Character types

[SLot Dave]

Do you find yourself drawn to books that have specific character types in them? Like, LotR has the prototype of the fantasy wizard -- Gandalf. Some people have fallen in love with the books simply because they think Gandalf is the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Or, Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books. The stories are pretty thin, but the concept of Jim DiGriz is wish fufillment for a lot of people. He's <i>fun</i>, he gets in and out of trouble and only has to brush the dust off his suit. Kind of like the TV show in the 80s, The A-Team: the characters were likeable even though the situation never was realistic. (I mean, c'mon, shooting at dozens of vehicles but all that usually ended up happening was the perps being disarmed or trapped, not killed or seriously injured?)

I find myself attracted to books that have characters that jump outside the character archetypes. Like Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame books, Slovotsky is your typical dashing hero who gets the chicks type character. Until you realize that he's not perfect and his flaws are the same things we (potentially) deal with every day. His ego gets him in trouble, his lack of marital fidelity makes his home life spin into the crapper.

Or, Glen Cook's Black Company -- the protagonists find themselves originally aligned with the side of evil in the typical fight between good and evil. Until they realize that the 'good' side isn't really all that good, simply is self serving and called 'good' because they're against the side of 'evil'. And, then they start to question how 'evil' are the bad guys... are they evil simpy because that's the label they've been slapped with, because they control the empire?

 

[direstraits]

My first fantasy book was Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, and ever since then I've always been on the lookout for stories that has a young 'un with incredible potential in magic, eventually grows up and becomes the most powerful magician in the land and fulfilling some grand quest or prophecy despite overwhelming odds, and also accidentally managing to get the girl too.

Well, Earthsea isn't exactly like that, but you get the picture.

So yeah, SLot Dave, I agree with you. For a time books with a Ged like character was what I liked, and what I looked for.

I grew out of it now, but reading about young wizards who are really cool will still make me very happy. If I can find a good one, that is.

ds

 

[honeydevil]

Like, LotR has the prototype of the fantasy wizard -- Gandalf. Some people have fallen in love with the books simply because they think Gandalf is the coolest thing since sliced bread.

who the hell thinks the gandalf is the coolest thing since sliced bread?? I think he is not even the most interesting character,but that's my opinion!!

And no i think both, the story and the character, are really important. if the story is thin the books gives not much to me, but if you have a hero, who is dumb like a piece of bread the book a srewed up, too!! (sorry for my english, i can't really think in this moment)

 

[marxlaws]

who the hell thinks the gandalf is the coolest thing since sliced bread?? I think he is not even the most interesting character,but that's my opinion!!

And no i think both, the story and the character, are really important. if the story is thin the books gives not much to me, but if you have a hero, who is dumb like a piece of bread the book a srewed up, too!! (sorry for my english, i can't really think in this moment)

conan star trek tarzan belgariad sword of truth(after book 3) mathew mantrel(her maj wiz),there is more - this is just a few that the characters that became; or were from the begining, more important than the story. i read the next books because i loved those people. not because for example stashelf wrote a "epic" following her majestys wizard . i just love his mathew mantrell and crew. imho maybe even karllol

 

[Prolixic]

who the hell thinks the gandalf is the coolest thing since sliced bread?? I think he is not even the most interesting character,but that's my opinion!!

People are very polarized on this. They either really like LOTR and the characters or they don't. If you cruise newsgroups sometimes, you'll see that there a bunch of Gandalf haters out there. Gandalf was cool when I was a kid and still is as I read LOTR--and he still is for Middle Earth. I don't know, though, transfer him over to some other series and he might end up running errands for a real wizard.

Whats a good story without good characters? It would be like reading a tour book with poor narration *shudder*. I liked Belgarion--even though he was a doofus through most of the book and I liked Gandalf because he wasn't. They each did what they needed to do to move the story along. Corwin, Friday, Arthur Dent, Oscar--all great well written characters that pull you through the story. But I think for a book to be really good you have to have both.

 

[Wabbit]

You know, I never even thought about that? No, characters are never really a factor at all for me. I am drawn by other elements to a story.

 

[honeydevil]

You know, I never even thought about that? No, characters are never really a factor at all for me. I am drawn by other elements to a story.

what elements are important to you??
i mean without the characters the story is boring, because the human failure or whatever makes the story going!!

 

[Wabbit]

I'm not saying that characers they are not important. They ARE very important! Without a good character a story can be nothing because you simply won't care because you don't care what happens to that character in the story.

The question was:

Do you find yourself drawn to books that have specific character types in them?

And that was my reply. I never amd actually drawn to a book by characters but by other elements Once I am with the book then they are very impotant factors, just not a factor in me deciding to read a book.