Most "Tortured Soul" in fantasy/sci-fi??

[Kelsier]

i agree that fitz is up there in the top ten but as i see it the Fool got a much rougher deal.

1. The Fool

2. Fitz

3. Rand

4.Faraday (sarah douglas)

5.Drako SunSoar (sarah douglas)

[SylvanFox]

i agree that fitz is up there in the top ten but as i see it the Fool got a much rougher deal.

1. The Fool

2. Fitz

3. Rand

4.Faraday (sarah douglas)

5.Drako SunSoar (sarah douglas)

 

Oh, right! I almost forgot about Faraday. And Drago. I liked that series. Yeah, Faraday had to go through all hell, but at least it had a happy (weird) ending.

[BKVMC]

Sansa Stark i dont know how the top of her head hasnt blown off yet with all the crap shes had to see and been forced to fake her way through.

[dexterryu]

Agree with many that others have posted so I'm picking some new ones:

 

Kahlen - SoT

 

Ben Linus - Lost

 

Vin - Mistborn

[Jong]

Certainly the Doctor has elements of that, its perhaps his defining element. Strangely after nearly 50 years we still don't know much about him.

 

To me the tpyical tortured scifi charachter would be Annorax, the Krenim Scientist from the Star Trek Voyager episode "Year of Hell". His goal in life is to carry out endless temoporal incursions until he can recreate an idealized version of his homeworld which was inadvertantly devastated by side effects from a temoral weapon he created.

 

One of the most interesting Tortured Characthers (who I am surprised that no one has mentioned so far) is Dianora from Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana. It is a masterful book and this is a woman who plots her way into the arch villan's harem so she can assasinate him, there by avenging her destroyed country. And before she can break the spell she falls in love with him.

 

Another charachter I have read recently who's torment and failure seems to define him at least so far, is Kvothe from the King killer Chronicles.

 

Also "The Nameless One" from Planescape Torment. Video game charachter, but he has the feel of a good fantasy hero to me. And is certainly defined by his torment.

 

I don't think of Rand as a tortured characther. That's not to say he hasn't been through hell towards the end here, but he seems to transcend his tortures rahter than being defined by them. He was raised tottally normally. He had a boat load of psychological cachet at the beginning of the serries. For the most part he seems normal, grounded. He really does hold it together and only in parts of TGS do we really get close to truly losing it. But he never gets all the way there. He doesn't kill Min. And post VOG he certainly seems to have "gotten over it".

 

I think most of the charachters, still alive in aSoIaF would qualify as tortured (particularly the reader).

[Kaznen]

I too have to say poor FitzChivarly Farseer had the most crappy life for no reason.

[Tyler Aybara]

Ender from Ender's Game. Made even more powerful by the fact that he is a child.

[Arinth]

Im not a fan of Brian Ruckley's The Godless World but Ill mention Aeglyss as a pretty tortured soul too.

[condonmc]

Artemis Entreri from Ra Salvatore

 

Kyp Durron from Star Wars

[Clayden69]

Gollum,

[Clayden69]

Marsh, Kelsiers brother in mistborn trilogy. Falls in love with same woman as his brother, she chooses Kelsier. she dies with Marsh still clearly in love with her. Then during the actual timeline of the trilogy he gets turned into an evil sadistic monster

 

Tyndwil, from Mistborn. Lives her life as a "breeder" (I think we all can work out what I mean) then when she gets a fre life and falls in love with Sazed she dies

[Sunrise Lord]

Grianne Ohmsford from the Shannara series.

[Jaedan_edhel]

Hmmm.....

The Doctor (I tend to agree - especially with the Eccleston/Tennant portrayals)

Raistlin Majere (I don't know why because he was an evil bastard, but I can't help feeling sorry for him. Probably because he never stood a chance.)

Andry (Definitely treated very unfairly, and was totally focused on saving all his ungrateful family and friends. A touch of the Raistlin to him. Mind you - that actually endears him to me!)

Frodo (who saved the Shire, but was never again at peace there. He's the 'tortured soul', but I still feel Sam is the true hero.)

 

My personal favourites from the 'less well known' bucket:

Vanyel Ashkevron (except for the Gary-Sue thing. He would have been a great tortured soul if he weren't so overdone).

Jander Sunstar (A sun-elf who ends up a Vampire. Nuff said)

Mathew (from 'Rose of the Prophet' - poor guy doesn't even seem to have a surname and before the first quarter of the first book is up, doesn't have anything else, either).

 

And the ones with question marks attached:

Timothy Hunter (As he ends up so strong and centred because of early misfortunes - still a terrific character, though)

John Constantine (from the comics, NOT the film.)

Louis du Pont du Lac (except - he seems tortured because he's got nothing else to do, not because his suffering was very unique in those days)

Haldir (from the LotR films, not the books... honourary mention because of the awful fanfiction so often written about him!)

[moldham]

Roland the Gunslinger for sure

 

For sheer physical pain I would have to go with Richard Rahl that guy goes through hell, and i'm only on The Naked Empire book but it seems like every book him and Kahlan get seperated and/or slowly start dying due to sickness or magic.

 

Tyrion Lannister - I haven't read the new book but he seems like the one Lannister who has his head right and has a heart and the poor guy is hated by most people.

 

Anakin Skywalker - I think it may have actually tortured me more to watch him turn to the Sith

[condonmc]

Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert - Ivanhoe

[brujah]

KALLOR - Malazan Series

 

 

[ironcross]

mario - i mean common now matter how many times he saves the princess she just get kidnaped again

 

cap kirk - pretty much everyone he loves dies. several wemon, his son, even though he gets him back his best friend.

