking of Shakespeare , another I absolutely adore is Richard III - what a wonderful villain , and his opening soliloquy is a thing of beauty


----------



## Giovanna Clairval

Yes, Krishna and Death!


----------



## The Ace

His Grace, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes.

The trouble with MacBeth (King of Scots 1040-57) was that he _wasn't _a fictional character until Shakespeare's hatchet-job.


----------



## HoopyFrood

paranoid marvin said:


> Oooh , talking of Shakespeare , another I absolutely adore is Richard III - what a wonderful villain , and his opening soliloquy is a thing of beauty



Yeah, he's another favourite Shakespeare character of mine. But Iago will always be number one! Villains are always more interesting, especially ones like in Shakespeare that have so many levels to them.


----------



## CaptainCatfish

Tom Bombadil ... for his outlook on life.


----------



## paranoid marvin

The Ace said:


> His Grace, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes.
> 
> The trouble with MacBeth (King of Scots 1040-57) was that he _wasn't _a fictional character until Shakespeare's hatchet-job.


 
The same could be said of Richard III - how many people think of him solely as a treacherous hunchback ? Firstly , he was no hunchback (just Tudor propoganda) secondly he was no traitor . Yet thank to Shakespeare's play , designed specifically for the benefit of his monarch, Elizabeth , this is how people regard him today


----------



## Omphalos

William Ashbless.  I loved him in The Anubis Gates and the other one, and I love what those two authors have done with him since.


----------



## Mithridelle

Christopher Chant - Chrestomanci series


----------



## C Of K

Graham Jones - _Aria of Sorrow_

Juste Belmont - _Harmony of Dissonance_

Alucard - _Symphony of the Night_

Saint Germain - C_urse of Darkness
_
Darth Vader

Arya Stark - _ASOIAF_

Tyler Durden - _Fight Club_

Eddie Wilson - _Eddie and the Cruisers

_Kyle Reese - _Terminator

_Peter Venkman _- Ghostbusters
_


----------



## Jyrbian

_Tyrian Lanister - ASOIAF_


----------



## white_wanderer

My two favourites are the unsung heroes.

Sir Kalten (david eddings)

Erik Thrackrar (Peter F Hamilton's night's dawn trilogy)

Both are strong individuals with a duty, but deserve more.


----------



## Who's Wee Dug

That's just as difficult a question as what's your favorite book or story. where to begin (apart from the beginning,before someone says it)


----------



## Kissmequick

Eomer, LOTR

Nhi Vanye , Chronicles of Morgaine

Sam Vimes, Terry Pratchett

I could go on, and on, but those are my top 3


----------



## The Ace

Belgarath, a very bad old man who can stop the sun in its tracks.

  Johhny Alpha, the strontium dog from 2000AD, killing off first Wulf then him was a grave error.   If you wonder why, try to get hold of, 'Portrait of a Mutant,'  written when the extreme right in the UK were making a power play.  Allegorical or not, it'll knock your socks off.


----------



## VionesspXmoone

There are so many I will just name a few. From books there are:

Drizzt Do'Urden,  Pikel Bouldershoulder, and Cadderly Bonnaduce all R.A. Salvatore characters (his books got me back into reading fantasy after years of not, you should see me laughing at the dwarves in his books while reading at work, I am sure people think I'm an idiot. )
Phaerun Mizzrym from The War of the Spider Queen books
Simon Snowlock from Tad Williams M, S, &T 

From Film or TV:

Indiana Jones, Darth Vader, Captain Picard, Data, D. Frankenfurter , Henry Spencer (from David Lynch's Eraserhead, gotta love the freaks ) and numerous more


----------



## nj1

Derfel from the Bernard Cornwell Arthur tirlogy.
An oridinary man who raises to become a war lord.(thuogh he does love Arthur a bit much).

Utred of Babbenburg from bernard cornwell's Alfred the Great books, Loves the Danes and hates the christians cos they prey too much! But fights for the christians anyway. A greta reluctant hero.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Where would I start?

First off, I'd probably say Garion from David Eddings' Belgariad/Mallorean series.

Second, I'd probably say, heh, Total from James Patterson's Maximum Ride books-you'd have to read them to understand.

It could go on and on. Those are two of the best, I think, though.


----------



## Pyan

Manarion said:


> Where would I start?


