This week’s
topic was lots of fun, and full disclosure: I had lots of help from my lovely,
YA-loving boyfriend, Paul, who even guest-wrote about one of HIS most memorable
secondary characters! So we present some of our all-time favorite secondary
characters, the good, the bad, and the weird (weekly feature courtesy of The Broke and the Bookish).
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| How Bean got his name. From Marvel.com |
1. Bean from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott
Card
In a sci-fi
novel about child soldiers who must save the world from aliens, Bean is
definitely one of the standout characters. Nicknamed Bean for his diminutive
stature, he is nonetheless a force to be reckoned with in the Battle Room
thanks to his brilliant tactical mind. Readers found Bean so compelling that
Card even wrote a sequel all about his backstory in Ender’s Shadow!
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| By Ciclomono on deviantART |
2. Sirius Black from Harry Potter by J.K.
Rowling
Definitely one
of my favorite characters from the series. He was descended from a pureblood
family but turned his back on them, imprisoned in Azkaban for a crime he didn’t
commit, escaped, and found his way back to Harry, his best friend’s son, to
offer him a loving home. Oh, and did I mention he’s Padfoot?
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| I, too, want a giant polar bear friend. By SinaGrace on deviantART |
3. Iorek Byrnison from His Dark Materials
by Philip Pullman
Iorek, the giant
talking polar bear, or Panserbjorne, was pretty much the reason I got hooked on
this series in the first place after I saw him on the cover. Initially living
alone and full of anger (he has lost his throne, been exiled from Svalbard, and
is being blackmailed into working as an ironsmith for humans), his friendship
with Lyra shows him to be fiercely protective of those he loves.
4. Haymitch from The Hunger Games series by
Suzanne Collins
He’s a bitter
survivor who has watched many around him die, but Katniss' fighting spirit gives him hope. In Catching Fire we learn that Haymitch has
some hidden depths, but ultimately his best friend and escape is always the
bottle.
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| Derp. By Raphooo2013 on deviantART |
5. Gollum/Smeagol from The Lord of the
Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Smeagol was just
a poor Stoor-Hobbit who was so corrupted by the One Ring that he killed his
friend Deagol for it, and things got a lot worse from there. I've always found
Gollum super pitiable and maintain my belief that all he needs to set him straight is a hug.
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| Magnus and the Chairman |
6. Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments/Clockwork series by Cassandra Clare
I mostly include
Magnus for Kate, since he’s one of her all-time favorite characters. Luckily
Cassie Clare knows how many readers love him and has included him in BOTH of
her published series to date. Magnus is an immortal warlock who often uses his
powers to come to the aid of Shadowhunters. And when he’s not doing that, he
wears glittery eyeliner, throws birthday parties for his beloved cat, Chairman
Meow, and also he likes boys.
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| Creepy half-vampire child by 4Steex on deviantART |
7. Renesmee from Breaking Dawn by
Stephenie Meyer
Okay. Renesmee
is my LEAST favorite part of the entire series, but you gotta hand it to the
girl, she IS memorable. Bella actually KILLS herself in order to give birth to
the unprecedented half-human/half-vampire child, but hey, that’s a mother’s
duty, right? And it's totally normal that Jacob falls in love with her -- right?!
Paul’s Pick:
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| By Oboe on deviantART |
8. Mandorallen from The Belgariad by
David Eddings
In Eddings’ brilliantly
realized world of gods, monsters, and everything in between, it’s no surprise
that one of the standout secondary characters lands exactly there. This series
is rife with colorful and memorable characters, each tugging, in turn, on
different heart strings throughout their quest, but it’s Mandorallen who (barely)
wins. Clad in the heaviest and finest of armors, boasting no magic powers –
unless of course you count an unwavering conviction, codes layered upon codes
of honor, honesty, chivalry, and loyalty to country and companions, and the
charmiest of “charm”ing rhetoric and stature as “powers”…well then, yes, he’s
pretty magical. Oh, and he also has no fears…of anything…and he wrestles a lion
and wins.
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| By Mrs.Graves on deviantART |
9. Severus Snape from Harry Potter by
J.K. Rowling
I probably could
have written my whole list based on memorable secondary HP characters.
Snivellus can definitely be an absolute jerk to Harry, but it turns out to be a
good life lesson for Harry in showing him that people are not black and white,
good or bad; people are complicated. Snape made some mistakes, but he spent the
rest of his life atoning for them as best he could. He’s now widely recognized
as one of the series’ unsung heroes.
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| Coke's just not as good. |
10. Mr. D from Percy Jackson by Rick
Riordan
Rick Riordan’s
modern interpretations of Greek gods and heroes are all pretty hilarious, but
Mr. D, or Dionysus, is more so than most. He’s the director of Camp Half-Blood for
demigod heroes, but not by choice. Forbidden by Zeus to drink the wine that is
his godly domain, he takes to chugging Diet Coke instead. 100 years without
wine? I feel your pain, Mr. D.
What do you
think of my picks? Did I miss anyone? Who did you include?
-Meg
