favourite character types

[Winters_Sorrow]

I prefer the abject coward with the huge slice of fortune & a lime twist

mmmm.... alcoholic

 

[MoonLover]

I like the character with a dual identity. Someone who appears perfectly normal on first inspection, but as time passes lets slip his true nature, like a werewolf or a vampire.

Karen

 

[ras'matroi]

i like heroes that have a deep inner conflict. and have a hard time to decide what to do and if they turn mad... the better.
on the other side i really like antiheros.

but the chrarcters i like most are usually the 'bad ones'. i don't know why but i just love some of them. maybe becaus they often are more complex and it is usually easy to predict what the hero will do.
i really liked dread in otherland. total mad but somehow i liked hi twisted charcter.

 

[Animaiden]

My favorite character type is the Hero. Really any Hero.

I like the unlikely heros or the ones that don't want to be heros at all and/or have questionable morals(Belgarion, Sir Apropo, FitzChivalry are favs).

 

[smeg]

At present i'm particularly fond of the types of "hero's" like Tyrian Lanister and the Hound from ASOIAF,guess i'm tired of rags to riches hero types for now. I really liked the ending of Gemmells last rigante book in which the moidart, a not very nice guy, ends up concidereda hero by people and they make him king! after hating and fearing him, it was brilliant in its realism - good hero turns a bit dark then repents in time to save the world and die and his dad who's always been horible gets the crown!

 

[rune]

My favourite types of characters are ones that aren't perfect and can make mistakes. I like ones that change too and grow through out the book/series

Also, I kinda like dark characters at times. Those with a shifty past or not so perfect morals. Makes for an interesting read

 

[red_temple]

I like villians that have honor. They may be fighting for the wrong side or for the wrong reasons, but they will always keep their word or treat the "good guys" with respect. I think it makes for an interesting dynamic when your sympathy lies with the villian as well as the hero.

 

[DarrellR]

Heh I'm resurfacing this topic since I just had such a discussion with a friend of mine. We were speaking of the evolution in the sci-fi/fantasy genre and how characters seem so different these days. Many main characters can not be defined like they use to be when you could pick up a story and pinpoint your hero easily or they simply seemed almost too good to be true. So we tried to figure what were our favorite type.

Personally not sure I have one but I would say I may lean toward the anti-hero and the mysterious character. A good anti-hero example I guess would be Karsa in the Steven Erikson Malazan series or if I had to go with a defining one Riddick from the Chronicles of Riddick movie and Pitch Black. As for the mysterious a Quick Ben type where you have pieces of their past and only a glimps of their capabilities I find intriguing. I find myself wanting to "solve" them and look forward to seeing what they are capable of.

Female characters I noticed I enjoy having a strong will and tougher than a man would suspect. In George Martin's Song and Fire series I am a big fan of Daenrys (sp) because of the strength it is taking her through will power and determination alone to achieve her goals. I respect that. In Sword of Truth while I wasn't overly fond of the series I did enjoy Kahlan and Cara more than I did Richard. Characters though like the female in Wheel of Time drove me crazy. I was hoping she would tug that braid right out of her head.

I hear many describe Conan in Robert E. Howard's writings as anti-hero. From the films I can see that but I always thought books deeper so I am going to try and find a chance to read some of those.

 

[white_wanderer]

My favourite characters are those who really don't want to be there - the accidental hero.
Joshua Calvert from Peter F Hamilton's night's dawn trilogy is one such character. An independant trader, he just wants the money and the attention of all the young ladies. The fact that he saved the universe was sort of thrust upon him.

 

[BloodAndSouls]

Jaded, articulate, flamboyant and often arrogant princes.

 

[Thadlerian]

Not necessarily as main characters, but I think a book gets really good if it has a character of the type brilliant, arrogant and cynical, with great ideas and knowledge. Not evil - beyond that, but capable of doing good if it correlates with his goal. Examples include Kellhus from The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker, and Lord Asriel from Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

 

[ice.monkey]

It's easier for me to define the character types I don't like. I can't stand the characters that seem blessed but don't actually have to work for their achievements - so I'm definitely Batman over Superman any day of the week. Also hate characters where they accidentaly accomplish something as opposed to being clever or skillful to bring about the resolution.

Goody two shoes character (Luke Skywalker) are another pet hate. I think it's because there's not much depth to the character.

I lean towards characters that are clever, experienced and skilfull but not necessarily better than everyone else (boring!) and at the moment I've got a liking for older characters - loved Gemmell's Winter Warriors for this.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I'd probably say the unworlded, innocent, curious hero. (Think of Garion in the Belgariad.) As for others, extremely intelligent, with power that they're reluctant to use. (Garion's family and companions.) As for villians, well, the old cliche types don't work for me....

 

[Mark Robson]

I suppose I've always been a sucker for the naive boy/girl hero/heroine who eventually matures enough to save the day. As for villains, well my favourite would have to be the enigmatic bad guys who are always one step ahead of the hero, but you're not quite sure how they do it. Arrogance is great too, because then you just love to hate them.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I suppose I've always been a sucker for the naive boy/girl hero/heroine who eventually matures enough to save the day. As for villains, well my favourite would have to be the enigmatic bad guys who are always one step ahead of the hero, but you're not quite sure how they do it. Arrogance is great too, because then you just love to hate them.

I hate that old cliche arrogance thing in either side....I prefer villians who just seem really innocent, villians you can't help but like, either with sharp, clever wit or the ability to hide their evil....

 

[Junomidge]

I like heroines that start out as pampered princesses and end up hardened war queens! With dragons as pets and beautiful men at their side... OK, maybe not. But I do like Robin McKinley.

 

[Connavar]

It's easier for me to define the character types I don't like. I can't stand the characters that seem blessed but don't actually have to work for their achievements - so I'm definitely Batman over Superman any day of the week. Also hate characters where they accidentaly accomplish something as opposed to being clever or skillful to bring about the resolution.

Goody two shoes character (Luke Skywalker) are another pet hate. I think it's because there's not much depth to the character.

I lean towards characters that are clever, experienced and skilfull but not necessarily better than everyone else (boring!) and at the moment I've got a liking for older characters - loved Gemmell's Winter Warriors for this.

Older characters? You mean like Druss?

I like older Gemmell characters. Whether they are Druss,Jaim Grymauch or Huntseeker they have a quality that shows they have been alot through their years and been without thinking too much of themselves.

 

[ice.monkey]

they have a quality that shows they have been alot through their years and been without thinking too much of themselves

Yeah that's part of it. In Gemmell's 'Winter Warriors' he has three characters that have been heroes in their past and need to wear the mantle again - Nogusta, Kebra and Bison.

I don't know if I just got fed up with young heroes or what, but I think older characters have tended to be neglected a bit as the heroic persona (with the exception of wizards which have to be old apparently!!). Having the perspective of an older character can be very interesting. Instead of the innocence of youth you've got a whole lifetime of experiences to call upon. However, the image of an older character that has become disillusioned with life and / or has to redeem themselves has also been overplayed.

Whereas the older character would usually fulfill the role of a mentor in traditional stories I just like the idea of them being the hero or heroine.

 

[Cayal]

Calis. nuff said.

 

[sanityassassin]

I like the roguish loner like waylander or Jon Shannow. normally I don't go in for the evil/bad characters but some are ok like Tyrian Lanister from ASOIAF