 

ender wiggin - talk about the waight of the world on your sholders

 

luke skywalker - he has to kill his own dad and the girl he loves turns out to be his sister

 

sczth - an assasin who hates to kill, but has no choice, thats got to suck

 

 

why do people always pick rand, i mean yea he has a lot of problems, and may verry well die in the end, but in the meantime he has incredible power and powers, good frinds and three count them three hot chicks falling all over him. man that must suck.

[Hallow]

KALLOR - Malazan Series

 

Good one.

[Apples First]

Has no-one here read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams?

 

There are few tortured souls in those books, such as, Padreic/Cadrach, Amerasu, Ineluki, Miriamele...

[Tiinker]

Hurin - Silmarillion, Children of Hurin

Turin - Silmarillion, Children of Hurin

 

These two guys..

[peregrine al thor]

The first one that came to my mind is Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever from the Stephen R. Donaldson series.

I would have to agree that Rand could be considered tortured. Imagine being the potential savior of the entire world but knowing you're fated to die in the process of that saving. And loving not one but three women, knowing they're likely to become widows yet hoping against hope to elude the noose of prophecy. He's endured some physical torture as well. The two seemingly unhealable wounds to his side, the "punishments" doled out by Elaida's Reds during captivity and the loss of a limb. That qualifies in my book.

I would give a nod to Fitzchivalry also; he went through some serious stuff in the Farseer Trilogy, the only ones I've read of Hobb's so far.

Anakin Skywalker: Yeah, that guy was tortured.

I thought of Grianne Ohmsford as well. Far from Brooks' best work but...

 

To Apples First: I've read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn multiple times and there are some tortured souls in that series for sure. An excellent series, probably in my top ten.

[Asgard Thorin]

I would put Fitz as my #1. Granted, I'm not familiar with this Elric fella, but if he gets it worse than Fitz, I feel really sorry for him.

Who's Elric?

I heard Voldemort, and even Fain. Fain? Fain! Voldemort? Sphhh!!!!

Actually I understand why someone would say that.

Granted, I didn't read the posts after Majsju yet but here is my list.

Snape (Good honorable mention)

Harry/Voldemort....naaaahhh.

Lord Soth (DL) (sp?)....probably

Darth Vader...yep

Belgarath the Sorceror...Definitely. Man was grieving for over three thousand years.

Gandalf the Grey/White....yea, I'd have to put him there, too. Fighting a rear guard action, forbidden to match his Enemy power for power, (even though he could) with his boss slightly jealous that their bosses made him (Gandalf) second in command instead of last place in the Istari (wizards), finally with all the other wizards forgetting or abandoning their primary mission, so he's working alone, his girlfriend still young in the Undying Lands while he's a permanent geriatric in Middle-Earth, and when he finally does get the restriction on his power removed (his staff broke when he broke the bridge; I view that as both his weakening and strengthening; no, the movies didn't show it) its to fight another renegade member of his race other than Sauron, and he dies doing it. Or Elrond, or Galadriel. The trouble with naming any of the characters from LOTR is dozens could be on this list, but we really only get to see a handful of characters. Okay, I'll give Gandalf an honorable mention.

Draco too.

I hate to mention anything from Forgotten Realms, but Wulfgar could and should be on the list, or Bruenor. I gave up on the Companions of the Hall when I realised Wulfgar was not going to get his girl back. RA Salvatore nearly made me hate Drizzt; time to stop reading then, before my old friends become my enemies.

Fain? Fain? And the number one on today's top ten list of most tortured souls in fantasy(drum roll.................................................................)

Gollum. Self-explanatory, methinks.

Seriously, who's Elric? What book? What series? What author?

[Suttree]

Seriously, who's Elric? What book? What series? What author?

 

Elric of Melnibone from stories by Michael Moorcock.

http://en.wikipedia....ic_of_Melniboné

[condonmc]

I hate to mention anything from Forgotten Realms, but Wulfgar could and should be on the list, or Bruenor. I gave up on the Companions of the Hall when I realised Wulfgar was not going to get his girl back. RA Salvatore nearly made me hate Drizzt; time to stop reading then, before my old friends become my enemies.

 

I think you could add Artemis Entreri to that list..............

[Asgard Thorin]

Ender from Ender's Game. Made even more powerful by the fact that he is a child.

 

I totally have to agee with the choice of Ender. I even slipped into Valley to say it (totally!). It makes my earlier ranting about about Gandalf ludicrous. I'd had a long day and was not thinking very broadly.....Gandalf was burdened, certainly, but not tortured. I think someone mentioned this earlier but I will restate it: Turin Turambar Dagnir Glaurunga. Morgoth's curse on the Children of Hurin (this from the Silmarillion, not from the book Children of Hurin) definitely worked. I think the Professor felt he had to include the level of tradgedy notorious in Greek tradgedy. Of course, Prof. Tolkien could now be called 'old school' for certain.

 

Thanks for the intel on Elric. It seems that Stormbringer is like a combo of the Misenchanted Sword (good story), Gurthang (Turin's blade) and the Hellfire Sword (I think that's its name) of the old Warlord comics by DC. I was a determined collector, but my enthusiasm for The Warlord finally waned. I still don't know how the series ended. Still, the annual where Morgan gets the Hellfire sword is still pretty good visual lit.