Good question! Where to _stop_ would be more to the point!
_
Samwise Gamgee _- the _rea_l hero of* LotR
*_
Sam Vimes_ - *Discworld
*_
Pyanfar Chanur_ - from the books by *C.J.Cherryh
*_
"Slippery" Jim DeGriz_ - *The Stainless Steel Rat
*_
Lord Miles Vorkosigan_ - created by *Lois Bujold
*_
Lazarus Long_ - *R.A. Heinlein
*
_Roland Deschain of Gilead_ - from The Dark Tower by* Stephen King
* 
Just a few.......


----------



## Adasunshine

pyan said:


> _Samwise Gamgee _- the _rea_l hero of* LotR*


 
Here here!

I have no idea where to start with this one or as Pyan rightly says, where to stop...

I love Belgarath from Eddings' various books

Iorek Byrnison and Will from His Dark Materials

The Disreputable Dog from Garth Nix's books

Arya, Bran, Jon and Tyrion from GRRM's ASoIaF

Merlin... just Merlin

Dumbledore, Sirius and Mr Weasley from HP

Even though he's a bit of a dark creature, Odin from Gaiman's American Gods

Mr Nancy from Anansi Boys

The Old Bailey from Neverwhere

Dogman, Logen Ninefingers & Glokta from Joe Abercrombie's books

That'll do for now...

xx


----------



## Connavar

I will name the 5 i like the most in no ranking order.


*Jon Shannow* - _David Gemmell's Shannow tales_

*Conan* - _Robert E Howard stories of course_

*Parker* - _Richard Stark Parker novels_

*Harry Bosch* - _Michael Connelly HB crime series_

*Ghyl Tarvoke* - _Jack Vance's Emphyrio_



Honorable mentions: 

Rick Deckard - _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_
Takeshi Kovacs - _TK series Richard Morgan_
Manuel Garcia O'Kelly - _The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress_
Wyoming "Wyoh" Knott - _The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress_
Professor Bernardo de la Paz _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_
Dr.Eric Sweetscent - Philip K. Dick _Now Wait For Last Year_


----------



## yngvi

Cadman Wayland from The Legacy of Heorot by Niven et al

Louis Wu from Ringworld

Sparrowhawk from the Earthsea Books by Ursula Le Guin

Billy Danger from Galactic Odyssey by Keith Laumer.


----------



## nixie

For me it has to be Nakor from Fiest's Riftwar series or Fiddler from Erikson's  Malazan.


----------



## nixie

The Ace said:


> Belgarath, a very bad old man who can stop the sun in its tracks.
> 
> Johhny Alpha, the strontium dog from 2000AD, killing off first Wulf then him was a grave error.   If you wonder why, try to get hold of, 'Portrait of a Mutant,'  written when the extreme right in the UK were making a power play.  Allegorical or not, it'll knock your socks off.



Johhny Alpha was a brilliant character, Durham Red didn't quite cut for me. Remember Midden Face


----------



## The Ace

nixie said:


> Johhny Alpha was a brilliant character, Durham Red didn't quite cut for me. Remember Midden Face




Bearing a startling resemblance to my brother ? How could I forget. (Wish I could forget, 'Lang may yer breeks reek, though.)


----------



## nixie

I still sneak a read of 2000ad, did you read Starlord? I thought Wolfie Smith was brilliant. Also preferred Ro-Jaws and Hammerstien when they were part of Ro-Busters.


----------



## The Ace

Didn't we all ?

I loved 'Starlord.'


----------



## daisybee

Okay so this thread has made me smile, so I'll add mine. Some have been mentioned but can we share?

Slippery Jim, The Stainless Steel Rat.

Buffy, and Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Mr Bennet, Pride and Prejudice.

Silk, Belgariad

Mrs Coulter, His Dark Materials

Homer Simpson

Eric, Dungeons & Dragons

John Cage, Ally McBeal (The Biscuit still rocks)

Captain James T Kirk (of the USS Enterprise)

Sarah Connor, Terminators 1 & 2.

wow I had more than I thought!


----------



## Connavar

I have to defend my post that has my favs, i took for granted it was fiction in books.


Otherwise there is no way i wouldnt add Homer Simpson from the greatest tv show in human history


----------



## nj1

Since reading Joe Abercrombie's 'First Law trilogy' I have to add *Inquisitor Glokta, *the guys just sheer class, love the humour and the fatalistic view.


