We all have them, those favorite plots, and characters that just make stories drag us into them.... I got curious what some of the rest of your favorite characters and plots were.. Mine here lately have been the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. I don't normally read these types of books but I enjoy the interaction between the characters and some of her plot twists have been really interesting. This got me to wondering like I said what some of you have enjoyed about recent reads or even your own writing...
I'm really liking "Dreamcatchers" by Stephen King. Usually I find his stuff to be a bit overrated and not really scary, but this one is a page-turner. Another good horror novel is "The Return" by Bentley Little because it actually keeps the horror tone and suspense going all the way through, as opposed to most horror novels, which only have a few scary parts. I'm a nerd for it, but I like "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. There's lots of aspects of her writing that I really don't like, such as the unrealistic dialogue and overly long diatribes, but I think her characters are awesome and she can be very witty. I read lots of different genres, from horror to dystopia to cheesy bodice rippers (although nothing like Twilight that sets back feminism 50+ years). I like anything as long as it has a good plot with stuff happening and lots of tension. I hate books that take forever to get to any type of conflict. Some people in real life were talking about Sookie Stackhouse yesterday, so it's interesting that you mentioned it.
I've read a good deal of fantasy, mostly sword and sorcery type. Some historical fiction as well. I hate to admit that I did read twilight, but it wasn't one of my favorite series. I've enjoyed the relationship the sookie stackhouse novels have within the characters... She has a neat imagination as well. (She made elvis into a vamp but not in a really campy way) .. they're a fun mix between the typical vampire cliches and encompass weres and even fairies. I'm in my second read through of the series and it's still keeping my interest... I love Mercedes Lackey and Barb and JC Hendee, but I don't think I can write like them sadly....
I will confess a weakness for the Robert Conrad character James West in the old 60's "Wild Wild West" tv series... the theme song was great, for one thing, and the cutting-edge-of-pre-electronic-technology roped me in, and the way they'd end every show in the comfort of their private railroad train, having saved civilization and partying it up with a coupla floozy dance hall girls... if that isn't the life, what is?
I always have a soft spot for characters in nonsense literature. Especially those in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth. They just seem to be the most original characters to me.
I know I've mentioned this novel in several posts recently, but having finished the book, I'm going to do it again. Favorite Plot: Lonesome Dove Favorite Character: Gus McCrae. -Gus likes to talk, think things out out loud. He's got an odd sense of humor. Basically, he's awesome. (and by the way, he's from above mentioned novel, Lonesome Dove.)
^ I've read the novel, and your right he helps the plot along considerably, but it was his dynamic with Call that did so. McMurty used Gus to compliment Call so much that it was almost like the two characters were really one character split down the middle. Each was complemented the other so well. Lonesome Dove is an American western staple, if you enjoy the genre it's a must read.
It's not, although most people down here read Westerns or Mysteries.. mostly detective novels. I read it because I dabbled with an idea about writing a story about some relatives who were outlaws in real life.
I thought it would be cool to do for my great grandmother .. just never got around to it ... the mentioned family members weren't too bright...
It may seem trite, but my all time favorite character is from a TV show: Fox Mulder from the X-files. I absolutely love his back story and his driving obsession to learn the truth which stems from the loss of his sister, and I also love his quick wit and funny one liners, as well as the fact that he could care less what most people he works with think about him. Most of the books I happen to read are sci-fi and fantasy, where there is little emphasis on characterization (at least in the books I happen to like).
Most of the fantasy/sci fi books I read are heavy character books... like .. Jim Butchers Dresden files books...But that is just what I've noticed in my reading.
No question about it, there are some great character driven sci-fi/fantasy stories. One that comes to mind, for me anyway, is the Song of Fire and Ice.
My very favourite is a novel called Mist Over Pendle - it is about the historical figures surrounding some of the biggest, most famous witch trials in English history. It is very accurate in a lot of historical detail but turns on the head the idea that Roger Nowell had Alice Nutter condemned along with the other witches because he wanted her land. It makes her head witch, clever and scheming, whereas he is a kind, jovial, intelligent justice doing his job dilligently. The main character is a young woman called Margery born as a misfit into a puritan family (she is sort of the inspiration for one of the legends in my stories). She is an intelligent smart young woman and is sent to live with her distant but wealthy cousin Roger Nowell - her family hope he will find her a dowry. They prove to be similar in personality and humour. As well as looks. Together they crack the case of the Pendle Witches. She is an amazing character fun, attractive, intelligent - the story is exciting. The descriptions of her dresses are stunning. I read this at least once or twice a year often more.
^ I haven't done much reading into historical fictions like the one you've mentioned but it sounds really interesting.
For me writing historical and fantasy is very similar - it's about building a world that is unfamiliar to the reader and making characters that should be weird and unfamiliar relatable. I know my historical background makes writing fantasy a lot easier.
I love the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, and her characters (Lestat and Armand being my favorites). Despite her flaws (making the characters a bit whiny at times, spending pages describing something when you just want to get on with the story because you know it's gonna be good when she finally gets too it) her plots and characters are so interesting, you can barely stop reading. I think I read the first three books in a week and a half, and they aren't that easy to read either
^ Yeah she's not an easy read... Lately I've been reading a lot of James Patterson. Almost to bone up because the novel I'm attempting is going to be far and away out of the league of my normal writing.
Mine would probably be the Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn. Mitch Rapp is an awesome character, in awesome plots, with awesome supporting characters, backed by excellent writing. I also really like Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Brian Haig's Sean Drummond was entertaining as well from Secret Sanction. Oh, and @ whoever mentioned James West -- that was an awesome TV show. Along with Alfred Hitchcock's shows, they're my favorite black-and-white TV shows.
Harry Potter always sucks me in, no matter how many times I read them. And by now, it's in the hundreds.
I think my favourite plot is probably the totality of The Wire- it slowly, over the course of its five seasons creates a portrait of the city of Baltimore, showing the struggles of individuals trapped inside a broken system- from the reporters who are demoted because they found factual errors in their paper's cover story, to the dock workers trying to cling to a way of life that died years ago, to, of course, the heart of the show, the inner-city projects, where the only paying industry is the drug trade. For characters, I think The Plague is my favourite ensemble cast in a novel. A Song of Ice and Fire has a very strong cast as well- Tyrion, Arya, and Jaime may well be my favourite characters in all of fantasy, but even minor characters like Syrio Forel and Barristan Selmy are more memorable than many of the genre's main characters. I'm also quite fond of Kelsier from Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn- an awe inspiring force nature willing to use anything to achieve his ends, even his death.
