Favorite Literary Characters?

[thenakedarab]

 

Have you read the book "Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff"? Such a crazy good book.

 

 

No, but after I'm done with Under the Dome I may take a break from my Steven King marathon, and pick it up. What vein is it in? Obviously sounds quirky and irreverent. What's the plot, without spoiling it?

[Dolf]

 

No, but after I'm done with Under the Dome I may take a break from my Steven King marathon, and pick it up. What vein is it in? Obviously sounds quirky and irreverent. What's the plot, without spoiling it?

 

 

quirky, irreverent (while still being oddly respectful) it's a Christopher Moore book, so if you're at all familiar with his brand of humor, it's all there.

 

Basically it's the part of Jesus's life that we don't get in the bible: from age 9 or whatever to age 33 from the perspective of his dirtbag best friend, Biff. It's riddled with sex, ninjas, kung-fu and all kinds of badassery.

 

I highly recommend it.

[thenakedarab]

quirky, irreverent (while still being oddly respectful) it's a Christopher Moore book, so if you're at all familiar with his brand of humor, it's all there. Basically it's the part of Jesus's life that we don't get in the bible: from age 9 or whatever to age 33 from the perspective of his dirtbag best friend, Biff. It's riddled with sex, ninjas, kung-fu and all kinds of badassery. I highly recommend it.

 

Sounds like Tom Robbins meets Kurt Vonnegut.

 

Cool, I just found my next book, thanks bro.

[Dolf]

Sounds like Tom Robbins meets Kurt Vonnegut. Cool, I just found my next book, thanks bro.

 

No problem and I definitely felt the Vonnegut influence in there.

[Rogueleader]

 

Screwtape

 

 

Excellent Choice. For my money thats CS Lewis's best work.

 

And on the Lovercraft topic:

 

I'm a huge lovecraft fan, but he didn't build characters. None of his stories have any character developement. He relies more on creating an atmosphere of palpable dread than creating interesting characters.

 

Same with Poe (Although, as mentioned Masque of the Red Death is a fantastic short story).

[Rogueleader]

 

Kruppe from the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

 

 

Have these on order from Amazon as we speak.

 

Someone reccomended them to me when I said I wanted something as dark or darker than ASOIAF. Pretty pysched to start reading them.

[Rogueleader]

 

Drizzt Do'Urden (say what you want, Salvatore can {censored}ing write)

 

 

Jarlaxle, Entreri, and Cadderly are all better R.A. Salvatore characters. Drizzt is boring as {censored}. I hate his character. Sure he has the "good drow" schtick but he's completely one dimensional.

 

I've read every D&D book R.A. Salvatore has written (I'm a huge fan of the D&D mythos and his books are fun to read, to an extent). But I'm pretty sick of his writing. 90% of the books are the same rehashed battle scene. Its cool when you're 14 but I'm sick of it now. Shameless user of the Stormtrooper effect too. His books are pretty much the literary equivalent of an action movie. Some of the plots are actually quite good, but he adds a ten page battele scene (or two) every chapter. I'm all for battle's that advance the plot, but alot of them are just of the: main characters make camp, trolls attack variety and have nothing to do with advancing the plot.

 

In terms of character developement most of his characters are one dimensional action movie kind of stuff. I'll admit that the Jarlaxle/Entrerii dynamic in some of the latest books was a step in the right direction, but besides that his characters are pretty boring. I will make an exception for the dark elf trilogy and the clerical quintet, I like both those because a character actually developes along the way (Drizzt and Caderly respectively). But he squashed all their dynamics in the following books.

 

His other fault is that he never kills off any of the main characters (*Spoiler* Though he sort of killed off Cadderley in the latest one. *Spoiler*)

Look at an Author like George RR Martin, alot of what makes him great is that he's not afraid to completely {censored} the good guys over (assuming you view the Starks as the good guys, though the dynamic is certainly changing). Look at the Red Wedding chapter in A Storm of Swords. I could never see Salvatore writing something like that. Whenever a main character is "grievously injured" theres a miracle healing potion or spell.

 

Also, for my money, the best two D&D characters are both in computer games: The Nameless One and Jon Irenicus

[Dolf]

What he said.

 

Also, I always thought Weiss and Hickman gave Salvatore a run for his money...as in they wrote better than he did.

 

Another slightly less popular but still talented fantasy writer is Eric Van Lustbader. That guy did some serious {censored}.

[Murdoch]

 

What he said. Also, I always thought Weiss and Hickman gave Salvatore a run for his money...as in they wrote better than he did. Another slightly less popular but still talented fantasy writer is Eric Van Lustbader. That guy did some serious {censored}.

 

 

Isn't he the guy that wrote the newest Jason Bourne novel?

[Dolf]

 

Isn't he the guy that wrote the newest Jason Bourne novel?

 

 

I have no idea. I think this site has more information:

 

http://tinyurl.com/2g53ke5

[Murdoch]

I have no idea. I think this site has more information: http://tinyurl.com/2g53ke5

 

Well played, sir. I shall now self-

[Dolf]

[GrooveSkipInc]

Antillar Maximus

Kitai

Jimmy The Hand

Talwin Hawkins

Caswallon

Waylander

Olek Skilgannon

Faromir

Eomer

Caspian

[46&2]

 

Have these on order from Amazon as we speak. Someone reccomended them to me when I said I wanted something as dark or darker than ASOIAF. Pretty pysched to start reading them.

 

 

I'm going through all nine again for the second time and picking up so much that I missed. It is impossibly detailed & intricate - fantastic writer.

 

FWIW, another dark series is The Black Company.

 

BTW... stupid question but what is ASOIAF?

[Rogueleader]

 

I'm going through all nine again for the second time and picking up so much that I missed. It is impossibly detailed & intricate - fantastic writer. FWIW, another dark series is The Black Company. BTW... stupid question but what is ASOIAF?

 

 

Got the first few black company books ordered too. It seems people always reccomend the Black Company and Malazan at the same time. Is there any relationship between them?

 

ASOIAF = A Song of Ice and Fire

[thenakedarab]

Excellent Choice. For my money thats CS Lewis's best work. And on the Lovercraft topic: I'm a huge lovecraft fan, but he didn't build characters. None of his stories have any character developement. He relies more on creating an atmosphere of palpable dread than creating interesting characters. Same with Poe (Although, as mentioned Masque of the Red Death is a fantastic short story).

 

I agree, what better character to embody evil than a two-faced self-serving bureaucrat.

 

Lewis was a genius, I just wish he would have went to those darker places more often. Then again it's the contrast with his body of work that makes The Screwtape Letters that much more remarkable.

[46&2]

 

Got the first few black company books ordered too. It seems people always reccomend the Black Company and Malazan at the same time. Is there any relationship between them? ASOIAF = A Song of Ice and Fire

 

 

No relation AFAIK.

[Ovid9]

Drizzt is boring as {censored}. I hate his character. Sure he has the "good drow" schtick but he's completely one dimensional. But I'm pretty sick of his writing. 90% of the books are the same rehashed battle scene. Its cool when you're 14 but I'm sick of it now.

 

I concur with all of this. The problem is, I didn't read any until I was 25.

 

I could see the appeal to a teen and then loving it because you loved it then, but man, the dude is a mediocre writer.

 

I am biased by a complete hatred for all things drow though, so that probably impacts my views.

[ss454]

Kilgore Trout

Arthur Gordon Pym

Al Giordino

Garet Jax

Roran Garrow

[Coopster]

ASOIAF = A Song of Ice and Fire

 

Reading this, Game of Thrones to be more specific. Thick book is thick. Cool though.

 

Looking forward to the HBO series.