----------



## ushumgal

Hmmm...I guess the top of the list would be Miles Vorkosigan from Bujold's books, and Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin from Patrick O'Brian's.


----------



## Highlander II

Fave fictional characters?

MacGyver is one of my all-time faves.

Harry Dresden

Dr. House


There are a few more -but I have to run to a meeting...


----------



## shadowbox

....I want to bring this thread back now. 


Phedre no Delauny of Kushiels Series. A good heroine, a little vain, but I like her.


----------



## dask

Kerth Gersen
The Man With No Name
Sgt. Rock
Sgt. Fury
Sgt. Saunders


----------



## kythe

Morgaine - The Mists of Avalon


----------



## Vladd67

Long John Silver


----------



## Vladd67

Lacedaemonian said:


> He could become fiction.......
> 
> All the best assassins lived in the sixties.


Talking of which how about David Callan, him of the swinging lightbulb?
YouTube - Callan Title Sequence


----------



## Rosemary

nj1 said:


> Since reading Joe Abercrombie's 'First Law trilogy' I have to add *Inquisitor Glokta, *the guys just sheer class, love the humour and the fatalistic view.



I have to agree with you about *Glokta*.  Just love his characteristics. 

So I now have two favourite characters - the other being *Faraday* - from the Axis Trilogy by Sara Douglass.  So many dramatic situations happened to her and yet she managed to carry on.


----------



## WJoseph

Silent Bob, from the Kevin Smith movies.


----------



## nj1

I've just finished Steven Erikson's MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN and it would be soooo easy to pick a handfull of characters from those books, but to keep things decent i'm going to go for FIDDLER, my favorite sapper


----------



## Cayal

Jack Bauer - 24
Jason Bourne - Bourne trilogy
Cayal - Tide Lords quadrilogy
Calis - Feist universe.


----------



## Lirael

I actually really liked Dustfinger from Inkheart... I haven't read much of the latter books but, despite being more a supporting character than a main, he really stood out in the first. He was mysterious and refreshing. 

There are others, but I'll have to get back to you on that.


----------



## Lirael

Okay, I have a slight problem in that I can't edit my post... Could someone tell me why that might be? :S

And to make this 2nd post worthwhile, I'll say what I was going to say.

Even though it's not a fantasy based novel, I also found the character Jude (from the Noughts and Crosses trilogy) highly compelling in Knife Edge (book 2). While I didn't approve of his actions, I truly sympathised with him and I felt he was more complex than either of the main characters. He just stood out and everything he felt seemed realistic and upsetting, even though he turns into the villain of the story.


----------



## hikari-sa

I have to say Salmar Dev..Steven Erikson any woman how can stand up to aToblaki like Karsa and not fall to his charm gets my respect plus she wants to get at Feather Witch and i really do not like that stuck up demented little house slave


----------



## nj1

LOL, yeh, Feather Witch is annoying, but i think Salmar secretly wants Karsa but is too afraid to say so


----------



## hikari-sa

Wanting and acting on it are two different things... He is pretty persuasive. Nothing like a huge man with a big sword. Sorry he makes me smile.


----------



## Constantine Opal

Mudge the Otter in the Spellsinger series. He's a thief, a pervert and foul mouthed. Hilarious. Other than that, probably most of the characters in the Terry Pratchett books.


----------



## Lillyanna

Lirael, I asked a similar question a little while ago -- and the answers answer your question (see thread here --> http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/48043-how-to-delete-posts.html ).

As for my favorite fictional character...

I would have to say the first person that comes to mind is Sparrowhawk from the Earthsea stories (Le Guin).  I love how, over the course of the books, we see how Ged changes, grows, and experiences his exceptional life and career.  There's the way he views himself (a lowly goatherd) and the way he's viewed by the world (the most powerful wizard).  And his love story is something slow that happens over the series.

Anyway.  There are others that I've liked a lot, as well: Ender (Ender's Game), Star (Glory Road), Boy Blue (Fables)... but as for a character that I really admire, it'd be Sparrowhawk.


----------



## WJoseph

Snake Plissken- Escape From New York!


----------



## reiver33

Snake Plissken - isn't he dead?

From literature I'll nominate Heljanita the Toymaker on the grounds of obscurity.
From film it has to be Corporal Hicks from Aliens - "Marines, we are _leaving!_"


----------



## Contrary Mary

As many have said, too many to list, but:

Doctor Who---so many aspects to his character(s)

Mr. Spock--a favorite since I first saw him

Faramir ---from LOTR, the  PRINT version, not the movie!

