Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

Just another thread where we can discuss some of the great characterization going on in the series

Logen Ninefingers and Glokta

Glokta for sure, but I also like his side kick Severance (Spell?)

But I also am enjoying Gloktas boss. The head of the Inquisition who I have forgotten the name of. He is playing Glokta really well, he is a nasty piece of work and a brilliant love to hate character.

Loving the northmen. The Bloody Nine is great especially in the later books and most of the other named men too Dogman, Three Trees and the rest.

Gods! it must get better, I am finding the northmen quite bland and dull as characters at the moment, When the story jumps to them I am a little disappointed and want to get back to the Bayaz, Jazel or Ferro storyline.

Glokta is disturbingly charismatic. I can't decide whether I like or dislike Ardee West. I do rather like Logen Ninefingers - it's very interesting that we get to see things from his point of view, but also see how he is perceived by others in Adua.

Does anyone else feel like Bayaz bears a strong resemblance to Abenthy from the Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss? And perhaps shades of Gandalf in his crabbier moments? :)

I wasn't much of an Ardee fan. But as the book has gone on she has developed as a character. I was expecting her to announce some amazing talent or ability that changes her role in the story, but now I am thinking she is going the other way, that she is a lost lonely woman, with a painful history. (view spoiler)[ when West attacks her, we learn so much more about Ardee and her sad history (hide spoiler)]

Glokta by far. I can almost imagine what it would be like to live with that much pain on a daily basis and I really admire him for going on with everything in spite of all the pain. His internal monologue which is mostly sarcastic also made me laugh.

Heidi, I also like the fact that he really hasn't anything to lose, if his worst case is death, then he just doesn't care as it would mean release from his torment.

With that in mind it would be really hard to go up against him. I love his sarcasm and I really am enjoying his relationship with his two agents.

Ninefingers. I think he has gone through a lot in life and is now able to reflect on the mistakes and is becoming a better person.

I would like Glokta but I can't get past the whole torturing thing. Yes, Heidi, he is hilarious!

I didn't like nine fingers until half way through. I thought it was an interesting character build with him. At the start you have no idea who he is and nothing about him, yet he has a major role, then slowly you are given more and more back story and he grows on you. It was well done, I can't think of many books I have read where the character build happens slowly and late in the story.

Yeah I liked that too. We were given this brute at the start of the book and then very slowly drip fed information from his past, showing his sufferings and mistakes, while at the same time shown current sensitive actions, shown how he has changed.

I liked Glokta too. I feel for him, but he is still so snarky and sarcastic.

I also like Logen with his attitude of just going along with the flow and not wanting to know any answers, and his alot-ego - Ninefingers. Wow! What a moment.

I also like Yulwei, who keeps finding Ferro as she tries to get away, and keeps her going the way he wants.

I think characterization really was a big strong point for the whole big. They all seemed real and well developed.

My favorites are Logan and Dogmas. The thought of the most feared men in all the realm wanting no part of battle is fun thought.

@ Rocky, Dogmas eh? That is interesting, I haven't gotten into that part of the storyline yet. I can see they all have strong individual character traits, that should be really interesting when developed. But I feel we have only just touched on them so far and their character build is either bickering or not bickering.

I can certainly see these guys being more involved and imagine they will meet up with nine fingers again in the next book.

Everyone seems to love Glokta. I do like the way Abercrombie uses Glokta's own pain and suffering to make us like him, even though he's a torturer. However, my favourite character is Logen. A philosophical barbarian - you gotta love that!

Logen and Glokta but I also like Practical Frost. He ith juth tho cool.

LOL

I am personally a big fan of Harding Grim. He doesn't say much, but each comment had an almost perfect, brutal effect. He is the epitome of the strong silent type, and I think Abercrombie had a lot of fun writing his part. Plus he's a badass killer like the rest of the northmen (other than Forley)

I think he says "uh" and carries on sharpening his sword.

Tz wrote: "I am personally a big fan of Harding Grim. He doesn't say much, but each comment had an almost perfect, brutal effect. He is the epitome of the strong silent type, and I think Abercrombie had a lot..."

Ooh yes! I really liked his character and it is amazing that an author can endear a character to a reader without writing great swathes of text about them. I think I'm generally quite fond of the whole lot of Logen's men - Grim, Tul, Threetrees, the Dogman and Black Dow. It's clever writing to make them all so memorable within a cast of generally memorable characters.

Probably Glokta, Logen's cathphrases annoyed the hell out of me.

I did not like Black Dow but of the guys in that gang he's the most memorable, interesting guy. Would not like to meet him in a dark alley though.

Logen Ninefingers. There have been plenty of tough fighters and even a few crazed heroes in Fantasy, but Logen represents one of the few instances I've run into where a character is old enough, and experienced enough, to see the results of the choices he's made. His doesn't exactly regret his decisions; he couldn't have done any differently, but he does wish that he could have lived another way, one where he didn't destroy everything he touched.

After that, Bayaz is the perfect twist on the kindly wizard/mentor. All of the things the characters in this series fought against, and their victory only served to further a game that was levels beyond their comprehension. They weren't simply four moves behind; they were playing chess while the true force behind these events was playing Halo on an HD television.

*prays that they cast Patrick Stewart as Bayaz in the eventual HBO adaptation*