Characters who caught your attention because they were atypical

[asp3]

Who are some of the characters in the books you've read who piqued your interest because they weren't run of the mill.

I really enjoyed that Giraut from A Million Open Doors and the Thousand Cultures series was an economist.

I also liked that the main character from An Alien Light by Nancy Kress is a glassblower.

 

[alexvss]

Off the top of my head...

The Murderbot is the POV character from All Systems Red, and it is pretty interesting. It has hacked the system that humans use to control it, but it keeps that as a secret.

Denji, the MC from Chainsaw Man is a crazy millennial hero (or should I say anti-hero?). He's the opposite of the hero archetype, but he's different from other works like Invincible or The Boys. He's the hero we deserve.

 

[The Big Peat]

Straight off the top of my head was Glotka from The First Law. Not many torturer protagonists (with a nod to Gene Wolfe).

Long time ago and less atypical now, but Sparhawk from Eddings' Elenium and the Witches from Pratchett's Discworld caught my attention simply by being and acting older - tbh, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg still feel fairly atypical.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Moorcock's Elric, a frail, anaemic albino is not your usual Sword and Sorcery hero

 

[nixie]

The ladies/girls from Theodora Goss's Athena Club. To be fair Mary does come across at first glance as a typical Victorian young lady. Then you get to know her.

 

[KGeo777]

Speaking of Athena, her appearances in THE ODYSSEY are very memorable. She's not just a divine power--she has a sense of humor and her relationship with Odysseus is eccentric/personal. It's not like one of those Biblical angels waving a flaming sword.

Red Sonya of Rogatino in SHADOW OF THE VULTURE reminds me of her very much. Has a similar function in the story except the "hero" in it is a drunkard.

THE OPEN WINDOW by Saki--the niece character is memorable. "Romance at short notice was her specialty."

 

[hitmouse]

Every single character in HHGTTG.

 

[Luiglin]

The Librarian from the Discworld series - despite only using Ook or Eek you know exactly what he's saying. Even after countless re-reads I love him popping up.

Thomas Covenant from books of the same name - he's the only character I've physically shouted at while reading. I just love to hate him and for me that strong an emotion makes him a great creation.

Shadwell from Weaveworld - whoever thought a salesman armed with a jacket could be so evil.

 

[williamjm]

Long time ago and less atypical now, but Sparhawk from Eddings' Elenium and the Witches from Pratchett's Discworld caught my attention simply by being and acting older - tbh, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg still feel fairly atypical.

I thought something similar about Ista from Lois McMaster Bujold's The Paladin of Souls, it feels like there aren't many epic fantasy novels where the protagonist is a middle-aged woman.

 

[The Big Peat]

I thought something similar about Ista from Lois McMaster Bujold's The Paladin of Souls, it feels like there aren't many epic fantasy novels where the protagonist is a middle-aged woman.

Indeed so, although there's enough of them that I didn't think it atypical when I recently read it. A pleasant change, but not quite atypical. Wonderful book though.

 

[BAYLOR]

Kane the Mystic Swordsman Why? Because he is very unheroic , an antihero , Immortal and immoral and, much of the time . in it for himself . He's absolutely not a nice guy at all and yet , I find him compelling and an interesting character.

 

[Guttersnipe]

The Evil Magician Trent from A Spell for Chameleon is surprisingly nice for a villain. I'm familiar with the trope of villains playing hospitable hosts, but I've only really encountered that in this book. Also, Aahz from Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures series. He may play second fiddle to Skeeve, but grumpy reptilians tend not to be heroes (he's very greedy to boot).

 

[paranoid marvin]

Rincewind. I'd never come across a magician who was rubbish at magic. After so many novels it seems nothing special, but back then it was. - if not special - at least unusual.

 

[Rodders]

I always felt that Jernau Morat Gurgeh from Iain M. Banks's "The Player of Games" was very much at odds with the rest of the Culture and I felt that he was very much the outsider. He seemed at some points in the book to have more in common with the Empire of Azad than the Culture he was raised in.

I always felt that Azad (the game) was the only thing that Gurgeh every truly loved and he destroyed it.

Time for a re-read, i think.

 

[hitmouse]

Willie Wonka. He was a bit odd, wasn’t he? Not the sort of person you’d want to leave your kids with unsupervised.

 

[Luiglin]

Willie Wonka. He was a bit odd, wasn’t he? Not the sort of person you’d want to leave your kids with unsupervised.

Weird isn't it. I never got that through all the interpretations. I always thought he was an adult who just never grew up and still lived in a world a crazy childhood imagination.

 

[BAYLOR]

Willie Wonka. He was a bit odd, wasn’t he? Not the sort of person you’d want to leave your kids with unsupervised.

He unemployed the workforce in the town where is factory was located and he brought in the Umpalompas who worked for practically nothing. Willy Wonk is a throughly nasty human being and represents capitalism at it very worst.

Id love to see the Punisher pay a list to his factory.