So I was actually thinking today about our cavalcade of posts discussing mages being overpowered and show-stoppers... And then started wondering about mundane characters in high fantasy settings. To be honest I find myself drawn moreso to the Mundane (or Mundane with Magic Item) characters in most of the books I read more than the wizards and warlocks... And just wondered about who your favorites were?
Of course there are most of the Fellowship (even if I am not personally a Tolkien guy), or characters in settings where magic exists but isn't widely present in the story (Song of Ice and Fire as an example)... But I'm looking for a bit more than that.
I think my top two have to go to Croaker of the Black Company (Chief Annalist/Surgeon/Wiseacre Extraordinaire) and Nick Christian of Ragged Angel Investigations in the Dresden Files.
Croaker is a great foil and narrator, providing a wry characterization to a series of books that I always felt was like an After Action Report to a fantasy war... From multiple perspectives
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Nick Angel just sort of hits me. He only makes a small appearance but in his (maybe 6 pages) of appearance he hits hard. He knows about the weird in the world, the things that go bump in the night, and doesn't really get involved with it. But he is a man of principle, and as a private investigator he fits into the detective novel. His scene probably summarizes "fighting the good fight" better than any other character in any series I have seen in quite some time. For all of his flaws the characterization is just fantastic and really draws the line of Good not necessarily being Pleasant or Nice.
Slainte,
-Loonook.
Of course there are most of the Fellowship (even if I am not personally a Tolkien guy), or characters in settings where magic exists but isn't widely present in the story (Song of Ice and Fire as an example)... But I'm looking for a bit more than that.
I think my top two have to go to Croaker of the Black Company (Chief Annalist/Surgeon/Wiseacre Extraordinaire) and Nick Christian of Ragged Angel Investigations in the Dresden Files.
Croaker is a great foil and narrator, providing a wry characterization to a series of books that I always felt was like an After Action Report to a fantasy war... From multiple perspectives
.Nick Angel just sort of hits me. He only makes a small appearance but in his (maybe 6 pages) of appearance he hits hard. He knows about the weird in the world, the things that go bump in the night, and doesn't really get involved with it. But he is a man of principle, and as a private investigator he fits into the detective novel. His scene probably summarizes "fighting the good fight" better than any other character in any series I have seen in quite some time. For all of his flaws the characterization is just fantastic and really draws the line of Good not necessarily being Pleasant or Nice.
Slainte,
-Loonook.
