SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion

Thinking over all the books I've read through the years it's that one unique, cleverly written, unexpected character that symbolizes why I loved that book.

Slartibartfast from Hitchhicker's Guide is one stand out for me. Here's someone who creates entire worlds and is tickled by the 'crinkly bit' around Norway.

Wolf from Stephen King and Peter Straubs The Talisman is another. I always imagined if my German Shepard were human, he'd be like Wolf.

There's more and more, but as a start I would just pick out a couple of characters that step out of the pages of the book and live in my mind long after I read the end.

What characters have become your favorite? What made them so special to you?

Fawn in The Sharing Knife, because she gets her courage primarily from just a dogged doing the next thing, whatever it might be.

Flip in Bellwether, because she is so wonderfully obnoxious.

Dondo in The Curse of Chalion, because he is stomach-wrenchingly awful.

Ned in To Say Nothing of the Dog, because he is so funny under the influence of time lag.

Ivan in the Vorkosigan series, because he is such an endearing slacker.

Yes, Bujold is one of my favorite authors. (Along with Willis and a few others.)

Not very original, but I always had a soft spot for Magrat Garlick in Wyrd Sisters. Another is Sarah from The House of Sleep (though this isn't sci-fi/fantasy)...

Dray Prescott in Alan Burt Akers' (aka Keith Bulmer) Scorpio series. He is just ALWAYS doing the right thing, even when it may cost him personally.

Ebeneezer Scrooge. Just from the extreme viewpoints and attitudes that his character goes through over his lifetime.

Randy wrote: "Dray Prescott in Alan Burt Akers' (aka Keith Bulmer) Scorpio series. He is just ALWAYS doing the right thing, even when it may cost him personally.

Ebeneezer Scrooge. Just from the extreme viewpoi..."

I had forgotten about Scrooge. That's maybe the first 'near death' story written in western civilization.

Jilly from Charles de Lint series The Onion Girl. I always felt like she resembled me, but was a strong independent artist girl who I could. def relate to.

Arithon from The War of Light and Shadows series, but he's supposed to be liked as a character. For the same reason as Arithon I also like Elaira from that Series.

For a character that is not the MAIN character in a book I have to say that I really like Nakor from Feist's books because he was comic relief, a puzzle, and powerful in a funny way. It was interesting to read in the last series the whole story about Nakor :D

And from Deverry, who can possibly go past Nevyn simply because he was so arrogant and his arrogance made hime live so long as a punishment for failing to protect his beloved. I like his story due to the impatience of youth, and how youth is so shortsighted and sure of themselves without realising how out of their depth they truly are.

Sam Vimes from the City Watch story arc of Pratchett's "Discworld" novels. Pratchett is a master at creating unique, interesting characters; but for me Sir Samuel is the best of the best.

I also like Nevare Burvelle from Robin Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy, mainly because you understand why he makes certain decisions at certain times throughout the book, but at the end when he reflects upon those decisions made he realises how influenced he truly was. As a story told from the first person I also found it far more enlightening to experience the characters thought process.

Charles wrote: "Sam Vimes from the City Watch story arc of Pratchett's "Discworld" novels. Pratchett is a master at creating unique, interesting characters; but for me Sir Samuel is the best of the best."

I love Sam Vimes. Such a decent guy isn't he? I also like Lord Mhoram from Thomas Covenant, because he's basically really cool, and Gollum. How could anyone not like Gollum?

Elizabeth wrote: How could anyone not like Gollum? ..."

Gollum was a likable evil character in The Hobbit. In the later books we learn more about him and I found that the part of me that liked him in the first book now liked him less, but having said that I also found I enjoyed his character on a deeper level. If that makes sense.

Christopher wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: How could anyone not like Gollum? ..."

Gollum was a likable evil character in The Hobbit. In the later books we learn more about him and I found that the part of me that liked hi..."

I'm kind of the opposite. I liked him more in LOTR when we find out more about him. He's a classic anti-hero for me. And the ring wouldn't have gotten destroyed without him. Good old Gollum!

Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs. The very definition of a "badass", as much as I don't actually like that word.

Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey. The big, jolly, gullible naval captain who's a stern commander and a terror to his foes. Not so much a fan of the snippy Stephen Maturin, though.

My brother says he sees a lot of Kovacs in the main character in my own novel. I see it too, now that he's mentioned it. Very slight, I'd say, and entirely subliminal on my part. I find that quite fascinating, spotting an influence like that.

Another Bujold fan here.

I do like Fawn too but from Sharing Knife I think I'd go for the Boat Boss just because I really admire the way she runs the boat and the crew.

In some ways Miles Vorkosigan - because he is such a nutter as well as so very good at what he does. But I do also like a lot of the other characters in that series. Agree that Ivan is fun.
I think Cordelia Vorkosigan and Simon Illyan are my top two, partially because of their reactions to Miles.

Starhawk from the Ladies of Madrigyn by Barbara Hambly - she makes some hard choices and examines issues that don't often appear in fantasy.