Great characters in writing

[Brian G Turner]

I thought I'd start a thread where we can mention some of the great characters we've come across in writing, and why.

(Please try to avoid spoilers!)

First off, I'm going to nominate Raistlin from the Dragonlance Chronicles.

Anyone who read Dragonlance will remember the name Raistlin long after they've forgotten Tanis.

Raistlin was simply so colourful by comparison to the other characters, and a great source of tension in a story of otherwise clear morality. Raistlin was selfish but never petty, and helped others because it suited him.

Raistlin was always on the edge of morality, and there was always the question as to whether he would slide one way or another, and if so, how far.

EDIT: And here's a nice write up on Wikipedia, with a good overall description, picture, and not much in the way of spoilers in the intro.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raistlin_Majere

 

[thaddeus6th]

Not the most original, but I'm first (so there!): Glokta from the First Law Trilogy.

His scenes/chapters were delightful to read, and the great advantage of a morally ambiguous character is that they've got the freedom to do good or evil (and in that sense have slight extra level of credibility and uncertainty). We all know the knight in shining armour will do good, and the wicked witch will do bad, which makes the man between the two most interesting to watch, because he could do either.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Henry in Time Traveller's - nice shades of grey, a voice that's consistent, and an admirable ability to deal with some very odd events.

Paul Atreides - the beating centre of Dune, and big enough to stand out against fab world building.

 

[Abernovo]

Alexander Hergensheimer in Job: A Comedy of Justice. I like Heinlein, but this is probably the only book of his that I love. Alex isn't likeable in many way. He's judgemental, self-righteous and annoying at times, but he is humorous. However, he undergoes a transformative journey in which his central character remains constant, despite changing his world view.

 

[EloiseA]

Arha in Ursula Le Guin's Tombs of Atuan

Shadow and the shape-shifting Wednesday in Neil Gaiman's American Gods

Fantasy characters -- the irrepressible Sophie Fevvers in Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus

 

[millymollymo]

Well now, while there are many books out there that I love, and characters that I like only one has a strangle hold on character strength like the dwarf Tyrion Lannister - from G R R Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. Even before the T.V series this character stood out. Peter Dinklage made the role that little bit better.

 

[Gumboot]

Yosarian in Catch-22 is by far my most enjoyable character to read.

 

[biodroid]

Death from Discworld?

 

[BetaWolf]

Sgt. Patrick Harper from Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. Harper is just . . . Harper. Hard to explain.

Rue from Hunger Games. Another memorable supporting character that helped bring out some serious character development.

 

[Toby Frost]

I always wondered whether Raistlin owed something to Sherlock Holmes. While I didn't rate Dragonlance all that highly, I agree that he was a great character.

I would nominate the following:

Philip Marlowe from Raymond Chandler's crime novels. He's not quite a stereotype, and is a good example of a hero trying to create justice in a fundamentally unjust setting. A lot of the secondary characters are great too.

Doctor Prunesquallor from Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. One of those characters who is just entertaining (or irritating) going about his daily life. However, as the books become more serious, a tougher side to Prunesquallor emerges, and he seems brave and noble in a weird way. In a similar, lesser vein, Lawrence Oliphant in The Difference Engine.

Eleanor from The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. While I didn't like the book that much, I thought she was a fascinating character, frightening because of, not in spite of, her weaknesses.

The Narrator from Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household, mainly because he's a nice chap and also a raging maniac. One of the few books to look at the mad side of Britishness without being comical or a Mockney "'ard case".

As an aside, about 10 years ago, when I was trying to write a fantasy novel, I looked at the fantasy books on my shelves, which were mainly from the 1980s, and then read some of Chandler's stories. They're hard to compare, of course, but I was struck by the flatness of the characters in the fantasy novels. Things have moved on a bit since then.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I'm definitely going to add Sulla and Marius from Colleen McCullough's Rome series.

Marius by himself would have been memorable as a character, but Sulla is simply something else in fiction, especially when you follow his development through First Man in Rome, and The Grass Crown, to Fortune's Favourites.

An armchair criticism of a lot of protagonists in fiction is that they don't actually change much - stories follow the structure of: face a problem, solve the problem, that was hard work but it's done.

That's one reason why Raistlin stands out so much in Dragonlance - none of the other "heroes" really changed.

And that's why McCullough's characterisation is so superb. So far in my reading of her Rome series, Sulla stands out as one of the most accomplished character's in fiction. It's not simply that he changes, it is the extremes by which he changes - and he does it more than once. Those who have read it will know what I mean.

 

[Ice fyre]

The Fool : from the Assasins Apprentice series. It starts as a minor character but grows to fill a large part in the overall series. Ambiguous, we dont even really know the Fools sex far less its race, and fantastically written.

Nighteyes : Again from the assasins apprentice, delightful animal companion written with humour and love.

Kennit : Pirate captain from the Rain Wild trilogy, a morally ambiguous man, tortured by his own set of demons, and is one of the few villians I have ever felt sorry for.

Inquisitor Glokta : As previously mentioned by thaddeuis, a very complex man, tortured by war into a crippled shell of the charming good looking gentleman he once was. One of the most interesting bad guys I have read yet.

Bob : Bob is a muse, many years ago he managed to annoy the Summer Queen, from then on he hid himself in a skull. Used by a series of Mages he has ended up owned by Harry Copperfield Dresden of the Dresden Chronicles. I love him, you would have to read the novels to see why. His humour is some of the best in the books.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Shay Tal and Luterin Shokeranderit from the Helliconia books (Brian Aldiss).

Paul Atreides from Dune.

Steerpike from Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books - a fantastic baddie!

I also think Gollum is one of the great genre character creations, maybe Tolkien's finest.

 

[SevenStars]

Ripley Bogle. He's the title character from the book of the same name by Robert McLiam Wilson. I have never read as finely written a character or come across one that made me laugh until I cried, cry because of the heartbreak and want to meet in person so much. Cambridge drop out, homeless in London with a wit and intelligence that is unsurpassed. I have seen him described as 'a modern character with an old soul'. To see how to write an amazing character regardless of genre - read this

 

[JoanDrake]

Nicholas van Rijn, the space merchant by Poul Anderson.


One line should sum it up. He is describing to a female companion why a brief exposure to a methane atmosphere was not fatal. (from memory so please be forgiving if you have the book handy) "No, I don't die that way. At the age of a hundred and fifty I get shot by outraged husband, that's how van Rijn will die."


What more could you ask for?

 

[Nick B]

Jack Randall from Spares by Michael Marshall Smith, messed up by war, drugs and more, he is the classic anti-hero. You like Jack but you hate some of the things he's done. Very much a redemption story too.

Elric of course, probably one of the most memorable characters of all time for me. Tragic to the end, incredibly powerful yet incredibly weak, When you think Moorcock, you think Elric.

 

[millymollymo]

Oh. So many already said. Moiriane Damodred, from Robert Jordan's Eye of the World. Why.
The first female character I had (at the time) encountered in a fantasy book who wasn't modelled after Acrobat in D&D or Amazonian styled in anything other than her personality.
Aside from the 1st Terry Brooks Shannara, until that point I had been exploring the teen romance library shelves. Talk about deep end.