Favorite minor characters in fiction (other than yours)

swvaughn · Apr 18, 2008

I love minor characters. Sometimes, I love them more than main characters. In my opinion, strong minor characters can make all the difference between a good novel and a great one. Therefore, I feel it’s important for writers to develop the minors – even the bit players (which, I feel, is one of Stephen King’s strongest skills. Even his two-sentence characters have some substance to them).

So... I was wondering which minor fictional characters you’ve enjoyed, and why. Your own minors don’t count, because of course you love your characters (and if you don’t, why are you writing about them?).

I’ll start. My favorite minor character is Havelock Vetenari, otherwise known as the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. He is the reason Night Watch is and will always remain my favorite Discworld novel, because we’re treated to a great big dose of Vetenari backstory. The man was trained as an assassin (and he’s damned good), and eventually becomes ruler of the city (hello, anti-hero!). Also, he is cooler than a warehouse full of Frigidaires. If Terry Pratchett was my bestest friend in the whole world (or even a passing acquaintance), I would beg him to give Vetenari his own novel. He’s absolutely fascinating.

Okay, your turn. Who’s your favorite, and why?

Ken · Apr 18, 2008

I liked Tom Bombadill in The Hobbit.
He was so cool,
living in a hut in the woods with his fetchin' misses,
and so powerful that even "the ring" didn't have any effect over him.

CaroGirl · Apr 18, 2008

Neville Longbottom. Despite all the hardships he's had to endure, he's unflaggingly positive. He refuses to feel sorry for himself. His inner strength and bravery shine through his obvious insecurity and other shortcomings.

JimmyB27 · Apr 18, 2008

Vetinari is an odd character, because he's a total Gary-Stu, and yet he's also utterly awesome.
Personally, I really like Nobby Nobbs. And Detritus. And Nany Ogg. And....well, all of Pratchett's characters.

I also really like Lacey from the Farseer series. She's a handmaiden (is that the correct term, total brain freeze here) to the Lady Patience, at least outwardly. She shows a little of her true self when she gets the better of Fitz (MC), holding him down with her sharp knitting needles at his neck.

Sarpedon · Apr 18, 2008

Pippin was always my favorite Lord of the Rings character.

My favorite book is Ulysses, and my favorite minor character there is Stately, plump Buck Mulligan.

In my second favorite book, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, my favorite minor characters are Zhao Yun, the only great warrior in the book who doesn't have hubris, and the crazy taoist wizard Zou Tzu. You gotta love someone who can eat 10,000 sheep in a single day.

Other ones who jump out; Well, there's Sarpedon himself, from the Iliad. Thats a giveaway. Lucifer from the Sandman. The Bursar.

Marian Perera · Apr 18, 2008

Prince Oberyn Martell from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. He's ruthless and amoral and sarcastic, loyal to his family - including the eight bastard daughters he's fathered with various women, and determined to defeat an apparently unbeatable enemy in a duel to the death.

sighhhhh....

CDarklock · Apr 18, 2008

I always loved Salacious Crumb in the Star Wars movies. You know, the little screeching rat-thing that sat on Jabba's tail? He was hilarious.

Jackfishwoman · Apr 18, 2008

CDarklock said:
I always loved Salacious Crumb in the Star Wars movies. You know, the little screeching rat-thing that sat on Jabba's tail? He was hilarious.

ohmigosh! that is funny! I remember that "thing" too! (It had a name???)

Phaeal · Apr 18, 2008

Wow, this is a tough one.

Well, Joe Gargery in Great Expectations -- one of Dickens' sweetest-natured characters, with some of Dickens' funniest lines.

Miss Bates in Emma, another funny sweetheart.

John Childermass in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

Faramir in LotR.

Mrs. Glass in Franny and Zooey.

Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet.

Joseph Curwen in The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

Lillian Reardon in Atlas Shrugged -- yikes, what a pretty viper!

etc, ad infinitum,

.

aonarach · Apr 18, 2008

Richard Halley in Atlas Shrugged and Stephen Mallory in The Fountainhead...true artists, each with the innate ability to endure failure and success

dawinsor · Apr 18, 2008

Ivan Vorpatril in Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkorsigan books. Miles is stunted and clever, while his cousin Ivan is tall, good looking, and not always quick on the uptake.

