Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday - Memorable Secondary Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  

Of course, I'm a horrible lazy person and don't post weekly, which rather defeats the purpose.

This week's subject is "Top Ten Memorable Secondary Characters."
I have chosen to define "secondary" characters as "neither the protagonist(s) nor the antagonist(s)" because otherwise I don't know what to do with myself.

In no particular order:

1. The Weasley Twins from the Harry Potter series
     They earn a place on this list just for their no-holds-barred, over-the-top exit from Hogwarts.



2.  The Dragon from Voyage of the Basset.
     This is one of my favorite books, hands-down.  I almost cried with joy when I found a copy at a bookstore.  The dragon marks a pivotal turning point in the story and has so many words of wisdom.  There are other great characters and creatures in this story, but the dragon is the one that sticks with me.


 3. Ginger from Black Beauty
     Poor, poor Ginger.  If you haven't read Black Beauty, you're missing out on a good falcon punch to feels. 

4. Iron Horse from the Iron Fey series
     Iron Horse gets on the list because, of all the cleverly crafted fey creatures Kagawa created for her series, he's the only one whose name I actually remember.  Also, because his name is a pun.  He's clearly named after railroad technology, but he's also a giant horse made of iron - when he wants to be.  And that's friggin' sweet.

5. Brimstone from Daughter of Smoke and Bone
     At first Brimstone set off my Sketchiness Alarm in a major way.  What was he hiding from Karou?  Why in the name of corn is he doing with all those teeth?  When his purpose is revealed and the "magic" of the chimaera is explained I think my jaw dropped into my lap.  SO CLEVER.  Read this book.  Read it right now.


6. Faithful (in all his incarnations) from the Tortall books by Tamora Pierce
     I always knew that if cats could speak, they would be sarcastic. He's there for Alanna - and for other Tortall heroines, when they need him.  And he's a black cat with purple eyes.  I want one.

7.  Lady Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice
     This woman!  I love every scene she's in, from explaining her "natural taste" in music (she doesn't play) to giving everyone unwanted advice to the pivotal scene in which she makes a complete butthead of herself.  She has all of Lady Violet's pride with non of her cunning or self-awareness.



8. The other half-dragons from Seraphina
     I couldn't pick just one.  By their existence, they open a new world for our heroine.  Each of them has gotten by in their lives, overcoming difficulties and prejudice to find their place in the world.  This gives the reader hope for Seraphina - and makes her the center of a smaller world in which she doesn't have to hide everything about herself.

9.  Lady Silence from The Terror
     This book gave me the chills AND the heeby-jeebies.  At the same time.  Of all the characters in the story, Lady Silence - the mysterious Eskimo woman who's missing her entire tongue - is the one that stands out to me.  What happened to her?  What does she want?  What secrets is she hiding?  Why is she hanging out around two doomed and stranded ships in the middle of the Arctic?  Just thinking about it makes me want to read this book again, and be creeped out all over again.


10.  Falcor from The Neverending Story
     Tell me you didn't want your very own luck dragon after reading this book (or watching the movie and THEN reading the book).  Because then I know you will be a liar.  Not only can he fly without wings, but he's supportive and helpful.




And that's all for today.
I'm sure there are many, many more I've forgotten.

4 comments:

  1. I completely forgot about Black Beauty. I can't believe this, because I LOVED it!

    Otherwise, I completely agree with your list!

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    Replies
    1. It's SO HARD to pick just ten. It was about to become any-book-that-left-an-emotional-impact's supporting cast.

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  2. Lady Catherine is an excellent secondary character - someone you would love to smack upside the head. Falcor YAY!

    Great choices.

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  3. I need to stop reading your lists or my heart is going to explode. Voyage of the Basset is on your list?!? I am in LOVE WITH ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS. Also I am definitely going to follow your blog despite my vow this morning to not follow any more blogs hahaha

    ReplyDelete