Sell me your Favorite Character Arc

[maxal she/her]

Alright. Some may or may not have read my personal angst over seeing certain character arcs potentially not come to fruition in the way I envisioned them in one of our favorite book.

 

In that spirit, I thus hired you to sell me YOUR favorite character arc   and let's steer away from the big names.... So yes, no Brandon, no Jordan, no Rothfuss, no GRRM, no Abercrombie, no Hobb  There were great characters in there, agree, but I have already read those.

 

Help me find a new character to root for (so I can finally turn the page over the one I currently root for, if you know me, you know, if you don't, don't ask, no such discussion here ), one who gets such a fabulous arc you couldn't put the book down. Find me something that isn't too typical and straight out of the "perfect book for the perfect protagonist" without being grimdark. Or find me a story where the side character ends up growing so much in such a satisfying way you end up wondering why you didn't looked at him/her twice in the beginning. 

 

Help me find a story where the main protagonist isn't your typical main protagonist, something refreshing.

 

So which is your favorite arc and why? Get your best sell speech out 

 

I'm listening 

[CarolaDavar she/her]

I would suggest... perhaps Fablehaven? That's an amazing book. The two main characters Seth and Kendra are opposites in many ways, yet they develop in similar ways. It's great. If you don't like one, you'll like the other

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Maxal, you might've heard these before, but I suggest The Lions of Al-Rassan by GGK and the Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

I don't think you really want different... No one truly wants that!

But, just in case; Little, Big by John Crowley has plenty of heart breaking moments. It's kinda a family history and involves fairies.

[Delightful]

If your want breathtakingly awesome romance plot with fully realised characters amazing in their own right and with legitimate actual conflict pressuring the relationship: daughter of smoke and bone by laini Taylor. That's one of my all time favourites.

[sheep]

If your want breathtakingly awesome romance plot with fully realised characters amazing in their own right and with legitimate actual conflict pressuring the relationship: daughter of smoke and bone by laini Taylor. That's one of my all time favourites.

I read that series and was disappointed.  The first half of the first book was interesting but the main character Karou being very Mary Sue-ish (described as "creamy and leggy", gag.  And blue hair!  And mysteriously rich but lives bohemian!  Speaks Czech (seriously, slavic languages are ridiculous to learn for those who aren't native slavs)!  Super evasive with friends and somehow they still want to be friends??) was a turn-off.  The romance didn't feel that convincing to me because I got the impression she only liked him because Madrigal did.  And

I only kept reading to find out about the purpose of the wishes and how the creation process was different from the hand tats but that was never explained.

 

For teen action-romance fantasy in the "Female of X and Y" format, I thought that Girl of Fire and Thorns was a better series.  For people who like some character development, it has a low self-esteem MC who struggles with her weight in a feudal Spain/Portugal inspired colony planet setting.

[maxal she/her]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Keep them coming, I'm looking at all of them to see which one I am susceptible to enjoy the most 

 

The chosen book is going to be my next read, after Codex 6, SoS and BoM, so somewhere in spring. Oh and this stupid groundhog didn't see her shadow, so summer is coming on: the nice reading season 

 

I am not picky on gender, age, hair color whatever as long as those folks are great to read about. The only thing I don't like are downright unlikable protagonists such as rapers for instance... Another one, I'd be great to avoid the "hero's journey" character arc... I am starting to realize all the characters I prefer don't follow in its classical sense and those I end up disliking (or annoyed with) are their true embodiment.

 

So how about a story where the main protagonist isn't the hero? Does it even exit?   

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Online: Worm by Wildbow.

Yes, the protagonist is not the hero.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Anamaximder

[Edgedancer he/him]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Keep them coming, I'm looking at all of them to see which one I am susceptible to enjoy the most 

 

The chosen book is going to be my next read, after Codex 6, SoS and BoM, so somewhere in spring. Oh and this stupid groundhog didn't see her shadow, so summer is coming on: the nice reading season 

 

I am not picky on gender, age, hair color whatever as long as those folks are great to read about. The only thing I don't like are downright unlikable protagonists such as rapers for instance... Another one, I'd be great to avoid the "hero's journey" character arc... I am starting to realize all the characters I prefer don't follow in its classical sense and those I end up disliking (or annoyed with) are their true embodiment.

 

So how about a story where the main protagonist isn't the hero? Does it even exit?   

