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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.

Fiona Griffiths from the Fiona Griffiths series

When we meet her, Fi is most junior detective on the South Wales Major Crimes unit. And she’s very aware of it—she’s very aware of a lot. She had some…very serious medical issues as a young person (I’ll let her tell you about it), and she’s really not totally over it. She keeps most of her problems to herself, her colleagues and supervisors know that her brain doesn’t work like most people’s do. It’s Fi’s unique perspective and her drive to be accepted by other detectives that provide the push for her to get to the bottom of the murder case in her first book, Talking to the Dead.

Archie Goodwin from the Nero Wolfe series

I do an annual tribute to Archie on October 23rd, so I’ll keep this short. Archie is the narrator of the Nero Wolfe mysteries. He’s Wolfe’s assistant, his legman, his majordomo. A decent P.I. in his own right, Archie’s major task is to be the reclusive genius’s conduit to the world outside. He’s got a quick wit, a pretty good punch, a strong typing speed, and a fantastic memory. I’ve been reading Archie since I was in junior high, and I can’t imagine that I won’t be reading him on my deathbed.

Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files

What can I possibly say about Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden?

Maybe I’ll let him sum things up. In the Chicago Yellow Pages (back when they were a thing), you could find this listing:

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment

That pretty much says it all. He’s Chicago’s only Professional Wizard, a sometimes Police Consultant, a Warden of the White Council, the Winter Knight, and incurable smart-ass.

I love this guy.

Izzy Spellman from The Spellman Files

Izzy is the daughter of two P.I.s and joining the family business as a way to delay maturation. She drinks too much, she has a very spotty relationship record. Has a nose for trouble—and is a good investigator, when she puts in a little effort. Her family spends as much time investigating each other as they do whatever case they’re working. She’s funny, she’s quirky, she has a tendency to use a lot of footnotes in her narration. She’s as funny as Stephanie Plum at her best, as good an investigator as Kinsey Millhone (if not better), and an ability to find herself in trouble as often as Dennis Mitchell.

(Borrowing from Lisa Lutz’s website) “Izzy’s cynical—okay, wise—enough to realize that a primrose-covered cottage with a white picket fence is not in her future. That’s okay with her. Ever the jaded P.I., she catalogs her ex-boyfriends with calculated brevity, reducing her romantic misjudgments to curt summaries of name, age, occupation, hobbies, duration, and last words. No sooner has she met a new man that she begins composing his exit profile.”

Jupiter Jones from The Three Investigators series.

The Three Investigators series solidified my obsession with Detective Fiction, one that readers here know has not let up one bit. The First Investigator gave hope to chubby, bookish kids everywhere—the HQ he set up underneath the discarded bits and pieces in his Aunt and Uncle’s junkyard was a dream hangout, his inventiveness was something to be jealous of, and his nose for a mystery was something we all aspired to. I don’t know how many times I read every novel in that series I could find (more than was good for me), but watching Jupiter (and Pete and Bob) get into and out of trouble (mostly because of Jupiter’s intellect) was one of my favorite things in childhood.