Top Ten Characters???

[Snowdog]

Can you name and tell about your Top Ten Characters???

Alternate Reality Writers Zone web magazine is compiling a list of Top Ten Favorite Characters, so if you wish to cast your vote for to the Top Ten Characters, submit your Top Ten list. Provide the Title of the book, film or other media in which the character appears, as well as the Author, Director, etc. of each.

My list is as follows:

• 1. Croaker in The Black Company by Glen Cook - The mercenary company historian and battle medic's insight into the world in which they serve is sometimes analytical, sometimes cynical. A refreshingly different character profile than what I usually come across in the fantasy genre.
• 2. Phillip Marlowe in Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler - He is the private dick!
• 3. Turin Turambar in Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (Christopher Tolkien) - The darkness surrounding this character always intrigued me.
• 4. Montag in Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradury - The moral struggle he faces in his mind while books are burned is as intense as the heat from the burning books.
• 5. Halbarad in Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - A minor character but one of the more intriging ones to me. The second in command of the Dunedain Rangers he was most likely the de facto commander while his Chieftain Aragorn travelled the world in the years before the war. He was one of the named 'good guys' who was a casualty in the war of the Ring.
• 6. HAL 9000 in 2001 A Space Oddesy by Authur C. Clarke - The ultimate in Artificial Intelligence run amok due to mans' programming.
• 7. Goblin & One Eye in The Black Company book series by Glen Cook - I know, I list two characters for the number 7 spot, but even though they are distictly different, its their interaction that makes it work. The two dueling minor wizards of the Balck Company are always trying to one-up the other with a prank, adding comic relief in the midst of death and destruction. They changed my conception of the typical fantasy all-powerful wizard of the Gandalf mold.
• 8. Carl in The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury - Not so much a character than a vehicle of stories, but in the Jack Smight movie, Carl is rather intensly played by Rod Steiger, and this is the character I see when I read this book again.
• 9. Paul Atreides/Muad'Dib in Dune by Frank Herbert - A deep character in the book.
• 10. Spock in Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry - Always liked the way Leonard Nimoy played him.

[TomthePilgrim]

Hmmm, an interesting question. I prefer to immerse myself into a story, usually living through the main character. While I don't require a happy ending, it never hurts.
I do tend to prefer a knowledgeable, confident character such as those often seen in the books of Robert Heinlien, Jules Verne or Jerry Pournelle. The Self-Confident Man, as it were.
Considing this premise (or in some cases despite it ), here is my present top ten in descending order . . . . .

10) Beorn (The Hobbit - J.R.R.Tolkien) . . . A big guy living in the woods with only the animals as his friends. 'nuff said.

9) Kieran Foy (Moonheart - Charles de Lint) . . . A musician with an old soul living in the deep dark city, he discovers how close the old ways are in modern life.

8) Prince Rupert of the Rhine (A Midsummer Tempest - Poul Anderson) . . . Prince Rupert, soldier of Charles the Second, living in a world where Shakespeare is history.

7) Gil McDonald (Doomfarers of Coramonda - Brian Daley) . . . A soldier who crosses over to a realm of wonder . . . and danger.

6) Eowyn (The Two Towers/The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien) . . . Ah, a blonde beauty with a sword.

5) Roderick, Lord Blaine (A Mote in God's Eye - Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven) . . . A young officer whose life is suddenly swept up into the Empire of Man's first alien contact.

4) John Christian Falkenburg (Various novels - Jerry Pournelle) . . . Soldier, mercenary, tactician, leader of men.

3) Philip Lynx (Flinx)(Various novels - Alan Dean Foster) . . . A young orphaned thief with psionic powers wanders the Universe discovering his powers, avoiding government operatives and having a number of adventurers. He travels with his best friend . . . an Alaspin flying snake!

2) Theoden (The Two Towers/The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien) . . . I don't know what it is, but even when I was young I was drawn to the strength, the heartbreak and the humanity of tale of King Theoden. Possibly Tolkien's most human character

1) Michael Strogoff (Michael Strogoff - Jules Verne) . . . The Czar's courier, a self-confident man on a mission to save Russia and the Czar's brother. Verne's greatest novel!!!

