Favorite supporting characters...

[TheDiceAgain...]

I was looking over a couple of the "most powerful characters" polls on the board and it got me to thinking about some of my favorite characters in the books that I have read. I realized that alot of them were not the main characters in the books at all, but more often, the more colorful "sidekicks". So the question is:

 

Who are your favorite supporting characters in fanatsy(outside of the Wheel of Time)?

 

Just a few of mine by author but in no particular order:

 

Eddings:

Prince Kheldar of Drasnia aka Silk

Beldin the Sorcerer

Kurik and Talen

Weis and Hickman:

Dalamar the Dark Elf (Raistlin's apprentice)

Tasslehoff Burrfoot

Fizban (yes, I know he's a god, but some the interplay with Tasslehoff is just priceless)

Flint Fireforge

 

Goodkind:

Denna the Mord'Sith that captures Richard

Fiest:

Kulgan, Pug's first teacher

Laurie the Bard, later Duke of Salador

Jimmy the Hand, although he became a main character later in the series

 

GRRM:

There are about a million and this list is getting too long

[Kadere]

Samwise Gamgee. Easy

[Odette]

Haplo's non-descript dog. Weis + Hickman.

(debatable I suppose. He might be a main character)

 

Jill's little grey gnome. Katherine Kerr (not very well known author).

[the dude]

Chade, man. He is the expletive. Actually, that list could also include Burrich, Verity, the Fool (though he's borderline main character)..... Screw it, that whole series was full of awesome characters. It'll be shorter to say that I didn't like the Liveship characters. My greatest desire for that series was for Fitz to show up and just go berserk on every single one of them. It would have ruined the story, and of course had no place in any kind of skilled narrative, but I would have enjoyed it anyway.

 

Silk is frigging sweet, I gotta go with that one.

 

Ummmm, Flint was the coolest Dragonlance character. I plotted Weis and Hickmans' deaths when they killed him with a heart attack. That was weak.

 

And for those who read any Shannara books, Garet Jax. Just, Garet Jax. Hands down, no contest. That guy was expletiving sweet.

[Asgard Thorin]

Ar Two Dee Two. Mandorallen. Beorn (from the Hobbit; not really a sidekick, but still really important) Han Solo. Bean, from Ender's Game. I know there are many others, but I just can't think of any right now. Massive brain cramp

[Asgard Thorin]

Oh, yeah. Kaz the Minotaur.

[Taymist]

*chokes on concept of Katherine Kerr not being very well known* You have to be kidding me??? She's huge in fantasy land over here. I have everything she's written and Jill's gnome is the darlingest thing.

 

As for other sidekicks:

 

Eddings

Silk (delightfully wicked)

Sir Bevier (sweet lad)

 

Hobb

The Fool

 

GRRM

Sandor Clegane

Lord Frey (wiley old beggar)

 

Tad Williams

Binabik

[loki redfern]

the luggage

[GoodGrief]

Silk!!!!! All of Edding's endearing rogue characters after the Belgariad/Mallorean were pale shades of Silk.

 

Damn Loki beat me to The Luggage. Fine, from the Discworld series I would like to add The Death of Rats, Gaspode, the Bursar, Dibbler and the entire crew of the Watch books.

 

In WoT, Mat has by far the coolest entourage, including Thom, Juilin, Noal, Nerim, Olver, Egeanin, Domon, Vanin and Setalle. But mostly Thom and Olver. Olver because he's cute and Thom because he's awesome. Perrin gets Elyas, and Rand gets Bashere, Logain and Super-Nanny Cadsuane. Un-sidekicked awesome WoT characters include Hurin, and Gareth. And then there's all the main characters that could be defined as supporting roles despite having their own story lines at some point or other, such Moi, Nyn, Min ... even Mat and Perrin could be support in that sense, so where do you draw the line. Is Sam in LotR a support character or a main character? *shrug*

[Guest Cadsuane]

SILK ROCKS.

 

I also like Faramir from LotR, as well as Sandor Clegane from ASoIaF.