Who do you consider an Anti-Hero in fiction?

[mhensley]

My favorite anti-hero would have to be Clint Eastwood's character in High Plains Drifter. He kills almost every man in town and rapes half of the women... And he's the hero!

 

[Michael Dean]

Get "The Hot Rock" or "What's the Worst that Can Happen" (AVOID the movie!). Both books are hilarious, and some of the best examples of capers out there.

The only one my crappy Barnes & Nobles had was "Watch Your Back," which looks like his newest. So it looks like I'll be working backwards on the series.

 

[Dioltach]

No, I haven't. I've only ever seen it in a bookstore many years ago and unfortunately I didn't buy it at the time. Why? Does it tell how Flashman dies? If so, I must have it.

Not how he dies, but he features prominently, particularly in the second part of the book, which is set in 1914.

 

[Pants]

My Picks:
Gerald Tarrant - The Coldfire Trilogy
Tyrion Lannister - A Song of Ice and Fire
Jaime Lannister - A Song of Ice and Fire
Al Swearengen - Deadwood
Locke Lamora and the Gentlemen Bastards - The Lies of Locke Lamora

 

[Hussar]

Bernard Corwell's Sharpe is close to an anti-hero if only because he contrasts so strongly with the class sentiments of the time.

I'm thinking Angus Thermopoly (or however you spell that) from S R Donaldson definitely applies. Pretty hard to get worse than this guy.

 

[awayfarer]

I'm kind of surprised Black Adder made the list in the first post. I'll admit I've only seen a few episodes but he strikes me as every bit a villian. Pretty much everything he does is for personal gain.

 

[mmu1]

Vic Mackey is probably the greatest antihero in television today. He does things because he wants to. Sometimes it's to protect others, other times, it's to fund his eventual retirement. He's committed murder, intimidated witnesses, planted drugs, destroyed evidence and more. He's a violent thug and arguably a sociopath.

Despite that, we find ourselves rooting for me, just as we do with Tony Soprano.

Interesting typo, there.

Anyway, I'd like to throw in another vote for Vlad Taltos from the Jhereg novels - though practically every one of the other protagonists - Morrollan, Aliera, Sethra - also qualify. (and as far as people with soul-eating swords who rub shoulders with gods go, they're so much cooler than that pansy, Elric)

Also (starting to have to dig deeper here, since so many have already been listed)

Takeshi Kovacs from Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon

Practically anyone from Steven Erikson's Malazan Books of the Fallen series.

Oh, and... Cerebus.

 

[Zander]

Perhaps controversially, I would add Dr Hannibal Lecter as portrayed in the movie Silence of the Lambs.

 

[sckeener]

I'm kind of surprised Black Adder made the list in the first post. I'll admit I've only seen a few episodes but he strikes me as every bit a villian. Pretty much everything he does is for personal gain.

Villians to some maybe, but in general the Blackadders are just trying to make the best...just trying to survive (especially in the WWII season). The Blackadder line are also the protagonists. Just do a search for Blackadder and anti-hero and you'll get a ton of hits. Here's a quote I liked

"Britain's top comedy export Rowan Atkinson turned Edmund Blackadder into the ultimate anti-hero. Cynical, witty and forever scheming, he was a late 20th century man trapped in a world of ignorant idiots. His only defence, a stock of the most brilliant and bizarre put-downs ever uttered".

Even the wiki on Blackadder lists anti-hero

 

[Michael Dean]

Not how he dies, but he features prominently, particularly in the second part of the book, which is set in 1914.

Well, then, it must be mine. My birthday is tomorrow, maybe I can con the wife into getting it for me.