There's a fabulous opening scene in Cetaganda, in which Miles and Ivan dock their shuttle to start a diplomatic mission and this stranger jumps aboard. The stranger shoves his hand into his jacket and Miles yells, "Weapon!" So they jump the stranger, wrestle around in Zero G, and take a nerve disrupter and an unidentifiable metal cylinder from the guy, who then runs away. So they're standing there catching their breaths, and Ivan says, "You know, if that was the customs inspector, we're in a lot of trouble."

LOLOL. How can you not love a character who says things like that?

Marian Perera · Apr 18, 2008

Call me strange, but I like Jimmy Gowan in The Fountainhead. He was the young guy who worked for years to save up enough for a business of his own, and just said, "Maybe so, folks, maybe so" when they criticized his choice of an architect. I like that quiet, determined quality.

sunandshadow · Apr 18, 2008

I often find minor villains appealing because they are often drawn with more emotion and personality, and less pure evil than the main villain. They may walk a fine line between being able to pursue their own goals and being under threat of being killed by their boss if they don't carry out his orders. They may be comically bumbling, jovially insane, super-confidently seductive, angstily thinking everyone is prejudiced against them or mooning over unrequited love, or twice as smart as the boss and scheming ways to get out from under his shadow.

escritora · Apr 18, 2008

Dill from To Kill a Mockingbird

Nateskate · Apr 18, 2008

It's hard to justify Samwise Gamgee as a minor character in LOTR, as much of the story comes through his perspective.

However, the way that Tolkien used Samwise- as sort of the tag-a-long fellow, who was least central to the plot, was brilliant.

But this is one reason why Tolkien's LOTR is beloved, it's very hard to picture any of the secondary characters as actually being secondary.

CaroGirl · Apr 18, 2008

Nateskate said:
It's hard to justify Samwise Gamgee as a minor character in LOTR, as much of the story comes through his perspective.

However, the way that Tolkien used Samwise- as sort of the tag-a-long fellow, who was least central to the plot, was brilliant.

But this is one reason why Tolkien's LOTR is beloved, it's very hard to picture any of the secondary characters as actually being secondary.

I agree. Sam's awesome. Who wouldn't want a best friend like Sam?

Marian Perera · Apr 18, 2008

CaroGirl said:
I agree. Sam's awesome. Who wouldn't want a best friend like Sam?

"I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you."

PattiTheWicked · Apr 18, 2008

I love Lord John Grey in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. He was a supporting character in those, but has since gone on to be a main character in a few other novels. I also love Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility.

LLivingston · Apr 18, 2008

Just rereading some of the Dresden Files books so, at the moment, Bob the Skull and Toot-toot and his pizza-devouring pixie friends.

Phaeal · Apr 18, 2008

aonarach said:
Richard Halley in Atlas Shrugged and Stephen Mallory in The Fountainhead...true artists, each with the innate ability to endure failure and success

What I've always wondered is whether the unnamed young musician in The Fountainhead, who meets Roark above Monadnock Valley, is actually Richard Halley.

I think the two are one and the same.

Phaeal · Apr 18, 2008

CaroGirl said:
I agree. Sam's awesome. Who wouldn't want a best friend like Sam?

Heh, I played Sam in a live-action LotR RPG. But then again, I played all the hobbits and Gollum -- everybody else wanted to be wizards or elves or guys with big swords.

Phaeal · Apr 18, 2008

PattiTheWicked said:
I love Lord John Grey in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. He was a supporting character in those, but has since gone on to be a main character in a few other novels. I also love Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility.

Yup, Mrs. Jennings rocks.

swvaughn · Apr 18, 2008

Queen of Swords said:
"I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you."

Excuse me for a moment...

*sniffle*

Okay. I'm better now.

Thanks for the great responses, everyone!

ToddWBush · Apr 18, 2008

Even though he's not technically a good guy, Irving Irvin from Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels was always a favorite. The way Connelly broadened his character from Bosch's enemy, to somewhat ally, then back to enemy was great.

And of course, my ultimate minor character in any book I've ever read, my absolutely favorite... Mr. Jingles from The Green Mile. How can you not like Mr. Jingles?

aonarach · Apr 18, 2008

Phaeal said:
What I've always wondered is whether the unnamed young musician in The Fountainhead, who meets Roark above Monadnock Valley, is actually Richard Halley.

I think the two are one and the same.

i agree. that's something i love about minor characters. many authors have minor characters that pop up in several works, sometimes thinly veiled, sometimes obvious. it happens in my own work as well. i like the idea that all my stories exist in the same fictional universe, though not always on the same planet within that universe.

Favorite minor characters in fiction (other than yours)

adrift

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