Favourite fantasy characters

tap28

I was day dreaming in work this morning, when I started to ask myself who are my favourite fantasy characters and would others agree or not.
My all time number one is Waylander
2) Skillgannon
3) Drizzt Do'Urden
4) Druss
5) Tanis
6) Tas
7) Jarlaxle

Does anyone have anything to add?

ixoy

It'd be helpful to name the series they're from

Myself (in no real order)

1) Quick Ben from Steven Erikson's "Malazan: Book of the Fallen" series - He's leet. He's very very leet. Starts off seeming like a fairly ordinary Warren user but can actually do a lot more

2) Raistlin Majere from Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance series - Growing up as a teen, he proved nerds could rule. Long may we live. (I'm assuming your Tanis and Tas are Tanis Half-Elf and Tasslehoff from the same series).

3) Fitz from Robin Hobb's "Farseer"/"Tawny Man" series - One of the most believable and empathic characters that I've come across. Flawed and troubled, he was one of those characters that I really cared about.

4) Arithon s'Ffalenn from Janny Wurt's "Wars of Light and Shadow" series - Mischieve, smart, troubled, gifted, empathic - Lots of interesting character traits apply to this bard. Made more interesting by the fact he's being hunted down by a nation, despite the fact we know he's a good man.

5) Thomas Covenant from Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of.. series - At times difficult to like, he was remarkable as the first real anti-hero of fantasy. He didn't conform to any norm. and you sometimes wanted to strangle him but the fact that the character got you involved was testament to the writing.

6) Quinn Dexter from Peter F. Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" trilogy - The guy had people ready to leave cities to kill him. 'Nuff said.

7) Dread from Tad William's "Otherland" quartet - A thoughtful intelligent psychopath who had music pumped directly into his skull. Neat.

8) Sir Gregor from George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series - Nastiest motherf*cker that I've ever seen in a fantasy book. Which makes him cool.

9) Bernice Summerfield from the "New Adventures" series and her own spin-offs (Multiple authors) - Created as part of the "New Adventures" Doctor Who spin-off series and so popular she got her own range, Bernice Summerfield is a sarky archaelogist with just enough quirks and quiddities to make her interesting and remarkably unique in a series that was famed for screaming bimbos..

10) Nylan from L.E. Modesitt Jr's "Fall of Angels" - An odd choice here but something about this engineer appealed to me. Can't quite put my finger on it..

tap28

Your right I should name the series they are from. :cool:

Waylander from books of same by David Gemmell. For me he is one the best fantasy characters, a man dark enough to be considered by many as evil yet light enough to fight for the causes of good. This man is the ultimate assassin and I just love that crossbow.

Skillgannon from White Wolf by David Gemmell. A brilliant General who on the order of his Queen and one time lover, killed every man, woman and child of an entire city. By the way he is an awesome swordmaster using the two swords called the swords of night and day.

Drizzt Do'Urden from the forgotten Realms series. A dark elf struggles with who he is and where he is going as he tries to leave his home to join the peoples of the surface. Again a two handed swordmaster he has got the coolest pet ever, 500 pound magical panther.

Druss from legend by David Gemmell. The Silver Slayer, Captain of the Axe and Deathwalker. Fights for what he believes to be good against evil using his simple mountain logic for a mountain of a man.

Tanis and Tas from Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance series. You’re right they are indeed Tanis Half-Elf and Tasslehoff Kender. One a man, because of his parentage, who don't know who he is and where he belongs but stands up when responsibility is trust upon him. The other is the funniest, bravest little person ever. This little fella has an unbelievable sense wonder about him and an unbelievable lack of fear.

Jarlaxle from the forgotten Realms series. Jarlaxle is a drow, a "Dark elf", and member of a species so evil they make lawyers look good. Jarlaxle is a very untypical drow. He has shaved his head and wears freakishly multicoloured clothing. He is a leader of the biggest mercenary network in Menzoberranzan. He has spies everywhere. Feuding houses hire him and he proceeds to play one off against the other. Jarlaxle always makes a profit. No matter who loses, Jarlaxle always wins. In the chaos of Menzoberranzan (which he helps maintain) Jarlaxle is the one person who escapes unscathed from every encounter. A really cool operator.

My God that took ages to do, I hope you appreciate :rolleyes:

Evilution

Druss, just because he's Druss basically. I really loved his jaded outlook on life in Legend, but the way he would still never give up the ghost and accept death. In The Legend of Deathwalker he was an amazing character too - all dogged determination and pigheadedness; reminded me of myself really.

Waylander too. The waylander I and II books are consumate reading for any fan of assassins but my heart really went out to Hero in the Shadows. Just that way in the end when he was dying and chose to go back and change his history and die with his family. I nearly cried reading that actually; it was told so well!!!

Walker Boh from the Shannara books. Patience embodied really. Plus the way in the Jerle Shannara series he was fighting massive odds all the way until he got topped by the supercomputer Antrax in the end. All this with one arm too - hats off to the man!!!

Fitz from the Assassin books. Probably the most achingly realistic character in fantasy today - he sounds like the sort of boy-next-door that everyone knows. Gets all beat up about a girl whilst trying to stop the throne being overthrown; classic struggling against the odds character.

tap28

Evilution
I totally agree with you about Druss. Even though I really like the character Skillgannon, for me Druss stole the show in White Wolf.