Given that you don't want villain protagonists, it depends on what you mean with "isn't the hero." If you mean the protagonist being more of a sidekick I would have to think a bit about it. If you mean it more in a not a knight in shining armor way, I think I should pitch you John Wayne Cleaver from Dan Well's I'm not a Serial Killer books.

John is very much the definition of a heroic sociopath, with the sociopath being played completely straight, as in being clinically diagnosed as such. He still very much wants to do the right thing and struggles to be good. His interactions with the antagonists are also very interesting.

 

Online: Worm by Wildbow.

Yes, the protagonist is not the hero.

Ah yes, I recently started reading that one, haven't reached the end yet, so I can't judge how the character arc ends up. The writing itself if pretty good (although I think the author's style would have worked better in third person and the protagonists seem to have a good amount of plot armor) but from what I've seen from you Maxal it might be best to mention that I got the impression that the protagonist requires a mind set to sympathize with that's rather... teenager, fitting given that the main character is 15 (I think) but maybe not necessarily the most enjoyable.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Edgedancer

[Delightful]

I read that series and was disappointed. The first half of the first book was interesting but the main character Karou being very Mary Sue-ish (described as "creamy and leggy", gag. And blue hair! And mysteriously rich but lives bohemian! Speaks Czech (seriously, slavic languages are ridiculous to learn for those who aren't native slavs)! Super evasive with friends and somehow they still want to be friends??) was a turn-off. The romance didn't feel that convincing to me because I got the impression she only liked him because Madrigal did. And

I only kept reading to find out about the purpose of the wishes and how the creation process was different from the hand tats but that was never explained.

For teen action-romance fantasy in the "Female of X and Y" format, I thought that Girl of Fire and Thorns was a better series. For people who like some character development, it has a low self-esteem MC who struggles with her weight in a feudal Spain/Portugal inspired colony planet setting.

I thought she grew up speaking Czech?

The Karou/Madrigal thing became one and the same for me so I can't really speak to that. What I liked was that they had serious reasons to have serious relationship issues beyond "he's so mysterious and dangerous for me" type thing that pops up a lot. (Thanks Twilight). That felt like a real, complex relationship to me.

Plus

the fact that when they did decide to get together, they couldn't because they needed o be in different places, they had different skills and identities and were actually separate people with serious lives independent of the relationship but were still very much in love. It was so much better than the shallow "other person is hot but shallow reason we can't be together hey is this supposed to be story tension" that I've noticed a lot.

I've never heard of Girl of Fire and Thorns, I'll have to check it out.

[maxal she/her]

 

Given that you don't want villain protagonists, it depends on what you mean with "isn't the hero." If you mean the protagonist being more of a sidekick I would have to think a bit about it. If you mean it more in a not a knight in shining armor way, I think I should pitch you John Wayne Cleaver from Dan Well's I'm not a Serial Killer books.

John is very much the definition of a heroic sociopath, with the sociopath being played completely straight, as in being clinically diagnosed as such. He still very much wants to do the right thing and struggles to be good. His interactions with the antagonists are also very interesting.

 

I want to avoid the classical story of "boys from a poor land discover magic powers and becomes the savior of the entire universe" kinda of trope. Not that it can't be effective, but I seem to have read so many of it, I am now looking for something different. No "knight in shining armor", definitely, unless he ends up tripping down and going into an interesting growth arc. I love the growth arc and it is so seldom used. No more "over-powered protagonists who irrevocably defeats the bad guys because this is just how awesome he/she is" either. 

 

I want someone who's likable, so no sociopath or someone's who clinically diagnostic with a none endearing disease, unless this turns out being a very likable sociopath who ends up growing out of this bad side. I don't want someone who has an "bad issue" in book 1 and remains with his "bad issue" in the last book because reality is nobody ever heals from this... So if the protagonist has an "issue", I want him/her to grow out of it, to progress, not regress. I don't mind of the main protagonist starts up as an antagonist, but he has to grow and be overly likable.

 

And I want emotions. Plenty of emotions, so nothing too military or technical. I am not picky on world, settings, magic, dragons whatever as lot as there are emotions involved, but no gnomes, elves or orcs... I prefer human main protagonists, someone I can relate to.

 

I feel picky 

 

Ah yes, I recently started reading that one, haven't reached the end yet, so I can't judge how the character arc ends up. The writing itself if pretty good (although I think the author's style would have worked better in third person and the protagonists seem to have a good amount of plot armor) but from what I've seen from you Maxal it might be best to mention that I got the impression that the protagonist requires a mind set to sympathize with that's rather... teenager, fitting given that the main character is 15 (I think) but maybe not necessarily the most enjoyable.

