Garth Nix
Hmm. This could be an interesting one.
- The Doctor. As I have remarked before, he is in books too. And it is, after all, his character that makes Doctor Who what it is, even through all the cheesiness and plot holes: optimistic, clever, humane and wonderful.
- Dirk Gently – Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams. It is probably very very bad that I count Dirk Gently as an inspirational character, given his chronic laziness and over-consumption of pizza. But I also think he’s very like the Doctor in many ways – visionary, if you look at him slant-wise. Also hilarious.
- Roland Deschain – The Dark Tower, Stephen King. Another possibly iffy choice, but his determination and his general badassery are unbeaten.
- Linden Avery – The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Stephen Donaldson. She goes through so much – and yet she perseveres. She lives. She goes on.
- Sonmi-451 – Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell. Her mission is, like, mind-blowing; she’s prepared to set up a future that she will never see, such is her devotion to freedom.
- Granny Weatherwax – Discworld, Terry Pratchett. I’ve fallen out with Discworld recently, but there’s no arguing with the fact that Granny Weatherwax is badass: tenacious and envious and badhearted and powerful and still, and still, striving against her nature for a fairer and a better world.
- Juliette Nichols – Wool, Hugh Howey. She’s a mechanic! Also a mayor! And she tries to make everyone’s lives better! And she gets a romance that in no way compromises her awesomeness! Do you know how rare this combination is in SF?
- Jack Glass – Jack Glass, Adam Roberts. Brilliant and ruthless and resourceful. I think I just like clever characters, actually.
- Lirael – Lirael, Garth Nix. I related so much to this character when I first read her. A painfully shy misfit who gets to work IN A LIBRARY and then turns out to be an awesome magical person (with a magical dog) who SAVES THE WHOLE WORLD. (OK, fairly obviously I didn’t relate to the last bit but STILL.) And she even gets Nick. Awww. What in that trajectory is bad? THAT’S RIGHT, NOTHING.
- Meggie – Inkheart, Cornelia Funke. She sleeps with a book under her pillow. Enough said.
(The theme for this post was suggested by the Broke and the Bookish’s weekly meme Top Ten Tuesday.)
The English Student 