Character who has captured your heart and soul

[Bard]

Some characters I loved:

1.Cugel by Jack Vance. I don't know if you even could call him a grey character, he uses people, get's used by others in turn and does some terrible things to save his own skin, and yet you can't help routing for the bastard...Must be some fault in me, eh?
2. Dinbig of Khimmur, the leading character in the Firstworld chronicles by a not so well-known writer called Philip G Williamson. Many really strange names in his books, but I liked the story and the character of the merchant-spy (the three books were, as far as I know, strangely never finished...)
3. Ender Wiggin, especially in the first two books of the Ender-series, after that it went a bit of the track for me...
4. Alain in Kate Elliots Crown of Stars-books. Just liked him...

These are all I can think of for now...

[Shehzad]

If you can give me more 'grey' in a protagonist than Caine or Waylander, please name them and the books they appear in, because that is exactly what I love to read (not an argumentative challenge L, I genuinely would be interested in looking them up!)

Ah. That brings me to another amazing character, whom I had nearly forgotten: Elric of Melnibone. Another "grey" character, but absolutely fascinating to read about.

"Arioch! Arioch! Blood and souls for my Lord Arioch!"

[Fader]

Boromir - I thought he was the most interesting character in the entire book. In fact, in some important ways his character mirrored Gollum. Boromir showed a strong, entirely 'good' person being taken by the ring in the here and now. Gollum showed a person who was taken by the ring in the far past. Both stories are tragic, but Boromir always appealed to me much more than any other character in the story. I HATED how in the movies they portrayed Boromir as being a 'shady' guy right off the bat. However, I understand that they needed to really sell the idea of one of the Fellowship being taken by the ring, and that was the best way to do it for a mainstream audience.

Catelyn - ASoIaF - The single best female character I have ever cared about.

Thomas Covenant - Although his reluctance to either believe in or enjoy his quest can get quite grating, this is the only complaint I have about him. His character is believable and intelligently written.

Cleyra - She was lost for so many years, and when she finally returned to find her true love he couldn't even remember ever having met her. And at the end of the story, when he falls in love with her again, I cried.

[Sir Stephen]

Love Boromir too. And I gotta disagree, Sean Bean got his character spot on in the movie.

Also I never mentioned Bodger and Grift from JV Jones Book of words trilogy. Genius.

[saintjon]

I think Sir Able is going to be one of those characters by the end of The Wizard, God knows I think about the Knight often enough.

[Jenab]

Lan (WoT)!!! He's my hero, but since he got married....why do they do that?

To show the awkward Ninaeve Al-Mere getting what the supremely poised Moiraine Damodred Sedai didn't get.

Jerry Abbott

[Jenab]

Read the Appendix to Lord of the Rings. There's a short story there about the lives of Aragorn and Arwen. It's even better than the main book was. See if you aren't crying and wanting to comfort Arwen at the end of it.

Jerry Abbott

[Michael B]

[QUOTE=Fader]Boromir - I thought he was the most interesting character in the entire book. In fact, in some important ways his character mirrored Gollum. Boromir showed a strong, entirely 'good' person being taken by the ring in the here and now. Gollum showed a person who was taken by the ring in the far past. Both stories are tragic, but Boromir always appealed to me much more than any other character in the story. I HATED how in the movies they portrayed Boromir as being a 'shady' guy right off the bat. However, I understand that they needed to really sell the idea of one of the Fellowship being taken by the ring, and that was the best way to do it for a mainstream audience.

It is diicult in a film to go into depths on grey. After all you have only two to three hours in which to tell your story. Under those circumstances I suppose starting with Boromir being shady is the "best" way to do it. However, it does not reflect well on Gandalf if he puts together a party with a potential readymade traitor in it.

Michae B

[Eldanuumea]

I never perceived Borormir as "shady." He was a man deeply beset by troubles and fears for Gondor, and with some bitterness and mistrust at the thought of a relative "upstart" presenting some challenge to his father's faithful stewardship. He was drawn to the power of the ring for military reasons, and apparently some innate drive for power caused his temptation to get the best of him.
I never found myself doubting his motives for joining the fellowship. He was a man of action, and saw possibilities for the salvation of his beloved Minas Tirith.


Ender Wiggin broke my heart in the first book. After that, he continued to touch me, but I'll never forget how deeply wrenching his story was at its outset.

[Fader]

I whole-heartedly concur that Sean Bean did a spectacular job portraying Borimir. He turned out to be one of my favorite actors in the entire trilogy.

What I disliked was how they set Boromir up to be the bad buy from the moment we saw him. In particular, the Council of Elrond scene where we first meet Boromir. He gets angry at Aragorn, and 'bad guy' music plays while he glares at the future king. From then on, the audience always knows that when someone finally turns bad, it will be Boromir.

However, in the book, Boromir was driven for such humanistic and overall 'good guy' reasons that I absolutely loved his character. It made perfect sense that he was taken by the ring, whereas in the movie he was taken because he was a bad guy at heart. Again, I understand the need to condense the character due to numerous constraints, mainly time. Nevertheless, it was one of the changes from the book that most upset me.

[AuntiePam]

I hadn't yet read the books when I first saw Fellowship, so I didn't have any background on Boromir.

I didn't see Boromir as a "bad guy", but I was suspicious of him. At the time, I thought he joined the fellowship for the right reasons, but that if an opportunity came for him to use the ring to help Gondor, he wouldn't hesitate.

I don't think he believed Aragorn when he told Boromir that no one but Sauron could wield the ring.

[michaelS0620]

For me, there is really only one. Roland Deschain from The Dark Tower Series. Love him, hate him, pity him, respect the hell out of him.

When I was younger, Tanis, from the Dragonlance series really appealed to me. He was a leader, but not always respected, a half-breed, and not always apreciated.

[Beleg]

Hmm.

Arya/Bran/all the direwolves but Ghost in particular - aSoIaF
Jenny - Tamsin
Susan Delgado - Dark Tower
Turin/Finrod - Silmarillion
Alain - Crown of Stars
Tokeo/Keade - Tales of Otori
Anne Dare/Stephen Dariage - Kingdom Of Thorn and Bone
Robert - The Light Ages
Ammar - Lions Of Al-Rassan
Paul - Finovar
Arithon - Wars of Light And Shadow
Harry/Ginny - Harry Potter...
Pug - Magician (only in the first trilogy though)
Bigwig/Fiver - Watership Down
Maia - Maia
Ged - Earthsea
Simon/Miramelle - Memory, Sorrow & Thorn
Paksenarrion - Deeds of Paksenarrion
Raif/(his sister) - Cavern/Fortress
Phedre/Master of Straits - Kushiel
Sirius Black/Hermione Granger - Harry Potter

[JIF]

I'm doubtless missing someone but...

Raif Severence-Sword of Shaows

Ser Davos adn Jojen Reed-Song of Ice and Fire

Drusas Achaiman-Prince of Nothing

Jehane-The Lions of Al Rassan

Rand Al'thor-WOT

[U-Borat]

Skilgannon from David Gemells book, the one where he resureected from the dead. his character devloppment is rather well-done in my opinion, and assassins, particularly ones who are grey not black or white are my favourite characters.