Recently a friend asked me who my favorite characters from books were.
“My own books, or other people’s?” I asked.
“How about both?” she replied.
A discussion ensued that I thought would make an interesting post, so here are my favorite fictional characters (not including movies & television), starting with the ones from other folk’s stories. In no particular order:
- Sam Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. It’s been said, and I think it’s the truth, that Sam is the real hero of the story—not Frodo, not Aragorn, not Gandalf. Over and over the point is made that it’s the simple, sweet things in life that the whole War of the Ring was being fought to preserve and protect, and Sam embodies that, as well as a hefty dose of pure courage and loyalty.
- Aomame from Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84. An enigmatic woman with a mission that pulls her between compassion and retribution, Aomame lives in the surreal space Murakami creates—a world that on first glance is just like ours, but only intersects reality at the edges. Murakami’s book is a tour de force, and Aomame is a brilliant, puzzling, fascinating character of the kind only he can bring to life.
- Hazel from Richard Adams’s Watership Down. If I had to pick one character from fiction who displays the qualities of a true leader, it’s Hazel, who leads his intrepid, ragtag band out of one danger and into a greater one, inspiring loyalty from his comrades and in a quiet, understated way bringing out the best in each one of them. Yes, I know the characters are rabbits. Doesn’t make a difference. If you haven’t read this book, put it on your list.
- Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I’m hard-pressed to pick between them, because they’re a bit like figure-and-ground, complementary opposites who have come together to save the world. Aziraphale is the angel with a deep compassion for and understanding of human foibles, and Crowley a demon with a heart of gold he tries (unsuccessfully) to hide. This is one case where the television adaptation is as wonderful as the book—Michael Sheen and David Tennant as (respectively) the representatives of heaven and hell are absolutely brilliant.
- Speaking of Pratchett, Sam Vimes, the head of the police force in Ankh-Morpork and the right hand man of the Lord Patrician of the City, the machiavellian Havelock Vetinari, in a number of Pratchett’s wonderful Discworld series. Vimes is the stalwart, common-sense-ful anchor of the cast of oddballs who make up the rank-and-file of The Watch, Ankh-Morpork’s police, and he navigates political intrigue and the odd assassination attempt with a weary, almost-but-not-quite-cynical deftness.
- Brother William of Baskerville from Umberto Eco’s murder mystery The Name of the Rose. A fourteenth-century monk with a flair for observation, he’s a medieval Hercule Poirot without the little Belgian’s overinflated ego. Brother William is faced with the superstition and fear of the time, and always comes back to rationality—there is a natural, logical cause for everything, and the world is understandable to anyone who is willing to put some effort into learning about it. Even when monks are mysteriously dying all around him, and the abbot is blaming the Forces of Darkness, Brother William never deviates from his determination to solve the case through reason and hard evidence.
Now, a handful of my own creations:
- Whenever the question of my favorite character from my stories comes up, the answer is always Callista Lee, the brilliant, eccentric telepath from The Snowe Agency Mysteries (starting with Poison the Well). Callista is constantly bombarded with others’ thoughts, and as a result, shies away from people—her gift gives her a unique window into the human condition and at the same time pushes her away, leaving her deeply alone. Her character arc over the entire series is one of my favorite creations.
- Leandre Naquin, the gentle, easygoing friend-to-everyone in The Communion of Shadows—who is hiding a terrible secret. When I narrated the audiobook for Communion, I had to re-record Leandre’s scenes in the last chapter multiple times because I kept choking up.
- Doctor Will Daigle, from Eyes Like Midnight. Will is funny, quick, smart, and profane, but his jovial temperament covers a huge heart and a tremendous compassion. Which is why—no spoilers—what he has to do about a third of the way through “Whistling in the Dark”,” the middle section of the book, is one of the most poignant (and difficult!) scenes I’ve ever written. I won’t tell you more, you’ll just have to read it for yourself.
- Tyler Vaughan from Signal to Noise. If I had to pick the character whose temperament is most like mine, Tyler would be the odds-on favorite. A socially-awkward biology nerd who’d just as soon spend his time ear-tagging elk in the Cascade Mountains, Tyler finds himself the center of a terrifying mystery—and is forced into the role of Unlikely Hero completely against his will.
- The Head Librarian, Archibald Fischer, from Lock & Key. Fischer (forget he’s named Archibald unless you want to be the target of his ire) is the sarcastic, Kurt-Cobain-worshiping, f-bomb-dropping director of the Library of Possibilities, where every possibility for every human on Earth is catalogued and monitored. The repartee between him and his assistant, the imperturbable Scot Maggie Carmichael, is some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing.
- Marig Kastella, from The Chains of Orion. Marig is a character I hadn’t planned on taking a major role—he started out to be solely the love interest of the main character, the bold, fearless astronaut Kallman Dorn. All I can say is that Marig decided to write himself a (much) bigger part, and ended up surprising me by becoming the character that the entire second half of the book pivots on. He’s quietly strong, powerfully empathetic, and deeply loyal, never hesitating to put himself at risk to help the people he loves.
So there you have it, a smattering of characters from different sources who have really resonated with me for one reason or another.
So let’s hear your take on this—who are your favorite characters from fiction?