Avon and Servalan from Blakes 7

Sarek of Vulcan--wish we'd seen more of him

Tarzan

Doc Savage and his crew


----------



## Rodders

Book; Gernau Gurgeh from the Player of Games by Iain M. Banks. I enjoyed the subtle shift in attitude from the Cultlure to the Empire of Azad. 

TV; G'Kar from Babylon 5. When you first see him, you think he's the bad guy. As the series continued, many levels of this complex character were seen. 

Film; Han Solo. He's so cool.


----------



## Connavar

Books :  _Conan,Parker,Jon Shannow
_
Tv :  _Homer,Bart,Lisa,Captain Malcolm Reynolds,Jack O'Niell,Daniel Jackson,Teal'c,Samantha Carter,Vorenus,Pullo,Monk,Dexter_

Film: _The Man with no Name,Lee(Bruce Lee duh!),Inspector Chan(Police Story)__Jef Costello(Le Samourai), Sojuro(Toshiro Mifune in a Kurasawa movie of the same name)
_


----------



## Rippers

Dr Who
Forrest Gump
Homer Simpson
Ferris Bueller
Morpheus
Ripley
Father Christmas.

Quite a wide range there.


----------



## dask

Rippers said:


> Dr Who
> Forrest Gump
> Homer Simpson
> Ferris Bueller
> Morpheus
> Ripley
> Father Christmas.
> 
> Quite a wide range there.


 
If you like Father Christmas, you should try "The New Father Christmas" (short story by Brian Aldiss. Really cool. Watch those stairs!)


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Death.
Rorschach.
Fitzchivalry.


----------



## Rippers

Rippers said:


> Dr Who
> Forrest Gump
> Homer Simpson
> Ferris Bueller
> Morpheus
> Ripley
> Father Christmas.
> 
> Quite a wide range there.




I forgot Yoda and Hannibal Lecter. Somehow.


----------



## Rodders

Harry Feinman and Arthur Gordon from the Forge of God. Martin Gordon from the Forge of God.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Favourite fictional TV characters:

Dr. Gregory House (House)
Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)
Sheriff Jack Carter (Eureka)
Buffy, Cordy and Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Dexter Morgan (Dexter)
Dr. Walter Bishop (Fringe)

Favourite fictional book characters:

Death, Vimes, Sybil Vimes, the Patrician, the Librarian, Susan Sto Helit, Angua, Nobby Knobbs, Fred Colon, Detritus and Gaspode (Discworld)
Joe Pitt (the Joe Pitt vampyre series)
Eric Northman (True Blood / Southern vampire series)
John "Spud" Milton (a South African trilogy of humourous books about a boy's boarding school experiences. A hilarious read.)
Charlie Parker (John Connolly's books)


----------



## Daisy-Boo

polymorphikos said:


> The child from the short-story "It's A Good Day", possibly one of the greatest stories ever written.


 
Is that the one about the boy with the terrifying mental powers? He transports his entire town to a different universe (I think).


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Daisy-Boo said:


> Is that the one about the boy with the terrifying mental powers? He transports his entire town to a different universe (I think).


 
I Googled until I found it! The short story I'm thinking about is called *It's a Good Life* by Jerome Bixby.


----------



## Kei

I like anti-heroes and villains most of the time. Recently, I'm loving me some San Dan Glokta from Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy.

Nicci from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. From the moment she roasted the Emperor's best friend on a spit to prove to some villagers that every man in the Empire was equal, I was in love.

Spider Jerusalem from Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan comic series. "Filthy Assitants!" 

Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Anti-social,  egotistical prats with soft squishy insides make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

If you know any other novels with amusing sociopaths, I have an addiction to feed, enable me!


----------



## The DeadMan

Garrett P.I. from Glen Cooks "Garrett Chronicles".This is a series of books about a Private Eye set in a Fantasy world with Orges, Giants, Elves, Ghosts, Vampires, and the local version of the Mafia.


----------



## TheDustyZebra

Rippers said:


> I forgot Yoda and Hannibal Lecter. Somehow.


 

That may be the first time that Yoda and Hannibal Lecter were ever in the same sentence! 

