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Second Banana Award - Who are the great supporting characters and side-kicks of fantasy?
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K.A.
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Jul 08, 2013 07:56AM

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I think a strong argument could be made that Harry Potter is the sidekick in Neville Longbottom's story.

ASoIAF- A song of ice and fire. Series by George R.R. Martin.

Silk from the Mallorean.
Bartimaeus from Amulet of Samarkand.. although he's way funnier and more interesting than the main character Nathaniel!

Heh. Yes, to a large extent. I actually like Neville better than Harry.

Neville Longbottom is the more classic tragic hero. He suffers his hardships in stoic isolation, and still somehow manages to find the strength and character to put it all on the line for others.
In contrast, Harry weeps and moans about his lonely orphan status - or others do it for him - so frequently that by the third book, we're already sick of it. We don't even learn the depth of Neville's hardships until something like the fourth book. That's how much of a standup kind of guy Neville is.
"Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher's Stone."
Yeah, I think that works.
Personally (not the same topic, I know) I'd like to see a series with Draco Malfoy as the main character, along the lines of the Flashman books. He's got a much cooler name for a fantasy hero than Harry Potter (who, let's face it, sounds like a middle-aged chartered accountant), and hair like Elric of Melnibone. Way to go, Draco!
Yeah, I think that works.
Personally (not the same topic, I know) I'd like to see a series with Draco Malfoy as the main character, along the lines of the Flashman books. He's got a much cooler name for a fantasy hero than Harry Potter (who, let's face it, sounds like a middle-aged chartered accountant), and hair like Elric of Melnibone. Way to go, Draco!


This interested me so much that I began exploring the idea of "how do people become evil sorcerers and do they think they're right/good?", although not with Draco Malfoy per se. I wonder if there's some Deatheater-POV fan fic out there? I'd be interested in it. Probably off-topic, but I'm also interested in other not-so-heroic POV books...suggestions?
Oliver D'burrows from The Crimson Shadow series.

Olver in WoT.
Thibbledorf Pwent in the Salvatore books.
And many more I can't think of now.







Ingold Inglorion from Barbara Hambly's Darwath series is a sword wielding wizard who would kick Gandalf's butt any day.
Saltheart Foamfollower and Lord M..."
Saltheart definitely.

I also like the really pious knight (starts with a B?) in the other Eddings series. I remember at one point, he beheads a guard who refuses to make way, then leads a prayer over his soul.
I also second Mat Cauthon. He was easily the best character in WoT. Him and Egwene. I grew to hate the Rand chapters.

My favorite supporting character is probably Sazed from Mistborn. A supporting character but an important one. And my favorite from the series.
Silk.I like Silk from the Belgariad and Mallorean series.



Sam Gamgee
Silk
Oberon
How about Saltheart Foamfollower from Thomas Covenant's 1st series?
Mouse, Murphy, or Thomas from Harry Dresden
Loiosh from Brust's Vlad Taltos series

Tock in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Gumpwort in The Wizard's Tale by Kurt Busiek
Will Fairweather in A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson
The Gollux in The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
Tyson from the Percy Jackson books.
I'd vote for Puddleglum the Marshwiggle, in C.S.Lewis's The Silver Chair. He has a refreshingly gloomy view of life that is very similar to my own.

Completely forgot about him. Yeah, he's the best part/character of maybe the whole series.

He's a good one.
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Authors mentioned in this topic
L. Jagi Lamplighter (other topics)Norton Juster (other topics)
Kurt Busiek (other topics)
Poul Anderson (other topics)
James Thurber (other topics)
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