 

Age doesn't necessarily bother me, but the character has to be plausible for his age range. I don't mind if the main protagonist starts up young, but I like to read growth, a progression. If there are parental relationships involved where the parent isn't evil or dead and plays a decent role, then yes, I'd like that. I am not keen on first person's POV though, but if it's really good, I can move pass it. 

 

And yes, I do want someone I can sympathize with, not someone who'd get on my nerves, no matter how awesome he/she may be.

 

In the case of a very young protagonist, I don't want the classical "teenage love story" such as "David and Megan in the Reckoners". I have read too many of those already and these aren't what I am currently looking. I do love romance, but not one who feels too cheesy or cliche or which drives the narrative.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I wouldn't call it a heroic arc by any stretch of the imagination, but if you want something really non-traditional, you might like Vicious by V.E. Schwab. I can't tell you too much about it, because I believe that the less you know about it going in, the more enjoyable it is, but the conflict is basically villain vs. villain. One is worse than the other, and there are truly sympathetic side characters to root for, but both of the main viewpoint characters are pretty sinister. 

 

And it works. It really, really works. 

[Edgedancer he/him]

I want to avoid the classical story of "boys from a poor land discover magic powers and becomes the savior of the entire universe" kinda of trope. Not that it can't be effective, but I seem to have read so many of it, I am now looking for something different. No "knight in shining armor", definitely, unless he ends up tripping down and going into an interesting growth arc. I love the growth arc and it is so seldom used. No more "over-powered protagonists who irrevocably defeats the bad guys because this is just how awesome he/she is" either. 

 

I want someone who's likable, so no sociopath or someone's who clinically diagnostic with a none endearing disease, unless this turns out being a very likable sociopath who ends up growing out of this bad side. I don't want someone who has an "bad issue" in book 1 and remains with his "bad issue" in the last book because reality is nobody ever heals from this... So if the protagonist has an "issue", I want him/her to grow out of it, to progress, not regress. I don't mind of the main protagonist starts up as an antagonist, but he has to grow and be overly likable.

 

And I want emotions. Plenty of emotions, so nothing too military or technical. I am not picky on world, settings, magic, dragons whatever as lot as there are emotions involved, but no gnomes, elves or orcs... I prefer human main protagonists, someone I can relate to.

 

I feel picky 

I feel it a bit hard to respond to that because using terms like "grow out of it" or "none endearing disease" for John's condition makes as much sense as using them for autism, which is pretty much none. Now, what I can tell you without veering into spoiler territory is that John does confront his inner demons and deals with them and I'd say that he does qualify for being called likable.

 

There's also emotions, lots of them.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Edgedancer

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I feel it a bit hard to respond to that because using terms like "grow out of it" or "none endearing disease" for John's condition makes as much sense as using them for autism, which is pretty much none. Now, what I can tell you without veering into spoiler territory is that John does confront his inner demons and deals with them and I'd say that he does qualify for being called likable.

 

There's also emotions, lots of them.

 

I haven't finished the series, but I would say that John's struggle with his condition makes him plenty likable. 

[maxal she/her]

I feel it a bit hard to respond to that because using terms like "grow out of it" or "none endearing disease" for John's condition makes as much sense as using them for autism, which is pretty much none. Now, what I can tell you without veering into spoiler territory is that John does confront his inner demons and deals with them and I'd say that he does qualify for being called likable.

 

There's also emotions, lots of them.

 

I apologize for the "none endearing disease", I simply meant to highlight what my reading preferences were, not to make the process of individuals who struggle with similar real-life issues 

 

I simply do not wish to read about a protagonist who's issues are linked to a mental condition he/she will never be able to face/heal/grow out of without the use of extensive therapy and medication. It just isn't the kind of protagonist and I am looking for. If the character's specific condition is presented in a sympathetic endearing way and if the characters manages to go through it with a reasonable amount of success, then yes it can make an arc I'd enjoy reading. 

 

What I don't want is the following:  Book 1 "Character has problem", last Book "Character has the same problem".

 

Huh if this isn't clear, you can always pitch in a character from books I have read and ask if I found him/her endearing or not... That would probably be useful, but the goal of this thread is not to enter into character discussion 

 

I basically want to find a new character to root for, to love and to genuinely want to read more of, but more importantly one rooting for is being rewarded in the story. I don't want to end up rooting for the only character who doesn't get development.