Waylander is Waylander

Am I right in saying that you are talking about Fitz from the Farseeer Trilogy? While I enjoyed reading the book and Fitz is a good character. I felt the books, in general, got a little overdramatic epically towards the end of the 3rd book.

Evilution

tap28 wrote:

Am I right in saying that you are talking about Fitz from the Farseeer Trilogy? While I enjoyed reading the book and Fitz is a good character. I felt the books, in general, got a little overdramatic epically towards the end of the 3rd book.

Yep, the Farseer trilogy. I agree, they were really epic towards the end, but it was interesting (and sad) how it ended up. The following trilogy, The Tawny man, wasn't up to much though, although the first book in that series was pretty good.

tap28

they were really epic towards the end, but it was interesting (and sad) how it ended up

It certainly a lot different from some the drivel out there.
I don't know if you have read Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance series, I enjoyed the books, but what was really interesting was the way they killed off one of their main characters (I won't name him in case you haven't) and he stayed dead.

Sarky

So far, Tyrion Lannister from A Song Of Ice And Fire is right up there. He's a crafty bugger, very crafty, and is very witty. I just like him. He's good for injecting humour into an otherwise serious situation. Every chapter with Tyrion in it is always fascinating.

Paedur the bard, from Michael Scott's Tales Of The Bard trilogy. He's a scary guy. He's champion of the Old Faith, he can call on the power of gods. He sacrificed much of his humanity for his faith. And he wears a cloak that covers him in shadow, and he has a wicked half-moon hook instead of a left hand. Graceful and merciless fighter. I like him, because he's sort of a tragic figure while still being noble and badass.

I could probably think of more, but meh...

Evilution

Sarky wrote:

Paedur the bard, from Michael Scott's Tales Of The Bard trilogy. He's a scary guy. He's champion of the Old Faith, he can call on the power of gods. He sacrificed much of his humanity for his faith. And he wears a cloak that covers him in shadow, and he has a wicked half-moon hook instead of a left hand. Graceful and merciless fighter. I like him, because he's sort of a tragic figure while still being noble and badass.

I think I read one of those books. He was leading some people through some field where all the plants held loads of knowledge on various things. Had a sickle for a hand.

Undergod

I definitely agree with Quick Ben, he's is very cool... I like a lot of his characters, the Assassin Kalam Melkhor is great, he also starts out apparently a normal character and turns out to be the biggest badass.

If computer games count, I'd say Garett from the Thief Series. So unashamedly mercenary.

moridin

ixoy wrote:

It'd be helpful to name the series they're from

6) Quinn Dexter from Peter F. Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" trilogy - The guy had people ready to leave cities to kill him. 'Nuff said.

If you're straying into the realms of Space Opera, then I'd go with Angus Thermopile, from the Gap series... nasty ****er that gets even nastier as the series progresses

tap28

Let me see if I have this straight, most of us don't really like or have anytime for the pretty, to good to be true hero type.
The two character types we like are:
1) The antihero: badass, on the surface doesn't give a feck anyone or anything but in the end saves the day.
2) The villain: this lad is evil, twisted; probably kill a few million people including his granny. He has a warped way of looking at life/death, has a really sharp wit and is just plain nasty. :cool:

foxybrowne

Seargent Vimes in Discworlds a fav o' mine and Rincewind sometimes.

Sarky

Too good to be true heroes aren't human enough (Insofar as, say, a Drow ranger could be considered human). They're not interesting, they just go around righting wrongs. Everyone has flaws. Look at the characters in A Game Of Thrones, for a start. There's nobody in there that doesn't have some serious problems. Even Eddard Stark had a bastard son.

Likewise, one sided evil people aren't much fun, either. I like a ruthless villain with some appealing touches, like a good sense of humour, or even a little chivalrous behaivour. It doesn't make his/her crimes any less nasty, but he/she will still have something you like about them.

jem

tap28 wrote:

I was day dreaming in work this morning, when I started to ask myself who are my favourite fantasy characters and would others agree or not.
My all time number one is Waylander
2) Skillgannon
3) Drizzt Do'Urden
4) Druss
5) Tanis
6) Tas
7) Jarlaxle

Does anyone have anything to add?

Since I gave you most of these in the first place you would have taken most of them. Admeril Thawn in star wars series was good also.

tap28

Since I gave you most of these in the first place you would have taken most of them. Admeril Thawn in star wars series was good also.

I agree with you about Thawn, a great character. He fits in perfectly to my previous post:

The villain: this lad is evil, twisted; probably kill a few million people including his granny. He has a warped way of looking at life/death, has a really sharp wit and is just plain nasty.

I feel at this point I should point out that you are totally incorrect that you introduced me to the characters i mentioned in my first post. Hell, you have not even read some of the books that the characters are in. :rolleyes:
But don't worry about it, I know you are pushing on and the memory is not what it once was.

jem

tap28 wrote:

I know you are pushing on and the memory is not what it once was.

u are dreaming, it must be the pressure of your weading catching up on u young lad.