[Lady Ravyn]

hmm...top ten characters...

10)Sir Keladry of Mindelin - The Protector of the Small books by Tamora Pierce I love her because shes's one of Pierce's only characters without the Gift, but she manages to get through tough situation with just as much alacrity and skill.

9)Faraday - The Wayfarer Redemption books by Sara Douglass She just gets dumped on so many times, but still she remains true to her duties. I'm glad she's rewarded so fully at the end of the first three books.

8)Gandalf - The Lord of the Rings/ The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Does he really need an introduction? I just find myself drawn to characters who are the guiding light for other characters when they're lost. Gotta love him.

7)Rhapsody - Symphony of the Ages books by Elizabeth Haydon I love the fact that she is so exposed to the rougher side of life but still manages not to let that drag her down with the rest of humanity in her world. Through it all she remains a gentle, considerate, fair and honest (with a capital H!) person. That doesn't mean she isn't good in a fight, though.

6)Sir Alanna of Pirates Swoop and Olau - Song of the Lioness books by Tamora Pierce What a strong character! She has her faults (most definetly) but all in all, she's a good leader, a loyal knight, and has a good heart.

5)Sandtiger - Sword Dancer books by Jennifer Roberson Everything about him reminds me of Indiana Jones meets Han Solo. If Harrison Ford didn't play him in a movie version, I'd be crushed. I just love how he tries to be so tough and macho (and he is) but deep inside he's very sensitive, and he allows himself to show that only to Del, his travel companion who becomes his lover.

4)Rekk Hacilar - The Pearl Saga books by Eric Van Lustbader I just love the fact that he overcame racial prejudice and actually fell in love with Giyan, who was a member of the "inferior" race. And then, because of his love, he was able to accept everything she explained to him no matter how incredulous or mystical (though maybe with some slight doubts at first).

3)Ecub/Mother Ecub/Marguerite - Hades' Daughter books by Sara Douglass Don't get me wrong, I LOVE these books. But the characters are so flaky! Through all the lives she's gone through, Ecub is the only one who keeps her eyes on the prize and keeps a level head.

2)Grunthor - Symphony of Ages books by Elizabeth Haydon Have you ever seen The Princess Bride? Cuz Grunthor is Fezic with a dirty mouth and a violent temper. He's the kind of person I'd want protecting me if I lived in Serendair. He's very tough and violent and rough-around-the-edges, but there's a tenderness to him that warms the heart.

1)Eowyn - Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Ok, there is nothing that I don't like about Eowyn. I don't have enough to say about her. I mean, she's everything I'd like to have in my own personality. She's strong-willed; tough; gentle; kind; brave... The list goes on. And all that from such a small role in the books! That just goes to show what a great character she is! All that into a few pages! I think, though, that the main reason she's my favorite character in any book is because she fights in a major battle, saves the day (well, pretty much by killing the Witch King), and through all that, she remains a lady. Which just goes to show you that just because a girl wants to be toguh, doesn't mean she has to give up her femininity.

[Jabberwock]

Top Ten Characters? I'm not sure if I can do that, but here goes my favorite 10 characters, in no particular order:

1. Treebeard from LoR. I just dig his laid back, pastoral existence. Who wouldn't want a little of his life now and then.
2. This is a double one but they're essentially two parts of the same being: Vandemar and Croup from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. They're just so deliciously evil.
3. The Butterfly that appears briefly in Peter Beagle's Last Unicorn. He's insane and profound.
4. Silk from David Eddings Belgariad. A classic rogue archetype.
5. Ged from Leguin's Earthsea. A great blend of power and vulnerability.
6. Pi Patel from Martel's Life of Pi for his survival instincts and comedy.
7. Binabek from Tad Williams Memory Sorrow and Thorn series. A wanderer, a mystic, a good friend.
8. A tie between several in GRR Martins Song of Fire and Ice - John Snow, Tyrion, Aria, etc.
9. Ibn Kairan from Guy Gavriel Kay's Lions of Al-Rassan.
10. Foamfollowers from Donaldson's Covenant books.

Hmm, I like secondary characters.