Hmm...I would have to say 

Maureen Johnson Smith Long
Mycroft Holmes
Miles Vorkosigan
Cordelia Vorkosigan
Fletch
Honor Harrington
Nimitz
Lady Sally McGee
Lincoln Rhyme
Owen Meany
Emily Pollifax
Alan Shore
Don Juan DeMarco
John Keating
Jim DiGriz
Parry/Satan (Incarnations of Immortality)
Dirk Gently
Marvin the Paranoid Android
Eeyore
(I think the above two are the same character)


----------



## CyBeR

*RINCEWIIIIIIIIND*....and let's be fair here, *DEATH* are the best character from Terry Pratchett's series, 'Discworld'. 
There are many fictional characters that deserve their own podium and one day I will make a huuuge image of them all, from artwork on the net. But until then, these are the two that pop on top of my head.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Doctor Who...and from the same universe, Captain Jack Harkness
Garp...from John Irving's "The World According to Garp"
Mendoza...the cyborg from Kage Baker's Company series
Travis McGee...from John D. MacDonald's series of private-eye novels


----------



## Rodders

I've got to say that i always had a soft spot for Flere-Imsaho from the Culture.


----------



## Steffi

Blimey, where to start.

Stu Redman (The Stand)
Death
Nobby Nobbs
Belgareth
Silk
Polgara
Denna (Mord Sith)
Andy Dufresne (Shawshanks)
Pennywise (IT) sooo scary

Oh and Lucy (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)

There are more but those are off the top of my head


----------



## Landroval

Archangel Scream said:


> Gotta be Gandalf! The smoke rings and fireworks do it for me!



Ditto. Gandalf is my all time favourite.


----------



## drush9999

Strider / Aragorn
Druss the Legend
Solomon Kane
Conan
The Gray Mouser


----------



## Montero

Cordelia Naismith (again) and Miles.  Got a bit of a soft spot for Vorkosigan senior and cousin Ivan, not to mention "Uncle" Simon

Definitely Vimes
Granny Weatherwax

The Ship who Sang from Anne Macaffrey.  (Just like the whole learning to live in a machine thing.)

Janet Kagan's Tocohl from Hellspark - all the complexities of what she does interacting with other cultures


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Isaac dan der Grimnebulin
Mr Motley
... and so many more.

Also a big fan of the Green Man and Jolenta.

'Gollum' will know what I mean...


----------



## Window Bar

The old Whiskey Priest in Graham Greene's _The Power and the Glory._


----------



## JDP

Marc Remillard - Saga of the (Pliocene) Exiles, Galactic Milieu trilogy by Julian May.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

JDP said:


> Marc Remillard - Saga of the (Pliocene) Exiles, Galactic Milieu trilogy by Julian May.


 
Was he the one who suited himself up to "mentally launch" himself into the cosmos? ...  I remember devouring those books when they first came out. Some reviewers found them a little "fannish", but I liked their ingenuity.


----------



## JDP

Stephen Palmer said:


> Was he the one who suited himself up to "mentally launch" himself into the cosmos? ...  I remember devouring those books when they first came out. Some reviewers found them a little "fannish", but I liked their ingenuity.



Yeah, the serieses both focus on characters with higher mind powers psychic/psionic type stuff, and Marc's character develops the technology to super-energise his brain in order to multiply his 'metapsychic' potential.

I love both series, and have always liked Marc's character; I like the fact he's (for me) both hero and villain.


----------



## Rodders

Colonel Commissar Ibram Gaunt.  A leader of men.


----------



## ebusinesstutor

Miles Vorkosigan - love the situations and the humor.


----------



## Toby Frost

Philip Marlowe, from Raymond Chandler's crime novels. A worse writer would make him a stereotype: Chandler turns him into a flawed, really likeable character. Most of the minor characters in Chandler's stories are better than many leads elsewhere.

Also:
- Alfred Prunesquallor in _Gormenghast_, for being entertaining and actually rather 
brave
- Laurence Oliphant in _The Difference Engine_, dapper and enigmatic
- George Smiley in _Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy_: master spy and failed husband
- Grand*rse from _Quartered Safe out Here_, fat, crude, not all that bright and yet deeply heroic
- Jim Dixon and his enemy Welch from_ Lucky Jim_, for being continually amusing
- Madeleine Bassett from the Jeeves books. 

Though I suppose my favourite characters of all are the ones I made up.


----------

