Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 Favorite Characters K-O

Kvothe from the The Kingkiller Chronicles

My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as “quothe.” Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I’ve had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it’s spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree…My first mentor called me E’lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.

But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant “to know.”

I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me.

I love The Name of the Wind, our first introduction to Kvothe and his world, I’ve bought copies just have on hand to give away. I was let down, somewhat, by The Wise Man’s Fear but man…there’s something about Kvothe. Even if we never get The Doors of Stone (as seems increasingly likely)—I’m just glad to have met him.

The Luidaeg from the October Daye` series

The Sea Witch. One of those monsters that Fae parents warn their children about to get them to behave. The First of the Firstborn. She’s simply a delicious character, from the first book in the series, she’s been probably my favorite. She can be counted on to be creepy, comic relief, terrifying, and disturbing at any point (frequently the same moment). One day, she is going to kill Toby, in the meantime, she’s her most powerful ally. She’s brought me to the verge of tears three times (so far). I’m not sure what exactly to say about her, really, words can’t sum her up.

Mercy Thompson from The Mercy Thompson series

Mercedes “Mercy” Athena Thompson. Volkswagon Mechanic. Coyote skinwalker. Wife of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack of werewolves. Trouble magnet. Mercy is (as she’ll tell you herself) one of the weekest supernatural beings around, but she finds herself in the middle of all sorts of trouble—from the Fae (all sorts), werewolves, vampires, witches, miniature zombie goats, and others—and somehow, she always manages to come out on top. Sometimes it’s because of a powerufl ally or friend (or family member), frequently it’s because she’s quick enough and clever enough to outsmart whatever/whoever she’s up against. As the daughter of Coyote, she’s an agent of chaos—and man, oh, man, can she bring it.

Nina Hill from The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

There’s something about Nina Hill that just speaks to me. It was practically love at first sentence. Nina Hill is a reader — books are how she defines herself, the prism through which she sees and interacts with the world. She has a job (bookseller), a cat, a small home with a lot of shelves, a trivia team, book club, a place she exercises, a visualization corner, a fantastic planner and a love of coffee and quality office products. Her life is pretty regimented, but everything is just how she likes it. She also is introverted, prone to anxiety, and averse to change. Nina’s smart with a great memory, a penchant for honesty, and highly-developed sense of who she is.

Oberon from The Iron Druid Chronicles and Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries

Clearly, he’s a favorite—I have a stuffed toy of him. Atticus O’Sullivan’s Irish Wolfhound. After being bound to Atticus, the two can communicate telepathically. Oberon has a taste for TV and movies, he loves chasing squirrels and eating sausages (and has a thing for French Poodles). Either in his own novellas or in the novels about Atticus he’s a constant source of laughs and is the real heart of the Iron Druid</b books.