[Trizee]

I would recommend the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson. It's an epic fantasy where the main character, Thomas Covenant, is probably one of the more complex and interesting characters I've read about. Donaldson is also one of the authors with the most beautiful prose out there, so the books are worth it just for that.

 

Other books I would recommend are Sailing to Sarantium by GGK- the book's protagonist, Crispin, is really a wonderful character. You might also want to try Dune by Frank Herbert- Paul Atreides is quite an interesting character. 

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Knowing you like Adolin, I repeat my proposal of the Powder Mage trilogy. Taniel Two-Shot reminds me of Adolin, and somewhat of Kaladin. Tamas is much like Dalinar, but I can't remember your preference on him, oh, and he's more like Blackthorn than current Dalinar. Kinda in between.

[sheep]

...

 

She wished for Czech and all the other languages.

 

I guess I was just really bothered by the way the first book introduced Karou is the most unique-est person in school with all of the quirks in order to separate her from just another high school novel.  Replace shy wallflower with tattooed artistic, replace standard American high school with Prague art academy.   And then

she found out she had a dead girl's soul.

 

I really would have liked it if she had kept her own identity rather than just accepting Madrigal's.   She had her own personality for her entire life (though there were unconscious influences here and there) and I would have liked it if her first meeting with Akiva was more organic than the equivalent of "eyes meet across the room". 

[Zathoth]

Lets see, very little of what I like has the characters in focus and if I like characters I like them because they are interesting, not because they are likable people.

 

Battle Angel Alita. I am pretty sure the manga has an official english translation so you dont need to find it illegally on the internet. Alita is a cyborg in a dystopian scrapheap underneath a floating island where the rich live. And despite the fact that she lives in a universe that has both perfectly mapped the human mind and the laws of physics she still manages to be philosophical and spiritual, without it coming of as naive. And it has fights, lots of really awesome fights, and an insane scientist. It is actually very uplifting despite the cynical setting.

 

It is on my top 4 manga ever list, I have read a lot of manga.

 

And the art is gorgeous. That is a big plus.

 

 

I have not gotten far in Worm, but from what I have read I really like it.

 

 

And that is really all I can think of XD Though, I dont know, maybe Kafka on the Shore had an interesting character arc, I did like it, but I dont know.

[ParadoxicalZen he/him]

A child cursed with eternal youth...

Compelled to seal nightmarish creatures inside reality altering capsules in his pursuit to reign supreme and have ultimate bragging rights...

Ever several steps behind his fallen best friend/rival...

Completely dense and always flies by the seat of his trousers...

Useless at keeping bicycles...

[Iarwainiel I she/her]

My first thought wasn't a book, but a classic TV show: The most awesome character arcs I have ever seen are Londo Mollari and G'Kar from "Babylon 5." Several of the other main characters have great progression too, but nothing like these two. Getting a lump in my throat just thinking about it. One of the best shows that's ever been on TV, IMO, though I haven't had television for over 10 years now so I don't know recent stuff.

 

Now as to books...

 

The protagonist has strong character development in books 1 & 2 of the Song of Albion cycle by Steven Lawhead ("The Paradise War" and "The Silver Hand"). The second book especially is one of my favorites - lots of great gnomic passages (wise sayings) similar to what you find in Tolkien. But book 3, alas was somewhat of a disappointment for me, though YMMV.

 

The protagonist in "Byzantium" by Steven Lawhead has a great arc. It's historical fiction, not fantasy, but you just gotta love them Vikings!

 

You might also try the first 3 books in Lawhead's Pendragon cycle ("Taliesin," "Merlin," and "Arthur"). The stories aren't quite what you'd expect, and the Charis and Merlin characters have good development.

 

The protagonists in the "Ex-Heroes" series by Peter Clines are interesting, and over the 4-5 (very short) books there is some good character development. These are more light-hearted books, though, not deep like SA.

 

I wouldn't say that the protagonists in Hugh Howey's books "Wool," "Shift," and "Dust" progress so much as they gradually figure out what's happening in their world, then find the strength to meet tremendous challenges.

 

I heartily agree with Mailliw73's recommendation of the Powder Mage books by Brian McClellan. The author has also published several e-book short stories, so you can get a feel for the worldbuilding for only 99 cents. But be careful re: spoilers in the short fiction.

 

If you're open to a female protagonist, then perhaps the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson would interest you. IMO they're about 10% more racy than Brandon's books (i.e., romantic scenes are described a little more) but nothing too bad and I'm pretty conservative about that stuff. You can easily skip over anything you're not comfortable with and not miss anything in the plot.

 

In D.M. Cornish's "Monster Blood Tattoo" trilogy (a tween/YA series), the secondary character  Europa, Duchess-in-Waiting of Naimes, has astonishing character development. I love these books - so creative. However, the main character, the boy Rossamund Bookchild, has a more traditional story arc, so MBT might not be what you're looking for.

 

Finally, have you tried the "Old Man's War" books by John Scalzi? Both the John and the Jane characters grow and develop over the first 4 books. (They do not appear in the most recent 2 books.) FYI - This is sci-fi, not fantasy.

 

Great question Maxal!

Edited February 10, 2016 by old aggie

[maxal she/her]

My first thought wasn't a book, but a classic TV show: The most awesome character arcs I have ever seen are Londo Mollari and G'Kar from "Babylon 5." Several of the other main characters have great progression too, but nothing like these two. Getting a lump in my throat just thinking about it. One of the best shows that's ever been on TV, IMO, though I haven't had television for over 10 years now so I don't know recent stuff.

 

Now as to books...

 

The protagonist has strong character development in books 1 & 2 of the Song of Albion cycle by Steven Lawhead ("The Paradise War" and "The Silver Hand"). The second book especially is one of my favorites - lots of great gnomic passages (wise sayings) similar to what you find in Tolkien. But book 3, alas was somewhat of a disappointment for me, though YMMV.

 

The protagonist in "Byzantium" by Steven Lawhead has a great arc. It's historical fiction, not fantasy, but you just gotta love them Vikings!

 

You might also try the first 3 books in Lawhead's Pendragon cycle ("Taliesin," "Merlin," and "Arthur"). The stories aren't quite what you'd expect, and the Charis and Merlin characters have good development.

 

The protagonists in the "Ex-Heroes" series by Peter Clines are interesting, and over the 4-5 (very short) books there is some good character development. These are more light-hearted books, though, not deep like SA.

 

I wouldn't say that the protagonists in Hugh Howey's books "Wool," "Shift," and "Dust" progress so much as they gradually figure out what's happening in their world, then find the strength to meet tremendous challenges.

 

I heartily agree with Mailliw73's recommendation of the Powder Mage books by Brian McClellan. The author has also published several e-book short stories, so you can get a feel for the worldbuilding for only 99 cents. But be careful re: spoilers in the short fiction.

 

If you're open to a female protagonist, then perhaps the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson would interest you. IMO they're about 10% more racy than Brandon's books (i.e., romantic scenes are described a little more) but nothing too bad and I'm pretty conservative about that stuff. You can easily skip over anything you're not comfortable with and not miss anything in the plot.

 

In D.M. Cornish's "Monster Blood Tattoo" trilogy (a tween/YA series), the secondary character  Europa, Duchess-in-Waiting of Naimes, has astonishing character development. I love these books - so creative. However, the main character, the boy Rossamund Bookchild, has a more traditional story arc, so MBT might not be what you're looking for.

 

Finally, have you tried the "Old Man's War" books by John Scalzi? Both the John and the Jane characters grow and develop over the first 4 books. (They do not appear in the most recent 2 books.) FYI - This is sci-fi, not fantasy.

 

Great question Maxal!

 

Wow, thanks for the detail post! 

 

I'll check all of these books, but considering you are the third person to recommend Powder Mage, I am likely to start with this one   I'll let you all know if I like it. 

 

A few more specifications as to my personal tastes: I do love historical fiction and yes I do love Vikings, I mean who doesn't love Vikings? I am definitely keeping this one in, perhaps for the summer 

 

I absolutely do not mind female protagonists and I am no problem with racy books, Brandon is very, very, very clean. I wouldn't mind if he weren't   as long as the book isn't erotica which isn't my thing. I wouldn't call myself a conservative on these matters. I do like romance, but I prefer when it isn't the main focus of the story. For instance, I generally prefer when my characters have other motivations in their life than loving XYZ.

[Mistrunner]

Adelina Amouteru from The Young Elites.

Now, let me say right off the bat that this is not a happy book. It's very, very dark and Adelina has a lot of problems. She is definitely not a hero. But it's got amazing character development. Just amazing. She grows and changes- maybe not in the right direction, but changes nonetheless.